September 27, 2005 -- American Clay Earth Plaster, the natural finish for interior walls and ceilings, is responding to the increased builder and consumer demand for natural plaster installation by ensuring that all its providers and distributors are completely knowledgeable and well-trained to help others. As American Clay has crossed the great divide from the more limited ‘green’ market into a larger general-use market – growing 400% in the last 12 months - the company plans to expand its number of experts across the country to help them spread the word and provide confidence to home builders and buyers that clay plaster is the best option for their interiors. To that end, American Clay has invited its key distributors, retailers and advanced clay plasterers from across the U.S. to the Albuquerque, NM offices in mid-October for a 3-day intensive training. This Train the Trainer program – which awards a certification of completion from American Clay - will be offered again in April and October 2006.
“ This assures that everyone will have a lot of one on one time. ”
One of the key reasons for the popularity of American Clay is its ease-of-use. But as with anything, there are always questions – whether from contractors, professional plasterers or consumers. As more people discover the material – and as professional, personalized customer service is key to American Clay- timeliness and expertise in responding to inquiries dictated the creation of this certification program, in addition to their already existing workshops. Says AC Founder and CEO Croft Elsaesser, “We're doing this workshop to assure quality and knowledge to our customers. The class will be seven applicators to each instructor. This assures that everyone will have a lot of one on one time.”
The Train the Trainer program certifies the professionals in textures, repairs, sealing, blending, corners, new product application techniques, substrate variables, mixing colors and recoating.
Workshops for different levels of knowledge are also available through American Clay or through some of their distributors. Please check www.americanclay.com for dates, locations, contact information and pricing. Two kinds of workshops are offered:
• a day-long workshop for professional and serious do-it-yourself plasterers;
• a half-day workshop for do-it-yourself plasterers.
American Clay also produced a 13-minute video (VHS/DVD), which includes several shots of completed installations interspersed with a step-by-step demonstration of plastering techniques.
American Clay products are applied much like a conventional plaster finish, but with none of the intrinsic problems of gypsum or cementitious plasters. There is no off-gassing or inherent waste on-site. Moreover, the plaster is non-flammable, gives additional masonry mass in rooms, resists mold growth, absorbs sound, breathes with temperature and humidity, and is easily repairable.
American Clay – The Original Earth Plaster – presently comes in two formulations: the original Loma and the even smoother Porcelina – a formulation which provides a polished, more Venetian-like veneer. It is a unique combination of clays, aggregates and natural pigments that offers builders and consumers a natural and elegant option.
ABOUT AMERICAN CLAY ENTERPRISES
Loma is the original formulation which has the characteristics of traditional plaster. The surface texture can vary by using different finishing techniques: a tile sponge helps achieve a ‘sanded’ finish (ala suede), a stainless steel swimming pool trowel offers a smooth – but somewhat textured – surface, and a coarse black sand added to the Loma can produce an almost ‘stone-like’ quality.
Porcelina is the newer Venetian-like, super-smooth produce that gives a satin – almost texture-free – surface. Prized by Artisans for centuries, the smooth surface can be reminiscent of fine marble. Troweled over a basecoat of Loma, Porcelina is a layer of less than 1/32nd of an inch. It can be worked with several colors to produce the mottled, Venetian plaster of Mediterranean and Italian villas.
American Clay Enterprises, Inc., is based in Albuquerque, NM, and its product is patent pending. The company offers workshops at its New Mexico locations, and the product is available through their office or through one of the growing number of retailers and distributors across the U.S. Their website, www.americanclay.com, offers information on ordering, technical specifications, product application and additional resources and links.
