For thousands of years the plasterer performed all phases of the work involved in producing the complete job and was regarded as an artist with the highest prestige of all the construction trades.

The plasterer developed finished walls, ceilings, and in many cases floors. Later when Portland cement became available in many areas, the plasterer also became involved in the finishing of pavement, sidewalks and similar work. As the volume of work grew, a natural subdivision of the work developed and with the natural evolution of the trade certain specializations developed.

Certain plasterers became lathers and soon did nothing but apply lath (wood at the time). Later other plasterers stayed with the Portland cement part of the trade that was involved in laying concrete floors, sidewalks and roads.

These men were then called masons. In this way three different trades developed from one because the various areas of skill became too complex for one man to successfully do all of them... more