Ann Verdonck

The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen

Ann Verdonck Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Architectural Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Introduction

The Dutch paint manufacturer S. A. Hermann A. Schreuder & Co. developed and patented Hasco-Relief in the 1930s at their plant in Schoonhoven (Province of South-Holland) [1]. This modern interior finish - recommended as an ideal wall covering with exceptional effects - was a pasty mixture of oil binders and pigments that was embossed after application. Hasco-Relief is related to cement-containing cold glaze [2] - a solid, glossy and waterproof wall finish based on cement mortar - which was very popular from a hygienic point of view [3]. Hasco was available in a wide variety of colours and found its way to the international market. Even a verb was generated to describe the new application technique, the so-called Hasconeren (Hasconizing). This decorative finish went out of fashion and since the application and formula of both Hasco and also cement-containing cold glaze were mainly transferred orally among contractors, the know-how of this craft has been lost.

To this day the technique has hardly been examined, but recent research at the Elsdonck residence (Wilrijk, built 1933-35), designed by Léon Stynen (1899-1990) who was one of Belgium’s leading architects of the Modern era, revealed crucial information regarding the spread and application of Hasco [4]. These archival findings [5] were compared to data found in interwar plastering and paint manuals. To fill in gaps due to the lack of literature on this subject, alternative sources were explored. A combination of historical patents, archival records, historical manuals and architectural periodicals, and fieldwork led to the characterisation and evaluation of cement-containing cold glaze in general and Hasco in particular.

The major objective of this article is to raise awareness of and to contribute to the recognition and characterisation of Hasco, a Dutch interior rendering technique from the 1930s, which originated from craftsmanship.

The genesis of embossed wall decorations in the modern era

Thanks to the creative and innovative milieu during the Modern era, a great range of new materials and techniques were developed. In this context, textured and embossed wall decorations were almost unprecedented examples of both a decorative interior finish and a hygienic material. From the 1920’s onwards, walls and panelling in houses, hospitals, swimming pools, etc. were often finished with textured decorations. The formulas of the renders (water-, oil- or cement-based), the application methods (tapping, dipping, stamping, turning, rolling, spraying, etc.) and the tools used (brushes, trowels, scrapers, sponges, rollers, etc.) were very diverse. The

501 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen versatile painter-decorators created decorative patterns in infinite variations, and the aesthetic effect was mainly generated by the interplay of light and shadow, by means of colour and by the contrast between matt and shiny surfaces. The choice of the motifs was often inspired by geometric shapes influenced by Cubism.

The first 20th-century references regarding ornamenting interior surfaces with a relief technique were found in publications from the United States. In 1904, the Painters Magazine, a leading American periodical aimed at painters and decorators, published a reference work with a chapter devoted to “the best material for free hand relief”. [6] “To work very nicely” the following process was described: one pound of Paris plaster (quick-setting gypsum plaster), one-quarter pound dry white lead and two teaspoons of soda bicarbonate (to keep the material from setting too quick), mixed with water to a thick paste. This could be tinted any colour desired by mixing the necessary quantity of dry colour with the plaster. By means of a rubber bulb, the paste could be drawn through a pipette and placed onto the previously marked out design on the wall.

Figure 1: J. F. Glidden, ‘Process for ornamenting Figure 2: H. C. Miller, ‘Ornamented surface and surfaces’, Official Gazette of the United States Patent method of forming the same’, Official Gazette of the Office, 1911. United States Patent Office, 1925.

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Pioneering American processes for ornamenting surfaces were patented in 1911 by Joseph F. Glidden [7] and in 1925 by Herman C. Miller [8]. (Figs 1-2) They both developed an interior finish intended initially for metal surfaces, but suitable for other substrates. The preparation and application processes for these finishes were quite cumbersome, for example, as specified in the Miller patent. After preparing the metal surface with a rust-proof primer, a pasty mixture of red lead, whiting, oil, and other ingredients were applied to the metal sheet by means of a trowel and worked into specific designs or configurations. Subsequently, the sheet was oven-baked until the coating became extremely hard after which the top surface of the ribs was levelled out. The decorated surfaces could then be painted or finished as desired:

“It has [sic] found by experience that very artistic results may be obtained by painting the entire surface with bronze, gold or silver paint, and after the same has dried a coat of green or other colour is applied to the surface, and while wet the surfaces are wiped off, leaving the gold, bronze or silver thereon, while the valleys remain green. A coat of varnish may be applied to the coated surface, after the same has thoroughly dried”. [9]

Following the fashion, renders for embossed interior decorations found their way to other countries. For example, Beton-Emaille Fortoliet, a cement-containing cold glaze, was a popular Dutch interior finish, mainly used in stairwells, corridors and sanitary facilities. In 1928, a patent was granted to the Utrecht based N.V. Nederlandsche Fabriek van Beton-Emaille Fortoliet. Subsequently, patents were issued in the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland (zement- und seifehaltigen Kaltglazur). [10] Fortoliet (Fig. 3) was defined as:

“A method of producing a cement-containing cold glaze for application to concrete, brickwork and the like consisting in forming a paste of chloride, mixing this paste about ten to fifteen times its weight of water and mixing the whole thus formed with about double its weight of cement”. [11]

This render was sprayed onto the still wet plaster base. In the recipe, which was carefully kept secret, metal oxides or metal carbonates in precisely defined proportions played an important role. [12] An expert on concrete applications, Pieter Wilhelmus Scharroo, mentions that this decorative finish could be applied in any colour and in a wide choice of relief shapes. [13] An article in Cement magazine described the advantages of a cement-containing cold glaze, such as its excellent washability, good density and resistance to mechanical damage. [14] A number of these properties were repeatedly featured in brochures and advertisements promoting this innovative finishing technique. The render responded certainly to market demand, and other brands such as Majorica (from 1930), Muroplast (from 1933), etc. were created in the Netherlands, to be applied by a similar process. Not appreciated at first was that these cement-based finishes are completely vapour-tight, which can cause severe moisture problems, as described in an article by the Bureau voor Bouwpathologie in 2014. [15]

503 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen

Figure 3: Advertisement for Fortoliet, in Het Ziekenhuiswezen 1933, s.p.

In France peinture en relief became the new trend during the interwar period. According to the authors of the book Pour Le Peintre-Décorateur from 1937 (Fig. 4), similar plaster compositions had already been used in France for half a century. [16] However, Modern-era decorators succeeded in revitalising an almost completely forgotten process by combining it with novel relief effects. The French formulas could be water- or oil-based mixtures.

“In the case of water-based plasters, a distemper can be used, into which a mixture of equal weights of fine plaster and chalky white is incorporated until a fairly thick substance is obtained. However, it is preferable to use a commercially available limewash to which the weight of chalky white is added before diluting with water”. [17]

For the oil-based plasters the authors refered to the standard formula published by M. Rea Paul: a mixture of white lead, chalky white, and liquid siccative [18]. In both compositions the objective was to achieve a very thick paint. After drying the surface could be finished with a glaze, paint or varnish. Although the appearance is quite similar to concrete-based cold glaze, this peinture en relief turns out to be much more fragile and not recommended for certain applications such as protruding parts or skirting boards. In addition to these artisan preparations, a commercial ready-mix paste, the so-called Silexine produced by the Paris-based Etablissements Van Malderen, was recommended. For interior application, modelling and colouring, the authors presented French, English and American examples. [19]

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Figure 4: E. Bataille, A. Chaplet, ‘Pour le peintre décorateur’, Paris 1939, p. 136.

Hasco-Relief process: the symbiosis of an industrial product and craftmanship

Inspired by the success of Dutch cement-containing cold glaze, the N.V. Vernis-, Verf- en Japanlakfabrieken Herman A. Schreuder & Company developed from 1932 onwards an oil-based render, the so-called Hasco-Relief. Hasco was not only a brand, but the name of the paint factory and stands for Hermann A. Schreuder & Company.

In 1884, Hermann Anthony Schreuder took over his father’s painting business in Schoonhoven (Province of South Holland) and transformed it into a wholesaler's paint shop. A start was made with the production of simple products such as oil paints and putty. Some ten years later, the company expanded, switched to machine power and became the first Dutch factory to make prepared paints. Under the brand “Composietverf”, small tins were marketed for domestic use, contributing to the then new concept of 'do-it-yourself'. New industrial quality paints were systematically produced under the “Nipon” brand, and in 1907 “Gobeline”, a stable wall paint based on powder and water, was introduced. [20]

505 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen One of the creative minds employed in the Dutch company N.V. Vernis-, Verf- en Japanlakfabrieken Herman A. Schreuder & Company was Lodewijk Bakker. (Fig. 5) Bakker refers to a number of known techniques which combine a group of steps to apply textured patterns onto various surfaces. He described their disadvantages such as the complicated procedures to achieve the desired outcome and the large differences in height required to obtain an effect of importance. According to Bakker, these problems were solved by the advanced procedures he developed during two years of research and experiments:

“first of all a sufficiently thick white or coloured coating consisting of pigment with a binding agent capable of being polished and rolled is applied by means of a brush, a spraying device, or any other suitable means, next a light relief is produced in this layer by means of a roller or by other means, which relief may, if desired, be so deep that in places the underground is visible, and after the mass has been left for a certain time to dry, the protruding parts of the relief are smoothed, whereby they assume a lustre… If desired the process may be combined with glazing or other methods of operation”. [21]

The Hasco paste, according to the Bakker patent, was composed of approximately 3 parts wood oil, 2 parts linseed oil, 1part resin, a thinner and a siccative. These ingredients were heated together, the mixture was then usually diluted with a suitable diluent (for example turpentine or tetralin) and finally an oil drying agent was added. The resulting binder was mixed in a certain ratio with dry pigment, but to achieve the right ratio for each pigment or combination of pigments took some practice.

Figure 5: L. Bakker, ‘The process for ornamenting surfaces with a relief pattern’, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, 1935.

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Figure 6: Colour chard Hascolor, Private Collection J. Keizer, Culemborg.

A user manual for Hasco-Relief issued by the Herman A. Schreuder & Company described and illustrated the products and process. [22] For newly plastered walls, the manual prescribed Hasco-Grond, a thin filler that could be applied with a brush. Once the primer was well dried, Hasconizing could start. Although the patent described the formula, craftsmen mainly used the ready-mix product Hasco-Relief supplied in 1-litre cans to which a colouring agent, the so-called Hascolor (Fig. 6), could be added. There were 22 colours available (including black and white). In mixing tables, the amount of pigment per colour was specified, whereby the mixing ratio changed according to the desired colour intensity. All dyes could be mixed with each other into the preferred colour. When the paste had the desired colour and thickness, it was applied with a special brush, trowel or filling-knife. Subsequently, the (industrial) paste was processed with embossed rollers (Figs 7-8) or other appropriate tools to achieve the required motif or texture. A great number of artistic finishes could be formed upon the pasty surfaces by a craftsman. Using the appropriate tools, mono- or multi-coloured effects could be achieved without additional processing. In the manual, different decorations were explained and illustrated. After a drying time of approximately 45 minutes, when the textured surface was still soft and matt, the high points of the texture were levelled out using a polishing knife. If the effect proved unsatisfactory, the operation could be performed numerous times until the desired result was achieved. In the private collection of collector Jan Keizer, some artefacts from the Hasco business, including custom rollers, brushes, colour cards, diplomas, mock-ups, etc., were found. [23]

507 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen

Figure 7: Hasco application with embossed rollers, Herman A. Schreuder & Co, User Manual for Hasco-Relief, s.d.

Figure 8: Embossed rollers, Private Collection J. Keizer, Culemborg.

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Dissemination and practice of Hasco-Relief

The product was marketed and promoted through a large-scale campaign at trade fairs and by raising the awareness of painting patrons. Herman A. Schreuder & Company organized several courses for painters-decorators to teach them the Hasco technique under expert guidance and provided appropriate certifications. Newspaper articles report on this revolutionary interior decoration, which in 1935 was used in about 1200 paint workshops and consequently made great progress in the Netherlands. [24] One of the first advertisements for Hasco (Fig. 9) was published in April 1934 in the bimonthly magazine De 8 en Opbouw:

“For schools, public buildings, hospitals, theatres, etc. Replaces wallpaper, tiles, cement-containing cold glaze, wall plates, etc. Artistic guidance and professional processing result in special effects that were previously unattainable. Hasconising is the only technique that can be applied seamlessly to any surface and in any desired colour combination”. [25]

Promoted through advertising, the product gained further popularity and renown, and in addition, patents also contributed to spatial distribution. The Dutch Hasco patent was granted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, which suggests the product interested consumers outside of the Netherlands.

Figure 9: Advertisement for Hasco-Relief in De 8 en Opbouw, Amsterdam, 1934.

509 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen

Figure 10: Exposure of Hasco-Relief in the one of the stairwells in the Elsdonck Residence, Ann Verdonck, 2018.

In contrast to concrete-based cold glaze, which was promoted and produced in Antwerp under the brands Beton Emai Egypto and Beton Brillant Soreco, Hasco-Relief was never manufactured, patented or advertised in Belgium. Nevertheless, that Hasco was used effectively in the Belgian context became clear during the construction history survey of an apartment building in Wilrijk - the so-called Elsdonck Residence. Designed in 1934 by the famous Antwerp architect Léon Stynen (1899-1990) for the Dutch brothers Gerard and Maurice Bogaers, the six-storey building, with pronounced glass stairwells on the façade, incorporated the ideas of CIAM and Le Corbusier. The design sketches, plans, building specifications, correspondence, etc. have been preserved in the Antwerp Provincial Architecture Archive. The paint specifications are particularly interesting and state that the walls of the extended stairwells and their landings (from the 1st to the 4th floor) must be finished with Hasco-Relief and that the contractor should contact the Schreuder Company in Schoonhoven for further information. [26] In its tender, the local painting company De Rooy (Berchem near Antwerp) calculated the cost at 11.280 Belgian francs to complete this task. [27] In a letter to Stynen from January 10, 1935, the General Representative L.W. van Duivenboden of S. A. Hermann A. Schreuder & Co wrote:

“As a result of a meeting with Mr Bogaers in Residentie Elsdonck concerning the Hasco-Relief mock-up by De Rooy and intended for both large stairwells, I would like to inform you that this mock-up is not in accordance with the sample you approved at the time. However, you can count on us that when the work is carried out by De Rooy, it will be done under expert supervision and entirely in accordance with the approved sample”. [28]

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Finally, De Rooy finished the walls according to the instructions provided with Hasco-Relief in Hascolor light green no. 20, mixed with white n° 1. When Hasco went out of fashion in the 1960s, the stairwells were covered with a new, white plaster layer. However, stratigraphic exposures made during onsite architectural paint research (Fig. 10) illustrate the fine work performed by De Rooy.

After a long history of successful development and marketing of new products, the paint company Hasco Lakfabrieken B.V. was told its environmental licence would be revoked by the end of 2002, which eventually led to bankruptcy. [29]

Conclusion

This research aimed to show that although according to the advertisements Hasco-Relief and concrete-based cold glaze appear to have the same qualities, their compositions are totally different. The possible moisture problems that occurred with the concrete-based finish were not found in Hasco-Relief applications. Although concrete-based cold glaze usually was sprayed on the wall, it was also possible to emboss the surface in a way similar to Hasco. In the Hasco technique, the high parts were smoothed and polished to create a difference between the lower matt parts and the high glossy parts, a special finish that was never applied to concrete-based cold glaze. However, when after Hasconising a final varnish was added, the aspect is very similar to that of concrete-based cold glaze.

It became clear that concrete-based cold glaze was promoted and manufactured in Belgium, which was not the case for Hasco-Relief. Because of this fact, many questions remain unanswered. Is the Elsdonck Residence, where Hasco was applied in large quantities by a local contractor under the supervision of the Dutch manufacturer, an isolated case? Are the Dutch clients the link between Hermann A. Schreuder & Company and architect Léon Stynen? We must conclude that further research is necessary to assess the impact of this fascinating material from the Modern era on the Belgian building context.

References

[1] H. A. Schreuder et al., ‘Werkwijze voor het versieren van vlakken met een patroon in reliëf’, Bureau voor den Industriëlen Eigendom, ‘s-Gravenhage, 1935. [2] 'Cold glaze' or ‘cold enamel’ is the collective term for products based on synthetic lacquers or resins, in appearance comparable to ceramic glaze. [3] M. Everaert, ‘Een historische en technische benadering van Fortoliet: een decoratieve afwerking tijdens het interbellum’, (masterthesis in Heritage Studies, University of Antwerp & Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 2017). [4] A. Verdonck, ‘The construction history of the Elsdonck Residence in Wilrijk, Unpublished research’, Gentbrugge: Fenikx bvba, 2018. [5] Archive of Léon Stynen and archive of Paul De Meyer relative to the Elsdonsk Residence. In: Provinciaal Architectuurarchief Antwerpen (APA). [6] S.n., ‘739 Paint questions Answered: A reference encyclopedia answering knotty problems that confront the painter, decorator, and paint manufacturer in their everyday work’, The Painters Magazine New York, New-York: John G. Ropes & co, 1904, p. 63-64.

511 The history of Hasco-Relief: a Dutch decorative render that found its way to Belgian craftsmen

[7] J. F. Glidden, ‘Process for ornamenting surfaces’, Application filed May 24, 1909, Serial n°. 497,955 and patented Augustus 22, 1911, n° 1,001,585, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, volume 196, Washington, November 1911, p. 414. [8] H. C. Miller, ‘Ornamented surface and method of forming the same’, Application filed July 13, 1925, Serial n°. 43,214 and patented November 10, 1925, n° 1,560,941, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, volume 340, Washington, November 1925, p. 449. [9] Ibid. [10] M. Everaert, ‘Een historische en technische benadering van Fortoliet: een decoratieve afwerking tijdens het interbellum’ (masterthesis in Heritage Studies, University of Antwerp & Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 2017), p. 79-83 [11] N.V. Nederlandsche Fabriek van Beton-Emaille Fortoliet, ‘Method of Producing a Cement- containing Cold Glaze for Concrete’, Brickwork and the like., Cruikshank & Fairweather 313577, London, filed 14/06/ 1929 and issued 15/12/ 1930. [12] R. Stenvert, ‘Mooier voor minder: cementlagen en betonafwerking’ in Eloy Koldeweij et al. (Eds), Stuc - kunst en Techniek, Zwolle: Waanders, 2010, 419-420. [13] P. W. Scharroo, ‘Bouwmaterialen: Encyclopaedische gids voor theorie en practyk’, Amsterdam: L.J. Veen’s uitgeversmaatschappij N.V., 1944, p. 247. [14] A.L. Klaassen, ‘Het afwerken van beton’, in Cement, 1954, volume 6, n° 15-16, p. 260–61. [15] N.S. van der Palm, ‘Verborgen wandafwerking’, in Bouw totaal: Praktijkblad voor de uitvoerende bouwsector, Deventer, 2014, p. 37. [16] E. Bataille, A. Chaplet, ‘Pour le peintre décorateur’, Paris: Dunod, 1939, p. 125-138. [17] Ibid., p. 126: “Pour les enduits à l’eau, on peut employer une détrempe à la colle dans laquelle on incorpore un mélange à poids égaux de plâtre fin et de blanc crayeux jusqu’a l’obtention d’une bouillie assez épaisse. Mais il est préférable d’employer un badigeon à la caseine du commerce.” [18] A siccative is an additive to reduce the drying period of a paint. [19] ibid., p. 129. [20] J. Luger, ‘75 Jaar Lak bij de Lek’, Gouda: N.V. Koch en Knittel, 1961, p. 21-26. [21] L. Bakker, ‘The process for ornamenting surfaces with a relief pattern’, Application filed August 24, 1933, Serial n°. 686,567 and patented February 16, 1935, n° 1,991,996, Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, volume 451, Washington, February 1935, p. 668. [22] N.V. Vernis-, Verf- en Japanlakfabrieken Herman A. Schreuder & company, ‘Handleiding voor het werken met Hasco-Relief’, Schoonhoven, 2de druk, s.d. [23] Private collection of Jan Keizer, Culemborg (Province of South Holland). [24] De Nieuwe Tilburgse Courant (02 February 1934), s.p. Het Vaderland (17 January 1935, evening edition), p. 2. [25] De 8 en Opbouw, Secretariaat Vereniging Architectenkern “De 8”, Amsterdam, 28 april 1934, volume 5, n° 9, p 1. [26] Provinciaal Architectuurarchief Antwerpen, Collection Paul De Meyer, Paintwork Specifications Elsdonck Residence, s.d., p. 2. [27] Provinciaal Architectuurarchief Antwerpen, Collection Paul De Meyer, Tender from L. De Looy to M. Bogaers, 30 May 1934. [28] Provinciaal Architectuurarchief Antwerpen, Collection Paul De Meyer, Lettre of L.W. van Duivenboden to L. Stynen, 10 Jan. 1935. [29] Reformatorisch Dagblad (24 November 2000), p. 9.

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