Hello everyone,
We are currently deciding on wall finishes. Basically, we have chosen walls with Q3 plaster and a paint finish. Now, my father-in-law, who is not a layperson but an engineer specialized in technical building services, insists that Q3 plaster is too delicate, especially with a dog and a child in the house. He says it will get dents very quickly, which cannot be easily repaired. Instead, a large section of the wall, or even the entire wall, would have to be redone. If repairs are made, for example because dirt needs to be painted over, the touch-ups would be visible as stains. He believes wallpaper is much more durable.
I personally have no expertise in this matter, and the work will be carried out by a professional company. When researching online, there is hardly any information on this topic. Plaster is even promoted as durable, with numerous videos on how to repair plaster, and so on.
My questions, regardless of costs, effects on indoor climate, or general appearance, are:
1. Is painted Q3 plaster really that delicate? If a crayon mark or a dent occurs, is it really that difficult to repair?
2. If it is repaired, is the repair process visibly noticeable?
3. Is wallpaper actually more durable?
4. If we consider wallpaper as a more robust alternative, which type should we choose? Non-woven wallpaper? Woodchip wallpaper?
Thank you very much for your effort and help.
We are currently deciding on wall finishes. Basically, we have chosen walls with Q3 plaster and a paint finish. Now, my father-in-law, who is not a layperson but an engineer specialized in technical building services, insists that Q3 plaster is too delicate, especially with a dog and a child in the house. He says it will get dents very quickly, which cannot be easily repaired. Instead, a large section of the wall, or even the entire wall, would have to be redone. If repairs are made, for example because dirt needs to be painted over, the touch-ups would be visible as stains. He believes wallpaper is much more durable.
I personally have no expertise in this matter, and the work will be carried out by a professional company. When researching online, there is hardly any information on this topic. Plaster is even promoted as durable, with numerous videos on how to repair plaster, and so on.
My questions, regardless of costs, effects on indoor climate, or general appearance, are:
1. Is painted Q3 plaster really that delicate? If a crayon mark or a dent occurs, is it really that difficult to repair?
2. If it is repaired, is the repair process visibly noticeable?
3. Is wallpaper actually more durable?
4. If we consider wallpaper as a more robust alternative, which type should we choose? Non-woven wallpaper? Woodchip wallpaper?
Thank you very much for your effort and help.
N
nordanney31 Oct 2024 08:29Tolentino schrieb:
You’ll scrape your elbows on lime-cement plaster, I wouldn’t want to deal with that. Only if it’s done incorrectly. Q3 finishing is only possible with lime smooth plaster. This will make lime-cement plaster as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It then cannot be distinguished from gypsum plaster. You won’t scrape yourself at all.
Yes, but it is more difficult to work with (slaked lime is caustic), so it is probably not ideal for DIY and there are hardly any craftsmen left who are interested in using it. However, if you know how to handle it yourself, it’s great. You can also create surfaces that look almost like marble.
N
nordanney31 Oct 2024 10:28Tolentino schrieb:
Yes, but it’s harder to work with (slaked lime is caustic), so it’s probably not ideal for DIY, and there are hardly any tradespeople left who are interested in using it. Of course, if you know how to handle it, it’s great. You can also create surfaces that almost look like marble. The original poster mentions receiving Q3 level finish and that it will (probably) be a lime-cement plaster. That’s exactly why I responded as I did.
It’s a standard task, nothing unusual.
For good gypsum plaster surfaces, filling and sanding is also done.
But that doesn’t mean they use lime plaster or are interested in it.
The work isn’t the same as with gypsum plaster, which needs more protection due to the highly alkaline slaked lime. I mean, even mixing takes longer (a longer resting time is needed), and the application itself is more difficult because lime plaster is heavier and more viscous. Gypsum is like quark (a type of fresh cheese), whereas lime filler is more like cream cheese (not the airy Bresso type).
The work isn’t the same as with gypsum plaster, which needs more protection due to the highly alkaline slaked lime. I mean, even mixing takes longer (a longer resting time is needed), and the application itself is more difficult because lime plaster is heavier and more viscous. Gypsum is like quark (a type of fresh cheese), whereas lime filler is more like cream cheese (not the airy Bresso type).
We only applied plaster and painted everything white. Of course, marks and scuffs can’t be completely avoided, but in our case, they are not a big issue. Not that many appear.
You can easily remove stains with a cleaning eraser. Afterwards, they are hardly visible. For larger stains, like under the desk from socks, the only solution is to repaint. Then you can notice the difference because the shade of white is slightly different. But you have the same experience with wallpaper as well.
This is just like with anything new – every stain feels like a big deal in the beginning, but that’s part of it. A house is meant to be lived in, and accidents will happen. You can never fully avoid that. Visually, we still find it beautiful, and it was definitely the right decision.
In our case, it is lime gypsum plaster (which is quite soft) with a thin layer of Knauf Super Finish on top. Overall, it’s a Q3 finish. We are very happy with it.
You can easily remove stains with a cleaning eraser. Afterwards, they are hardly visible. For larger stains, like under the desk from socks, the only solution is to repaint. Then you can notice the difference because the shade of white is slightly different. But you have the same experience with wallpaper as well.
This is just like with anything new – every stain feels like a big deal in the beginning, but that’s part of it. A house is meant to be lived in, and accidents will happen. You can never fully avoid that. Visually, we still find it beautiful, and it was definitely the right decision.
In our case, it is lime gypsum plaster (which is quite soft) with a thin layer of Knauf Super Finish on top. Overall, it’s a Q3 finish. We are very happy with it.
N
nordanney31 Oct 2024 11:56Tolentino schrieb:
But that doesn’t mean they use lime skim coat or want to. Then they can’t achieve Q3 level finish either.
Tolentino schrieb:
The work is not like gypsum plaster due to the highly alkaline hydrated lime (which requires more protection). I mean, mixing also takes longer (longer resting time needed), and the application itself is more difficult because the lime skim coat is heavier and more viscous. Gypsum is like quark cheese, lime filler is more like cream cheese (and not the fluffy Bresso). No, the application is almost comparable to gypsum. Lime skim coat can also be applied mechanically.
Similar topics