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 Story & photos by Richard Bermack, Contributing Writer
From the ancient pyramids to the Palace of Versailles to a parking garage in San Francisco, plasterers have been making buildings durable and beautiful for over 9,000 years.
Over the years, the materials and the skills have evolved. Still, watching plasterers coat the inner recesses of the ceiling of the corner wall of a parking structure, one is reminded of the skill and craft that went into creating the walls of a 16th century cathedral. Although we often think of plastering as spreading a thin coat of a mud-like substance over concrete walls or sheet rock, there is more to it than that. Today, with materials made out of limestone or synthetics, plasterers create walls that look like they are made of marble or stone and futuristic walls of pattern swirls and every imaginable texture.
 “When I first started plastering,” says Paul Gutierrez, a plasterer for 24 years, “we only had a limited set of materials. Now, with the new technology and new finishes, there is a whole array of plasters out there. There is so much theory between all the different mixes, designs, and everything else that you have to develop a reading habit. You have to take upgrade seminars or go to the trainings the manufacturers provide for their products.”
New materials are also giving plaster a prominent role in the green economy. Eco-friendly products are being used as final coats on buildings, both interior and exterior. They provide insulation and an attractive, durable, finished surface without emitting fumes associated with paint products. Plasterers & Shophands Union Local 66 traces its roots back to the 1860’s. It represents 600 members from Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties.
“On the Jobsite” visited members of Local 66 working for the Raymond Company, applying a smooth finish to the walls of a parking complex at the Mission Bay project.
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 Paul Gutierrez
24 years, Supervisor
I like the gratification of working hard and being proud of the results. I wouldn’t want to do a wall that I was ashamed of. My favorite project was Club Quarters on Kearney Street. That job involved a 12-story building with multi-finishes, multi-textures, ULTRA-Tex brick, and limestone. I like limestone because you can make anything out of it. The most challenging material for me is Sculptural Armourcoat. On one job I had to make it look like a piece of marble. The key to being a supervisor is to keep up with the work ahead of you. The general contractors are trying to save time. They want to shave a little time off here, a little time off there. They’ll go, “Hurry up, hurry up,” and tear down the scaffold. And then after the scaffold is down, they’ll complain about how the job looks. You’ve got to do your homework. My game is to have a procedure and be adamant with the contractors. “You stick with my procedure, and we can go boom, boom, boom and we’re done.” On the other hand, I’ve got to hammer my guys so everyone is on the same page. Everyone has their own style, and each trowel leaves a certain signature. I can look at a wall and tell who worked on it. It is all technique and style. We get guys over-trained, under-trained, some like to work slow and careful, others are hustlers. I tell them that on my job, we all do it my way. That way, when we’re done, it will all have the same uniform finish. It’s hard work. You find out you have muscles you never thought you had. Shoulders and elbows and knees are the main culprits, and the necks somewhat. Those are what break down in our industry.
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 Lloyd Del Carmen
12 years
My uncle got me into the trade when I was 18. It’s a great career. You get to travel around and make money. I’ve seen more of the city than most people ever will. I’ve had a chance to work everywhere from the top floor of the Transamerica Building to Barry Bonds’ house. Every day you get to do something new. I like being outside. I would never want to be in an office job. You can’t beat this. Cement is the hardest material for me. Instead of laying it on the ground to set, you have to put it up on the wall and make it stay vertical. I learn from watching other people, and if I don’t know how to do something, I ask one of my union brothers. We all help each other out.
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 Jason O’ Rourke
9 years
I like the different types of Italian finishes. My favorite finish is probably color veneer. I like the different patterns you can put into it by breaking up the strokes. It’s challenging, but once you get the hang of it, you can make it look cloudy or make it look like different colors. It’s pretty cool. I worked on Larry Ellison’s mansion in Woodside. We did a Japanese finish with an organic material made of bamboo. I will always remember that. Before I got into the trade, I was driving a cement truck, and my buddy Paul told me about plastering. I didn’t even know what it was, but he said come down to the union hall and find out. It worked out pretty well.
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 Daniel Rivera
19 years
I used to be a forklift driver, but this pays a lot more money, and you can be creative. We get to do different types of texture and work with different types of materials and techniques so we can do the best job we can. That’s the whole deal. Right now I’m doing a smooth finish. The trick is, once you get bubbles, don’t play too much with it. Let it be. Let the material do its thing and then go after it.
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 Ramon Guizado
12 years
I like the smooth finish. It’s hard for some people, but I like it. Before I joined Local 66, I worked on non-union jobs. All my friends were plasterers, and they said, “Why don’t you come in the plasterers union?” It made a big difference: better pay, benefits, more safety, and you get training about the different materials. Everything is better. I love my job.
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 Fernando Guerrero
11 years
I like plastering and everything about it. It’s for me.
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