Tips and Tricks: How to Properly Plaster Walls
Plaster walls effectively: When finishing a new build, plastering the walls is essential.
- Zoya Glushtrom
Table of Contents
Appealing finish and humidity control
A good plaster job not only gives walls an appealing finish but also helps regulate indoor humidity. Interior wall plaster is typically made from sand, water, and a binding agent like gypsum or lime. Here´s how much drying time you should plan for.
How Long Does Plaster Take to Dry?
The water in the plaster needs to dry completely before you can paint, wallpaper, or tile the wall. Of you cover the walls to soon, the plaster might not dry fully. The masonry should also be thoroughly dry before plastering. Use the thickness of the plaster layer as a guide for drying time:
One millimeter of plaster thickness requires a day of drying time.
So, if your plaster is five millimeters thick, let it dry out for five days before painting or wallpapering. If you plan to tile the walls or use waterproof latex paint, it´s safer to extend the drying time to 14 days. Otherwise, trapped moisture can cause damage an mold later on.
Speeding Up Plaster Drying
Gypsum plaster dries faster than lime plaster. You can use a dehumidifier to check for remaining moisture: if it´s no longer extracting water, the walls are dry. Dehumidifiers also help speed up drying. Make sure windows remain closed when using one to prevent new moisture from entering.
For best results, dry walls from top to bottom. You can place your dehumidifier on a ladder or a makeshift stand of tables and chairs, gradually moving it downwards – first to the table, then to the floor.
The more dehumidifiers you use, the faster the walls will dry.
The Right Room Temperature
Due to higher humidity in winter, using dehumidifiers is essential during the colder months. In summer, you can optionally use a construction dryer and ventilate several times a day.
To speed up the drying process, you can also turn up the heating. If a permanent heating system hasn’t been installed yet, you can use portable heaters. However, be careful not to overdo it. Rapid and extreme heating can cause the plaster to crack, requiring patching later.
The room temperature should be between 15 °C and 20 °C (59°F and 68°F).
In winter, using heating is crucial. In summer, it can be omitted.
Quick Tips for Drying Plaster
- Use gypsum plaster instead of lime plaster
- Use dehumidifiers or ventilate frequently
- In winter, use permanent or portable heating
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