Oct 28 2010
American Clay Enterprises, Inc. has created a game-changer in cost and durability for commercial interior wall finishes.
Our new PlasterPlus™ binder is added to the American Clay earthen plasters, resulting in a hard, yet repairable, No-VOC finish for the cost of a high quality, Zero-VOC paint job. PlasterPlus™ is sold dry in 27 lb. lots through select commercial distributors, and is intended for commercial projects—such as healthcare, hospitality, universities—and big build residential. The polymer binder has No-VOCs, is mold resistant, extremely easy-to-apply, and still can contribute up to eight (8) LEED points—along with singularity and timeless beauty—to any project. No wonder the field response has been ardently positive thus far.
PlasterPlus™ binder
American Clay has been used for numerous commercial / industrial jobs to date—from hotels (including Disney) and retail to schools, colleges, spas and churches. (Partial list attached.) Now with PlasterPlus™ , American Clay can replace paint more equitably: for 80,000 sq. ft. projects, the cost can come in as low as $1.00 per sq. ft., including labor and product. Adding the completely repairable binder to the single-coat commercial Enjarre™, as well as to any of the color-integral American Clay premier Legacy products, results in the easiest, hardest surface application of American Clay to date, and at the cost of both your texture and your “Zero-VOC paint”.
PlasterPlus™-enhanced American Clay provides big project builders and developers the following benefits:
- Product cost as low as $.38 per sq. ft. for Enjarre™ one-coat application system. Added hardness and increased ease of application.
- Longevity outlasting a painted wall, creating cost, labor and time savings. It does not need to be repainted for the life of the walls because the clay itself resists dirt and grime.
- Resistance to fading due to he natural mineral pigments.
- Highly suitable for economical spray-on application in one- or two-coat systems.
- Creates less than 5% on-site waste of material during application.
- Unlike other acrylic, gypsum or lime specialty finishes, walls coated with American Clay plaster with PlasterPlus™ can be wetted and reworked after application (without adding additional binder) to achieve desired results and yet is hard and durable.
- Cleanup is much quicker and easier than with paint, since there is no thick latex binder involved.
- As with the Legacy products, this new binder is a No-VOC, Zero Formaldehyde choice for your walls, bringing humidity and temperature moderating qualities to your project’s interior environment.
- As with the Legacy products, unlimited visual and textural possibilities.
American Clay CEO and co-Founder Croft Elsaesser has been working hard toward this product development. “It took us a year of rigorous in-house testing and third party verification on VOC and formaldehyde levels to assure our team that we had a superior material to provide to large-scale builders and developers. Our goal is always to maintain a healthy indoor air quality to both applicator and the end-user.”
Just like American Clay’s existing product line, PlasterPlus™ is suitable for most substrates. It will be sold in dry 27 lb. lots. PlasterPlus™ is available through select commercial distributors. Our countrywide system of approved applicators will be able to purchase this product in bulk for their projects.
Responses to the product thus far provide real world reaction:
"American Clay's Enjarre Product with the PlasterPlus binder surprised us. Here at Escondido we have a strong focus on the quality of the materials we use. The quality of this product was what we would expect from a venetian plaster. The biggest difference was being able to get the quality we insist on without the budgetary considerations that a premium finish would typically require." - Steve Markham, Escondido Vice President (model homes plus 65,000 square feet of Clubhouse and Spa)
“Our crew worked with PlasterPlus for the first time last week. They texted me from the project site to say how awesome the product is. The workability made the install easier and they were pleased with the look. They found compression to be “like a dream” and loved the result. The clients were delighted.
…We’ve been working on getting American Clay specified for a commercial building in downtown Denver, for about 3 years. The designer is innovative and wants to specify the clay, but recently the developer was concerned about “hardness” so it looked like we would lose the project. I made up some sample boards with the new PlasterPlus. The designer …called me and said that they were “really impressed” with the hardness of Enjarre with PlasterPlus and they intend to use it in the project.” - Deborah Hall, PhD, LEED AP; Owner, Hall’s Walls