"Casting this would actually be more difficult when it came time for cleanup and polish. The plaster would leave a fine texture that you'd have to spend even more time sanding and polishing smooth."
"I agree with Nick. And I'm glad to see you mention the hammer. I'll add that there's actually nothing wrong with using the hammer 100%, difficult staple or not. There's no (or nearly no) floor covering that can't absorb the +/- off a staple-studded plywood/OSB floor. Bonus: once hammered down, the staple and hammer combo tends to shear off those little foam clumps. After that, just vacuum them up."
"I won't say it creeped me out, but I did find myself expecting to see the fabric on the face suck in as it took a breath. It wasn't breathing? Oh. Good."