Decorative plaster with mineral fillers first appeared in Germany more than 120 years ago. The first working mixture consisted of white Portland cement, ground lime and quartz sand, to which was added fine marble chips. The high performance of the new mortar immediately attracted the attention of builders, and since then mineral decorative plaster has been widely used for decorating facades and interior spaces.
Composition and specifications
Over the past time, the range of mineral, and now polymer, additives has expanded significantly. In addition to cement, sand and ground lime, the following may be added to the base composition of plaster:
- a piece of chalk;
- talc;
- kaolins;
- herbal emulsifiers;
- mineral and natural oils;
- cellulose and methyl cellulose;
- titanium dioxide.
Frozen plaster mixes are highly durable, have water repellent properties, are able to pass air and are easily applied to the surface.
Can mineral plaster be applied to the floor? Yes, but for this there are special compounds with the addition of components that reduce abrasion.
Technical characteristics of most mineral plaster mixes:
- average coating consumption 1 m2 surfaces with a layer of 1 mm - 1.5 kg;
- water consumption for solution preparation - 1 liter per 5 kg of dry mix;
- setting start time - 90-120 minutes;
- the duration of complete drying is not more than 24 hours;
- minimum layer thickness - 2 mm;
- maximum permissible layer thickness - 30 mm;
- air temperature during operation - from + 8 ° C to + 25 ° C;
- dry mix density - 1400-1500 t / m3;
- vapor permeability.
Given the quick setting time, the preparation of the finished solution should be carried out in small portions, to ensure work within an hour. Dry mixes are packed in 25 kg paper bags and can be stored in a dry room for up to 10 years.
Application area
Depending on the purpose, they distinguish mineral plaster for facades and mixtures intended for internal work.
Compositions for facade decoration contain coarse-grained fillers and hydrophobic additives, due to which resistance to atmospheric precipitation, temperature changes and solar ultraviolet is increased.
When performing external work, mineral plaster can be applied to the surface of facade walls, stairs, socles. At the same time, the stucco mixture keeps excellently not only on stone material, but also on wood, particleboard and MDF, providing them with good protection against fire in case of fire.
Adding marble or quartz chips, as well as other bulky fillers in mineral plaster for internal work allows you to create an unusual texture and original style of the surface of the walls.
The result is a beautiful, practical and safe coating that can be applied to walls in any room, including children's rooms, medical and preschool institutions.
Very often, the embossed surface after solidification of the solution is painted with a paint roller.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the positive operational qualities of mineral-based decorative plasters are:
- incombustibility of the material;
- ecological cleanliness;
- excellent adhesion;
- long service life;
- high resistance to weathering;
- good heat and sound insulation characteristics;
- increased resistance to the appearance of fungus and mold.
In terms of negative properties, experts note poor resistance to vibrational vibrations and the need for storage in an absolutely dry place.
Types of mineral plaster
There are 4 classification factors that determine the type of plaster mix. It:
- scope of the mixture;
- type of decorative filler;
- fraction or grain size of the main filler;
- textured structure and appearance.
As already mentioned, in the field of application, plaster compositions can be intended for indoor and outdoor use.
Type of decorative filler
The properties and appearance of the fillers used for mineral plaster are significantly different, so their use depends on what effect is necessary to achieve.
Marble chips is one of the most common materials and is considered a classic filler for decorative stucco compositions. It strengthens the surface structure and gives it a beautiful, respectable appearance.
Colored clay - the second most popular material for filling a stucco mixture. Their addition to the composition of the finishing material allows you to get smooth and textured wall surfaces of various colors and shades.
Ceramic chips called small waste production of expanded clay granules. They give a beautiful decorative effect when decorating the wall for subsequent painting. However, they are rarely used because of the complicated process of preparing mixtures.
Crushed quartz or coarse sand makes it possible to get the cheapest plaster with a beautiful texture. The additional addition of pigment or color length eliminates the need for subsequent surface painting.
Small glass balls - one of the most original fillers, capable of giving the walls a very beautiful and spectacular appearance.
Fine anthracite or other ground coal used to obtain plaster dark shades. Coal trains are not very expensive, but are rarely sold, as they are not in great demand.
Mica It is applied as a part of mineral front plaster for external works. This is due to the fact that mica particles look beautiful in the sun.
Fraction or grain size
5 types of mineral decorative plaster are distinguished by the fraction of filler grains:
- Fine-grained, with a maximum particle size of not more than 0.5 mm. As fillers of such compositions use ground colored clay. The surface is almost perfectly smooth.
- Fine-grained, with granules of 0.5-1.0 mm. Most often used for decoration of residential, commercial and public buildings. The texture has a barely noticeable relief.
- Medium-grained, with filler particles of 1.0-3.0 mm. The most popular material for decorating building facades. For internal work, it can be used in corridors, halls and in rooms with high humidity.
- Coarse-grained, with a granule size of 3.0-5.0 mm. Most often used for external plastering of walls, basement and stairs. For internal work, it can be used for plastering non-residential and working premises.
- Coarse-grained, with a filler of more than 5.0 mm for outdoor use.
- “Lamb”, in which small mineral granules cover the wall with a continuous layer, forming a structure similar to the skin of a lamb;
- “Bark beetle”, when the mixture contains relatively few large pebbles, which, when drawing a grater, form longitudinal or vertical stripes similar to the holes of a bark beetle;
- “Fur coat”, with a fine-grained fraction of the filler, having acute-angled tubercles on the surface;
- “Venetian” - marbled surface as a result of mixing with colored clays;
- “Wet silk” in which cotton, cellulose or silk fibers are used as filler;
- "Travertine" with a surface imitating natural stone with embossed processing.
- Caparol;
- Ceresit;
- TechnoNIKOL;
- Volma;
- Capatect;
- Baumit.
The size of the granules largely determines the thickness of the plaster layer and the final appearance of the coating. Therefore, when selling the finished dry mix, the fraction of the filler grain is always indicated on the package.
Texture and appearance
The most popular textures for decorative plaster include such types as:
The most famous manufacturers of finished mixtures
In our country, the most popular are mineral stucco mixtures of such manufacturers as:
The cost of materials can vary significantly, because it greatly depends on the composition of the mixture and its constituent components.
Instructions for applying mineral plaster mixes
Each type of texture of decorative plaster has its own application technology. However, there is a sequence of actions that is common to all.
The amount of the working mixture should be mixed each time for processing one gripper in order to have time to fully develop it before setting.
The layer thickness depends on the size of the filler granules and should be slightly larger than the largest. The final finishing should be done with a polymer or foam grater, since the metal leaves irreparable traces.
In case of a forced stop of the process, a strip of masking tape must be glued to the edge of the already applied plaster to slow down drying.
Before plastering, the wall must be prepared for work. To do this, the surface is cleaned of all kinds of contaminants, cracks and strong irregularities are covered. Next, the wall is primed 2 times and dried.
Interior decoration
When performing work, the plaster mortar is distributed along the wall with the smallest possible layer. It is recommended to apply the mixture from the bottom up, but do not do it immediately over a large area in order to maintain the possibility of creating the necessary texture.
The coarse rough layer is leveled with a metal spatula, which should go along the surface at an angle of about 15 degrees.
The textured layer is applied over an already aligned coarse layer. If the solution is applied mechanically, then all alignments should be carried out only manually.
Outdoor work
When plastering the facade, a thin layer of not more than 5 mm is first applied, which must be thoroughly wiped. After it dries, not earlier than one day later, the main primer should be applied with a thickness of not more than 7-8 mm.
The layer should also set during the day, and only after that the texture coating is applied and leveled.