Decorative plaster of facades: types, composition of mixtures, preparation of work and tools

Adding decorative plaster to facades is a common way to improve a building’s appearance. It offers protection from the weather in addition to aesthetic appeal. This kind of plaster is popular in both modern and traditional designs because it can turn an ordinary wall into something striking and distinctive.

For facades, decorative plaster comes in a variety of varieties, each with a unique texture and finish. Plasters can be used to create a rustic look or intricate patterns, or they can be used to create a smooth surface. Selecting the appropriate one for your project will be made easier if you are aware of the various types.

Plaster mixtures come in a variety of compositions, but typically consist of a combination of cement, lime, sand, and water. To increase weather resistance, flexibility, or durability, more ingredients may be added. To get the best results, you must understand the fundamentals of the mixture.

It is essential to prepare properly before starting to plaster. This include making sure you have the proper technique, choosing the appropriate tools, and cleaning and priming the surface. Plaster will adhere better and the application process will go more smoothly if you take the time to prepare.

Types of facade plasters

The outdoor and indoor conditions that require the decorative coating to protect the house’s structures and fulfill aesthetic purposes differ significantly in intensity. Variations in temperature, hail, other precipitation, sunburn, and a polluted environment necessitate particular features from ornamental compositions. It must have high strength and sustained resistance to different kinds of impacts. As a result, unique compounds are employed in facade construction. The binders in decorative plaster types used for house facades are the same as those in mixtures used for interior plastering.

Depending on the kind of binder, they are split into:

• silicate mixtures;
• acrylic materials;
• mineral mixtures;
• silicone solutions;
• magnesia.

With the exception of magnesia, any base can be used to create decorative plaster for a facade on your own.

Mineral

By nature, plasters like gypsum, cement, and lime are made of minerals. Because of their differences, not all of these binders are utilized for facade work equally.

For outdoor work, cement-based plaster types are typically used instead of gypsum plaster mixes, which are essentially never used.

Benefits of mineral blends:

• high coating strength,
• fire safety,
• excellent water-repellent properties,
• environmental friendliness,
• good sound absorption,
• good heat insulator,
• resistance to bio-damage,
• excellent adhesion to materials of any kind,
• frost resistance,
• vapor permeability,
• cheapness.

Cons: insufficient ability to withstand vibrations

Acrylic

Acrylic resins, modifiers, fillers, and dyes are all included in acrylic mixtures. A decorative coating with exceptional strength, elasticity, and durability forms after drying. The coating resists wear and shock because of its elasticity. Dust and static will build up together. Acrylic mixtures need to be primed first. Their cost-effectiveness, vapor permeability, and resistance to UV radiation are all inferior to those of mineral compositions.

Solutions made of acrylic are enjoyable to work with. Failed strokes can be removed with water and replaced with fresh ones. But since the service life is limited, you must act swiftly. A large range of colors are produced in ready mixes.

Silicate

The foundation of silicate plaster mortars now consists of potassium/sodium silicates. Good adherence to mineral wool and polystyrene foam materials sets it apart from other types. Silicate sticks to the base when other kinds of mixtures are glued to it because of the reaction between the base and potassium glass. possess excellent sound and heat insulation, as well as a strong resistance to heat and frost. Stay clean for a very long time and don’t be afraid of water or dirt. optimal combinations with regard to vapor permeability. robust and fireproof. Capable of fading under the sun. small cracks can easily form because of their inelasticity.

The biggest drawback is that silicate mixtures set quickly, so you have to work with them quickly and efficiently, applying the solution and applying the texture all at once. Take-aways are not necessary. Usually arranged in a thin layer. It does not combine with any other kind of substance. Silicate primer is necessary.

You have to be careful when diluting dry mixtures. The mixture will form trapped air bubbles if you stir it too quickly.

Adjacent sections of the coating will not visually differ if the same amount of dry powder and water are mixed repeatedly. manufactured in a ready-made, dry state. For tinting, only inorganic pigments are utilized.

Silicone

The priciest is decorative plaster for the facade set on a silicone foundation. Still, it’s the most sensible and dependable. It is far superior to other types in this parameter and is very elastic.

• heat and frost resistant,
• not afraid of dampness,
• do not fade in the sun,
• after drying, it is resistant even to strong impacts – such a coating is difficult to knock off, it is difficult to scratch,
• serves up to 20 years perfectly in extremely harsh conditions.

The silicone decorative plaster for the facade does not change color after it dries. Because of its high adhesiveness, priming is not necessary. It is offered for sale as ready-made compositions in different volume containers, which are typically thickened by diluting them with water.

Among the drawbacks, we can mention:

• high cost due to the high cost of resins,
• outdated plaster coating is difficult to remove due to its high strength.

What types of textures are there

With today’s plaster compositions, you can finish facades with a variety of textures.

Other textures are used in addition to rustication, which is the application of relief patterns using a roller or stencil:

• fur coat;
• bark beetle effect;
• American;
• rain texture;
• travertine;
• imitation of a wooden surface;
• imitation of stone or brick masonry;
• mosaic plaster;
• sgraffito and others.

Techniques or the plaster mortar’s structure combined with techniques are used to create textures.

Textured mixtures

Facade decorative colored plaster is used to enhance the appearance of brick, porous blocks, lightweight concrete, tuff, and other wall materials. It can be applied to any binder containing sand and lime filler, along with the addition of coloring pigments. Using instruments and apparatus, the plaster layer is shaped into the desired shape.

The sgraffito technique creates unusual relief images with multicolored compositions. Layers upon layers of various compositions in various colors are applied. It is chopped off at the appropriate intervals after six hours, or until the top layer has solidified. This reveals the layer of a different color underneath. The design is relief-colored.

• with the complexity and duration of the work,
• large area of ​​facade surfaces,
• the need to protect the finish during application from rain streams and the rays of the scorching sun,
• high cost of mixtures for Venetian.

The decopier technique and the French decorative mixture are two examples of contemporary innovations. The plaster composition is mechanically applied to the walls, followed by a spray gun application of paint in a natural stone color and a gentle roller application under a cloth cover. A specially designed scraper or chisel is used to cut the "seams" between the stones once the solution has solidified. They have a whitish hue as a result, giving the wall the appearance of old stonework.

Structural

By using structural compositions, you can achieve a variety of textures. The most well-liked

• “Bark beetle”, formed by rolling stone grains contained in the mass of the structural mixture. The grooved relief resembles wood with passages of the larvae of the woodworm.
• “Fur coat”, formed in various ways from different compositions.
• “Lamb”, formed by using structural mixtures with filler of different fractions.

Stone chips

Chips used as filler in plaster mixtures come from leftover materials from different kinds of stone processing. This is typically marble. Chip grains can be one color or a combination of colors, and they typically have an acute angle that resembles gravel.

A mixture of pebbles with fractionated large grains has a "cereal" texture and a fine-tuberculate surface. Single-color stone grains resemble mosaic coatings if the mixture contains a transparent acrylic or silicone base.

A component of terrazzo mixtures are stone chips. They also include cement, mica particles, quartz sand, and lime. The applied coating is treated manually with a nail brush or mechanically with a sandblasting machine once it has nearly hardened. The coating’s surface appears like untreated sandstone or tuff after processing.

An imitation of a mosaic facade, granite, marble, or limestone is produced by mixing natural stone chips with cement to create a decorative mixture. Concrete and brick surfaces on walls are covered with this finish. The dried layer’s surface is either mechanically or chemically treated (hydrochloric acid etching). A relief surface is achieved by using water to wash away the damaged cement. This kind of decorative plaster facade decoration is regarded as one of the hardest.

Mosaic plaster

This kind of plaster is robust, long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing, particularly when filled with multicolored rock chips like colored marble, lapis lazuli, malachite, and quartz. The composition is made of transparent polymer bases, and medium and large fractions of chips are used. Cleaning the completed surface is simple. Large-scale spaces such as the facade, hall, stairwell, and others can be embellished with mosaic decorative coating. When the resin turns transparent, which happens in a few hours, the coating takes on color. In direct sunshine, it does not deteriorate.

Workplace and necessary tools

DIY When setting up the workspace, there are several aspects of decorative plastering of the facade that need to be considered. This is a significant amount of work at a height, to start. Stepladders are not appropriate for plastering the upper portion of the house’s facade. Sturdy scaffolding is required. They have to have enough width and length to allow for the following:

• continuously cover the required area in one pass,
• conveniently place devices, tools, containers for the solution,
• work together.

A water supply must also be made available to the location where dry mixtures are diluted. When using machinery, a designated area needs to be made for cleaning the hose. The capability to promptly shield the work surface from unexpected rain is also essential. It is important to shield the treated surface and the work area from the sun’s rays.

Wearing protective gear is necessary to shield your hands’ and eyes’ skin while working. You’ll need safety glasses, a respirator, and gloves. If any of the solution gets in your eyes, it’s best to have a container of clean water and a clean towel close by so you can rinse them right away.

Both mechanical and manual methods can be used to process large areas of facade work. For instance, a plaster gun or a barrel organ can be used to create a fur coat. In order to perform decorative processing on the house’s facade by hand, you might require a range of instruments, additional supplies, and equipment. Basic equipment and tools:

• plastic or metal spatulas;
• trowels,
• brushes,
• rollers,
• level,
• devices for applying texture – stamps, matrices with textured elements, crumpled polyethylene, stencils, etc.,
• containers,
• masking tape,
• mixer,
• sandpaper.

Features of preparing the base material

Different materials can be used for a home’s walls. Every material has different requirements and demands a particular finishing technology. The next step is to get the base ready for applying decorative plaster.

Always remember that strengthening the corners is important when working with any base. You can use a designated corner for this.

Insulation

Penoplex, polystyrene foam and mineral wool have a surface that should be “dressed in a corset” before finishing. For this, an adhesive reinforcing layer with a fiberglass mesh is used. The adhesive composition is applied to the surface of the insulation in a layer of 5-6 mm. The layer is “combed” with the serrated edge of the trowel. A mesh is applied over the glue, pressed and fastened with thin short sticks at the corners. The pieces of mesh are joined with an overlap (10 cm). At the corners of the house, the mesh is applied in 2 layers or special profiles are used. Having deepened the mesh into the layer with a spatula, its surface is smoothed with a plastic float. After the glue has dried, you need to apply a primer that matches the composition of the finishing layer chemically.

The most common finishing materials in this situation are silicone, silicate, or mineral (cement) compounds; acrylic plaster is used less frequently because it does not "breathe" well. It is crucial that the materials used for insulation, "casing," primer, and mortar have comparable hygroscopicities, thermal conductivities, and thermal expansion parameters. The final layer won’t crack as a result.

Brick, concrete

The following is how a brick or concrete wall is ready:

• the wall is cleaned of dirt,
• the seams are expanded to a depth of 10 mm,
• the surface of the wall is primed,
• after the primer has dried, a mesh and beacons are attached to the wall, if a leveling layer is needed (a mesh for a concrete base is simply necessary),
• a leveling layer is applied by spraying, leveled with a rule, smoothed,
• the raw layer is notched with a scraper to increase adhesion ,
• after the leveling layer has dried, a decorative finishing layer is applied.

Wood

The process for preparing a wooden wall is the same as that of a brick wall: it is cleaned, notches are made with a sharp tool, the wall is primed, a mesh with large cells or lath is attached, and a leveling layer is sprayed on. The silicone mixture works best on wooden surfaces. It stretches so smoothly that it precisely tracks the wood that is "playing" with force.

Decorative plaster for facades is a multipurpose coating that enhances a building’s external appearance while providing protection. It comes in different varieties, each with a distinct composition and texture that let’s create a range of looks and styles. The proper combination must be chosen, necessary equipment must be gathered, and crucial procedures must be followed to guarantee a seamless application. Gaining a basic understanding of these components can aid in producing a long-lasting and appealing finish that improves the look and longevity of a facade.

Methods of painting and finishing

The coating’s surface needs to be painted if the finishing wasn’t created from colored plaster. Paint shields ornamental plaster from environmental factors. Painting with three layers is necessary for lime coating; other compositions only need two layers. Before adding the next coat of paint, the previous one needs to dry.

You must select the appropriate paint so that decorative plaster for facades does not need to be painted every year. It should "breathe," blend in with the plaster material, and not fade. The best paints for facades are thought to be silicone and acrylic.

Painting compositions are applied manually (using a roller or brush) or with a spray gun. Applying paint shouldn’t be done in a straight line. If the first layer was painted using horizontal strokes, the second layer ought to be applied using vertical strokes. When applying a single layer, there shouldn’t be any gaps.

When doing the work yourself, a standard roller is typically used.

Tips for working with plaster outdoors

The following weather conditions are used for facade finishing:

• at a temperature of not lower than +5 ° C and not higher than +30 ° C (this does not apply to winter plasters),
• in dry weather,
• at air humidity not higher than 70%.

To prevent cracking, the plaster should be sprayed with water during dry, hot weather. When several days are predicted to pass without rain, plastering should begin. Sunlight should be kept off the treated area.

Type of Decorative Plaster	Description
Mineral Plaster	Made from cement and lime, durable, breathable, and suitable for any climate.
Acrylic Plaster	Contains acrylic resins, making it flexible and resistant to cracks.
Silicone Plaster	Repels water and dirt, easy to clean, and highly elastic.
Silicate Plaster	Contains liquid glass, making it highly durable and mold-resistant.
Preparation	Clean and level the surface, apply primer, mix plaster according to instructions.
Tools	Trowel, mixer, primer brush, and a sponge for finishing touches.

An adaptable choice for improving the outside of your house is decorative plaster for facades. With its variety of finishes—from smooth to textured—you can create a one-of-a-kind look that perfectly complements your personal style.

Selecting the appropriate decorative plaster for your project is made easier by being aware of the various varieties and their compositions. Whether you’re working with mineral, silicone, or acrylic-based plasters, each has advantages that can improve your facade’s appearance and longevity.

To achieve a professional finish, surfaces and tools must be properly prepared. By taking the time to prepare, you can guarantee that the plaster will adhere properly and last longer, giving your house a polished and durable look.

Decorative plaster can completely change the facade of your house, giving it character and long-lasting protection with the correct supplies and careful application.

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