Materials + Methods

KIMBERLY MACARTHUR GRAHAM

>>> American Clay Earth Plaster, Albuquerque, New Mexico

American Clay Earth Plaster products can be used in residential and commercial applications. Photograph by Addison Doty.

You may not think of wall plaster as "sexy" — yet. But have a look and cop a feel of a silky, richly colored wall dressed in American Clay Earth Plaster and you just might change your mind.

Not only beautiful, but environmentally and people-friendly, these earth plasters are made of natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and natural mineral pigments. The product is available in three textured finishes (original Loma, smooth Porcelina and terrazzo-like Marittimo) and 35 vibrant hues (as well as endless custom-mixed colors). But it's the indescribable look — glowing, humming with life, simply begging to be caressed — that has made Albuquerque, New Mexico–based American Clay Earth Plaster the talk of architects and interior designers nationwide.

Though they are appropriate for interior applications only (they'd eventually wash away outdoors), the plasters are remarkably resilient. Left unsealed, clay's natural properties repel dirt, pet hair and other particles; they also regulate humidity, absorb odor and promote a higher proportion of negative ions, the feel-good particles that abound in nature.

Like so many good things, American Clay products resulted from one man's single-minded pursuit. During the mid-1990s, while working as a high-end finisher, company founder Croft Elsaesser started casting about for a healthier alternative to the common plaster his company used. He test-drove numerous more-natural options (what he calls "Third World finishes"), but nothing satisfied his perfectionist soul. Eventually, he located a mud plaster from Amsterdam that he used for quite a while, but still he was not entirely happy. The Dutch plaster, while free of chemical additives, was not consistent in quality, could be difficult to manipulate and was extremely expensive. He realized that he would have to formulate his own. From his mother Carol, a ceramist, came the idea to utilize clay in plaster. When he realized, "Wait! We have plenty of clay here [in the States]," the quest began in earnest.

After many trials and some errors, Elsaesser landed a formula he felt was worthy. His clay plaster was desirably thin, making it a pleasure to apply. Its quality was reproducible and consistent, and using mineral pigments allowed for a wide variety of color choices. The plaster was durable, workable and easily reparable with reconstituted unused material — and there were no chemical additives at all. With his mother's blessing, they applied it throughout her new home.

Though his plan was simply to use the improved plaster for his own company's projects, so many people commented so favorably on Carol's house that she told Elsaesser, "This is bigger than just you," and they decided to make the products available to others. Now, only a little more than five years later, American Clay products are sold to designers, architects and homeowners through dealers across the county.

Growing demand has meant that Elsaesser must continuously seek artisan applicators. "We seek out plasterers, decorative painters and drywallers and invite them to learn," he says. "We do lots of training. We don't generally find people who've done this before."

Interestingly, the product's relative ease of application and forgiving nature also attract DIY-ers. "Since it's presented as an alternative to paint, it appeals to the green homeowner, people with a natural lifestyle," Elsaesser says. "We get people who want to do this themselves, and they end up with a result they are very happy with."

But back to the environment for a moment. American Clay products are so green they can earn users LEED credits (based on indoor air quality, recycled/reclaimed content and packaging). Elsaesser himself is so green that he speaks fluently about "making choices to keep sustainable" and "keeping business and the environment in balance." And if buying his company's products is the greenest thing some of his clients have done, he's convinced it can be their first eco-step of many. "We are educating and, as more conscious choices are made, hopefully that moves things in the right direction," he says.

But if you were to surmise that his luscious clay plasters are simply Elsaesser's convenient vehicle for spreading the word on planetary health, you'd be wrong. He is passionate about these wall treatments and knows that people specify and install them because they combine environmental friendliness with "no sacrifice of beauty, convenience or lifestyle choice. They are consciousness and beauty.

"You can see people wanting to touch the finish — and you have to tell them it's okay. Designers tell me all the time that it's sexy."

Sexy and very, very green.

American Clay Earth Plaster, Albuquerque, NM; (866) 404-1634 or www.americanclay.com.