BMC - IV

Ar. Steffy Thomas

 MODULE 1
WALL FINISHES
Wall finishes
• Interior finish consists mainly of the coverings of the rough walls,
ceilings, and floors, and installing doors and windows with trim and
hardware
• Wall finishes provide a decorative skin to conceal building
components including structural members, insulation, ductwork,
pipes, and wires.
• Surfaces may be smooth or textured and better wall finishes are
durable.
Types of Wall finishes
• Plastering - Give joint less, hygienic and smooth surface. Material
of plastering consists of binding material, workability agents,
aggregate, water
• Painting - The application to surfaces of pigmented liquids or semi
liquids which subsequently harden. Paint is comprised of primer,
undercoats and finishing coats
• Tiling
Mud Hut at Monument Valley

Çatalhöyük fresco (ca. 7500 BC)

One of the earliest archeological examples is the plaster is

that of Çatalhöyük (ca. 7500 BC) located in present day
Turkey. A densely populated town, Çatalhöyük‘s dwellings
had mud brick walls and floors coated with a locally
available clayey marl that made a suitable plaster.
The finest plasterwork accomplished by the
Egyptians was made of a plaster produced
from calcined gypsum (gypsum made powdery
by heat action) just like the present day plaster
of Paris. The methods of applying plaster were
also similar to present day techniques. Ancient
Egyptians plastered on reeds, which resembles
our process of plastering on lath, and hair was
introduced to strengthen the plaster.
 Thanks to the Greeks we have the
English word “gypsum,” directly derived
from the Greek gypsos. Similarly, it is
easy to see the correlation between our
word “plaster” with the Greek
emplastron meaning “to daub on.” The
highest expression of ornament and
representation of the Doric, Ionic and
Corinthian Greek architectural orders to
this day continues to be realized in
plaster.

Pompeiian Thermae

Concrete was born, architectural engineering

was ascendant and the Romans would go on to
construct roads, aqueducts and ports that
endure to this day. Roman engineering
prowess and the discovery of concrete
culminated in their unparalleled architectural
achievement, the Pantheon. Having an interior
diameter of 142 feet at its base the Pantheon
remains the largest unreinforced concrete
dome ever constructed. The Pantheon, Rome
 Islamic architecture, which originated a
decoration based on an interlaced geometry of
the infinite as well as a formalized depiction of
natural vegetal forms, “the Arabesque”,
culminated in triumphant fervor with the
completion of the great Alhambra palace in the
14th century. The prominent artistic medium was
plaster.

The Alhambra

By the late 15th century there is written and archaeological

evidence of Vitruvius’ hydraulic stucco recipes being utilized
in Venice and Murano, 300 years before the advent of
modern cement. Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rafael to attain
to dizzying heights of artistic expression in buon fresco and
the modeling of stucco during the Italian Renaissance. Vatican Loggia
Plastering
• Plastering Definition of plastering : The word “plaster” comes from the Greek
language meaning “to daub on”.
• This is the process of covering rough surfaces with a plastic material to obtain
an even, smooth, regular, clean & durable surfaces. On the other hand we say
that; A mixture of lime or gypsum, sand and water, sometimes with fiber added,
that harden to a smooth solid and used for coating walls and ceilings.

Objectives of Plastering
Plastering is done to achieve the following objects
• To protect the external surfaces against penetration of rain water and other
atmospheric agencies
• To give smooth surface in which dust and dirt cannot lodge
• To give decorative effect
• To protect surfaces against vermin.
• To conceal inferior materials or defective workmanship
 PLASTERING
INTERIOR PLASTERING EXTERIOR PLASTERING

Interior Plastering
• Interior plaster can be defined as a smooth finish which has a thickness of 12mm.
• It is mainly applied inside apartments for various purposes.
• It is applied mainly over a base that will furnish a proper grip.
• Modern interior plaster can be applied in one to three coats.
• Interior plasters can either be sand finished or smooth trowelled.
Exterior Plastering
• Exterior plaster is a type of plastering that is applied on building facades,
compound walls etc. having a thickness 24 mm.
• It is applied in 2 coats of 12 mm each (the top coat is usually rough finish with
a sand grain texture).
• Exterior plasterwork being of a different composition and generally known as
stucco. Exterior plasters or stucco can be made with Portland cement
Thickness

• Interior plastering should have a thickness of 12mm.

• Exterior plastering the thickness will be within 24mm.
Requirements of good plaster:
• It should adhere to the background and should remain adhered during all
variations of the climatic changes.
• It should be cheap and economical .
• It should be hard and durable.
• It should be possible to apply it during all weather conditions.
• It should be effectively check the entry or penetration of moisture from the
surface
• It should possess good workability.c

Plastering tools
• Darby
• Feather edge
• Hawk
• Plastering trowel
• Wooden Float
• Stilts
• Plasterboard cutter
Lime plaster:
• Lime plaster is a type of plaster made of sand, water, and lime, usually non-
hydraulic hydrated lime (also known as slaked lime, high calcium lime, or air
lime).
• Ancient lime plaster often contained horse hair for reinforcement and
pozzolanic additives to reduce work time.
• When lime is used as a binding material in making mortar for plastering
purpose, it is called lime plaster.
• A mixture of lime and sand taken in equal proportions in a mortar mill,
mechanically prepared with water to make a paste of required consistency.
• The sand proportions in lime plaster control various properties such as
shrinkage, strength, porosity, adhesiveness & fine sand is more suitable for
making the plaster.
Lime plaster mix

• Sand should not finer and it should pass more than 5 % through a 100 mesh

sieve or more than 20% through a 50 mesh sieve.

• There should be the gradation of sand for making the plaster more effective

and durable, the sand should be free from any impurities such as pebbles,

rubbish, grits, mud, etc.

• Thick lime or poor lime is generally recommended for plastering work due to

the slow process of hydraulic lime.

• For external plasterwork, sometimes cement is added into the lime mortar so

as to improve the strength and properties of lime mortar.

HOW TO APPLY LIME PLASTERS:
• It is more desirable to apply more than one coat of the lime plaster, so before

applying the second coat the mortar is dashed against the surface of the wall

in a layer of 6 to 10 mm thickness with a trowel to give a good grip.

• The second coat is then applied to the first coat (not dry).

• In the second coat, the mortar is well pressed and rubbed along the straight

edge of the wood, and leveled through a wooden float to finish evenly.

• After 5 days, the third coat called the finishing coat is applied over the second

coat, the thickness of the third should not exceed 3mm.

• The third coat is finished by applying a cream of white or fat called neeru with

the help of a metal float.

ADVANTAGES OF LIME PLASTER:
1.Lime plaster is set to a solid mass that is durable, relatively flexible.
2.It is permeable and allows for moisture diffusion and evaporation.
3.It is less affected by water and will not dry or dissolve like clay or gypsum
plaster.
4.Plasters made of hydrated lime are less brittle and less prone to breakage,
which does not require expansion joints.
5.The high pH of lime acts as a fungicide preventing mold from growing in the
lime plasters.

DISADVANTAGES OF LIME PLASTER:

1. Hydraulic lime plaster is not as hard as cement plaster.
2.When the plaster dries, the pH drops to about 8.6.
3. Non-hydraulic lime plaster requires moisture to set and prevents it from
drying for several days.
What is Gypsum?
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of
Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4:2H20). It is widely
used as a fertilized, in mould, in sculptures and as
plaster material.
Gypsum is a chalk like material and is very light in
weight. It is available in crystalline form in nature.

In recent years, the construction sector has witnessed a number of new trends,
technology advancements and innovations across applications, all aimed at
making construction faster and delivering higher performance.
Gypsum although a much older material than the cement & sand plaster has
rarely been used extensively in construction industry. Now a days, Gypsum has
proved to be a miraculous material aiding interior construction due to its
properties.
What is Plaster of Paris?
Plaster of Paris is obtained by pulverizing the gypsum (calcium sulphate
hemihydrate CaSO4 0.5H2O) which is heated to a temperature of 150 deg
centigrade.
Upon addition of water, Plaster of Paris (POP) becomes regular gypsum (dihydrate)
again causing the resultant material to harden. This hardening material can be
used to create moulds for casting and in construction.

What is Gypsum Plaster?

When dry POP powder is mixed with water it hardens. This material which can be
applied over brick, block or concrete surface to form a smooth surface is called
gypsum plaster.
Gypsum Plaster

Earlier, a 6 mm coat of gypsum plaster (termed as POP punning) is usually applied

on the top of cement plaster to give a smooth finish to it before painting. This is a
two stage process and involves various elements like sand, cement and water
which has to be mixed onsite. This process is slowly being replaced by a direct
application of single coat of gypsum plaster. In gypsum plaster, readymade POP
powder is mixed with water and applied directly on the wall.
Gypsum Plaster can be applied directly on any brick, solid or hollow blocks, AAC
blocks and plaster boards. Gypsum plaster has good insulation properties, fire
resistant and impact resistant. Also, gypsum saves a lot of time during
construction and has superior finish. These properties have clearly drawn
attention of real estate builders and contractors towards choosing gypsum
plaster over traditional cement plaster.
Technical Specifications of Gypsum Plaster

Colour of Finished surface: White

Setting Time: 25-30 Minutes
Coverage area (considering 12mm
thickness): 21 sq.ft per 25 Kgs Bag
Compressive Strength: 60-70 kg/cm2
Shelf Life: 4 Months

Advantages of Gypsum Plaster

Contractors and Builders started preferring gypsum plaster instead of due to its
superior finish and time saving attributes. Some of the advantages of gypsum
plaster are:
• Ease of Application (Workability): Gypsum can be directly applied over
brick/block work without separate finishing. It is also very easy to apply and
level gypsum plaster.

• No Shrinkage Cracks: Gypsum reaction produces less heat as compared to

cement reaction with water. So there are fewer Shrinkage cracks in gypsum
plaster as compared to traditional cement plaster
Advantages of Gypsum Plaster
• Quick Setting Time: Gypsum sets quickly (i.e., within 25-30 mins). So painting
could be started 72 hours after application of gypsum plaster. Plaster has to be
dried up before painting.

• No curing time required: Unlike Traditional Cement Plaster, Gypsum plaster

doesn’t need any curing saving water and time during construction

• High Productivity: Reduces time considerably when compared to conventional

cement plaster

• High Performance: Excellent high strength after drying, Durable and Light
weight (Reduces dead load on structure)

• Smooth Finish: Perfectly lined, levelled, smooth walls and perfect right angled
corners

• Reduced Supervision: Careful quality checking is required for cement plaster as

cement and sand has to be properly proportioned. In contrast, gypsum plaster
doesn’t require same amount of quality checks for application thus reducing
supervision efforts.
Advantages of Gypsum Plaster

• Readily available raw materials: Gypsum is a ready available material. Natural

Sand, which is a raw material used in Traditional cement plaster, is hard to obtain.
It is also banned in multiple states in India

• Fire resistant:Gypsum plaster is highly resistant to fire

• Low thermal conductivity: Gypsum has low thermal conductivity. This saves
electrical cost for heating and cooling rooms in a building.

• Decorative application: It can be easily applied to decorative purposes also and

can be mould into different shapes

Disadvantages of Gypsum Plaster

• Gypsum plaster cannot be used for outside walls since they retain dampness.
Also gypsum plastering cannot be done in areas which are continuously damp
such as bathroom etc.,
• Gypsum plaster is costlier than traditional cement motar plaster (cement and
sand) for same thickness of plaster. But in areas where natural/river sand is not
available for construction, cement mortar plastering would require a 6 mm
gypsum layer to finish it making cement plaster more costly.
 MODULE 2
FLOOR FINISHES
 Timber Floor Finishes
• Finishes which are in timber form
• Laid on a suitable prepared base
 Types of timber flooring
• Strip flooring
- they are narrow and thin strips of timber
- Joined by tongue and groove joint
- Normal strips 6- 10 cm in width and 2- 2.5 cm in thickness
• Wood block flooring
- short but thicker wood blocks
- joined together with grains exposed
- size varying from 20 cm to 30 cm thickness
• Parquet flooring
- thin blocks supported on sub floors
- laid by means of hot glue in desired pattern
• Plank flooring
- wider planks are used
- joined by tongue and grooves
Timber flooring
• Single joist timber beam
• double joist timber beam
• Frame triple joist timber beam

Single joist timber floors

Single joist timber floors

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Double joist timber floors

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Double joist timber floors

Disadvantages

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Frame triple joist timber floor

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Advantages & Disadvantages
 Advantages
• Being strong and durable wooden floor provides infinite benefits as it is as
beautiful as any other designer flooring.
• Timber flooring can withstand huge traffic without replacement and minimal
maintenance.
• It just needs to be re-sanded or re-polished to retain its original luster and
finish.
• Eco-friendly and natural material which hardly requires energy during
manufacturing.
• Timber is hypo-allergic which do not extract dirt and other allergens.
• Good insulator and hygienic
• Low maintenance
 Disadvantages
• Expensive
• May loose its shine giving dull look
• Takes lot of time to set on the floor
• Sometimes slippery and dangerous 41