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There are two most common materials used in plastering – gypsum and lime plasters. Lime plaster was widely used in most plasterworks during the 19th century. Lime plaster is typically made out of lime, fiber, aggregate and water. Lime is usually derived from oyster shells and lime stones while hog or cattle hair is the fiber component used in the plaster mix.

Changes in the construction industry have led to the development of gypsum plaster as an alternative to lime plaster. Eventually, gypsum and lime plasters were also combined and used as a composite plastering material although gypsum slowly became the preferred plastering material for most tradesmen.

When constructing a house or building, the traditional practice of plasterers is to mix quick lime and water in order to hydrate the powder compound. As soon as the water is absorbed by the lime, heat is released. This is an indication that the chemical reaction has occurred and that the mixing process is complete. The resulting putty is then used a plastering material.

A coarse plaster is the result of the mixture of lime, water, sand and fiber. Plasterers apply one or two coats of this coarse plaster material in order to attain the desired thickness of walls. For best results, the normal practice is to use 3 layers of the plaster material. The initial two layers of the plaster material are the brown coat and scratch coat while the final layer is applied as the setting stuff of the plasterworks.

This final layer of the plasterwork uses a plaster mix that has a higher amount of lime putty and lesser amount of aggregate. Further, the plaster mix does not contain any fiber in order to attain a fine and smooth finish.

The first two layers are generally 3/8 inch thick while the finishing coat is only about 1/8 inch thick. Additives may be added to the final coat in order to achieve the desired quality of finish. The more common type of additives used in the final coat are marble dust and white sand. Plasterers also add small amount of plaster of Paris to shorten the setting time of the plaster material used for the third layer of the plasterworks.

Gypsum started to be used as a plastering material at the early parts of 1900s. One of the main advantages of gypsum is that it immediately reacts as soon as it makes contact with water. Gypsum as a plastering material also sets faster than lime plaster and its drying period is much shorter. Another upside of gypsum is that it is proven to be more rigid than lime. Unlike lime, gypsum plaster will not require fiber component in order to attain the binding effect needed in the plastering material.

Notwithstanding all of these distinct advantages of the plastering material, gypsum is prone to damage when exposed to moisture and damp conditions. Thus, lime plaster is more appropriate as plaster coating for masonry and when doing external plastering jobs.

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It is crucial for us to properly understand and take into account the essential facts about lime plaster when deciding which type of plastering material to use in our home improvement projects. Most of us fail to appreciate the importance and suitability of lime plaster primarily because of the wrong notions and misconceptions about lime. For one, a lot of us mistakenly associate lime with Portland cement. This is grossly erroneous as these are completely two different products. In some cases, people tend to make the mistake of classifying any mortar with lime content as lime plaster. In view of this confusion, it is crucial for us to study the product and distinguish the facts from the myths.

Lime plaster can be created by mixing calcium hydroxide with an aggregate such as sand. This hydration product reacts with carbon dioxide and turns into calcium carbonate, which is basically limestone. This solidified form is what is attained when you use lime in your plasterworks. You can create a perfect lime plaster mix by properly combining the powder compound with the correct proportion of inert material such as sand. The solidification process is activated when the mixture makes contact with water.

The physical and chemical process can be altered with the addition of cement to the plaster mix. Adding cement to the plaster mix will result to significant changes in the colour, appearance, elasticity and porosity of the plaster. Thus, it is crucial for plasterers to carefully consider the correct proportion of cement and lime in their plastering material.

Lime is considered as a flexible and multi-functional type of material for plastering. It is a highly preferred plastering material for frescoes. Plasterers can usually attain the colouring in their plasterworks by adding the appropriate pigmentation material. This water soluble pigmentation element is usually applied on a freshly plastered and wet wall surface.

There are a lot of advantages when you use lime in your plasterworks. In the face of rapid industrialization, lime plaster comes out to be more a more beneficial option to the other types of plastering materials. Here are some of the major reasons why most plasterers prefer to use lime plaster over the other types of plastering materials.

Lime directly helps in the reduction of the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. Scientific studies have shown that lime can account to as much as 80% of the total reduction of the carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere. This means that if you are going to lime as your plastering material for an average-sized home unit, you can potentially prevent the release into the atmosphere an estimated 10,000 lbs of CO2.

Lime plaster has better elasticity than the other types of plastering material. Plasterers prefer to use lime as plastering material as it can be easily managed and worked on. Lime plaster has longer setting time compared to other plastering mix. Thus, you can easily adjust and correct your plasterwork before it finally sets. This distinct feature of lime plaster is very crucial as the setting and hardening process is irreversible and you will not be able to correct and work on the plaster once the process is complete.

Unlike cement plaster, lime plaster has longer setting time. It can easily adjust and adapt to the contours and other physical conditions of the surface of walls and ceilings. While the plaster dries and sets, any developing cracks are corrected without any intervention through the absorption of moisture from the atmosphere. As a result, you can easily attain a smooth and fine finish when you use lime plaster.

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