The concept of solid plastering or rendering is ancient. The concept and method of plastering have evolved a lot over time and it started before the Roman times and still continues to exist. Basically, the art of coating the surface of a wall or substance with cement rendering or plastering is known as solid plastering. It is considered to be an art because the aesthetic sensibilities are used to make the inner as well as the outer wall an artistic finish. Today the concept of plastering has improved a lot and various kinds of materials are used to make the walls more durable and water resistant by improving its acoustic and thermal properties. Not only this, the looks of the walls also get a beautiful transformation after solid plastering.
History of Plastering:
As earlier mentioned, the history of plastering is quite ancient and now as per age, we’ll discuss how it is transformed.
- Ancient time: During the ancient time (before the Roman age) limestones, sand and volcanic ash were amalgamated to make a rough paste and apply over the walls. At that time existed stone, clay and straw huts and the interior of those huts too was plastered to give a smooth finish to them.
- Middle ages: This age showed more aesthetic sensibilities towards the art of plastering or rendering both in case of inner and outer walls. More decorative forms were introduced to give the walls a nice appearance. During the Renaissance years, beautiful masterpieces were created in the sphere of solid plastering.
- Modern age: Various new kinds of materials are used along with the conventional ones to give a stunning look to the walls. The bricks and blocks, concrete and polystyrene walls are popularly used these days. New types of styles, patterns, and textures have been introduced too so that people can choose from a wide range of applications. Some of the older techniques of plastering are still on demand and thereby they are still preserved and used.
Solid Plastering-Surface Finishes Which Are Commonly Used :
The solid plastering can give a wide range of surface finishes. The popular most finishes include –
- Render and Set –This form is very common in Australia where the interior wall is rendered with the coating of cement, limestones, and sand. Thereafter it is concealed with a white coating of lime putty and hard wall plaster. It gives the wall a paint ready smooth finish.
- Sgraffito –This is the application of a design or mural after giving two or three coatings of render to the walls. The selected mural is either stenciled or traced on the surface of the walls.
- Sand Finish – The sand finish surfaces are obtained by embedding the coarse sand particles into the render. Then it brings the fine particles of sand, cement, and limestones to the surface of the wall. Later the fine particles are sponged off to give it a textured sand finish look.
- Bag Wash – In order to decorate the concrete walls, at first the render gets smeared on the wall and then with the help of hessian cloth or sponge decorative patterns are created.
- Glass Faced Cement Finish – These are long-lasting, extremely smooth and water resistant solid plastering finishes. They are mainly used for the inner walls. They are ideally used in entrances, corridors, halls and passages, toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens.
- Mock Stone – As the name suggests, it dresses up the brick or concrete walls by imitating the limestone, granite blocks and brickwork.
- Tyrolean Finish – This is achieved by a hand-operated Tyrolean machine that flicks render on the wall giving a textured finish.
- Corbelling – Applying colored bands to the external walls to give the surface an interesting and attractive look.
There are many companies which offer solid plastering in domestic and commercial buildings. You must choose an experienced and skillful solid plasterer to do the job of plastering beautifully. Aesthetic sensibilities and proper hand-eye coordination is a must for the plasterer to deliver a satisfactory work.