A very Happy Holiday to You and Yours from the Clay Plaster Co. Best wishes for 2012!

Every great product begins with a great idea. American Clay plasters are one of those products, and this video although short is a speech Croft Elsaesser (AC founder) gave recently, telling how he came to the idea to create these beautiful natural wall coverings.

One thing we at the Clay Plaster Company have noticed in the Green and Sustainable market place today, is that these materials and ideas are growing. People are realising not only the aesthetics of such products but more importantly the health benefits and the environmental impacts in there manufacture. We all know now how things are changing in our environment, and as we spend much of our time inside, why not make those spaces a little healthier and at the same time better for our planet. 

For those of you who are not aware EBUK (Earth Building UK) is hosting a conference on January 13th 2012, giving people the opportunity to speak and listen to some well respected people in the Sustainable Building community.

This is a unique opportunity to talk to people with skills, products and with research experience in this fast growing area.

Earth plaster is fast growing for many different reasons including its ability to be used on old and new buildings, its attractive and unique appearance, the fact that it is a great alternative to existing modern wall coverings like paint and to top it all off it has fantastic health benefits and is very sustainable.

'The Clay Plaster Company' will be showcasing some of our products there, and there will be plenty of information you can take away with you. We hope that you enjoy the show...

About EBUK

Who they are:

Earth Building U.K. was established to foster the conservation, understanding and development of building with earth in the United Kingdom.

It brings together builders, academics, researchers, architects, engineers, manufacturers and many more to work in areas of common interest at a national and local level. An inaugural conference on the 16th January 2009 in Bath formally established the organisation and they look forward to growing and developing over the coming years.

EBUK is bringing together builders, academics, researchers, architects, engineers, manufacturers and many more to work in areas of common interest at a national and local level.

Their aims are to:

• promote earth building in contemporary construction
• assist the recognition, understanding and significance of earth buildings
• foster traditional skills and promote new technologies
• network their membership to promote earth building locally, nationally and internationally
• research and develop technical understanding
• share experience and knowledge through a program of seminars and annual conferences.

They are a membership organisation run by a group of volunteers.

EBUK Conference

Clay Plasters are not just a great natural decorative choice for your walls and ceilings, they also come with an array of incredible benefits. These benefits range from Breathability, Flexibility and Reversibility to great aesthetics, mold resistance and in most cases the lowest carbon footprint of any wall finish. 

For those of you that are a little confused by some of the above mentioned benefits, we decided to have a little show and tell. It is true enough that pictures speak 1000 words so here is a little video from the American Clay library describing 'Humidity Control', which is an aspect of what makes up the material's ability to breathe.

Additional Colour Info...!

One of the great things about the range of American Clay Plasters we carry is not only do they have an extensive colour pallet (which by the way is abut to grow considerably) but they also have great colour support. By this I mean that the versatility of the product enables many different applications using many different techniques with MANY different colour blending possibilities. Whether you choose to mix on the hawk, in the bucket or on the wall, we have enough technical knowledge and support to give you the tips you need to be as creative as you want. One of the best tools we have is the Colour Blog of Carrie Williar. Which in the next few weeks, you will be able to directly connect with through a link from our website.

A catalyst for creativity, Carrie packs a rare combination of tools that enrich and enhance American Clay’s day-to-day operations. An art therapist by training, Carrie also brings a welcome arsenal of skills with her history in marketing, business development, corporate training, fine arts, and green building.

Prior to her work with American Clay, Carrie was an artisan applicator and American Clay trainer in Richmond, VA. Additionally, Carrie has consulted to help several businesses develop a more sustainable business model. Fueled by the belief that innovation, openness, and a natural curiosity can be the most valuable tools for professional success, she brings that mentality to her work with American Clay’s clients.

Carrie is active on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and welcomes opportunities to meet and connect with others in the industry. 

How high can you go...with bales?

Its great to see just where the UK is in its continued approach and focus to the Green and Sustainable issues of our time. The new innovative ideas and focus of those Architects, Designers, Contractors, Manufactures and others alike who have recognised the need for change in our construction industry and implemented ways in which to deal with its fundamental problems, is admirable. We recently read an article of such a project...Largest Strawbale Building now in the UK. Take a look as the UK yet again breaks new ground!

Anyway, enjoy the article and its links, we feel its definitely a great step in the right direction!

So, as we get a number of questions asking the origins of our American Clay Plasters, we thought it was a good idea to post a little about the American clay company history!

The Story of American Clay

American Clay Earth Plaster was developed in New Mexico in 2000 by Croft Elsaesser, a high-end furniture and wall finisher/artisan who was looking for an alternative to the highly toxic finishing materials typically used to do custom finishes. Unable to find a product that was non-toxic, cost- effective and adaptable enough to create a variety of wall surfaces/finishes, Croft returned to the original natural building material of history, clay. His idea was to create a wall finish that could equal any old-world finish in beauty, be healthy for those living with the material in their homes, and be manufactured in the U.S. of locally abundant materials.

With advice from ceramicist Carol Baumgartel, his mother, Croft developed a clay plaster recipe that met his demanding specifications. As a professional interior designer, Carol recognized immediately, the growing market for environmentally viable building materials.

After two years of experimentation and market research, American Clay became a viable, mass produced product available to the greater building industry. Applying for a provisional patent June of 2002, American Clay was awarded the Patent Pending in July of 2002.

American Clay is now sold by distributors and dealers across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Antigua, Mexico and Japan. The company continues to be run by Croft and Carol’s family, their investors and their many employees. Today they remain committed to the company values that helped build their product: Integrity, Innovation, Quality, Communication, Well-being, Sustainability, and Service.

Heres a short video we put together to let people know some of the great benefits of this product, and see some shots from the world wide American Clay gallery. Enjoy. . .

We are a UK Distributor of Japanese Hand Crafted Trowels.

The Clay Plaster Company now offers high-quality, original Japanese plastering trowels direct from our suppliers in Japan.

These traditional trowels have been used for applying natural plasters for centuries - being both light and versatile they are great to use and also excellent for awkward and uneven surfaces. These Japanese trowels will be invaluable additions to your tool kit.

We offer 16 different styles of trowels for all applications ranging from the application of Base coats through to Finishing in both plastic and stainless steel.

To show our appreciation for our dedicated applicators, we also offer a 10% discount on all trowels purchased by those who have attended our workshops.

Deals in Woodstock...

This is one of our dealer's in Woodstock, Oxford. Visit The Old House Store to see American Clay colour & texture samples and learn more about this natural wall finish. The Old House Store

MgO Board... An Environmental solution to plasterboard!

Along with our American Clay plasters we also provide other Green or Sustainable alternative materials, such as our Magnesium board. 


Magnesiacore Inc. is the principle developer of high quality magnesia cement board materials. Magnesiacore (TM) brand boards are used globally and have many millions of square feet of quality installations in building projects across Europe and North America. 

Magnesiacore(TM) has a very low environmental impact. In the manufacturing process more CO2 is sequestered in the board than is released by processing of the raw materials. When the emissions of conventional cement boards and plasterboard are compared, Magnesiacore(TM) uses up to 50% less embodied energy in its manufacturing. 

Magnesiacore(TM) reduces environmental impact when it comes to landfills by the fact that Magnesiacore(TM) can be crushed and mixed with topsoil and cleanfill to improve soil quality -- making it a true greener alternative to plasterboard and cement boards. With its natural breathability, Magnesiacore(TM) coupled with natural American Clay plaster provides a completely breathable solution in working environments for any type of living and/or working environment.

Go ahead! Break the rules…
It’s not uncommon for someone to call us asking if it’s okay to add more or less of a pigment to achieve a colour they’re seeking.

In this post, I’m giving you permission to break the rules. A typical conversation often yields one of two questions:

Can I add more pigment to intensify one of your standard colours?
Is it all right if I add less pigment to lighten a colour?
In both cases, the answer is often yes.
In the case of heavy colour packs like Bryce Canyon, Palomino Valley, Painted Desert, or Sugarloaf White, it isn’t a good idea to increase the pigment load. You can comfortably divide the colour pack, though, often for amazing results.


It’s funny the way many of our customers try to follow instructions to a tee, not feeling safe enough to deviate from what they’ve been told is the “right way” to use our product. Customers trust that what we tell them is THE way things should be done. Often, that’s true. The methods we suggest in our instructions are the tried and true methods that have yielded good results across a wide geographic range, as well as with a diverse demographic audience (largely professional plasterers vs. first-time users).


There are certain qualities inherent in our product, though, that allow for creativity and some flexibility, and colour is one of them. When you read our instructions, which tell you (in most cases) to combine a bag of plaster with one bag of pigment, understand that those suggestions are given so you’ll get a specific end result colour. You can opt to take your own route and create a different colour. Depending on your comfort level, it could be as simple as deciding, “I really like Chesapeake Bay, but it’s too rich. I’m going to blend one colour pack among 4 bags of clay to create a lighter version.” In other cases, we have some artisans who are comfortable mixing 3 and 4 pigments together to create a brand new color completely different than would have been achievable with just one of our colour packs alone.


If you decide to “break the rules” and adjust a colour on your own, make sure you consider a few things, most importantly cost and pigment weight.
If you’re increasing the amount of pigment, ask yourself – Is it cost effective? Here’s a good example to consider: A popular request is for an intense version of Wild Horse Smoke that would require upwards of 6 colour packs per bucket of clay. I don’t know about you, but I would be very hesitant to purchase that many colour packs if I felt I could achieve the same look at a smaller cost. It’s far less expensive to have your dealer contact us to have a large quantity of pigment packaged as one colour pack and shipped to your location.


Your other consideration is making sure you don’t exceed the pigment weight/clay plaster ratio. You want to stay under 1 kg of pigment per batch of clay. There are certain exceptions depending on the pigment, type of application, geographic region, and other factors, but this is a tried and true number for many reasons.


We encourage you to keep calling to talk about your color options. Many times, I’ve already tried to achieve the type of colour you’re seeking, and can either do it for you, or I can better advise you on how to start the process on your own.
I hope this post has boosted your confidence to break the rules and explore some new colour options!