If you are building a house or doing renovations in your apartment, then you know how important it is to control every little thing. Particular attention should be paid to the basics: building material, supporting structures and plaster.
It is plaster that is the material that can correct minor flaws in the foundation of your house or apartment. But without knowing how long plaster dries, you can destroy the results of many hours of work on applying it to the walls. You probably don't want this.
If you want to save money, nerves and precious time, then read this article. From it you will learn how long the plaster dries on the walls in the room, what it is and how to apply it correctly.
Why plaster walls?
This question is asked by many inexperienced builders. Thanks to the plastering of the premises, the necessary evenness of the walls is achieved. Moreover, plaster savesbuilding material from the harmful effects of the environment: gusts of wind, rain or hail. Stucco is another "layer" of the house that keeps the temperature inside.
What materials should be plastered
For different materials, the reasons for which they need to be plastered also differ:
- Brick. It is plastered to give the wall evenness, as well as to exclude cold wind blowing. If there are small gaps between the blocks that are difficult to notice, then the plaster material will cover them. Thin brick walls can be reinforced with putty with a special reinforcing mesh.
- Gas and foam concrete. Both materials have a porous structure, so they must be protected from water. A drop that has fallen into the pores of foam concrete will freeze and expand at low temperatures, crumbling the material. The top layer of finish is peeling off and disintegrating, even though it is rather slow.
- Arbolit. This mixture of sawdust and cement resists weather well, but only in theory. Practice shows that a swollen tree destroys the structure of the wall. To prevent moisture from entering sawdust, wood concrete must be plastered. Especially if you want the building to stand for decades.
- Polyfoam. Extremely sensitive to sunlight, from which the material must be protected. Without stucco armor, foam plastic will not live longer than fifteen years.
- Concrete. It is plastered only if the evenness of the walls does not suit.
- Limestone. Good densethe rock is able to withstand more than one century, so it does not need plastering. The main thing is to find a proven quarry and not buy shell limestone crumbling right in your hands.
Choosing the right material
In order to choose the perfect plaster, you need to determine what you need it for:
- For special purposes such as waterproofing, insulation or wall thickening.
- For interior decoration.
- For decoration.
- For rough work.
- For applying the final layer to smooth the wall.
By answering this question, you will greatly facilitate your choice, because you will already know what properties the material should have.
Next, you need to determine the budget. Decorative plaster, especially Venetian, is quite expensive. Are you ready to go all out for quality and proven materials, or is it more profitable for you to buy something cheaper?
If after plastering the walls you are going to lay tiles or wallpaper, then it is better to purchase plaster based on lime or cement. Such material fits well on almost any surface and perfectly evens out large irregularities.
Still not sure which plaster to choose? Yes, the market is constantly being updated: new types of materials appear, “young” manufacturers come out of the shadows, and “old men” begin to underestimate the quality of their goods. Check with the specialists how long the plaster dries on the walls in the room if you are doing repairs inside the apartmentor at home. This will allow you to choose the fastest drying option.
In order not to miscalculate the choice of plaster, you can ask for advice from sellers in hardware stores. They will help you choose the right materials exclusively for your needs.
Types of plaster
The purpose of this material may be different. Therefore, plaster is divided into several types:
- keep warm;
- acoustic;
- insulating water;
- special purpose: X-ray reflective, acid-resistant.
- decorative.
As you can see, there are many types of plaster on the market. For interior decoration of residential premises, decorative plaster is used, which is also divided into types:
- Structural. Contains large particles that form the surface.
- Venetian. Thanks to the inclusion of marble dust, it can imitate this stone.
- Textured. Thanks to it, impressive reliefs can be created on the walls.
Also plaster can be dry or wet. If you are doing repairs for the first time, then it will be easier to purchase already diluted plaster so as not to spoil the materials.
How to plaster walls
The technology of applying plaster on the surface is quite simple, although it requires some accuracy. The process consists of 3 stages, each time a layer of solution is applied to the surface.
Each stagediffers in the individual way of applying the material:
- The initial layer is the thickest of all, applied by hand or with a trowel. For its application does not require special skills, it is a rough layer. You will have to be patient to continue working on top of this layer of plaster, as it takes quite a long time to dry indoors and on exterior walls.
- The second coat should be applied more carefully, but still it is not a finish. It is applied with a wide spatula or trowel, bringing the solution to a pasty consistency.
- The last layer should look like sour cream. It is prepared using fine sand without large particles.
Thickness of plaster layer
For high-quality wall processing, you need to know not only the rules for working with the material, but also how much it needs to be applied:
- For the first, draft, layer, the thickness varies depending on the surface material. So, 5 mm of plaster are laid on brick and concrete, and for wood, 8 or 9 mm with a crate are already needed.
- Approximately 7 mm thickness is enough for the second layer, maybe a little more.
- Finishing layer can have different thickness. It depends on the accuracy of the previous layers, since the last one should smooth out all the bumps on the walls.
How long does plaster dry
Plaster is applied in layers, and to work with the next one, you must wait for the previous one to dry. So the question arises: how long does the plaster layers dry?
There is a simple formula for an approximate calculation: 1 mm of plaster dries for 4 hours. Atyou need to know that it is better to leave the minimum for the layer to dry for exactly 1 day, so that it has time to at least somehow grab. Starting work on dry plaster can seriously spoil the evenness of the entire layer.
Also, the drying speed depends on the surface material and the quality of its processing before applying the plaster. Wood dries faster than stone due to its permeability, and a damp wall will take longer to dry than a carefully wiped one.
Now, knowing how long the plaster dries, you will not start work ahead of time and ruin your wall.
How to speed up the process
Several factors affect the rate of plaster drying:
- Indoor humidity.
- Base material.
- The quality of the plaster, especially if you made it yourself.
- A layer of plaster.
- Accuracy of compliance with the norm of drying materials.
Repair work can only be continued if the plaster layer has a moisture content of no more than 8%. But what to do if there is no time to wait for solidification?
You can artificially speed up drying. Several methods are used for this:
- First of all, finishing is planned for the warm season. The weather forecast will help you navigate the humidity, it should be minimal.
- In extreme cases, dry heat is arranged in the premises. Heaters do a great job of this, but plaster can crack if it hardens too quickly.
- Hardeners, lamps, fans and hair dryers can help you speed up drying. Read the instructions on the plaster can carefully before using these methods. Can the material be dried in this way?
- Good air exchange will help you. Open windows at night in a room with fresh plaster. Just make sure there is no rain.
In order not to spoil the material, it is better to ask an experienced foreman for advice on repairing an apartment.
Tips for a beginner plasterer
If you are not too experienced, then a few tips for renovating an apartment will surely help you in this difficult task:
- Wear rubber gloves and avoid skin contact as plaster dries on walls and skin at different rates. You will not even notice how it will firmly stick to your hands.
- Before applying plaster, you need to take care of surface preparation. First of all, dry it out. Have you ever wondered how long the plaster on the walls dries if there is a layer of moisture between the material and the surface? Two or even three times longer than with a dry basis.
- When artificially speeding up the drying of the plaster, there is a chance that you will spoil the whole work. The plaster may crack to the depth of the entire layer. Better be patient and do not stimulate the drying process for no reason, no matter how much the plaster dries.
And finally, one more important tip: if consultants in building stores help you choose plaster, then before buyinglisten to at least three sellers. Remember that their salaries depend on the number of sales.
