Molded plaster works well for decorative tiles.
Powdered gypsum becomes the hard, smooth white material known as plaster when combined with water and dried. Plaster has a number of uses in decorating or finishing your home. While many of the decorative items made from plaster are now made from plastic or other materials, plaster retains a number of specific advantages over other materials.
Low Dust
Cutting, moving and working with drywall produces high quantities of dust. This dust settles into the cracks between hardwood floor boards and is nearly impossible to completely remove. It also makes a respirator necessary to protect your lungs. Plaster begins as a dusty dry powder, says Ask the Builder, but once mixed with water it produces no more dust. Less dust is also created when plaster is sanded, but plaster doesn't require the heavy sanding that drywall does for a smooth finish.
Strength
When applied over the correct base and fully dried, plaster resists damage from normal knocking or pressure better than other materials, according to the Civil Engineering Department at Osmania University. Drywall often dents or breaks when a playful scuffle between siblings sends an elbow flying into it. A finished, fully dried layer of plaster becomes water resistant enough to prevent warping from the moisture in paint or wallpaper paste without additional coatings as well.
Less Work
Plaster walls cost more in materials but take less labor to get a perfectly smooth finish. according to the Dulley home improvement website. With practice and skill, a worker applies a smooth coat of plaster in one attempt. Drywall must be attached to the wooden wall joists first, and each joint requires taping and a covering of joint compound. After the compound dries, a worker sands it smooth. Plaster doesn't require any of these extra steps.
Faster
A worker using plaster could finish the walls or ceiling of an entire room in one day, says Ask the Builder. If he's using drywall, he has to wait at least a day for drying and spending extra time fixing uneven joints and sanding it all smooth. Modern veneer plaster systems take much less time to install and finish than drywall. If you have a short deadline or don't want to spend weeks trying to perfect the smoothness of the walls, choose plaster.
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