Among the many types of interior decoration, which are very popular lately, decorative plaster acquires special significance every year. It is relatively inexpensive, looks great and is very easy to use. Today we will tell you about how to apply decorative plaster.
The benefits of this kind of coating
In order not to be unfounded, let's describe the main advantages that decorative plaster has. Firstly, you do not need to pay special attention to preparing the wall, but at the same time it will allow you to reliably mask almost all defects on the surface.
In addition, this type of finish will be appropriate not only on concrete, but even on a wooden wall. There are no joints and other traces of the connection, and an attractive appearance can persist for years. Do not forget that plaster largely protects your house from fire, while simultaneously providing good sound insulation of the apartment.
Mixture composition
By the way, what does decorative wall plaster consist of? It includes several fairly simple components:
- water base with a thickener added to it;
- fillers from marble or granite chips;
- preservatives, antiseptics, anti-fungal and mold products.
Where is best to apply?
If a person who is far from the intricacies of repair comes into a room that is decorated in this way, then he can almost never determine how such an effect was achieved. For decorating, the walls of country houses are most optimal, although no one forbids using such plaster for decorating niches and arches in apartments. In the kitchen, this kind of plaster is generally ideal, if only because of its inability to absorb odors and grease.
Prepare the surface
Before applying decorative plaster, you need at least basic surface preparation. If there was wallpaper or paint on the wall, they will need to be removed as carefully as possible, taking care not to leave traces of the old coating.
Carefully read the instructions printed on the package. As a rule, there is a recommendation to apply the composition only on a surface that has been pre-treated with a primer. This is especially true of the walls of the foam block, which have a high absorbency. It is better to completely remove nails or cover with a thick layer of varnish. Otherwise, a large rusty stain may appear on the wall after some time. If decorative wall plaster will be applied in a newly built or renovated building, then it is enough to simply cover the fresh surface with a liquid lime mortar.
What tools will be required?
You will need to purchase a embossed roller, spatula knife and brush, as well as rubber trowels. In general, the set of tools depends on the texture that you prefer to see on the walls. The fact is that the patterns on this plaster arise when the roller is moving: it moves the granules of the filler, and they form an interesting pattern on the wall. When we apply decorative plaster, we can show all our design skills!
Textured formulations can generally be applied to the surface using a spray gun with a large nozzle diameter. It is in this way that Venetian plasters are made, which immediately attract attention due to the unique pattern. By the way, the composition retains its elasticity for a long time, and therefore it can be given to virtually any shape that you may like. To do this, there are rollers with a long pile, curly spatulas or soft curly knives.
Getting started
Wall plastering with decorative plaster is carried out starting from the corners. Please note that the first time it obviously does not lie in an even and neat layer. Try to do the work on the experimental site first, get used to it. In addition, in no case do not leave the jar open for a long time, since the composition in this case quickly begins to dry out, becoming unusable.
Application Method
We begin to apply the material on an area of not more than 0.5 square meters, since otherwise the solution dries quickly. As a rule, the thickness of the applied layer should not exceed two millimeters. The larger the mixture, the rougher the texture on the walls.
Evenly distributing the solution on the surface, you can begin to create some kind of artistic images. Carefully clean the spatula from the solution, after which we begin to smooth the surface with it. Gently press its lower edge, and then lead down a straight (or winding) line. From time to time, the spatula must be thoroughly cleaned of the solution and moistened with water. After all, the decorative plaster for the walls has excellent adhesive properties.
You can often see beginners who have a huge piece of material hanging on a spatula. Then all this comes off and falls, inevitably worsening the results of any work.
Your movements during the distribution of plaster can be completely different, because as a result a completely unique and inimitable pattern will be formed. Important! Tear off the spatula as smoothly and gently as possible from the work surface, try not to allow traces of it to remain on the surface. If you do not like the resulting picture, at any time you can slightly moisten the plaster with water and wipe everything.
Before applying decorative plaster in the next area, overlap the already treated area, so you can avoid the formation of joints that spoil a very flat surface. After applying, you need to wait at least a day, after which you can proceed with further work (drawing screen patterns on the wall, for example).
Other decorating methods
All decorative plaster, the photo of which is in the article, can be additionally decorated not only with bizarre and unusual patterns, but even with real paintings. To be an artist for this is absolutely not necessary: just buy a stencil in the appropriate store, on which you put a picture. By the way, for this you can use not only paint, but also exactly the same plaster. So your walls will look even more picturesque.
Here's how to apply decorative plaster.
How to make a "rain"?
To apply the material at an angle, you must first prepare the walls. First draw lines on them with the corresponding slope. The width between them can be arbitrary, but it should be convenient for you to work with a spatula. After that, glue masking tape on the line.
Work must begin from the top corner of the room. On each strip, carefully plaster the plaster, and the thickness of its layer should not exceed three millimeters. To create a “drip” structure, the trowel needs to be lightly pressed to the surface to be treated, after which it is also carefully removed from it.
As a result, the wall will look very much like a frightened hedgehog. It is easy to fix this: take a moistened trowel, and then gently smooth the “thorns” with it, moving the tool in exactly one direction. The weaker you press, the more textured and rough the wall texture will remain.
All subsequent strips must be applied with an overlap. All of the above actions are repeated in the same sequence. If the edges visually creep onto each other, this will significantly improve the appearance of the finished surface. The joints should be smooth, but they should not be smoothed specifically.
This method is especially good if you apply decorative
facade plaster. Instead of
masking tape, in this case it is necessary to use twine stretched diagonally.
In conclusion
In conclusion, we can advise you not to rush, consistently approach the work. We have already said that plots of more than 0.5 m should not be taken for work. If you rush, the material will dry out, and with subsequent wetting and grouting of such beautiful patterns you will not succeed.