What Is Plaster?
Plaster, a plastering material for finishing walls and ceilings, is created by mixing water with a mineral powder primarily consisting of calcium sulfate. Applied with a plastering trowel, it covers the base coat to smooth the wall surface. Plasters vary based on their raw materials, leading to types like gypsum, dolomite, and lime plaster.
Gypsum plaster is mainly made from calcined plaster, although mixes with anhydrite or hard plaster are also common. Dolomite plaster, derived from light-burnt dolomite made by firing dolomite or dolomitic limestone, is known for its excellent plasticity and ease of application, albeit with a finish inferior to gypsum plaster and is more cost-effective. Lime plaster combines slaked lime with fibrous materials such as chopped hemp yarn and glues like hornbeam, mixed with water.
Uses of Plaster
Gypsum and lime, ancient building materials, were utilized in the Egyptian pyramids and Greek architecture, continuing their use as plaster since then. Commonly employed to finish the top coats of walls and ceilings, plaster also serves in interior decoration, applied with a metal trowel or shaped using molds.
Beyond building applications, plaster finds medical uses, such as in casts for broken bones or dental molds. It also boasts excellent fire resistance and sound insulation, leading to its widespread use in plasterboard for interior house construction. Plasterboard, made by molding gypsum plaster into boards and covering them with special paper or other materials, is valued for its ease of installation, fire resistance, heat insulation, and sound insulation.