Important Things You Need To Know About Lime Plaster
Lime plaster is derived from the mixture of lime and inert filler. Lime, just like cement, is categorized as hydration product. A chemical reaction occurs as soon as it makes contact with water. This powder compound interacts with the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and transforms into calcium carbonate which is the solidified state of the plastering material. Thus, a perfect type of plastering material can be derived by mixing appropriate proportions of the lime material and aggregate. In most cases, sand is used as the inert filler of the plaster mix.
It is crucial for us to properly understand and take into account the essential facts about lime plaster when deciding which type of plastering material to use in our home improvement projects. Most of us fail to appreciate the importance and suitability of lime plaster primarily because of the wrong notions and misconceptions about lime. For one, a lot of us mistakenly associate lime with Portland cement. This is grossly erroneous as these are completely two different products. In some cases, people tend to make the mistake of classifying any mortar with lime content as lime plaster. In view of this confusion, it is crucial for us to study the product and distinguish the facts from the myths.
However, if cement is added to the lime plaster mix, the physical as well as the chemical processes are drastically altered. Specifically, the presence of cement in the lime plaster mix will have a direct effect on the porosity, elasticity, colour and final appearance of the plasterwork. In most cases, plasterers carefully manage the proportion of cement in their lime plaster mix in order to reduce its effects on the final lime plaster mix.
Lime is considered as a flexible and multi-functional type of material for plastering. It is a highly preferred plastering material for frescoes. Plasterers can usually attain the colouring in their plasterworks by adding the appropriate pigmentation material. This water soluble pigmentation element is usually applied on a freshly plastered and wet wall surface.
There are many valid reasons why you have to use lime plaster instead of the other types of plastering materials. Amid the major developments and rapid industrialization, there is a need for us to carefully consider the beneficial effects of using lime in our plastering jobs.
Lime helps reduce the carbon dioxide emissions in the environment. Researchers have shown that by using lime plastering material, we can help reduce the carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere by as much as 80 percent. When we shift to lime plaster, we help prevent the release of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere thereby giving us a healthier and cleaner environment.
Lime plaster has higher elasticity compared to the other plastering materials. This type of plastering mix easily adapts and adjusts to the contours of the walls. Further, its setting time is not as fast as the other plastering material and this gives us ample time to manage and work on the plastering material.
Lime plaster, with its distinct advantage in terms of longer setting time, is also self-correcting. Any minute cracks that may emerge during the setting stage can be quickly corrected without any human intervention as the plastering material can attract moisture from the atmosphere to seal the gaps and cracks in the plasterwork. This innate feature of the lime plastering material will ensure that you get the best results in your plasterwork.
