Workshop Tour

On Friday, February 25, 2011, the artisans in the Hayles and Howe workshop hosted the yearly shop tour/educational session for the graduate historic preservation class in the University of Maryland College Park School of Architecture. Professor Stephen Mallory and his students experienced an insider, hands-on look at the plastering trade as presented by workshop manager James Meade. Hayles and Howe is always pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate the ancient trade of plastering, and the University of Maryland College Park students are wonderfully receptive participants.

They’re extinct. We’re not!!

It seems many persons believe that traditional plasterers no longer exist. They seem to think plastering is a lost trade. I can’t tell you the number of times that when I tell someone I work for an ornamental plastering company, they say to me in reply “There aren’t any people that do that intricate detailed work any more.” Well, we here at Hayles and Howe do just that and can help anyone with finishes for homes or commercial buildings. We can make old plaster look new, or we can design for new construction “from scratch.”

Here is a list and some images of the kinds of work “no one does anymore,” but is still done right here at Hayles and Howe, Inc.

Architectural & Ornamental Plaster
Cornice Moldings
Ceiling Medallions
Wall Friezes and Ceiling Plates
Corbels and Brackets
Decorative Panels
Jacobean Strapwork Ceilings
Domes
Fire Surrounds
Columns
Enrichments
Scagliola

Flat work:
3-coat plaster on wood, rock or metal lath
2- coat veneer plaster
Venetian plaster and other Italian plasters
Clay plaster for LEED projects
Any specialty troweled finish
Acoustical plaster

Expanding our Brand

With its solidly-established foundation of gypsum plasterwork experience throughout the United States, Hayles and Howe, Inc. is always open to new and modern ways to utilize the skills of its master craftspersons. The company is a certified installer of two “green” plaster systems in response to the demand for more environmentally-friendly building materials which can contribute LEED points to building projects. American Clay Plaster us a non-toxic plaster finish utilizing local clays, earth pigments and re-cycled aggregates. It is shipped in re-usable bags, and comes in a wide array of beautiful colors. It can be applied in commercial or residential settings, and helps to regulate heating, cooling, and air quality by means of its moisture retention and release. BaswaPhon is a mineral-based sound-absorbing panel and plaster system which is effective in large public spaces. It can be implemented in historic buildings as well as newly constructed ones.

Image of BASWAphon vaulted ceiling installed by Hayles and Howe

Hayles and Howe, Inc. is proud of its beginnings in England, equally proud of its establishment and development in the United States, and looks forward to further expansion in the American market.

About Hayles and Howe Inc.

Hayles and Howe, Inc. is located in Baltimore, Maryland on the east coast of the United States. In the late 1980’s, two senior craftsmen from England’s Hayles and Howe Ltd. were contracted to restore the scagliola in the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, NJ. Because of their superior work, more projects were contracted, more craftsmen were sent to the US from England, the Hayles and Howe reputation grew until it became clear that a United States plasterwork and scagliola company would flourish.
In 1990, Hayles and Howe, Inc. was incorporated and under the leadership of Graham Banks, the company has grown steadily in reputation, in workforce, and in a consistent workload of prestigious projects. From its beginnings as a British/American company, Hayles and Howe Inc. has become even more international, now employing many fine artisans from Central and South America. The company workshop and offices have made progressive moves to three locations in the Baltimore area where the present office spaces are resplendent with the company’s own ornamental plasterwork and the workshop space is ample for any size and combination of projects.
All artisans are trained by Hayles and Howe, Inc. to its standard, and to sustain interest in the traditions of plasterwork for historic restoration as well as new and modern applications, the company offers educational opportunities: university student workshop tours, continuing education credit presentations to architects and designers, and classes designed for graduate student independent study. Originating in the heart of the finest European ornamental plasterwork and scagliola traditions, the Hayles and Howe, Inc. sensibility broadens the American understanding of the practicality and beauty of plaster finishes and decoration.
Hayles and Howe, Inc. offers design, drafting, mouldmaking, running, casting and installation of ornamental plaster; lathing and application of gypsum, clay and acoustic plaster smooth finishes; and design, fabrication, and installation of marezzo and traditional scagliola. The company specialists are equally comfortable with historic restoration and new design, and they are always available for consulting.