Decorative plaster – a way to make the interior special

Recommendation points

• What is decorative plaster and its differences from other decorative coatings
• Features of the use of decorative plaster in the interior
• Types of decorative plasters
• The use of decorative plaster in rooms with a special climate
• Question prices or how much do mixtures with decorative plasters cost

In this article we will introduce you to decorative plasters, tell you about the endless possibilities and features of their use. If you are going to make repairs, but have not yet decided on the material for the walls, this article will be a source of inspiration for you and will push you to unexpected experiments..

The first impression of renovation often depends on the decor of the walls. It is he who sets the mood and general atmosphere in the room. And when it comes to what to do with the walls, one answer most often comes to mind: glue the wallpaper. A little less often – to paint, and even less often – to come up with something unusual. If you are also tired of platitudes and your soul requires something special, feel free to use decorative plaster in the wall decoration.

What is decorative plaster and its differences from other decorative coatings

Decorative plaster is a special coating for walls and ceilings with which you can create various patterns, effects and textures. It can be walls in African style with imitation of alligator skin, texture of sand, tree bark. To emphasize all the richness of the decoration, plasters are often used that copy the look of expensive natural stone or metal, and in rooms where there is decor with elements of antiquity, and in antique interiors, plasters look organically like cracked stone, weathered brick, fabric, paper. Even real artistic bas-reliefs can be made with these materials. In short, the choice of plasters is huge..

But not all coatings, with the help of which patterns and textures are created on the walls, are called decorative plasters. Decorative paints have similar properties, although, in fact, these materials are very different from each other:

1. Paints tend to have a thinner consistency, so they are most often applied with a brush or roller, while plaster is a thick, dense mass that allows you to create a volumetric pattern with a spatula.
2. The texture of a painting using paint appears immediately after it is applied to a wall or ceiling. This makes the coating layer very thin. Plaster is applied with a thick layer, often not one. And in order to get the necessary relief, certain techniques and skill of the decorator are used. This nuance is especially important to take into account when preparing walls for decoration, because a thin layer of paint will not hide all surface defects..
3. The area to which decorative plaster is applied can be rubbed to a shine, that is, glazed. Thus, the surface will be perfectly smooth and glossy. It is impossible to achieve this effect with paints..

And in order to finally dot the “i”, let’s figure out what decorative plaster is. It is a mixture of binder, filler and auxiliary components.

The binder can be based on both artificial and natural ingredients. The former include acrylic, polymer, epoxy resins, and the latter – cement, lime, gypsum. Which composition is preferable is a moot point, because both of them have both pros and cons. For example, natural-based plaster, although it costs more, is more environmentally friendly than its synthetic counterparts. In addition, practice shows that the quality of such materials is slightly higher. In addition to the price, plasters, in which polymer and epoxy resins are a binder, have one more advantage – their increased wear resistance. But the difference between them is not so significant that it becomes decisive when choosing a material..

As a filler in decorative plaster, crumbs of various types of natural stone can be used: granite, marble, quartz, slate, etc. In addition, glass, polymer granules, cellulose fibers, etc. can be added. Fillers are needed to give a special surface relief. The future drawing on the walls of your interior will depend on them. It is worth noting that manufacturers produce plaster of the same series of different fractions. Larger chips create a pronounced relief and are more often used on building facades, while smaller chips are used indoors..

Auxiliary substances are added to the mixture in order to improve the quality of the plaster. They are various water-repellent compounds, preservatives, antiseptic thickeners and biocidal components designed to protect the surface from harmful microorganisms..

Features of the use of decorative plaster in the interior

Decorative plasters have been used since antiquity. People noticed that if marble chips are mixed with water, and then applied in a special way to walls, you can get the effect of marble on the surface. It was much easier to work with such material than with weighty stone slabs, and it had much more advantages. Therefore, it was increasingly used to decorate the interiors of nobles and nobles. Wealthy people invited great artists and sculptors who knew how to masterly paint walls and create stunning bas-reliefs from such a mixture. Thanks to the unique features of plaster, works of art from those times have survived to this day..

The attitude towards decorative plasters has not changed over time, only now it has become more affordable. Therefore, it can be found on the ceilings and walls of restaurants and entertainment centers, cozy country houses and luxury apartments, offices and hotels, in a word, wherever the owners want to emphasize the sophistication of their taste, to create a special atmosphere of comfort. And this is no accident, because decorative plaster has many advantages:

1. A wide selection of textures and the possibility of individual coloring of the mixture opens up wide possibilities for decorating walls. You can choose a plaster that would ideally match the style of any interior.
2. When applying plaster, no joints are formed, because the master applies an even layer immediately to the entire surface to be decorated. This allows you to use the mixture even in places where other finishing materials do not cope well, for example, columns, arches, plasterboard structures of any complexity, shelves and niches.
3. Decorative plaster is durable and does not require any special maintenance. If you plan to make a major renovation for many years, it is better to use such material. Thanks to special protective coatings, it does not fade in the sun, does not fade or wear out.
4. This material is environmentally friendly. Walls and ceilings decorated with decorative plaster are good for air permeability. Immediately after renovation, you will not feel unpleasant odors, as happens, for example, with wallpaper, not to mention paints..
5. Among other things, decorative plasters are perfectly combined with various finishing materials: wallpaper, paints, tiles, stone, fabric, metal, etc. They have a rich look, so they can be used as an independent decoration and design element, or serve as a luxurious background in the room.
6. Preparation of walls for plastering does not require special care, and some of them can be applied immediately to a leveled surface covered with a special primer.

It is difficult to identify shortcomings in a material that has so many advantages. However, although insignificant, they are there. Not all plasters are strong enough to be applied to walls. For example, the classic Venetian is quite delicate and fragile. It can be easily damaged in everyday situations. Therefore, it is best to use Venetian plaster for decorating ceilings. In addition, it is better to refuse to use decorative plasters if the walls of your house are in some motion: the house is located in a seismically unstable area or the apartment has not shrunk after construction. Then there is a risk of cracking, which will be very difficult to fix..

Types of decorative plasters

When choosing a material for wall decoration, as a rule, people take into account three factors: price, quality, appearance. We will talk about the price a little later, now we will try to determine the most suitable option based on its aesthetic and practical characteristics..

To make decorative plaster pleasing to the eye for a long time, choose a coating that meets the specified performance characteristics. They can be roughly divided into three categories:

1. Universal plasters that are used both for exteriors and interiors – Travertine, Marmorino, Grotto.
2. Mixes intended for outdoor use have increased resistance to temperature extremes, humidity, high resistance to mechanical damage and fading. These include such plasters as “Bark beetle”, “Shagreen”, “Lamb”.
3. Interior plasters. With the help of these plasters, you can create a huge variety of textures and patterns. Let’s consider the most popular of them in more detail..

Venetian plaster or VenetianIs a plaster based on lime and flour made of precious stones, with the help of which the effect of natural marble is created. It looks majestic on walls and ceilings, and shines so that it feels like everything is reflected in a mirror. This coating is a good alternative to stretch ceilings.

Marseille waximitates the texture of weathered stone, sandstone, tree bark. There are many ways to create textured patterns, which opens up thousands of possibilities to decorate your interior. In this case, you can use a variety of colors to give any desired shade, glitter, mother of pearl, matte and glossy waxes.

Decorative plaster Sahara or Atacamavery elegant and relatively inexpensive. The material applied to the surface resembles sandstorms in the desert. Thanks to the quartz filler and mother-of-pearl base, it is able to give walls an amazing, iridescent effect: every time the angle of illumination changes, the wall will reflect the rays in a new way and attract everyone.

Africaor decorative plaster with the effect of reptile skin – very effective, it allows you to recreate the natural texture without harming the life of animals. Looks very expensive and exclusive in luxurious interiors with elements of wildlife.

Crystal finish(Crystal-Finish) is a stunningly beautiful acrylate-based plaster with polished glass crystals added. Such inclusions create an unusual effect, as if the surface is covered with glossy velvet, and with a change in the angle of illumination, it looks different every time. Such material well hides minor flaws and minor irregularities in ceilings and walls..

Fabric-like plasters:corduroy, velvet, silk. They look very rich in the interior, but they do not need as much care as natural fabrics. Such coatings are perhaps the most popular among the rest, they have an expensive look, a relatively low cost, a beautiful, pearlescent shine and an unobtrusive pattern..

The use of decorative plaster in rooms with a special climate

The atmosphere in the kitchen and bathroom is not always ideal. Frequent temperature changes, a high degree of humidity and the likelihood of mechanical damage force the use of materials of increased strength in the decoration of walls and ceilings. Due to the fact that modern technologies allow the production of decorative plaster that can withstand such loads, an excellent alternative to tiles and paint has appeared, with the help of which the kitchen and bathroom will become a room at the same time refined and practical. In addition, it absorbs moisture well, the air circulates in the room, so there is no greenhouse effect with decorative plasters. The result is a reduced risk of developing fungus and mold.

The nuances of using decorative plaster on the walls of the kitchen and bathroom:

1. It is necessary to choose plaster for use in rooms with a special climate (by the way, this also applies to facades) on an acrylic basis. It is she who guarantees a longer service life in extreme conditions..
2. Preparation of walls for plastering should include the stage of surface treatment with special antiseptics and biocidal substances. Although such components are already included in the plaster, this procedure is rather preventive. You can also use special renovation plasters as a base for topcoating. It not only evens out the surface, but also reliably protects walls and ceilings.
3. Use waxes that additionally protect the surface of the walls. They will give it not only the desired shine or matte, but also facilitate maintenance. Subsequently, it will be enough to wipe the surface with a damp cloth and soapy water to keep it clean.

Question prices or how much do mixtures with decorative plasters cost

As wide as the choice of decorative plasters in stores is, so wide is the range of prices for them. And the point here is not only in different brands of products, almost everything matters: the type of plaster, the volume of packaging, the size of the granules. The approximate price of such materials is from 70 to 1000 rubles. for 1 kg. To calculate the cost of material consumption, you need to know not only the area of ​​the surface to be decorated, but also the thickness of the applied layer. It is important to take into account here that the larger the size of the mixture fractions, the greater the material consumption. Material consumption can vary from 1 to 5 kg / m². As a rule, on the packaging, the manufacturer indicates the average consumption and the volume of the mixture that is required for this. To this must be added the cost of waxes, glitters and colors..

Calculate the approximate material consumption for a given area in order to find out how much the decor of a room or a specific section of the wall will cost and multiply the amount by one and a half to two times if you are going to use the services of professional masters of decorative plasters. If you prefer to apply decorative plaster with your own hands, then read our next article, in which you will find answers to questions on the independent use of the material. In addition, stock up on special auxiliary tools and great patience, because this is a rather time-consuming process..