Jefferson Sequence Followed Finish Work Begins Inside the House 
with the Start of Plastering
Poplar Forest Newsletter, Fall 2002

It’s 1808 all over again as Poplar Forest launches another major restoration phase: the finish work inside the octagonal part of the house. Today’s restoration team is tackling the work in the same sequence as Jefferson’s craftsmen so visitors can experience the building process as Jefferson did. In 1808, Jefferson’s craftsmen began plastering his bed alcove in anticipation of his visits to Poplar Forest after retiring from the presidency in 1809. This summer masons began plastering the ceilings and bed alcove walls in Jefferson’s chamber, and the adjacent northwest room’s ceilings.

Scottish master plasterer Alex Hylands applies scratches to the initial coat on the alcove bed frame.

The plastering project marks the first step in the finish work, which follows completion of the interior structural restoration (see story). Masons are scheduled to continue plastering ceilings into next year before turning to the walls later in 2003. Jefferson’s workers, too, plastered the walls after completing the ceilings.

Restoration carpenters laid the foundation for the plastering. They installed grounds – plain wood boards around the edge where the ceiling meets the walls. The grounds act as a stop for the plaster and nailing strip for the top of the entablature.

Next, they nailed hundreds of hand-split strips of wood known as laths across the ceilings in Jefferson’s room, the northwest chamber, and the alcove walls. The laths are gapped, providing space for the plaster to anchor itself.  Carpenters salvaged the laths used in Poplar Forest after the 1845 fire, as well as laths from an 1820s house.

The plaster is composed of traditional materials, similar to the lime mortar used with the bricks and the column stucco. Jefferson, notes Travis McDonald, director of architectural restoration, added baked clay dust to his plaster, an uncommon ingredient in his day but one that dates back to ancient Rome.

The first coat of plaster, the scratch coat, is grooved after application to help the second coat bond to the first. The first coat in just the first two rooms took more than 300 gallons of plaster. The second coat, known as the straightening coat, was applied several weeks later. The traditional mortar, unlike its modern counterpart that can dry in 24 hours, takes time to cure. The second coat is the same thickness as the first. The final coat is very thin, composed mainly of lime and very little sand. Upon completion of the plastering, the restoration team will continue to follow the Jefferson sequence and install trim and hang doors.

Craftsman applying final coat to the ceiling in Jefferson's bedroom.

Traditional Craftsmanship

Poplar Forest always strives for authenticity in restoration. It was natural then for the restoration team to seek guidance on traditional lime plastering from the Scottish Lime Centre Trust. The trust promotes the appropriate repair of traditional buildings, and works to conserve and develop associated building traditions, crafts, and skills through training and education.

The trust’s principal lime plaster tutor, Alex Hylands, is working with Poplar Forest’s restoration team on the first two rooms being plastered, offering advice and working hands-on to start each new coat .

Hylands has worked in the field for nearly 40 years. “This is like any other trade,” he says. “Only through experience do you learn the touch.”

He specializes in centuries-old castles, including Stirling Castle where William Wallace (of Braveheart movie fame) overwhelmed the English in 1297.

Hylands prefers working on historic buildings because “people appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into it. You know the buildings will always be there when you’re finished.”

Poplar Forest’s age pales in comparison to Stirling Castle and other sites where Hylands has worked. Still, the history of the place appeals to him. “This building interests me because of the presidential connection. Most people in the UK know Jefferson.” He adds there is no difference in the mortar material used at Poplar Forest and the castles.

There is, apparently, one difference in working traditions. “In the UK, after you put a coat of plaster on, you take a cigar break,” Hylands says.