Do-it-yourself bark beetle plaster: photo and video instructions

A popular option for homeowners wishing to give their walls a distinctive texture is bark beetle plaster. Any space can be made to appear more natural and sophisticated with its unique rustic finish. Even if you’re not an expert, you can apply bark beetle plaster yourself, despite the name seeming complicated.

You don’t need to hire pricey contractors to accomplish professional-looking results if you have the right equipment and some advice. We’ll take you step-by-step through the procedure in this post, with helpful screenshots and videos to guide you.

Bark beetle plaster works well for both updating your living room and giving your home’s exterior more personality. Let’s get started on how you can complete this project by yourself and produce a gorgeous finish you’ll be happy with.

What tools may be needed.

You will need specialized tools for any construction manipulations; here is a list of them:

• Bucket, plastic float, sprayer.
• Drill equipped with a mixer attachment.
• Spatula or construction shovel for applying raw materials.
• Roller and a container for it to apply the primer liquid.

Building up on these construction attributes is necessary to ensure that the bark beetle plaster dries quickly. The bark beetle plaster is leveled with a spatula and your hands for aesthetics and visual completion.

What kind of raw material is this, and what qualities does it have.

There are two varieties of bark beetle plaster, with gypsum or acrylic material serving as the foundation. If the latter is available fully prefabricated and diluted, gypsum plaster is only offered for sale as a blend of dry ingredients. It is a composite plaster with tiny granules called pebbles in it.

Crucial! Every business makes its own building mixture according to its own process. Marble or crushed minerals are most frequently used as granules. The size of the existing crumbs, which can occasionally have a 3.5 millimeter diameter, is used to determine the plaster’s grain size.

Compared to other building decorative mixtures, this plaster has the following advantages:

1. If you replace sand with mineral filler or polymer substances, the finished composition will be particularly light. This factor will avoid excessive load on individual elements of the structure of the object.
2. Bark beetle plaster is an environmentally friendly product that excludes the content of harmful substances.
3. This raw material is able to withstand severe climatic conditions. It does not fade under direct sunlight, without emitting toxic components even at 55 – 60 ° C.
4. It is very durable, resistant to mold, resistant to chemical liquids of moderate concentration, as well as aqueous solutions. When dirty, it is easy to clean with water; it does not tend to crumble under the weight of precipitation.
5. "Bark beetle" is resistant to moderate mechanical damage. It can be cleaned using a vacuum cleaner or sponge.
6. It has standard color ranges, however, if the owners want to get other shades of the material, it can be mixed with the necessary dye or painted after application and complete drying on site.
7. It is easy to buy at an affordable price in any hardware store. If necessary, the material is ordered with delivery to the site where the work is being carried out.

Even for novices, applying bark beetle plaster yourself can be a rewarding and approachable home improvement project. You can make your walls look better and last longer with a professional-looking finish that comes with the correct equipment, supplies, and step-by-step instructions. With the help of this article’s clear photo and video instructions, you can confidently take on the task and achieve excellent results.

Preparatory process.

To create plaster that lasts a long time without losing its original look, you must be able to make bark beetle plaster both manually and qualitatively. Prior to plastering the base, it must be carefully cleaned and prepared. The steps involved are as follows:

• First, all sorts of remnants of the previous coating are removed, it is cleaned of dirt and grease stains. If necessary, the wall is leveled using sand-cement raw materials.
• If the application of the bark beetle plaster is carried out in a place where the humidity level is constantly high, then the wall is treated with a specialized antifungal solution.
• Any gaps are cut and treated with gypsum putty.
• If you apply the bark beetle plaster indoors with your own hands, know that the minimum thickness should be 2 cm., after which grouting is carried out. When the application is carried out on the outer coating or walls that are plastered with a mixture of lime and cement, then a primer is not needed. It is enough to thoroughly wet the surface with ordinary water.
• The walls must be completely cleaned, degreased and leveled before application.

Once the aforementioned conditions are satisfied, you can get started on the decorative solution.

Preparation of raw materials.

In order to prevent spoiling the raw materials, you must carefully follow the instructions before making bark beetle plaster.

A unique "mixer" attachment that is fixed in the drill chuck is used to mix the powder with running water that has been heated to room temperature in small amounts. This helps to prevent the formation of unwanted clots.

After the allotted time, beat the whipped mass with a drill for the control time until a homogenous mass is obtained (it resembles the composition of mashed potatoes with a uniform shade, if a colorant was used). Next, the whipped mass must be left under the lid for 15 minutes so that it "infuses." Refrain from adding too much water as this could cause the solution to stratify.

A small addition is permitted in order to make raw material preparation easier. It is necessary to use the completed mass within three hours. Apply DIY decorative bark beetle plaster to a wall that has already been prepped. It is best to apply paint or primer (such as ST-16) in one tone of the mixture to the surface six hours prior to application. As a result, the base won’t be transparent.

How to use raw materials?

There are various uses for "bark beetle." It is utilized for wall and facade decoration, as was previously mentioned. The owner of the object is the only one who can determine the outcome.

They can use plaster on the walls and ceiling to decorate a portion of the space. It goes without saying that care should be taken when applying raw materials to surfaces where they will not adhere well, such as glass or the walls of a metal garage. On the other hand, the material will adhere very well to brick, concrete, and plasterboard.

Crucial! This kind of plaster is a stand-alone coating. As a result, using it to decorate the walls is essential. Filling coating holes or deformations is not a good use for this material.

Raw material consumption for facades per 1 m2.

The amount of material needed to create one square meter of bark beetle plaster is between 2.5 and 4 kg. These numbers are directly influenced by the filler volume and the master’s applied layer thickness. You can trust the information provided by the manufacturer regarding the cost per square meter for an exact calculation. However, it is also advisable to factor in a small margin of up to 10% when performing the calculation.

Consumption is manufacturer-dependent as well. Although the differences in parameters might not seem like much at first, they can become quite noticeable if the raw materials are used widely.

For instance, the Volma company offers a 6 kg/m2 consumption for a layer thickness of 10 mm. The "Starateli" company uses nine kilograms per square meter. Hence, the volume difference will be roughly 270 kg when finishing a medium-sized object with a coverage area of 30 m2 and a thickness of 3 cm.

Work progress.

Using a special grater, apply decorative bark beetle plaster with your hands. It is smeared with a composition at a 60-degree angle to the plane.

The material’s grain size determines how thick the layer is that is applied. Using a grater, the desired pattern is made on the treated surface once the raw material no longer sticks to the tools.

You can draw lines with your hands in any direction (horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or in a circle) when applying bark beetle plaster, and the finished piece will reflect the master’s creativity.

It is best to complete the process all at once, without taking a break for lunch. The material will take three days to dry, so if you’re referring to exterior finishing, it’s best to check the weather forecast to find out how long bark beetle plaster will take to dry in typical weather.

Joints and glossy areas shouldn’t be visible if the work is done correctly. The wall appears consistent and consistent.

Using plaster on foam.

In order to apply bark beetle plaster to foam, you’ll need to gather the following building supplies:

• Bark beetle.
• Reinforcing mesh and glue.
• Primer paint.

Building exterior finishes are frequently finished with bark beetle plaster. Foam is typically used to insulate objects, so you must be aware of all the subtleties involved in applying bark beetle to this insulation.

Crucial! The plaster will start to crumble and the coating will become deformed if the bark beetle is applied to the foam plastic in the typical manner.

Applying mesh and reinforcing glue to the foam is the first step. Simply wait a day for the coating to dry. The next step is to apply a primer paint, which will help the foam stick to itself and keep the layer from "sliding."

The bark beetle needs to be the recommended consistency before applying. In the event that an incomplete mixture was selected, the work process can start once it has been prepared.

Crucial! Any work on the facade that involves applying plaster to the surface needs to be done in temperatures above freezing.

It can be a satisfying project to apply bark beetle plaster yourself, and it can give your walls a distinctive and appealing finish. Even for beginners, the process is simple and doable with the right tools and a little perseverance.

The secret to success is being well-prepared and paying close attention to the instructions. Achieving the desired effect requires careful attention to every step of the plaster application process, from mixing to applying in the right pattern.

You can confidently take on this do-it-yourself project and give your walls a long-lasting, professional-looking finish by following the picture and video instructions. You also feel really accomplished knowing that you accomplished it all on your own.

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