Polished Plaster: Sustainable Finishes

It’s Easy to be Green!

With growing awareness about our carbon footprints and the emphasis on doing our bit to save Mother Earth, people are increasingly looking for organic and eco-friendly alternatives in all walks of life. Every gesture adds up – small changes will make a big difference.

Eco-friendly paints now stock the shelves of our local DIY stores, but what about the decorative finishes that we install? What are the green credentials? If you want an eco-friendly, sustainable solution, what is the best product to use? Which lime-based plaster is the most sustainable? Tadelakt? Venetian plaster? Pastellone?

Well, it’s good news – there is more than one available to you…

Tadelakt bathroom showing organic movement & texture created by hand application of the finish

Lime-based polished plasters

Lime-based plasters are natural, non-toxic and breathable finishes with a low environmental impact. Made from an abundant and sustainable resource, they have obvious benefits for the environment, but also for human health, as they can improve indoor air quality.

As lime does not contain any toxins or harmful chemicals, it does not release any harmful molecules into the air. It also absorbs CO2 from the air and stores it, improving air quality. It has natural anti-microbial properties, making it resistant to bacteria and mould, and it allows moisture to evaporate, which in turn assists in balancing humidity levels. When sealers are applied, these materials become waterproof.

And lime-based plaster comes in a variety of guises….

Venetian Plaster

Despite its name, Venetian plaster was used in ancient Greece and Egypt and is one of the most natural eco-substances you can use in your home. It comprises fired limestone mixed with water, which creates a lime putty. It is a finish in its purest form since it has no aggregate mixed in, setting it apart from finishes such as tadelakt and marmorino. It is 100% natural. The application creates depth and a fluid, textured effect, and it can be either highly polished or a more subtle finish.

Tadelakt feature wall

Tadelakt

Probably one of the most popular, Tadelakt is a natural product in its very origins and an ancient craft, requiring true craftsmanship in its application. A traditional lime-based plaster originating in Morocco, tadelakt has been used as a domestic finish for thousands of years.

It offers a warm aesthetic and, being hand-applied, has a natural movement and organic texture to it. No two walls will be completely identical, creating a unique finish to your home. Once polished with the olive oil soap/waxes, it is water and mould resistant, durable and with its seamless finish has no cracks or crevices that attract dirt or mould, making it very popular for bathrooms. But it is such a versatile product and can be used as a feature wall in a living space, envelop a bedroom in its warm texture, or can be used outside to create a Mediterranean feel to any patio area.

Tadelakt is a breathable surface. It doesn’t contain any harsh or toxic chemicals, unlike other products on the market, and it uses the minimum amount of energy in its production. It further lowers its carbon footprint by emitting 80% less CO2 than cement-based finishes, as well as reabsorbing CO2 during processing, stopping the gas from escaping and damaging the environment.

And cleaning and maintenance sustains its green credentials, with no chemical cleaners necessary – in fact, recommended – just wiping with water and recoating with a Marseille soap solution regularly to ensure its great condition stays intact.

More brownie (or should that be greenie?) points are gained when considering the long game with tadelakt. If you decide to dispose of it in future, it can be crushed and recycled into new mortars, due to its composition, and if you do throw it away rather than recycle it, it is totally biodegradable and will gradually sink back into the earth from where it came.

The only disadvantage of tadelakt (in our opinion) is that whilst it is durable for walls, ceilings, vanity units, vanity tops, shelves and niches, it does not have sufficient resilience to be applied as a flooring.

But we may have a solution that can be used as the entire decorative finish for a room, or in combination with Tadelakt…

Marmorino

Marmorino can also be known as Venetian plaster, with Italian origins dating to the Renaissance period and has been used in Venetian palaces for centuries – and it is still going strong. It differs from true Venetian plaster by being traditionally composed of ground marble, slaked lime and finished with natural beeswax. It comes in many colours and textures and is a wonderful light-reflecting surface finish. The sheen and texture create an almost marble-like quality, and it feels very tactile to the touch.

C Ferri Interiors were involved in this gorgeous marmorino project in Wimbledon. The elegant, clean interior design was by decorbuddi who invited Carl to apply this beautiful natural finish to the living space and stairway: a perfect pairing of their crisp, contemporary design with an organic, traditional material.

Using a coarse-grain marmorino, finished with an iridescent silver beeswax, this surface shimmers in natural and artificial light, showing off the warm and soft texture created by the hand application of this product. (Link to Project?)

Polished plaster finish to bathroom walls running seamlessly into the vanity top