Plastering is now one of the most popular methods of wall decoration.
Plastering exterior work is the application of a relatively thin ball of cement or lime-cement mortar on the outer surface of the exterior walls for decorative or protective purposes. Mortar - plaster for outdoor use is based on cement, sand and water. Cement serves to bind individual particles, and sand is the bulk of the mixture. A good quality mortar adheres to any kind of masonry material. You can adjust the strength of the solution by changing the percentage of cement and sand, or by adding lime, but so that the mixture is not stronger than the materials on which it will be applied. Cement hardens under the influence of a chemical reaction - hydration, which begins when water is added to the dry mixture. To set, the cement does not need to dry completely, and hot weather can dry it too quickly, so you need to maintain the humidity of the cement at too high an air temperature, spraying it with water or covering it with a plastic film to preserve moisture and slow down the drying process.
Plaster for outdoor work is divided into several types according to their properties:
- Protective and finishing plaster. It is used for finishing surfaces to give them an expressive architectural texture and reliability in operation. After this type of plaster, painting is not required.
- Special plaster. This external plaster certainly possesses soundproofing, heat insulating, fireproof and radiation absorbing properties.
- Exterior plastering. Such plaster may be water-repellent, water-retaining, may have increased abrasion or compression strength. It is used to level the surfaces of elements of building structures.
Also, the plaster for outdoor work differs in types according to its location in the building:
- Plaster applied to the outer surface of the roof;
- Plaster applied to the walls of the basement;
- Plaster applied to the base;
- Plaster applied to the base above the base.
The plastering of the external walls is carried out in accordance with the rules of the plaster system, which regulate the interaction of the plaster layers with the base and its integrity. To carry out high-quality finishing work, first of all, you need to choose the composition of the plaster balls. They must be resistant to stresses arising between the layers or between the base and the layer due to thermal expansion or shrinkage. To fulfill such conditions, it is necessary that the layers have the same strength or that the top layer has less strength than the inner one. Given these rules, plastering systems for exterior walls are compiled.
According to European standards, plaster for exterior walls should have:
- Cohesion uniform with the entire perimeter of the contact with the base and between the layers.
- High adhesion to base.
- Low capillary water absorption.
- High permeability (not less than other layers).
- High crack resistance.
- Low shrinkage.
- Resistance to atmospheric phenomena.
- Frost resistance.
There are also types of plaster according to the composition of the mixture:
- Mineral
- Acrylic It can be applied to all types of mineral substrates.
- Silicone Possess high vapor permeability and weather resistance.
- Silicate. It can be applied to all types of mineral substrates.
- Basement. It can be used to level and protect aggressive environments that are actively affected.