Moroccan plaster – materials and technique for applying a unique, moisture-resistant coating

Moroccan plaster is a well-liked option for people wishing to infuse their interior spaces with a dash of exotic elegance because of its remarkable beauty and longevity. For centuries, Moroccans have employed this age-old plastering method to produce beautiful, long-lasting surfaces that are impervious to moisture.

Moroccan plaster is made with materials that are as distinctive as the finish they create. Natural pigments, marble dust, and lime combine to create a polished, smooth surface that gives any space depth and coziness through light reflection. This plaster offers a moisture-resistant protective layer that makes it perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, and other humid areas. It is not only very attractive.

A meticulous, multi-step procedure that has been handed down through the generations of artisans is needed to apply Moroccan plaster. To get the right texture and finish, the method entails layering and polishing. Moroccan plaster offers countless options for crafting a unique surface that complements both traditional and modern interiors, whether you’re going for a high-gloss look or a more subdued, matte effect.

Composition of Moroccan plaster

The main feature of this curiosity is its complete waterproofness, due to which Moroccan decorative plaster can be used instead of tiles not only on walls, but also on the floor, on shelves, tables and other surfaces. In addition to high resistance to water, it has remarkable strength, which is why sinks are made from it in its homeland. However, for decorative coatings, these qualities alone are not enough, because the decorative coating is intended for decoration. The novelty is not in last place here. In its decorativeness it is not inferior to the famous Venetian. Being smooth, it looks as if it has an internal space, with golden flashes in the depths.

In Morocco, where it was traditionally used for water tanks, the material was highly valued for its resistance to moisture and antibacterial properties.

Only the composition of the Moroccan mixture with natural ingredients makes all of this possible:

• Quartz sand,
• hydraulic lime,
• diatomite (sedimentary rock containing the remains of shells and marine organisms – diatoms),
• clay,
• marble flour,
• natural dyes (a lot of pigment, by volume it is about 1 part to 9),

Additionally, there must be a required coating of a particular composition that, when combined with lime, creates a salt-based moisture-proof film:

• linseed oil,
• polishing soap,
• wax.

Advantages and flaws

The composition has numerous benefits and has withstood a thousand-year test.

Moroccan plaster:

• universal, can be used for both interiors and facade work,
• unique – replaces tiles, has non-standard applications,
• hygienic, environmentally friendly,
• minimalistically luxurious,
• flexible, pliable in work,
• Moroccan wall can have different shapes, tadelakt will easily follow it,
• durable,
• resistant to open fire, can be used for finishing fireplaces,
• waterproof,
• large selection of colors used,
• easy to maintain, easy to wash,
• has a neutral smell,
• allows walls to breathe,
• not susceptible to biodeterioration,
• highly decorative, has a glossy surface.

Cons:

• complexity of application technique for beginners,
• rather labor-intensive,
• high cost,

The non-classical mixture is not strong enough to withstand scratches and other forms of mechanical harm.

See also: How to use regular putty to create decorative plaster by hand for interior wall decoration

Moroccan plaster is a gorgeous finish that blends old world artistry with contemporary toughness and resistance to moisture. This plaster, which is composed of natural lime, marble dust, and pigments, is well-known for its glossy, polished appearance and vivid colors. Moroccan plaster is applied using a special method that calls for layering and polishing to produce its distinctive finish. This makes it perfect for creating opulent, water-resistant surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms, and other damp spaces.

Tool for work

The standard toolkit for applying tadelakt, a unique type of plaster, has been expanded to include:

• it will be more convenient to work with several spatulas, starting from narrow (4 cm) and ending with wide (up to 60 cm), for rounded surfaces you may need rubber spatulas,
• bristle brushes,
• stainless steel trowel with rounded corners,
• polishing stone (stones must have a certain hardness on the Mohs scale from 7 to 10),
• roller,
• wooden spatula,
• sander,
• rubber roller for painting (a regular roller is not used),
• masking tape,
• containers,
• clean cloth or rags.

Surface preparation

The significance of preliminary work doesn’t need to be reiterated. Because Moroccan decorative plaster has a thin coating, it has particular requirements for the quality of the base preparation.

Cleaning, leveling, degreasing, and disinfecting are done to the walls. Special techniques are used to insulate metal parts. Use finishing putty on the walls in dry rooms.

Wall priming is applied using a composition that penetrates deeply. For improved adhesion, apply it with a brush in two crosswise layers. After three hours, let the first layer dry. The second: 6–8. Use casein primer for classic tadelakt.

Application technology

Tadelakt has a long history of use in palaces, where it is regarded as an opulent finish. It has unique technology that few masters in other nations have fully grasped. Naturally, Venetian plaster made of sand or silk was more popular in Europe. Classical technology is labor-intensive and multi-layered, which makes it complex.

When the olive oil soap used to coat the lime mortar reacts, calcium salts, stearic acid, and other fatty acids combine to form calcium stearate, a compound that is insoluble in water. This material has antimicrobial properties.

Moroccan plaster is available as a ready-to-apply product or as a powder that needs to be combined with water 30 minutes before use. Thirty minutes after mixing, the prepared solution is re-mixed in the first scenario. In the second scenario, mixing the mixture occurs prior to work. One tenth of the total volume can be reached by the added color. It would be appropriate to create test paintings when selecting a color because lime mixtures become significantly lighter as they dry.

When working, masking tape must be used to outline the surfaces that need to be treated. The coating must be removed before it dries.

Classic Moroccan plaster

1. Lime plaster with a large grain acts as a substrate. It is applied to the walls without compaction in one layer, to the floor – in two layers. The layer thickness is slightly more than the grain size. If lime plaster is applied to a lime base, the base should be moistened before plastering. After application, this coating dries for 14-16 hours.
2. The main layer of tadelakt, slightly thicker than the grain, is applied with a trowel also without compaction (some unevenness of the surface is possible). It is allowed to set and dry a little.
3. 2nd – a textured layer is applied with a thickness of no more than the size of the grain
4. Without waiting for the solution to dry, as soon as it sets on top, begin polishing its surface with a stone. Polishing is done with small circular movements without pressure. When a shine appears and a characteristic "stone hard" sound is heard, polishing is complete.
5. Apply polishing soap with a brush, then, after waiting a little until it begins to be absorbed, begin polishing with a stone. After polishing, let it dry for 24 hours.

Moroccan plaster is often not the material itself, but the outcome of particular application techniques. This is how the interior design of the room incorporates Moroccan style.

Application with a brush

You can apply tadelakt in a different way to create a multicolored coating.

1. The first layer is applied similarly to the main one from the previous description.
2. The second is applied with a brush and a spatula. For this, prepare a "palette" – small containers with a composition painted in different colors. The brush is dipped in a solution of the first color and applied by trimming individual strokes lagging behind each other to the surface of the wall. After applying each stroke, it is rubbed with cross-shaped movements of the spatula.
3. Having applied several strokes of one color, between them, with a brush and a spatula, apply strokes of a mixture of a different color. You can use a brush to pick up a little of the solution of different colors, then the strokes will be striped, and the pattern after rubbing with a spatula will be more interesting.
4. The surface is polished with a stone.
5. The soap composition is applied, then polished a second time.

Simple application

1. The base layer (approximately 1 mm) is applied evenly, as when filling.
2. You can use a sea sponge, brush, brush or trowel to apply it. The mixture is applied by end-graining. Before applying a stroke, the tool is “blotted” with tampon movements on the lid of a bucket to remove excess solution. It is also possible: the most “tasty” strokes are applied at the same distance from each other, and less “tasty” ones – between them.
3. After letting the solution set and begin to dry, it is compacted with a wooden spatula, after which it is polished with a stone.
4. The compacted polished solution is covered with soap and polished again until shiny.

Sponge application technique

You will need a tight sponge with rounded edges to apply the mixture.

1. The solution is applied to the surface of the sponge with a narrow spatula (as on a trowel) and, after leveling on a sponge, transferred with circular movements to the wall. At the same time, they try to cover the entire substrate. The sponge gives a slight relief. You can apply the material with a trowel, and then use multidirectional circular movements without pressure to give the layer a texture.
2. The dried layer of ironstones is used to polish the tops of the relief using the edge of a trowel with slight pressure. The surface of the trowel must be wiped regularly so that no hard lumps remain on it and do not damage the finish.
3. The wax is tinted. Apply with a trowel, trying to fill the recesses of the plaster coating with wax.
4. After 20-30 minutes, the wax is polished with a grinder or a drill with a disk (do this at low speeds so that the wax does not burn). After mechanical polishing, you can polish it manually.

Moroccan with cracks

The Venetian coating is strikingly similar. The effect of noble marble can be achieved by selecting the right color. This instance does not involve the use of a quartz sand primer.

1. The first layer is applied sparingly on the strip, crosswise without gaps.
2. The second layer covers about 95% of the surface (in some places, uncovered areas are left).
3. Cracks are scratched on the wet layer with a sharp tool. Wider lines are for the main body of the crack, thin cracks are drawn with a sharper object.
4. After drying, the surface is treated with sandpaper. №180.
5. A layer of varnish is applied with a spatula to fill the cracks and micropores (the absorption capacity of the surface decreases. Dust that could not be completely removed is saturated with varnish and becomes part of it. Excess varnish is also removed with a spatula.
6. After the varnish has dried, wax with the addition of mother-of-pearl is applied to the surface.
7. Finishing polishing is done mechanically with a wool disc.

Imitation with acrylic plaster

The composition of natural lime is highly costly. It can be swapped out for a mixture made of acrylic. Before using, the mixture is tinted, keeping in mind that the tone will fade as it dries. More than one pigment can be added. Add a small amount of black color to achieve a natural color.

1. The first layer is applied with an acrylic mixture that does not contain marble chips and quartz filler. The layer must be applied evenly, but it is not necessary to do it perfectly, since the unevenness will be leveled out after applying the second layer.
2. The second layer is applied after about an hour with light, short cross movements of the spatula. This creates a low-relief texture with many small differences.
3. After an hour, apply gold varnish with arc movements "for tearing" with a spatula. If desired, the gold varnish can be diluted with silver.

As with puttying, the first layer is applied uniformly and at a thickness of about 1 mm.

Finishing

The final step in traditional Moroccan plastering is soap polishing. Three days following the completion of finishing work, "wet" rooms undergo another round of soap polishing. This corrects the coating’s operational characteristics.

Wax or varnish finishing is acceptable in other situations. It is common to use acrylic varnish with different additives. One can tint varnish. The same procedures apply to varnish work as they do to other compositions.

Moroccan plaster has a distinctive texture and rich, deep colors that give any space an amazing and long-lasting finish. This moisture-resistant coating is a great option for spaces like bathrooms and kitchens because it is not only aesthetically pleasing but also very practical.

Although applying Moroccan plaster involves some practice and attention to detail, the outcome is well worth the effort. You can create a posh and durable surface that will stand out in any setting by carefully choosing the appropriate materials and using the traditional method.

Moroccan plaster is an excellent choice if you’re looking to give your house a bit of exotic charm or just want a sturdy, moisture-resistant wall finish. You can design a stunning and useful area that blends modern and traditional elements with perseverance and the appropriate methodology.

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