Our Story
Plastering is more than a trade to us, it's part of our family story.
At Werner Fichtner Plasterer, our connection to the plastering industry spans four generations, with a combined 55+ years of hands-on experience in the trade. Long before modern plasterboard systems became the standard, our family was part of an industry built on patience, physical skill and true craftsmanship.
Family history
Our history reaches back to our great-grandfather in Melbourne, Victoria in the early 1900s, during a time when many Victorian and Edwardian homes were finished using traditional plastering methods. Walls and ornate ceilings were commonly created using lime, sand and animal hair plaster pressed over timber laths, a slow and labour-intensive process that required skill from start to finish. Traditional horsehair plaster was commonly made from lime, aggregate, water and animal hair applied to lath, while gypsum plaster later became known for setting chemically rather than curing like lime plaster.
This period also marked an important shift in the plastering industry. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fibrous plaster became more widely used for decorative and architectural finishes. Fibrous plaster was made from plaster of Paris reinforced with hessian or similar fabric and timber laths, making it lighter and more efficient than many traditional lime-based methods.
Four generations
Our great-grandfather worked through an era of change, when plaster boards and decorative plaster elements were created by hand from gypsum-based mixes, left to cure or set, then fixed into place on walls and ceilings before homes were finished by hand. It was hard, detailed work from mixing materials through to forming, fixing and finishing.
That skill was passed down through the generations: from our great-grandfather to the Director’s father and uncle, then on to their sons. Today, our business proudly represents four generations of plasterers, carrying forward a trade that has shaped homes, commercial interiors and building projects for more than a century.
Modern plastering
The modern plastering industry continues to play an essential role in construction. Job Skills Australia describes plasterers as tradespeople who apply and fix plasterboard partitions, suspended ceilings, fire rating systems, acoustic tiles and composite wall linings, as well as decorative and protective plaster finishes to the interiors and exteriors of structures.
While the materials and tools have evolved, the heart of the trade remains the same accuracy, reliability, practical skill and pride in the finished result. From traditional lath and plaster, lime finishes, fibrous plaster and early gypsum products, through to today’s plasterboard systems, suspended ceilings, cornices, insulation, acoustic solutions and fire-rated systems, our team continues to honour the craft with a modern, safety-focused approach.
We're proud to be part of an industry with such a rich history, and even prouder to continue a family trade built from the ground up one generation at a time.
