My maternal grandfather, as well as his brother and brother's sons (three of them) were in the plastering trade in its heyday. I spent a lot of time on various job sites and was always amazed at how tough it was to throw plaster (especially on ceilings), and equally amazed at the artistry involved. Those guys could really make incredibly smooth, even surfaces. It was much more of an art than a science. The house I lived in (on and off) with my parents from about 1957 to about 1975 had been plastered by my cousins - it never developed a single crack in it. Plastering seems to be pretty much of a lost art these days.
