Architectural Importance of Polished Plaster

Plaster is a building material used in the coating of walls and ceilings of buildings and houses for the purpose of protection and decoration. It is also used for molding and casting of decorative elements. Walls constructed of brick, block or stones have always been finished with plaster. There are various kinds of wall and ceiling plasters being used in the United Kingdom in order to protect houses from outside environment or fireproofing the house and to provide stability to walls. Nowadays designers are working with these trending new concepts of wall finishes with the use of polished plaster in UK. 

What is polished plaster?

Polished plaster is a new and updated form of Italian plaster finish. There is a variety of polished plasters being used for the decorative finishing of walls and ceiling. Polished plaster usually consists of slaked lime, marble dust and marble chips which give the plaster its distinctive look. Some lime based polish plaster may contain up to 40 % of marble dust. These plastic plasters provide endless options of luxurious decors. Some of the plastic plasters are water resistant, such plasters can be used in swimming pool, showers and wet rooms.

Why use plaster?

After construction of a house direct painting is not possible. The paint will not stick to the wall and you can never achieve a smooth and even finish. A layer of plaster is applied on the wall to provide with a smooth even finish and to fill out any cracks or pits. After coating the walls with plaster, the paint is applied on the wall. A good polished plaster finish can make an ordinary house look very elegant and can eliminate the need to apply paint. Polish plaster is quite cheap to use in comparison with other decorative products.

There are heat resisting plasters used for coating walls and chimney breasts for places where the temperature can get too high. In places where the temperature exceeds over 50 degrees Celsius, the ordinary gypsum plaster cannot stay on the wall for very long. It is preferable to use heat resistant plaster in such areas.  

Plaster can also be used as an artwork. Many famous murals like Sistine chapel ceiling were in fact executed on a thin layer of plaster called Intonaco. The pigment sinks into the layer of plaster so that the plaster itself becomes a part of the mural. 

Architects are constantly coming up with different ideas for decorating houses using polish plaster in UK to provide a different kind of finishes and using polish plaster to create beautiful sculptures for unique decor. Plaster can protect our houses from both, the outside environment like heat and rain and the indoor elements like fire and water leaks. Plasters have been used as fireproofing products over decades. Mineral wool and glass fiber are mixed with plaster in different proportions and the finished product is heat resistant plaster that can potentially slow down the spread of fire.

Plaster is an essential material used in construction, thus, we should make sure that the plaster we are using is of the highest quality and it is applied by a professional.