Everything You Need to Know About Types of Plaster Used in Home Interiors

Are you thinking of constructing a new home or investing in home renovation? Plastering interior home walls with different kinds of materials, designs, and finishes is something many people rely on to enhance the aesthetic appeal of living room designs and home interiors and to protect the walls.

Once the walls have been erected, they need plastering to ensure that the wall surface gets a smooth and flat finish, that they are protected from external factors that may destroy them over time, and obtain an aesthetic finish. A plastered finish to home interior walls and ceilings gives a stunning, suave, and uniform finish.

Here, we will discuss the different types of plasters, various kinds of wall finishes, and their characteristics.

The Beauty of Using Plasters in Home Interiors

Plastering is a process of modifying or turning over or plastering the rough surfaces of the roofs of the walls or ceilings to achieve a decorative look and overall smoothness. To begin with, wet materials are scattered on the block or masonry, and then the surface is smoothed with suitable equipment. The main purpose of plastering is to obtain a hard, smooth surface that can be painted and has a good aesthetic appearance in living room designs.

The trends are that many people prefer their wall surfaces smoothened out with plastered finishes and aesthetic plastered walls to present a beautiful appearance. Here are some reasons you must get your home interior walls plastered:

• It is suggested that the wet materials applied to walls and ceilings should not exceed 0.3 cm, but there are several cases when the unevenness is greater than 3 cm. In such cases, you need to plaster these walls with three coatings to get the desired finish, especially if the walls are made of inconsistent and differently-sized stones.
• An undercoat is required to make the surface, which is a cheap coarse-grained material.
• A finish layer of plaster is applied to a thin layer of fine-grained materials. A thick undercoat tends to sag if a layer of thick wet plaster is applied due to weight. Therefore, it is advisable to spread a thin layer and allow it to harden, after which there should an application of a second undercoat.
• Finally, a finishing plaster coat is applied to the surface for shine and smoothness, ensuring durability, longevity, and beauty of your home interior walls and ceilings.

What Is Plaster of Paris?

Plaster of Paris is commonly known as Gypsum plaster, and its chemical name is Calcium Sulphate Hemihydrate. Plaster of Paris is made of Gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O). When the substance is heated to 373 K, it loses water molecules. This results in the formation of the Plaster of Par s.

Besides being used for several purposes like treatment of broken bones, dentistry, blackboard chalks, construction of toys, etc., it is often used to make false ceilings, fill cracks and voids in walls and create magnificent walls and ceiling designs in home interiors. Plaster of Paris is a fireproof material that protects the walls and gives them a sculptural finish.

Its chemical formula is CaSO4.1/2H O. It turns hard when water is added to POP, after which it becomes suitable to coat the interior or exterior of homes and other constructions.

Different Types of Plaster of Paris Used in Home Interiors

Plaster of Paris mainly comes in three categories:

Gypsum POP – The above explanation and chemical formula relate to the Gypsum Plaster of Paris. This is created by heating gypsum plaster, hence its name, gypsum plaster.

Lime POP – This POP category comprises 3 ingredients – water, sand and lime. Important factors like this plaster’s strength, porosity, and shrinkage depending on the kind and amount of sand used to create the mixture. This category is also called Air Lime or Slaked Lime. Lime and sand are mixed in a mortar grinder. After some water is added, it makes the desired lime plaster.

Cement POP – This POP is great for exterior and interior wall covering. It is prepared with a mixture of Portland cement, sand, water, and suitable plaster. Generally, a layer of gypsum plaster is applied for a smoother finish over cement plaster.

Some Brilliant Varieties of Exterior Plaster Finishes

Plaster of Paris is commonly used in various home interiors and is trending across the globe because of its smooth and protective appearance. Here we will discuss some of the most commonly used types of plaster textures that look amazing in home interior designs:

Smooth Plaster Finish

For a smooth casting finish, you must use fine sand to prepare the mortar. The constituents of mortar should be cement: sand is the ratio 1: 3. A skimmer or wooden trowel is the most suitable tool for spreading the mortar.

Thus, in the end, this application ensures a smooth and much-levelled surface. Out of all the different types of plaster finishes, this one is the most trending for home interiors.

The Extraordinary Sand Plaster Finish

To get the desired sand finished on plastered walls, you need to apply two coatings:

• The first layer should comprise cement-sand mortar with 12 mm thickness in a preferred ratio of 1: 4. It is preferably applied in zigzag lines and should be left for 7 days to harden.
• The second layer should comprise cement-sand mortar with 8 mm thickness in a preferred ratio o  1:1. After applying the second layer, the surface of the walls or ceiling should be levelled using a sponge.
• Finally, to get the desired sandblasted finish, you need to take some sand and sift it to get a uniform grain size. The sanded sand is applied to the second layer using a smoothing trowel or wooden trowel. Finally, a sandblasted finish is obtained with a uniform grain size of the sand.

Elegant and Exposed Plaster Surface

For this look, you can use coloured or white marble chips ranging in size from 6 – 12 mm, after grinding hard marble stone. The required thickness of the exposed concrete plaster is 20 mm, and its application procedure is almost the same as Sand Plaster Finish. The mixing ratio should be 1:1 cement – marble chip; if pebbles are used, they should be washed properly and drained.

The additive is wet onto the still plastic primer with a strong impact movement perpendicular to the wall surface. Loose grout on top should be cleaned or removed by washing/brushing with a water jet.

Stucco Plaster Finish

Stucco is a type of plaster that provides an excellent finish and is normally applied to interior and exterior surfaces. It is usually applied in three layers, so the total thickness of the plaster is about 25mm.

• The first layer is known as the scratch coat, which forms the base or structure of the surface.
• The second is a finer brown coat.
• Finally, the third coating is applied, which is the white or finished plaster coating.

Waterproof Plaster Finish

For plastering, it is necessary to use a waterproof cementitious composition of an approved brand and manufacturer. These must comply with the local regulations and authorities, as using calcium chloride mixtures is not allowed. The material must be brought to the project site in its original packaging.

• The mixture should be well mixed with dry cement at 3% by weight or as the manufacturer recommends.
• When mixing, ensure the sealant mixes well and completely with the cement and does not flow apart when adding water.

Textured Plaster Finish

The Stucco plastering is used to create various shapes and types of plaster textures. These are formed on the final coating using appropriate tools and techniques and generally give a visual appeal to the home’s interior walls and ceilings.

Different Types of Plaster for Walls

Modern homeowners strive to achieve the required properties for wall and ceiling surfaces of home interiors, including aesthetics for living room designs and home interior design, thermal insulation, durability, and many o her properties. It is necessary to add special materials of cement paste.

Plaster can be defined as a coating material that is applied to walls and ceilings and forms a protective layer on them. Plaster wall finishes are much more durable than regular painted or wallpapered walls.

There are various types of plaster for walls, some of which are:

Acoustic Plaster

It is usually necessary to add Gypsum to a mortar slurry for the surface finish to counteract hone comb formation. During the formation of honeycombs, there could be a chemical reaction, leading to the formation of gas bubbles, which results in small openings on the surface, which ultimately have a honeycomb structure.

Acoustic plaster is well-equipped with small pores that open it up and absorb sound. Therefore, plaster finishes are often used to cover areas or large halls with a minimum eco-echo effect.

Barium Plaster

Best used for X-ray booths which are very sensitive to radioactivity, so during finishing work, the barium plate must be mixed with mortar to ensure the safety of everyone from radioactivity in such areas.

Granite Silicone Plaster

It is a plaster finish obtained by mixing silicone and granite with mortar. Such gypsum finishes are used for structures with superior properties. It eliminates cracks on the surface of walls and ceilings, is extremely quick in settling down, and is quite inelastic.

Gypsum Plaster

As discussed above, Plaster of Paris is generated by heating the Gypsum to a temperature between 165° and 170° degrees. The plaster or plaster becomes liquid within 5-8 minutes after heating.

When using POP, it is combined with the appropriate retarder to improve the curing time of the mortar. A POP with lime is used for good bond strength and finish for crack repair and decorative work. It is a light, soundproof, and fire-resistant material used in construction.

Keene Cement Plaster

For the production of Keene’s Cement Plaster, POP is mixed with alum in fixed proportions. This type of plaster is used for decorative purposes because, after hardening, it looks as if it forms a sheen-like white glass in a few days.

Conclusion

It is generally believed that the interiors or exteriors of homes and other constructions made of concrete, cemented, painted, or clay blocks are not aesthetically pleasing and do not appear attractive

For this reason, the surfaces are altered and plastered with two or three coats of Plaster for a more textured or smooth fin sh. In addition, the plaster gives a visually enticing appeal and immediately adds value to the home’s interior décor.

For more details, you must contact the expert designers at HomeLane, who will thoroughly help you decide on your home interiors.

FAQs

What are plasters, and what types of plaster are available?

Plastering is one of the oldest construction techniques, made from Gypsum and is scientifically called calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Plaster is made by heating the mineral gypsum and was first made around 9000 years ago and was used by ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Gypsum, a pasty composition, is similar to the mixture of lime, water, and sand, which hardens when it dries and is used to cover walls, ceilings, and partitions.

The most popular types of plaster are generally prepared in powder form and are hardened by adding water. It becomes a smooth paste that can be applied to any surface, enhancing its look. Gypsum, cement, or lime mostly work similarly but may exhibit differently finished.

What are the 2 types of plaster?

The different types of plasters used are:

• Multilayer coating. Provides excellent smooth coverage on many wall and ceiling surfaces. It is a fast-drying formula with a typical drying time of  .5 hours. There is also bonding or adhesive plaster, which is quite easy to apply and distribute.
• Hard plaster. As the name suggests, hard plaster is very strong and durable.

How many types of plasters are there?

These are the main types of plaster coatings used:

• Washable plaster coatings – The most common ones are generally pinned in colour. These also offer the advantage of tolerating moisture and humidity

• Fabric plaster coatings
• Structured or Deigned Plaster Coatings
• Scratch Coat: The first coat is called “scratch coat” and is applied 3/8 inch thick, then scraped or etched to give it a rough texture

Which Plaster is the best for exterior home walls?

Cement plaster is the best choice because it resists moisture and protects the wall from weather changes and pollution. The durability factor of cement plaster also makes it an ideal choice for interior plaster.