Natural Plaster – Earth Studio

Lime Plaster

Throughout centuries lime plaster has proved itself in all climates – Moroccan desert, Venetian canals, Japanese forests and Scandinavian winters. Lime plaster is a durable finish that is timeless, elegant and creates a healthy living environment. Lime is alkaline and inhibits the growth of bacteria or fungi, and is also able to regulate moisture and humidity. Natural sands and limestones create different colours and natural earth pigments can be added for stronger colours.

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Clay Plaster

Clay is the oldest form of plaster and has the lowest environmental impact as no processing is required. Clay is so simple yet unmatched by any other material for its benefits to the wall structure and inhabitants. Clay plaster regulates humidity better than anything else, is suitable for allergy sufferers, prevents electromagnetic radiation and neutralises odours. It is 100% natural and endlessly recyclable with many soft and natural colours available.

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Clay vs Lime

Clay and lime plaster are in general both similar products that are made with either clay or lime as the binder, and a mix of various sands, earths and crushed stones as the aggregate which forms the bulk of the mixture.

Types of finish

A huge range of finishes are available with both clay and lime and it depends on a variety on factors such as the size of the sands/aggregates, the thickness of the plaster, and the tools/methods used to finish the plaster. Smooth or even polished finishes are possible with highly flexible trowels, lightly textured sandy finishes are achieved with a fine sponge, and rough and random textures are created with wooden floats.

Wall substrates

Lime and clay plasters can be applied to most wall substrates, including modern materials such as plasterboard (e.g. GIB board), concrete, cement board, brick etc. They can also be applied to OSB and plywood but various techniques are required to get the plaster to grip onto these walls during application, and if possible it is advantageous to consider alternative substrate materials that are more complimentary to lime and clay plaster. Lime and clay prefer a porous, absorbent and slightly rough surface such as earth, concrete, brick, woodfibre, hempcrete, straw, bamboo matting etc.

Plaster Pricing

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Faq’s

What is the cost of plastering?

The all up installed cost of plaster depends on the substrate, number of coats required, complexity of work and type of plaster finished that is desired. In general prices start at around $100/m2 + GST and go up to $175/m2 + GST for more complex/time consuming applications and finishes. Contact us for a free quote for your project.

How do your plasters compare to others on the market?

There are a few different imported or bagged lime and clay plasters on the market in New Zealand. In our opinion most of these are a lot more u0022processedu0022 or u0022refinedu0022 compared to our mixes, and we believe our plasters are a lot more natural and subtle. We also think that it doesn’t make sense to import sand, clay and lime from Europe or the USA when we have excellent local resources in New Zealand. Our plasters are much more affordable than others as we don’t spend thousands of dollars on materials.

Do you have samples I can look at?

Yes, we have small (approx. A4 size) samples that we can show you to help you decide on texture and colour.

What colours do you have?

We have 9 natural earth pigments that we can use to create a range of colours. With this we can create a large range of colours. It’s a good idea to send us photos of the look you are after and we can make up a colour and texture/mixture that will create that look.

Do you seal the plaster?

We typically seal our plasters with a few different options depending on the requirements and texture of the plaster. A natural oil sealer and liquid wax are the two most common for lime plaster, and for clay a casein sealer. The oil creates a more waterproof, wipeable surface on smooth plasters, while the liquid wax or casein is used on rougher surfaces or where a heavier sealer isn’t required. The wax and casein sealers don’t change the colour of the plaster, although the oil sealer can darken the colour to create a more vibrant/vivid look. All of our sealers are totally natural without any harmful chemicals or VOCS (unlike what you normally get with concrete sealers etc.)

How can the walls be cleaned?

In general the best way to clean marks off a plastered wall is with a sponge and water (maybe slightly soapy water). It is important not to be abrasive or rub too hard as it can wear the surface away. We have found that it isn’t really necessary to clean the walls unless they are marked or visibly dirty. Smooth walls are easier to clean, but show marks more easily. Scuff marks or scratches can often be removed with fine sandpaper (e.g. 180-220 grit) and in most cases the sanded area isn’t noticeably different from the rest of the wall.