Wall Plaster is one of the most popular kinds of wall interior finish.
Even though it originated in the mid-17th century, even today Plaster of Paris is used extensively. This compound can be used to stylize and mould any shape to decorate your homes in varied style, ranging from Victorian to French designs.
Plaster of Paris not only lends elegance and beauty to the walls but it also enhances durability. The walls become stronger due to the chemical reaction that takes place when water escapes the plaster mixture. This is what makes plastered walls stronger in comparison to other kind of walls. One of the benefits of using Plaster of Paris is the installation procedure. It is quite easy and convenient to install since it does not generate any kind of dust. Moreover, plaster doesn't need any kind of sanding and a wall can be plastered within a shorter timeframe. However, ceilings should be left to the professionals.
If the plaster walls in your home are unattractive or too costly to repair, you can cover them with drywall and start fresh. Drywall needs a sturdy substrate, so fasten loose plaster back to the wood lath strips behind it with plaster screws. Plaster screws have a washer-type fitting that helps prevent the plaster from cracking. Scrape any crumbled plaster off the lath and fill the resulting hollow with a patch of drywall. Once old plaster is stabilized, the walls are usually sound enough for new drywall.
Tools and materials used in plastering include trowels, floats, hammers, screeds, a hawk, scratching tools, utility knives, laths, lath nails, lime, sand, hair, plaster of Paris, a variety of cements, and various ingredients to form color washes. While most tools have remained unchanged over the centuries, developments in modern materials have led to some changes. Trowels, originally constructed from steel, are now available in a polycarbonate material that allows the application of certain new, acrylic-based materials without staining the finish. Floats, traditionally made of timber (ideally straight-grained, knot-free, yellow pine), are often finished with a layer of sponge or expanded polystyrene.
Some examples of outstanding extant historical plasterwork interiors are found in Scotland, where the three finest specimens of interior plasterwork are elaborate decorated ceilings from the early 17th century at Muchalls Castle, Glamis Castle and Craigievar Castle, all of which are in the northeast region of that country. The craft or modeled plasterwork, inspired by the style of the early modern period, was revived by the designers of the Arts and Crafts movement in late-19th- and early-20th-century England. Notable practitioners were Ernest Gimson, his pupil Norman Jewson, and George P. Bankart, who published extensively on the subject. Examples are preserved today at Owlpen Manor and Rodmarton Manor, both in the Cotswolds.