Why don't professionals like to apply black plaster?

Why are professionals afraid to apply black plaster?

Black plaster is associated with elegance and prestige. Especially when accompanied by white inserts. However, every architect will tell you that black plaster means trouble.

What kind? We'll get to that in a moment.

Have you already chosen a brand from which you want to buy black plaster, but you can't find a professional to apply it? You're not the only one with this problem.

However, I have to defend professionals who refuse such orders. Refusal means that the team has experience with rubbed-in black plasters and they know that it won't look good.

Are you curious which one? Well, there are several. Read on and you'll find out.

However, what if there was a black plaster that solved the application problem?

I am Adam Chaczka, an engineer, a curious construction enthusiast and a contractor with 9 years of experience.

Today I will outline the topic of the most desirable and practically unused product in Poland, i.e. I will tell you about black structural plaster.

Poland vs. the rest of Europe

Do you have friends abroad? Have you visited them in an apartment or house that is less than 5 years old?

Those who have been there will tell you that their high standard of finishing is second to none. On the walls there is some poorly worn plaster painted with white supermarket paint. A light bulb hangs from the ceiling on a cable. It simply looks like it is still a developer's condition, and they live there and are happy that they have a doe.

I couldn't believe it. When I started telling them my stories from the construction, when the investor didn't want to take the construction away from me so he could squeeze a sheet of paper under the spirit level, they thought it was some kind of construction joke.

This is because construction is hellishly expensive in the West. People can't afford it, so in order to have their own four walls they make concessions. This is probably what awaits us too.

This summer, the aforementioned friends visited me, I was happy to show them around the 70 m2 apartment I rent. The standard of my apartment's finishing is totally average.

My Dutch friends also didn't believe the amount of rent (2500 PLN per month). The amount is not too low, not too high in my region.

We can be happy that we can still afford such a standard. For my friends, I am a "god" since I live in such conditions.

But, let's get back to the topic of the article.

Why do we like black?

The answer is simple. Because that's how many of us perceive modern elegance. Black ceilings in living rooms and monochromatic black bathrooms have become a permanent fixture in interior designers' designs.

In addition, everything goes with black and accessories in saturated colors look beautiful. It doesn't matter whether it's sunny yellow, bottle green or navy blue.

Now it's time for black house facades. Elite housing estates of black houses would probably have been built long ago.

This development is blocked by 2 problems...

What's wrong with black plaster?

I will divide this thread into two separate cases. I would like to discuss the problems of black interior plaster and black facade plaster separately.

Problems with black interior plaster

I'll say right away that it's easier inside than on the facade.

The basic problem is that one person can't apply it alone. The plaster dries too quickly, which unfortunately results in an improperly made wall structure or discoloration. Often both defects at once.

Although such shortcomings on the facade could be tolerated by the investor, who was informed about such a problem.

Unfortunately, inside, where the investor is constantly staring at the wall, it does not. One of the specialists told me that black plaster must be applied quickly and charged for the work even faster. Preferably before it dries.

If you are searching for information about black plasters, you have probably come across the Jeger brand plaster, called Onyx. It is an acrylic plaster, dyed in several colors, including black.

The manufacturer is trying to meet the market demand for black plaster for interiors by inventing a method of applying plaster to the wall. The method involves chaotic, non-symmetrical application of plaster with deliberate creation of gaps that nicely reflect light, but only when exposed to studio lamps. This is some method, for me it was not enough. This is not what I expected looking at the visualization of the product on the wall.

For a small group of customers this was enough, a larger group was disappointed but left Onyx on the wall until the next renovation, and the rest plastered the wall and did something else.

The information comes from a small number of people. At a glance, it was about 30-40 people that I had the pleasure of talking to by phone and in person while working in customer service at our wholesaler.

How to deal with a problematic application?

During workshops on wall decoration, I often heard that water is your friend, but do not use it with colored products. Unless discoloration of the decoration is intended. Intentional discoloration is often used in the case of plasters such as architectural concrete.

So, adding water to the plaster is out of the question, as is spraying the surface of the plaster. Stains and discoloration are guaranteed.

All that remains is to hire a two-person team of specialists. This will increase the chances, but it does not guarantee it.

I strongly advise you to skip plastering the staircase. I don't know how good the team would be, but they won't make it on a wall higher than 2.5.

In short...

Black-colored plaster is difficult to apply to the entire wall in an aesthetic way, to increase the chances of success, the work must be done by two specialists. Manufacturers prohibit the use of water in any way, because the plaster will discolor.

Black plaster on the facade has a harder time than inside

Black plaster "attracts" the sun, which means it heats up a lot, so application on hot, even cloudy days is a nightmare.

Black-dyed plaster then struggles with three problems:

1. Too fast drying of the structure - which leads to abrasion of the structure, visible joints of the applied plaster. You cannot add water to the bucket or spray the plaster because it will discolour and there will be stains.

Solution: You must work in the early morning hours on a day when it is not expected to be hot. Hang a shading net on the scaffolding. Use undyed plaster, which can be diluted and sprayed on the surface with water without fear of discolouration.

Why?

In the morning, the wall is not as hot as in the afternoon. Work until 9:00 a.m. at the latest. If the day is not hot, i.e. cloudy, and the temperature does not exceed 25 degrees, you can work longer.

The shading mesh disperses the sun's rays, which will not directly heat the wall.

2. Working in the heat leads to micro-cracks: These are small cracks in the structure of densely rubbed plaster. They are formed as a result of the surface heating of the plaster structure, which leads to the formation of a crust on the surface.

However, under this crust there is still moisture that wants to evaporate and it is hot there, so the crust cracks into a fine mesh.

So where is the problem?

Normally there would be no problem if the winters were not capricious. During a thaw or rain at plus temperatures, water may or may not accumulate in these cracks. At night in winter the temperature is rather minus, so the water turns into ice. As you know, when water turns into ice, it increases in volume, so it makes room for itself by tearing the plaster from the wall.

Solution: The same as above. Apply the plaster in favorable conditions with the shading mesh on the scaffolding. Undyed plasters win again because they do not contain titanium white, which creates microcracks.

3. Dyed plasters fade in the sun: It is no surprise that everything dyed loses its color and returns to its original color. Your children's toys are a great example. It is the same with plaster. The more intense the color, the faster it fades.

There are two solutions: Two years ago I would have written to you that there was no solution. Today I will write to you that there are two, one new and the other certain.

This new solution is a technology developed 3 years ago that was introduced together with premium facade products, i.e. quartz panels. I mean UV varnish. A product that applies a filter to facades. This filter takes on the destructive effects of UV rays. The lifespan of this UV varnish is estimated at 6-12 years, depending on how much the wall heats up. Note the key word estimated - there is no guarantee.

Such protection will help, and it certainly will not hurt. For PLN 100, you will protect 25-40 m2 of wall. You will admit that it is not expensive

Second solution: Buy undyed plaster. On the Polish market, there are plasters from sunny Italy, which consist of natural components. The only downside is the fact that it is available in a limited range of colours. In any case, black is available. An example of an undyed black plaster is Creativo in the Black Hole colour.

In short...

Dark-coloured facade plasters have a problem with drying too quickly, micro-cracks and colour fading. The solution may be to work at very early hours, use a shading mesh and UV varnish. Only undyed plasters are resistant to fading, and their application becomes easier thanks to the possibility of using water.

Did you know that there are two types of coloured plasters? How to distinguish them?

Only well-educated specialists know that there are two types of coloured plasters. You know too, you just haven't paid attention to it. These plasters differ in the way they are colored.

The first are mass-dyed plasters, such as silicone plasters, which change color as a result of applying a specific combination of pigments to them in order to obtain the desired color.

The second are plasters consisting of resin and previously colored aggregate. They have three names used by professionals: resin plaster, mosaic plaster or Marmolit.

Unfortunately, they share the same problems that I have already described above.

I invite you to read my other articles. As a former construction worker with many training courses and a passionate construction enthusiast, I have a lot of knowledge that I will gladly pass on to you.

Written for you by

Adam Chaczka

Engineer and EX-construction worker