Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Arter.
Hi Jesse, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got into natural and healthier building materials in 2001 when I started working for a small business called Environmental Home Center, which eventually grew and became Ecohaus. Here I became a technical product nerd, because we were using materials that weren’t in the mainstream, and people were always wanting to know what the ingredients were that made up the product. There were a couple of people at that company that were a cross between chemists, industrial hygienist and medical doctor, and working under them I became very aware of the consequences of building quick, cheap and easy. Eventually I started to work for a vendor who sold us earth ground pigments, lime wash and plaster. While working for her I was taught application techniques of traditional lime wash and plaster by a French Master who was responsible for all of the product formulations. From that point on I just fell in love with plaster, the aesthetic, the feel, the smell. I visited a friend in Italy, and missed a train because I was too busy running my hands over the walls of a subway in Rome. It was all plastered in this beautifully smooth grassello that you would probably only see in a private residence in the US. I sold his Lime Wash and Plaster up and down the west coast of Canada and the US teaching store staffs application technique and doing workshops.
Eventually I went back to Ecohaus, where I developed clay plaster workshops, teaching professionals and homeowners how to work with earthen plaster. Lived off grid for a bit working with Eustace Conway, taught some cob workshops and helped build out a straw bale house and worked on cordwood and cob structures. Basically fell in love with simplifying building materials.
Moved to Austin when a startup company called TreeHouse was going to open up a store for healthier building materials. I didn’t know it at the time but they had been to Ecohaus to check out how they were doing it. Worked for TreeHouse at many levels over its 7 years of existence including plaster and lime wash workshops and doing product and material research to ensure the products they offered were healthier, or had some meaningful environmental claim.
TreeHouse eventually folded, and the founder was already on to his next venture. I decided to take time off and write a memoir. Met my wife had a kid, right as the COVID pandemic hit. I started doing some consulting on healthier building materials during the pandemic so I could work from home since we were all on lockdown. This lead to me making healthier furniture specifically cribs for newborns, and kids beds. It was a great way to make a living from home during such a weird time. This lead to more clients wanting me to do more work and eventually I was doing complete remodels focusing on environment and health, thru word of mouth. At some point, probably crawling under a house to repair a sub-floor I realized I wasn’t getting younger and my body was hurting more and more. I decided to focus soley on plaster work.
Plaster is my love, the beauty, the simplicity of it and the indoor air quality attributes are just a few of the reasons. But once you walk into a house or a space that is plastered, you just feel it. There is something it does that ignites that warmth inside of you. Working with plaster is a lot like working with horses, you have this limit that you have to pay attention to. Plowing with a horse you have to stop and let the horse rest. In turn you get a rest. With plaster it takes some time, there are built in rest periods the plaster demands. Working with plaster, you are working within the limits of temperature and humidity and how thick it’s applied, the type of plaster. It’s not like a modern paint where you slap it up and re-coat in an hour or two. You have to look at plaster, feel it, see where it is at in its process before moving on to the next step.
Today, I am a a plaster artisan, focusing on just that plaster work, including plaster showers and custom plaster work. My wife came up with the company name, Lime Wood Clay. It’s materials that humanity has worked with for thousands of years and we know and love them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been smooth road. I think the biggest challenge with being a small business is the same story every small business owner has. I am the sales guys, I’m the bid guy, I’m the customer service guy, branding, web designer, advertising guy and the plaster artisan.
The biggest challenge is time, never enough time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in plaster finishes and have been focusing more and more on plaster showers and specifically a technique called Tadelakt. When you tadelakt with a lime plaster you are making a water repellent surface that has been used in water cisterns and showers for thousands of years. I think this is the work that I am most proud of because it takes time develop, it only uses natural materials and clients are left with a surface that is heirloom quality.
One of the most beautiful shower surrounds I’ve done, was for client where we matched a color called “Twilight.” If you look up at the sky well after sunset but before it’s fully dark, that is what this surround looks like, with all of the movement in tones you get from the sky at that time. Other than its beauty, the thing that makes this one stand out is the client was talking about doing a concrete grey color originally. I spent some time with her talking about the house, what she wanted versus what she “should get” and I suggested, she get what she wants. So that connection with her and taking the time to get to know her motivation and desire is what I like to do. Our homes are the one place on earth we get to control and helping empower folks around that is awesome.
One of the things that sets me apart from others is I focus on natural materials. Plastic and hydrocarbons are becoming a major part of the homes we live in to the detriment of both our health and the environment. I focus on natural material that is non-toxic. Micro cement, acrylic plasters and other materials use plastics or epoxies, I don’t want to help the plastics industry grow into our homes. I enjoy working within the limits of nature.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I work with designers, homeowners and builders and collaboration is a big part of what I do. Building science requires knowing materials and what they can and cannot do, or how they can look or how they will patina. During the planning of new build or remodel is a great time to sit down discuss how plaster can work into home and make it function better for clients.
Pricing:
- Tadelakt Shower $50-$65 / SF Like a nice tile without the grout lines
- Clay Plaster $6.50-$9.59 SF
- Lime Plaster $7-12 SF
- Lime Wash $4.50-$6 SF
- Plaster Showers $45-$55 SF
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.limewoodclay.com
- Instagram: @Lime_Wood_Clay
