What dries faster gypsum or alabaster. Building alabaster, application

Modern building materials are diverse and their diversity causes surprise and confusion when choosing. Masters use both new materials and very old ones, which have been known since ancient times, such as gypsum or alabaster.

Often the question arises, is there a difference in the compositions? What mixture to apply in this or that case? To make the right choice, you should understand how gypsum differs from alabaster.

Building mixtures: alabaster and gypsum what is the difference

You can figure out what the difference between alabaster and gypsum is after a detailed study of the methods for obtaining one or another dry mixture and the scope of these compositions.

Gypsum, what is it? Dry composition based on natural natural gypsum stone, extracted from sedimentary rocks, crushed into a fine powder, is called gypsum. It is odorless and unaffected by high temperatures and high humidity. Gypsum is a hypoallergenic building material for humans and is completely harmless.

Gypsum pretty widely used in people's daily lives. It is used in construction work, it is the basis for the manufacture of gypsum boards. It is used as a finishing material. The most finely ground mixture, powder, is used in medicine, as a fixing material in traumatology and dentistry.

For designers, artists, sculptors, all people involved in creativity and art gypsum universal material allowing to embody the most daring creative ideas. Gypsum stucco is used to decorate the facades of buildings from the outside.

as material gypsum has plasticity. Dries fairly quickly. After drying, the gypsum may slightly increase in volume, this quality should be taken into account. The dry mixture of gypsum is practically not stored due to its hygroscopicity. The ability to absorb moisture and quickly harden inside the package is very high. The composition should be stored in dry rooms.

Alabaster - what is it

Alabaster is the Latin name for the dry mixture from which the vases were made. In a word, alabaster is called a rock, which consists of fine-grained gypsum. Alabaster in its composition contains a powder of fine fraction extracted from gypsum stone.

But in its manufacture use high temperatures, grinded raw materials are fired, the output is a gypsum mixture with new technical characteristics. Its second name is building gypsum.

Alabaster becomes the hardest compared to gypsum. The curing of the composition is faster. Choosing alabaster as a composition that levels the surface of the walls, you can plaster the walls in twenty minutes. Alabaster mixture has several advantages:

• more resistant to high temperatures;
• has the ability to regulate the humidity in the room;
• completely safe for humans.

The use of alabaster in construction and finishing works is widespread. In electrical work, it is convenient to use alabaster solution to fix electrical wires due to rapid hardening. The use is more expedient for sealing seams, chipped sections of the wall and cracks.

The composition penetrates deeper inside the crack. This means that the binding will more reliable and better. Expose beacons and slopes with alabaster, because the composition has a high hardness and dries quickly. Alabaster is used for puttying walls and structures that enclose or divide a room.

Building plaster, alabaster, use for decorating rooms and production of decorative objects. Alabaster, the use of which is widely used in the manufacture of vases, figurines and various crafts, is polished. Products are polished according to old methods, using horsetail or scraping.

For better polishing use crushed mother-of-pearl. The only requirement for using items in the interior will be the humidity of the room. With high humidity in the premises, the characteristic properties of alabaster are lost until destruction. And also rather dry air can lead to cracking of the material.

Building gypsum quick-drying composition to change this property into alabaster add polymer impurities. A mixture with various additives has about twelve varieties. One or another composition differs in its hardness and hardening time. The hardened composition of alabaster is light, no changes in volume or shape occur, there is no shrinkage.

The working composition of alabaster is obtained by adding a certain amount of water to a portion of the dry mixture. Any alabaster mortar will be fast-hardening, this must always be remembered.

The solution, which began to harden, cannot be reanimated, it is disposed of. There is a few rules, using which you can avoid unpleasant moments in the preparation and use of the solution:

1. The solution of the alabaster mixture must be prepared so much that it can be used in six minutes. The portion of the finished mixture will be small.
2. Alabaster mixture is very difficult to clean from plastic or metal surfaces, so it is better to breed alabaster in a rubber or silicone container. If there is no rubber or silicone container at hand, then by covering the dish with a plastic bag, you can use a plastic or metal container.
3. Depending on the application of the building alabaster composition, strictly adhere to the proportions of the dry mixture and water.
4. In order to avoid the formation of lumps of the solution and the appearance of unnecessary air bubbles, it is necessary to add the dry mixture in small portions to the water, constantly stirring.

To perform various construction works, the proportions of the dry mix and water will be different. Wall plastering with a liquid mortar of building gypsum can be done by diluting alabaster in a ratio of 1:1, 500 grams of alabaster and the same amount of water are taken.

The resulting slurry of building gypsum is suitable for leveling the surface of the walls, as well as leveling the surface of the partitions. A thicker solution of alabaster can be obtained in a ratio of 0.5: 1, i.e. there will be 500 grams of water in the composition, and 1 thousand grams of the dry mixture. With this composition, it is recommended to glue gypsum stucco to walls or ceilings.

For electrical work, a solution of building gypsum is required even thicker. It is this consistency of the composition that will allow you to fix wires or cup holders for sockets and switches in the walls almost instantly. Construction alabaster is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2, that is, one part of water and two parts of a dry mixture are taken.

It is necessary to dilute the dry mixture room temperature water. If the water is hot, then the diluted mixture will shorten the hardening time. After completing all work, immediately wash all tools in warm water. Complete drying of the solution on the instruments will not allow it to be cleaned. The composition hardens and sticks to the tools "tightly".

Building material based on natural stone versatile and time tested. Alabaster products and mixtures will not lose their uniqueness. Alabaster is easy to work with. The combination of aesthetics, accessibility, range of applications and high-quality results, building gypsum for a long time will take its high place in the variety of building materials.

Alabaster is one of the oldest building materials, known to craftsmen for more than 5 thousand years. And it is still in demand, despite the appearance of numerous dry building mixtures and the tightened requirements of the construction industry. Why?

Gypsum = alabaster?

People who are not involved in construction sometimes get confused in terms: it seems to some that gypsum and alabaster are synonyms, everyone just calls it the way they are used to, to others that alabaster is the best and high-quality variety of gypsum.

Some even believe that alabaster is a stone from which statues are sculpted, and when crushed, it is used for finishing work, so it is harder and whiter than gypsum.

So what is alabaster?

This is really a "subspecies" of gypsum. Like building gypsum, it is obtained from a natural mineral - gypsum stone, both of them are calcium sulfate, onlythe first is dihydrate (CaSO4 2H2O), and alabaster is semi-aqueous (CaSO4 0.5H2O) .

The mineral is crushed and then fired at a temperature of about 180C.

The grinding of alabaster is finer than that of building gypsum, and therefore this material has less plasticity, but greater hardness.

Also, its unique feature is the drying time - the alabaster mortar sets on average in 5 minutes, that is, much faster than other building mixtures.

These properties narrow the scope of alabaster to construction and finishing works, while gypsum can be used in many industries, including medicine, jewelry, casting, art, etc.

Characteristics and types of alabaster

The main average characteristics of alabaster are presented in the table below:

Since one of the main features of the mixture is a quick set of strength, there are three types of alabaster according to the hardening speed:

Benefits of alabaster

• Fast and straight! Due to the speed of setting, the surface can be leveled in just minutes, and after an hour, and even if taken with a margin, it is already ready for further processing.
• Alabaster solution has high adhesion and great fit on almost any prepared surface
• Frozen alabaster has good strength characteristics and. To this day, elements of palaces and temples have been preserved, which are already more than 5 thousand years old, and they are in excellent condition. Drying, the material does not shrink and is resistant to cracks.
• hardened alabaster absorbs noise, therefore, it can be used as an auxiliary material for sound insulation. 6 hours exposure to open fire- this is how much alabaster is able to withstand without significant deformations. It does not burn itself and prevents the spread of flame.
• As part of the material no chemical additives, it is environmentally friendly and can be safely used in bedrooms, nurseries, etc.
• Democratic in comparison with dry building mixtures similar in terms of tasks price.

The use of alabaster

Due to the characteristics of the material, the range of use of alabaster in construction is wide: it is relevant for the production of drywall, in demand by professional builders, and is also often used by private traders for minor repairs.

1. Correction of cosmetic wall defects, ceilings and surfaces GKL / GVL. Alabaster mixture is traditionally used to eliminate various chips, dents, cracks, etc.
2. Preparing surfaces for finishing Alabaster mixture is excellent for puttying walls and partitions in rooms with normal humidity, it is used to prepare surfaces for all types of wallpaper, as well as decorative plaster. Some builders use alabaster even in bathrooms, under tiles, but in this case it is necessary that the material is completely hidden by the cladding and does not come into contact with water. This principle is also true for the kitchen, because alabaster absorbs wet vapors.
3. Electric installation work Alabaster is the joy of an electrician, the most convenient material that allows you to quickly fix the cable in the wall without the risk that it will move while the mixture dries. In addition, many use it when installing socket boxes, because. even when the plug is roughly pulled out of the socket, the structure, due to the hardness of the alabaster, is guaranteed to remain in the wall, which sometimes more expensive and modern dry mixes cannot provide.
4. Interior design. When decorating rooms with stucco, a specific problem often arises: cast gypsum elements have a solid weight and therefore must be firmly fixed to the base. This is especially true for ceilings. And alabaster in this case is an ideal option. He will also come to the rescue for masking and repairing small flaws in stucco molding and is indispensable for restoration work.

Preparation for work

When working with alabaster, half of the success depends on the quality of preparation, namely, on the selection of containers and tools.
To make the process easier, consider the following principles.

• There is no metal container! Alabaster will firmly stick to the iron walls, which means loss of material, inconvenience and damaged capacity. Plastic dishes are better, but rubber is still the most comfortable option: the solution does not stick to the springy walls, and after finishing work, the dried residues are easily shaken out, for this it is enough to squeeze the form several times and then turn it over. In addition, if desired, special buckets for working with plaster can be purchased at hardware stores.
• There is no container with the remnants of the solution immediately! The dried mortar accelerates the hardening of the new batch to be mixed.
• As for the spatula, modern tools from plastic or rubber, the mixture does not stick to them. But a classic steel spatula is also quite suitable, better than a new one: according to the observations of some craftsmen, rust accelerates the setting of an already rapidly hardening mortar

For small mix volumes

Small portions of alabaster are conveniently closed in nylon buckets or compact rubber containers. Often, builders use halves of ordinary children's balls of a suitable diameter.

For stirring "small doses" of the alabaster mixture, a spatula is optimal.

For large volumes

Plastic or rubber bucket line with a single piece of cellophane, dense and without holes, pinch the “tails” to the edges of the container so that the polyethylene does not move during stirring; after use, the film is simply removed from the bucket and thrown away.

It is convenient to stir the solution with a construction mixer, and in its absence, with a drill with a nozzle.

Closing and working with mortar

Here it is important to answer three questions: in what proportion to close, how exactly to close, and what nuances should be taken into account when mixing?

Actually, the proportions depend on the purposes for which the solution is planned to be used. SNiP recommends the following ratios:

In order not to ruin the material and get a quality solution, stick to technology.

• remember, that the mixture is added to water, but in no case vice versa!
• powder need pour gradually like flour in pancake dough, and mix thoroughly until the mass is homogeneous.
• The correct putty mortar has the consistency of mousse or yogurt.
• If the solution begins to harden, and you didn't use it or do what you planned just throw it away without trying to "reanimate" by adding water. With alabaster, the principle “she died so she died” is 200% correct, the seized solution is no longer suitable for anything.
• When applying the solution, make a note that when it dries, the material increases slightly in volume.

Masters Tips:

Theory and SniPs- this, of course, is good, but in practice, alas, the dry mixture can behave differently, it all depends on the brand and even the batch. Therefore, before closing the entire required volume, test with 100 grams of material.

For mixing use cold water.

When mixing the mortar, it is definitely worth strive for uniformity. However, overdoing it is also fraught: there is an opinion that too long and thorough mixing, especially with a mixer, breaks the structure of the alabaster, as a result of which it loses its strength.

How to prolong the viability of alabaster solution?

Novice craftsmen, as well as private traders without experience and building dexterity, when working with alabaster, often wonder if it is possible to slow down the hardening of the mortar a little.

And there really are such ways. Some of them are quite scientific, some refer to "folk" methods, which, nevertheless, have shown themselves well in practice.

Method 1. Bone glue.

A good old tool, approved by more than one generation of builders. When mixing, any bone-based glue is added, whether it be slightly diluted paint or carpentry. The main thing is the dosage: 2% of the total weight of the mixture.

Method 2. Citric acid

The recipe is as follows: for 0.5 cups of alabaster, take 4-5 grains of citric acid and throw it into cold water while kneading. However, the masters note that, with apparent simplicity, the method is not universal, since the amount of acid must be selected for a specific alabaster mixture, that is, tests and experiments are required.

Method 3. PVA glue

Here the builders are divided into two camps. Some say that 3% PVA per mixture mass gives an excellent result, that is, they prolong the viability of the solution by almost several times and in the future do not affect its strength in any way. Others object to them - they say that the film that PVA forms on the surface during drying can block the evaporation of water, so that recrystallization and coarsening of sodium sulfate hydrate crystals are likely, and this leads to a deterioration in strength characteristics.

How to choose and where to buy?

It would seem that alabaster is a simple mixture, without chemicals, without plasticizers, take the first bag of any brand that comes across and go ahead, because it is difficult to spoil the material. However, there are still nuances in the choice.

1. Since alabaster is extremely susceptible to moisture, it must be stored in a dry place. So it is advisable to purchase the mixture in stores, and not in the markets, where the tightness of containers often leaves much to be desired, and even more so not on open-air sites.
2. Check the integrity of the packaging carefully, because at the slightest violation of it, there is a chance that the material has partially or completely lost its properties.
3. As simple as the alabaster mixture is, It is worth choosing not only by price, but also by the manufacturer: large manufacturers are a priority, because they, thanks to an established and regulated production, are ready to ensure quality stability, while for noname brands, the quality can greatly “dance” from batch to batch.
4. Give back preference for brands, on the packages of which the proportions for mixing their mixture are indicated, because, despite the norms of SNiP, recommendations may vary.

In the process of construction, repair, gypsum or alabaster is often used to finish walls, ceilings, and even floors. What is the difference between alabaster and gypsum? These materials are in many ways similar, alabaster is a derivative of gypsum, however, their qualities and properties differ, so that in some cases only gypsum (Rotgypsum) can be used, and in others - alabaster. In this case, it is necessary to know their main characteristics. Perhaps only then will you decide which of these materials will be used. Let's take a closer look at what each material is.

Gypsum building - what is it?

Gypsum is a natural, environmentally friendly material with excellent binding characteristics, fast hardening and subsequent strength. It is fire safe. With the accumulation of moisture in the room, this material absorbs excess, if necessary, dry air - gives back. This property makes gypsum a unique finishing material.

Construction alabaster - what is it?

Alabaster is a building material that is obtained after roasting crushed gypsum. Alabaster is used to repair the surfaces of the room, and panels and slabs are also made from it. It is a soft material and is easy to work with with a saw. It does not burn like gypsum, it is environmentally friendly.

• Quality of building gypsum.
• Quickly sticks to the surface and hardens.
• Withstands high temperatures without destruction.
• Open fire begins to act on gypsum after 6 hours.
• Hardened gypsum is not afraid of mechanical damage.
• Alabaster qualities.
• Freezes within 5 minutes.
• Protects against the formation of cracks.
• Levels the surface.
• Soundproofing.
• After drying, the alabaster increases in volume.

Alabaster adheres strongly to almost any surface, except for rubber. In this regard, it is advisable to line the container in which alabaster is bred with polyethylene inside.

What is the difference between gypsum and alabaster?

Compared to the use of alabaster, gypsum is a versatile building material. By touch, you can feel that gypsum is softer than alabaster, and it hardens more slowly (about half an hour). The high drying rate of alabaster is not always positive. An additive is often added to dry mixes and slurries to increase the setting time. This increases the working time with the solution.

What is stronger gypsum or alabaster?

Gypsum has a higher mechanical strength than alabaster. A serious drawback of alabaster is under it tarnishes with moisture. It is no coincidence that gypsum is used in various fields, including medicine - it is more environmentally friendly, safe for health, while the use of alabaster is limited to the construction industry.

The use of building plaster

Gypsum is used as the main component for a wide range of materials: dry building mixtures, plaster, putty, adhesives. Gypsum itself (Rotgypsum) is great for sealing seams, cracks, bumps. Gypsum is used to make natural stucco molding, cornices, decorative elements of the interior. For interior decoration, gypsum has also found application as a base for decorative stone, which can even be made with your own hands and facing tiles.

It is difficult to imagine a repair without the use of this material. Alabaster, the use of which is very wide, is one of the most common materials used in repair, construction, and interior decoration. In the distribution network, it is sold in the form of a white powder, diluted with water before use. From other similar materials, it is distinguished by rapid solidification.

Concept, types, properties

It is called building alabaster or gypsum consisting of a dry mixture of components. Gypsum among them is considered the main substance. The elasticity of alabaster, it is provided by polymer components. This material belongs to the category of non-combustible, environmentally friendly natural materials. It has excellent soundproofing properties, water resistance.

Advantages and disadvantages

Before you start working with a mixture prepared from alabaster powder, you should study the characteristics of the material used. The powder is inexpensive, and for its excellent technological performance it is in high demand among buyers. In general, building alabaster have the following properties:

• dries quickly upon contact with water (sets in 5 minutes, completely hardens in 30 minutes), which makes the material indispensable when a fast and high-quality surface finish is needed;
• preventing the appearance of cracks;
• an even film is formed on the treated surface;
• good refractory properties (difficult to ignite);
• high sound insulation.

This finishing material is lightweight and does not shrink during curing. If the question arises as to whether alabaster is harmful to human health, then we can absolutely say that it is safe. The powder has a predominantly white color, but other colors are also found: light gray, yellow, sometimes it has greenish and pink hues.

What temperature can alabaster withstand? It can withstand significant temperatures. Resists heat up to 700° without damage. The destructive effects of interaction with open fire will be visible after 6 hours.

The negative characteristics of the material include its insufficient strength, inability to withstand heavy loads. Due to the fact that alabaster is able to absorb water when it hardens, it should not be used in particularly damp rooms. The frozen alabaster mixture does not like it when the air around is dry and hot, then the material will simply crumble due to the loss of moisture supply, a decrease in viscosity. Such shortcomings are eliminated by introducing various additives into the alabaster solution.

Material Features

When working, remember about the features inherent in this substance. In addition to the rapid solidification characteristic of it, it is able to increase in volume. A distinctive feature of this material is also that it does not stick to the surface of rubber products. It is even recommended to prepare a solution from it in an ordinary rubber ball. The material is stored in a dry place with humidity not higher than 60%.

Currently according to the speed of solidification, the material is divided into the following types:

• with fast hardening;
• with normal curing speed;
• with slow curing.

In the first case, the mixture used will begin to set, a few minutes after its preparation, and after a quarter of an hour it will finally harden. The solution of the second type will begin to solidify after preparation after 7 minutes, it will finally harden in 35 minutes. In the latter type of mixture, hardening begins after 20 minutes. from the moment of preparation, and finally the solution will harden after 40 minutes.

The difference between alabaster and gypsum

Often people who do not have the necessary information, consider both alabaster and gypsum to be the same material. In fact, alabaster is obtained from gypsum after its thorough processing. First, the gypsum is crushed, turning it into powder, followed by heating until a temperature of 180 ° is reached. As a result of all operations, alabaster is obtained.

A little about plaster

It is a natural material, eco-friendly, odorless. Unlike alabaster, it has a wider area of ​​​​use. Its frequent use in construction is due to its good viscosity, fast, durable drying, and significant resistance to fire.

On the positive side, gypsum is characterized by the fact that it is able to absorb excess moisture in the room; and with a lack of moisture, it can give it back. Other building materials do not have such a unique property, which allows gypsum to be widely used in interior finishing of residential (industrial) premises.

Differences

Visually, the difference between these two substances may not be detectable. She needs to be looked for in the properties of each of the materials, and not in a simple inspection of the result of their application. Gypsum, unlike alabaster, has great versatility in application. Gypsum is used in various fields of human activity. Among them is medicine, in which it is used in the manufacture of casts.

Such plaster casts in dental clinics are needed in the manufacture of dentures. The prints are of high quality. This contributes to precise work, as a result of which a person is comfortable with artificial teeth. Making dental casts is just one of the applications of gypsum in the field of medicine, where it has been used almost from the very discovery of the material.

For example, it is well known that with a fracture of the arm (leg) apply a special bandage (gypsum). In addition to medicine, gypsum is used in architecture and art. Gypsum was used in the creation of various bas-reliefs, for interior and exterior decoration of classical buildings with stucco molding. Gypsum-based decorations are also popular in sculptures and applied arts.

The alabaster mixture dries and hardens faster than gypsum. This property prevents the use of alabaster in the field of medicine and art. Often, even during construction work, components are introduced into the alabaster solution that prevent it from solidifying. When working with gypsum, there are no such problems. Gypsum, unlike alabaster, is softer.

The use of alabaster

As a finishing material it is used in construction:

1. Production that admits dry plaster, plasterboard panels, stucco molding, and other products cannot do without it.
2. With its help close up cracks, openings, chips, seams on walls and ceilings of rooms.
3. The use of alabaster helps to fix electrical cables inside special grooves.
4. It is used in the production of slopes, lighthouses, puttying walls and other fences.

Often, due to the rapid hardening, alabaster is added to the cement mortar in order to slow down the process of hardening of the mortar. At the final stage, the surface treated with alabaster mortar is often polished, grinded or scraped off. It should be remembered that no contact between the alabaster product and water should be allowed, otherwise any polishing will become dull.

The choice of containers for the preparation of the mixture

Since the mixture obtained from alabaster powder tends to solidify quickly, dilution of this material with water somewhat different from other similar solutions. If the mixture is prepared in a bucket or bowl, then when the alabaster solidifies in them, the container will have to be constantly cleaned from it, which is problematic. In this case, builders with experience try to breed a small amount of alabaster using rubber containers.

The remains of alabaster can be easily removed from there by squeezing an elastic thing. Such a convenient device can be made from a simple camera, half a rubber ball. When diluting large amounts of the mixture at a time, the inner surface of the container is covered with a plastic film for its safety, the edges of which are securely fixed.

Preparation of working solution

Anyone who works with alabaster should know how to breed it. The process of preparing a working solution of alabaster resembles the procedure for diluting dry glue before sticking wallpaper. To do this, take the components from the calculation: for 1 kg of alabaster - 0.5 liters of water. Fill the selected container with water, into which dry alabaster is carefully poured. The components are mixed, preventing the formation of lumps, until the consistency of sour cream is reached. Approximately 2 min. mixture is ready.

Freshly prepared alabaster solution is used immediately after preparation. If it dries out, it will be unusable. In order to use the solution longer, you need to know what to add to the alabaster so that it hardens more slowly. Adding glue (carpentry, wallpaper) to the solution in the amount of 2% of the total weight of the mixture, lime solution will help delay the drying process of the material.

To match the result of the work with the requirements, it is necessary to know how to breed building alabaster in relation to a certain type of work. Water resistance of alabaster improved by applying paint or a special moisture-proof layer to its surface. To apply the prepared mixture of alabaster, a spatula or trowel is used. At the end of the work, the used tools are thoroughly washed.

Alabaster solution for various types of work, done right

To get a good work result, it is necessary to observe certain proportions when preparing the mixture. Otherwise, the mixture will either harden quickly or not dry at all. To avoid such situations, you must adhere to a proven recipe.

First, 0.5 l of water is poured into a rubber container, 1 kg of alabaster is gradually poured into it from a bag. The bag with the material is held with one hand, and the mixture is mixed with the other. When mixing, no powder should remain on the walls of the container. The result is a homogeneous mass without lumps. Too long to mix it should not be in order to avoid loss of strength.

After 5 min. after cooking, the mass will thicken. It will take 20 to 30 minutes for the solution to completely solidify. Considering this fact, it is necessary to take such an amount of alabaster for kneading that can be used up in 5, maximum - 7 minutes. work performed. The made solution is used when covering the formed cracks, fixing the wires, and other minor works.

Applied to plaster used for walls, a slightly different preparation of the mixture is required. To begin with, they are determined with the type of upcoming work. Alignment of the outer walls of buildings is best done with cement mortar. The internal walls are covered with a mixture of lime. If you take alabaster for plaster, using it with lime is suitable for eliminating all kinds of errors on the walls: cracks, cracks.

A dry mixture of lime is preliminarily prepared, to which water and alabaster substance are then added. Instead of a container, you can use the rest of the rubber tire (another container) more than 10 cm in height. First, a certain amount of sand (1 part) is poured into it, then lime (5 parts). Further, with a spatula (construction mixer), these substances are mixed until smooth.

Then add water, stirring the mixture to the consistency of fatty sour cream. After that, they begin to make an alabaster "dough", 1 part of which should account for 4 parts of the lime mixture. Further, the alabaster "dough" is poured into a container of lime. All components are briefly, but thoroughly mixed. Having prepared the substance, they go directly to the construction work itself.

The first step is to "splash" the surface when a small amount of the mixture is taken with a construction spatula, it is rushed to the surface of the wall with a sharp movement of the hand. Do this carefully so that the material does not splatter the entire wall.

The next step is to apply the primer using a wide spatula. The ground layer is leveled. A thin layer of plaster is placed on top. They cover the soil until it dries, using a roller (brush). When the plaster itself dries, it is treated counterclockwise with a building plastic grater, using circular hand movements.

Having an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat alabaster is, its use in the performance of certain construction and repair work can be obtained in high results from its use. It is only required to know how much alabaster powder is approximately needed to complete a given amount of work, in addition, the recommended proportions should be observed when diluting it.

In the construction industry, they are sure to encounter such concepts as gypsum and alabaster. But even professional workers sometimes do not see the difference between these two materials, often saying that they are one and the same. To some extent, they are right, because alabaster is a type of gypsum and is actively used in the construction industry. And, nevertheless, there is a difference between gypsum and alabaster, and we will try to see the main features of the difference, especially since they are quite significant.

Alabaster

This is the name of a fine white powder (a grayish tint is also possible), which is actively used in construction. The material is obtained by firing a gypsum stone, which is pre-crushed. Gypsum alabaster is great for plastering walls and ceilings with low humidity in the room. Building materials (for example, gypsum panels) are also obtained from alabaster.

Gypsum

This is a broader concept than alabaster, which, in fact, is its variety. Gypsum is a natural material that is odorless and does not pose any threat to human health, it is an environmentally friendly material. Among other things, it meets the most stringent fire safety requirements, which allows it to be actively used in construction work. Of the positive properties of natural material, one can also note the fact that gypsum can absorb excess moisture, and at the moment when it is needed, release it back. This unique property has made gypsum so popular for interior decoration of various facilities, including industrial ones. More precisely, materials are used for finishing, dry mixes, the production of which is based on gypsum.

Comparison

As noted above, the differences between gypsum and alabaster can not be immediately seen, and not everyone can tell the difference by eye. Signs of difference lie rather in the properties of the material:

• Gypsum is a broader concept than alabaster. For example, the material is also used in medicine for making casts. In dentistry, dentures are made using just such casts, and their quality allows for very precise work, and artificial teeth will organically fit into the general row. In fact, gypsum has been used in medicine for a very long time, almost since the discovery of this natural material.
• Alabaster dries very quickly, which gives the masters a certain discomfort. Therefore, builders often use special additives that they add to alabaster before kneading.
• Gypsum is a safer material for the human body and the environment. No wonder it finds its active use in medicine. But alabaster cannot boast of such a property, and therefore it is used only in the construction industry.
• Another difference can be detected by carefully feeling both materials: the gypsum is very soft, in contrast to the alabaster.

Findings site

1. Alabaster is a type of gypsum and is more organic in use (only in the construction industry), while gypsum is widely used, including for medical purposes.
2. Alabaster dries quickly, so you have to add various substances to it to avoid this trouble.
3. Gypsum is a safer material, both for humans and for the environment.
4. Alabaster is harder than plaster.