In the Roman dining room the ceiling of the ante room is prepped for decoration. A four step process:

1. hold straw against the ceiling planks using laths nailed on about 6 inches apart

2. add plaster along side the laths to hold the straw firm

3. add two coats of plaster to reach a smooth finish

4. apply final coat of lime plaster ready for painting

Plaster needs to get between the straw to allow it to grip, so straw must not be too close together. You can put horse hair in the mix to add strength.

inserting straw before nailing tight

plaster next to laths

first coat over straw

ready for painting