Introducing Fresco Lath - Clay (brick) Lath, a product that combines innovation with tradition! "Fresco Lath," is the ideal base or foundation for small frescoes, mosaics or any job requiring a plaster base. Fresco Lath is a thin wire lath with clay heads at the cross points. The Fresco Lath comes pre-cut in 3' x 3' size (www.FrescoShop.com) and 15' x 3' rolls and is a true plaster carrier, meaning that its attributes far outweigh the modern metal lath and is revolutionary for many scopes of artistic application.
What this means for the artist and plasterer is that Fresco Lath provides perfect plaster adherence. Fired clay, when added to lime plaster, creates a chemical reaction that causes the clay and plaster to harden and meld firmly into one another, creating one solid, rock-like piece. This product creates the same hydraulic reaction developed by the Roman Empire to form Roman cement by using ground up clay tiles, slaked lime and sand - a process as old as construction itself and durable enough to withstand millennia.
Unlike metal lath, Fresco lath can be not only affixed to almost any surface, it can also be sculpted and bent into any shape and its applications are therefore limited only by imagination. Fresco lath also saves time and materials. Requiring only one base coat of plaster, it combines arriccio and the scratch coat where other types of lath typically require three or more layers of plaster to achieve the same cohesive quality.
Clay lath was originally patented in 1890 by the German Empire and since that time, has been used in construction and architecture around the world, visit www.ClayLath.com to view a gallery showcasing the extensive use of clay lath. Fresco lath is a 'green' plaster support made of natural materials that inhibit the growth of mold, thereby creating breathable works of art. Fresco lath is a healthy building material that enables artists to easily integrate natural and traditional solutions into contemporary applications. Utilizing similar techniques and materials as the ancients, it's possible to create works of art that will endure the centuries and at the same time promote practical solutions for the modern day economic and environmental challenges we face as artists and designers.
'Welcome Apples on the Wall across Wilshire' Buon Fresco on Clay Lath painted by iLia Anossov (fresco) and the community during "The Wall Project" event in Los Angeles.
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