Start with the opening notes of the issued Section 09 23 00: confirm that the drawings and finish schedule give the extent and location of every plastered surface and the plaster system for each, base coat, finish coat, and texture, that wet rooms and exterior surfaces are left to other systems, and that the framing, lath, and penetrations are detailed as unrestrained. Then check that the base and coat system suit each base drawn, that the finish chosen is one the notes allow over that base coat and in that room, that acoustical plaster has a stated performance, that the joints and rated assemblies agree with Section 09 22 36 and the life safety plan, and that the samples and environmental conditions fit the schedule.
Assemble the review package
Gather the room finish schedule with the plaster type, finish, and texture for each wall and ceiling, the partition and furring types with the base each receives, metal lath, gypsum lath, masonry, or concrete, the reflected ceiling plans with plastered and acoustical plaster ceilings, the interior elevations with control and expansion joints, casing beads, bases, cabinets, and ornamental work, the wall and ceiling sections with plaster thickness and accessory depths, the life safety plan and partition types with UL design numbers and STC ratings, the acoustical criteria or reverberation targets for rooms with acoustical plaster, the mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and fire sprinkler details at penetrations through plaster, the design analysis with the climate zone and ESC under UFC 1-200-01, the construction schedule with temporary heating and ventilation, and the issued Section 09 23 00 with Sections 09 22 36, 09 22 00, 09 24 23, 09 26 00, and the painting section. Follow one plastered room from base to finish coat before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 09 23 00: Gypsum Plastering as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 11, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Scope, extent, and plaster type by room | Opening notes (interior and exterior work; gypsum plaster as interior work and stucco as exterior cement plaster; a one-coat portland cement system with no article; unrestrained stucco and plaster systems; extent, location, and type of plaster on the drawings) + Gypsum Plaster Finish Coat note (not where walls and ceilings are frequently wet) + room finish schedule + Sections 09 24 23 and 09 26 00 | Does the finish schedule give every plastered surface its plaster system, is any exterior or one-coat cement plaster the notes mention sent to Section 09 24 23 rather than assumed here, are showers, locker rooms, and other frequently wet rooms given another finish, and where veneer plaster also appears in the set, does the schedule make clear which rooms receive conventional gypsum plaster under this section and which receive veneer plaster under Section 09 26 00? |
| Base, coat system, and thickness | Application article (three coats, or two-coat double-up on masonry and gypsum lath; screeds; flatness tolerance; plaster not continuous across joints; behind cabinets) + Gypsum Plaster Basecoat Work notes and Two-Coat and Three-Coat System articles + Thickness Requirements (by base, from the face of metal lath or the solid base; item b gives horizontal concrete two statements; item c adds metal plaster base where more thickness is needed) + Surface Preparation (no plaster on bituminous, waterproofed, painted, or previously plastered surfaces) + Lath and Accessories (accessory depths to match the coats) + wall and ceiling sections | Does each partition and ceiling type name a base, so the two-coat or three-coat system and the thickness row that applies can be identified, do the accessory depths in the sections match the total thickness for that base, where concrete ceilings or walls need build-up beyond the thickness the article allows, is metal plaster base drawn, which thickness governs plastered concrete ceilings, since item b states it two ways, and are coated or previously painted masonry and concrete in existing buildings given a new base? |
| Base coat plaster and aggregate | Gypsum Base Coat Plaster options (neat, ready-mixed, wood-fibered, high strength) + Proportioning (volume measurement; ready-mixed with water only) + Gypsum Base Coat Plaster proportioning (sand or lightweight aggregate optional; sand under Keene’s cement and high-strength finishes; lightweight aggregate where the fire rating needs it; a blank for other conditions) + wood-fibered and high-strength notes (fireproofing; heavy abuse such as hospital corridors and handball courts) + Aggregates articles + rated designs and room uses | Has the specifier kept only the base coats the project uses and filled in the conditions where sand or lightweight aggregate may not be used, as the proportioning note asks, does every rated assembly that depends on a lightweight aggregate or wood-fibered base coat say so in its design, are high-strength base coats kept for the abuse-prone rooms the finish schedule actually shows, and is sand base coat used wherever a Keene’s cement or high-strength finish is scheduled? |
| Finish coat by room and over which base coat | Gypsum Finish Coat Plaster options + finish proportioning articles (white coat with no lime quantity in its opening sentence and two lime putty limits that disagree; aggregated finish coat item c with metric and inch-pound ratios that disagree) + finish notes (Keene’s cement not over portland cement, monolithic concrete, or lightweight aggregate base coats; high-strength finish not over lightweight base coats; aggregated white coat over perlite or vermiculite; no sand float or rough texture in rooms cleaned constantly) + Gypsum Plaster Finish Coats note (its list of finishes does not match the articles) + finish schedule and textures | Is each finish named on the schedule one the section has an article for, since the finish note lists two finishes with no article and omits two that have one, is it placed only over a base coat its note allows, are sand float and rough textures kept out of kitchens, toilet rooms, and other rooms cleaned constantly, and has the specifier stated the white coat and aggregated finish proportions in one consistent form, since the white coat sentence gives no lime quantity and both paragraphs give metric and inch-pound values that disagree? |
| Acoustical plaster finish | Acoustical Plaster Finish Coat article (ASTM E1042 type and class, noncombustible) and note (type and grade for the required acoustics; not where abrasion is expected; humid and ESC C3 to C5 wording on a portland cement and lime mix; coral aggregate) + Acoustical Plaster Finish proportioning (manufacturer’s instructions) + Acoustical Plaster Finish Coat application (thickness to reach “the sound absorption coefficient specified”) + SD-08 Acoustical Plaster Finish + reflected ceiling plans and acoustical criteria | Where acoustical plaster is scheduled, is the sound absorption the application article relies on actually stated in the specification or on the drawings, since the section names a coefficient it never specifies, is it kept out of corridors, gyms, and other surfaces exposed to abrasion, and since the humid-location note speaks of a portland cement and lime mix that this section does not contain, has the specifier written the humid-location mix requirement the WBDG history describes into the article? |
| Joints, penetrations, and the unrestrained system | Unrestrained system note (framing, lath, and accessories detailed unrestrained; sleeved and caulked fire sprinkler, electrical, and mechanical penetrations) + Control and Expansion Joints article (joints as indicated; vertical joints continuous; lath not continuous behind joints; an area limit between joints) + Application (plaster not continuous across joints) + Section 09 22 36 control joint and unrestrained ceiling articles (different limits) + elevations, reflected ceiling plans, and penetration details | Are control and expansion joints drawn on the elevations and ceiling plans at a spacing that satisfies the governing limit, since this section and Section 09 22 36 state different limits for gypsum plaster, are building expansion joints carried through the plaster, do the sprinkler, diffuser, light fixture, and pipe penetrations through plaster have sleeve and sealant details that keep their loads off the plaster, as the note asks, and does the sealant at those details appear in the joint sealant section? |
| Fire-rated and sound-rated assemblies | Fire Resistive Coatings note (details to follow tested designs; plaster added to a gypsum wallboard design needs engineering judgment; designs published by manufacturers, UL, FM, and the GA manual) and bracketed article (UL designs or the FM Approval Guide) + Sound Transmission bracket (STC expanded as “sound transmission coefficient”; tested assemblies) + Section 09 22 36 Fire-Resistant Assemblies (UL designs or GA 600 file numbers) + life safety plan and partition types | Does every rated plastered assembly cite a UL design or FM listing that this section accepts, or has the specifier added GA 600, which the lath section accepts and this one does not, where plaster is added over a listed gypsum board design, is the engineering judgment the note mentions obtained, and does each sound-rated partition carry an STC rating from a tested plaster assembly rather than one from a board assembly? |
| Samples, environment, and sequence | Samples for Initial Selection and Full-Size Samples (texture panels; a sample wall on studs, gypsum board, and metal lath with joints, beads, and penetrations, kept for the contract) + bracketed Quality Assurance Sample Panels (a second jobsite panel) + Scheduling and Environmental Requirements and Environmental Requirements note (weathertight space; HVAC operating or an approved plan; plaster before flooring and acoustic ceilings; wording on veneer plaster and a gypsum base) + Curing + project schedule, phasing, and temporary conditioning | Is one mockup kept, since the section carries both a bracketed sample panel and a full-size sample wall, does the sample wall represent the bases and finishes actually scheduled rather than the stud, board, and lath assembly the paragraph assumes, does the schedule have the building enclosed and the HVAC running, or a temporary conditioning plan, for the period before, during, and after plastering, and has the specifier rewritten the environmental paragraphs for conventional plaster, since they refer to veneer plaster and a gypsum base? |
Worked example: plaster in a wet room, an acoustical ceiling with no target, and a sample wall that matches nothing
Illustrative example: a chapel and fellowship hall at an installation is finished in three-coat gypsum plaster on metal lath over studs, two-coat plaster on the concrete masonry of the sanctuary walls, and acoustical plaster on the sanctuary ceiling. The finish schedule also gives gypsum plaster with a sand float texture to the kitchen and the restrooms, and a Keene’s cement finish to the masonry walls with a lightweight aggregate base coat. The issued Section 09 23 00 keeps the acoustical plaster article with no absorption value anywhere in the set, keeps both the bracketed sample panel and the full-size sample wall built on studs, gypsum board, and lath, keeps the environmental paragraphs that refer to veneer plaster, and gives a joint area limit that differs from the one in the issued Section 09 22 36. The elevations show no control joints, and the sprinkler heads in the plastered ceiling have no sleeve detail.
Ask the architect to move the restrooms and kitchen to a finish suited to wet, frequently cleaned rooms, to change the Keene’s cement walls to a sand base coat or another finish the notes allow over lightweight aggregate, and to draw control joints and sprinkler sleeve details. Ask the acoustical consultant or architect to state the sound absorption the sanctuary ceiling must reach. Ask the specifier to keep one mockup built over the bases actually scheduled, to rewrite the environmental paragraphs for conventional plaster, and to state which joint limit governs, and confirm the schedule allows the building to be enclosed and conditioned before plastering starts.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 09 23 00 covers conventional interior gypsum plaster. The lath, accessories, hangers, and access panels follow Section 09 22 36 and the lath guide, the framing and furring follow Section 09 22 00 and the non-structural metal framing guide, exterior cement plaster follows Section 09 24 23 and the cement stucco guide, thin-coat plaster over gypsum base follows Section 09 26 00 Veneer Plaster, gypsum board follows Section 09 29 00, and the paint over plaster follows the painting section, so check those before calling a requirement missing. Some of the section’s own wording needs resolving: its opening notes mix in exterior stucco and a one-coat portland cement system it does not specify, its environmental paragraphs refer to veneer plaster, its mixing sequence and acoustical plaster note speak of cement and lime mixes it does not contain, its acoustical finish relies on an absorption coefficient it never states, its finish note does not match its finish articles, its white coat and aggregated finish proportions are incomplete or disagree between units, its thickness article states horizontal concrete two ways, it keeps two mockup paragraphs, and its joint limits and rated-assembly sources differ from Section 09 22 36. Ask the specifier which wording the project intends before treating a difference as a design conflict.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.