Plastering

What is plastering?

Plastering is the levelling of walls and ceilings throughout the house. A plasterer does this by using plaster or cement mortar. Once this plastering is done and the walls are smooth, the walls are wallpaper-ready and you can start pasting wallpaper. Don’t want to wallpaper your wall? If so, there are various finishes you can choose from, which may give structure to your wall.

Work plasterer

If you are looking for a plasterer to make bare walls nice and smooth, that is possible. Do you have cracks in your plastering, or do you see discolouration? Over time, your plastering looks less beautiful. Apart from plastering your walls, the specialist can also repair your plastering. The plasterer will be happy to tell you what the options are, both for interior walls and plaster for your exterior walls. So you can enjoy beautiful walls and plastered ceilings again without damage and discolouration.

Kinds of plastering

There are different types of plastering the plasterer can apply to your walls and ceiling. Are you curious about what types they are? Below you will find an overview of the most commonly chosen types of plaster with handy explanations.

• Spackling

This plaster is applied by machine, which makes it cheaper than when a plasterer does it manually. With spackle spraying, it is also possible to choose a colour, immediately giving your wall the right colour and a nice finish. Ask your plasterer about the possibilities for your situation.

• Decorative plaster

Decorative plaster is plastering with a structure that gives your walls a special look. There are 3 types of decorative plaster:

1. Granol

Granol has been popular among homeowners for years. It is plastering with a rough finish, creating pits and grooves in the plastering. Granol is an affordable finish, which also contributes to its popularity.

1. Spachtelputz

This decorative plaster variant can be seen in many homes. Spachtelputz is made of plastic and has a regular grain structure. You decide whether to go for a coarse or milder finish.

1. Rustic putz

Do you find granol too coarse and spachtelputz too fine? Rustic putz is also known as baroque plaster, in between granol and spachtelputz.

• Ready-to-hang plaster

Do you want a smooth surface on your walls so that you can then start wallpapering? A wallpaper-ready plaster is inexpensive because it takes the plasterer little time.

• Plaster-ready plaster

Plaster-ready plaster is finished smoothly, making it ready to be sauced or painted. Immediately after the plaster has dried, you can get to work. Because sauce-ready plaster takes more time than wallpaper-ready plaster, it is more expensive.

Other luxurious plaster variants are tadelakt, loam plaster and concrete ciré.

The plastering process

When you have your ceiling and/or walls plastered, it is quite a job. There are several steps to go through to create your plastering. Read about the different steps below.

1. The preparation

Good preparation is very important when plastering. During this preparation, the floor is taped off, any old wallpaper is removed and holes in the wall are filled.

1. The plastering

During plastering, walls and ceilings are levelled so you can wallpaper or paint them.

1. Drying

It is important that your plaster dries properly, but how long should plaster dry? The moisture from the plaster has to evaporate before the plaster has dried properly. Generally, drying plastering takes 24 hours per millimetre thickness of the plastering.

To ensure that your plastering dries quickly and properly, it is important to ventilate it well and maintain room temperature.

Points to consider when drying plastering

As you have read above, it is important that plastering dries properly. There are several points to bear in mind.

• Ventilation

It is important that you ventilate the room with the plastering properly. Do not open all the windows; ensure enough fresh air enters the room.

• Heating

When drying the plaster, ensure the heating is not too high. If it is, it will damage the plastering.

Painting plastering

Are you planning to paint your plastering? As you have read earlier, it is important to have your plastering delivered ready to paint by your specialist. This plastering, unlike wallpaper-ready plastering, is suitable for painting after it has dried. Painting a plastered wall is not a difficult project; you can do this by a professional or do it yourself. Did you know that there is also colour plastering? Here, smooth plaster is sprayed on in colour so that your wall or ceiling does not have to be painted.

Hiring plasterer tips

Now that you know all about a plasterer’s work and the plaster types, it’s time to hire a plasterer. What should you pay attention to when hiring a plasterer? You want the plasterer to be as cheap as possible, but obviously quality. Read some useful tips below.

• Look out for quality marks.

By looking for quality marks, you know that the plasterer meets certain requirements. KOMO is a quality mark that ensures that construction products and processes comply with laws and regulations. Another quality mark is Stuckeur. Companies with this quality mark are inspected yearly for their working methods.

• Compare different plasterers

Plasterers charge different prices. You will have more price information by requesting plastering quotes from different plasterers. If you compare plasterers on price and quality, you will know which plastering company is right for you.

• Draw up your wishes

Ponder well in advance what you want the plasterer to do. You can be sure you won’t forget anything by putting everything down on paper. Communicating your wishes well with the plasterer will make your project go as quickly and smoothly as possible.