Before the plaster sets, plasterers scratch its surface with a rake-like tool to produce ridges, so the subsequent brown coat will bond tightly. Laborers prepare a thick, smooth plaster for the brown coat. Plasterers spray or trowel this mixture onto the surface, then finish by smoothing it to an even, level surface. For the finish coat, plasterers prepare a mixture of lime, plaster of Paris, and water. This mixture, which sets very quickly, produces a very smooth, durable finish.
Plasterers also work with a plaster material that can be finished in a single coat.
This plaster provides a smooth, durable, abrasion resistant finish on interior masonry surfaces, special gypsum baseboard, or drywall prepared with a bonding agent. Plasterers create decorative interior surfaces as well. They do this by pressing a brush or trowel firmly against a wet plaster surface and using a circular hand motion to create decorative swirls. Stucco may also be applied directly to a wire lath with a scratch coat followed by a brown coat and then a finish coat. Stucco masons may also embed marble or gravel chips into the finish coat to achieve a pebblelike, decorative finish.