A short history of plaster: from ancient lime to plaster of Paris
Plaster is one of humanity's oldest building materials. Long before paint or wallpaper, people were smoothing it onto walls, shaping it into decoration and using it to make buildings more beautiful and more durable.
Two families of plaster
- Lime plaster is made by heating limestone to make quicklime, then slaking it with water. It hardens slowly as it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. It was the standard plaster in Britain for centuries.
- Gypsum plaster is made by heating gypsum, a soft mineral, to drive off some of its water. Mixed with water again, it sets quickly and hard, which makes it ideal for casting in moulds.
Why "plaster of Paris"?
Large deposits of gypsum lay beneath Montmartre and the surrounding area of Paris, and the city became famous for producing it. The name stuck, and "plaster of Paris" is still used for gypsum casting plaster around the world.
Every decorative plaster piece is a little piece of chemistry: water, mineral and time.
Decorative plaster in Britain
Elaborate plaster ceilings became fashionable in Tudor and Jacobean houses, where ribs, pendants and strapwork patterns were run or modelled in place. In the Georgian period, master plasterers such as Joseph Rose produced the fine, repeating ornament of the Adam style, often using moulds to repeat motifs precisely.
The rise of fibrous plaster
In the nineteenth century, fibrous plaster changed the trade. It was patented in 1856 by a French modeller, Leonard Desachy. Plaster reinforced with layers of fibre (originally canvas and timber laths) could be cast in a workshop as lighter, stronger panels and ornaments, then carried to site. This is why so many Victorian homes could have ceiling roses and cornices: they no longer had to be made in place.
Plaster today
Traditional casting is still a hand skill. At Flare we cast each piece by hand to order in our Shrewsbury studio. You can read more about how we work on our studio page.
Good to know
Common questions
What is the difference between lime plaster and gypsum plaster?
Lime plaster is made from burnt limestone slaked with water and hardens slowly by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. Gypsum plaster is made by heating gypsum; mixed with water it sets quickly and hard, which makes it ideal for casting decorative pieces in moulds.
Why is it called plaster of Paris?
Large deposits of gypsum lay beneath Montmartre and the surrounding area of Paris, and the city became famous for producing gypsum plaster. The name stuck, and plaster of Paris is still used worldwide for gypsum casting plaster.
What is fibrous plaster?
Fibrous plaster is gypsum plaster reinforced with layers of fibre, such as canvas or hessian, and timber laths. Patented in Britain in 1856 by Leonard Desachy, it allowed lighter, stronger ornaments and panels to be cast in a workshop and fixed on site.
Sources
References and further reading
Harvard style. Web pages were checked on the access date shown.
- Beard, G. (1975) Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain. London: Phaidon.
- Millar, W. (1897) Plastering, Plain and Decorative: A Practical Treatise on the Art & Craft of Plastering and Modelling. London: B.T. Batsford.
- English Heritage (2011) Practical Building Conservation: Mortars, Renders and Plasters. Edited by A. Henry and J. Stewart. Farnham: Ashgate.
- Historic England (2019) Historic Fibrous Plaster in the UK: Guidance on its Care and Management. Swindon: Historic England. Available at: historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/historic... (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- Harrison, D. (n.d.) Dramatic plasterwork. The Building Conservation Directory. Available at: www.buildingconservation.com/articles/theatre/theatre.htm (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
How to cite this article
Tire, G. (2026) ‘A short history of plaster: from ancient lime to plaster of Paris’, The Flare Journal. Flare Studio UK. Available at: https://flarestudio.uk/blogs/journal/short-history-of-plaster (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
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