Almost all packages of modern plaster mixes are labelled as environmentally friendly. And in most cases this is true. And yet they often contain synthetic additives that give the material plasticity, frost resistance, increased strength and other beneficial properties.
Clay plasters consist entirely of natural materials: clay itself, sand and fillers such as sawdust, straw, needles, etc. They have a mass of advantages, which even the highest quality and most expensive plasters based on cement, gypsum and, even more than that, polymer are not able to offer.
So the advantages:
- With its excellent ability to absorb moisture from the air and release it back into the room, clay provides climate control;
- It also accumulates heat and releases it gradually when the air temperature drops. Even to the touch, it is always warm and pleasant;
- Odour-absorbing plaster is an excellent barrier against outside noise and high-frequency emissions;
- It is an antiseptic plaster and prevents mildew on the walls;
- A further excellent quality is the ability to breathe through the vapours in the air. Wood constructions with such protection always stay dry, do not rot, and are not attacked by pests;
- Clay plaster can be reused by soaking it in water. The same applies to the cured mortar, so no debris is left over from the repairs;
- It can be used on all substrates: wood, brick, concrete, cinder block, etc;
● An important plus, of course, is the material’s extremely low price. It can cost you nothing if you use clay from a pit dug under the foundation and sand from a river bank for plastering. But premade plaster mixes are usually no more expensive than gypsum plaster.