Alabaster - what is it? Alabaster: how to plant

If you repair your house or apartment, you can not do without alabaster. What does this material get from, is it harmful to human health? Alabaster - what is it? The answers to all these questions are given below.

Material specifications

The building material, differing in its viscosity and obtained from gypsum, is called alabaster. Very often it is used for the manufacture of various products, as well as for repair work. Building gypsum is another name for the material.

The basis of alabaster is gypsum - in its origin is a natural material. Gypsum building (alabaster) is an environmentally friendly substance that does no harm to human health. It is characterized by excellent sound insulation and water resistance. The area of application of alabaster is wide enough. It is used in the production of various forms, building products.

When carrying out repairs, the material is ideal for sealing cracks, leveling the floor and walls. The alabaster solution does not crack during drying and forms a thin, smooth and smooth layer applied to a clean treated surface, which, if required, is covered with a deep penetration primer.

Having studied the characteristics of the material, you can easily answer the question of what alabaster is - what it is.

Excursion to the history

As a building material, alabaster was used even in ancient times. Natural softness makes its processing simple and does not require complex and durable tools. The material was used to make sculptures, vessels, other household utensils. Calcite was used for this purpose. Now it is not in high demand. In the construction of plaster alabaster is popular.

Methods for the production of alabaster

The building gypsum looks like a powder obtained from gypsum stone. For this, it is subjected to roasting and then ground. The main advantage of alabaster, which distinguishes it from similar materials, is rapid solidification. It is worth remembering, studying the question of how to plant alabaster.

It is necessary to consider this property of the material when creating a gypsum test, before pouring it into molds. Usually the solution is prepared in a proportion of 2/1, where 2 parts are alabaster, and 1 part is cold water. It should be remembered that the gypsum solution should be used as soon as possible, otherwise it will harden. If it is necessary to increase the setting time, then animal glue is added to the alabaster in small amounts.

Pros and Cons of Alabaster

Gypsum building is used for repair work in premises where people will subsequently live.

The shortcomings of the material include low strength and low moisture resistance. These disadvantages can be reduced by applying special additives.

Where can I buy building gypsum

Manufacturers produce about 10 different brands of alabaster. You can buy it in building stores, packed in bags of different weight. Keep the building plaster in a dry, well protected from moisture place, preferably no more than 6 months.

Field of application of building gypsum

Alabaster - what is it, where do the raw materials for its manufacture come from? In quarries are extracted natural gypsum, which is subjected to subsequent heat treatment. Later on, at special mills, the annealed gypsum is ground into a fine powder.

Alabaster is used for leveling walls, floors, ceilings in rooms with minimum air humidity. It is excellent for making stucco moldings, gypsum fiber boards.

Increase the moisture resistance of building gypsum by adding synthetic resins or organosilicon compounds to the solution. Cover films and impregnations from hydrophobic substances are also popular . Products from alabaster fireproof and are destroyed by fire only after 6 hours of intensive warm-up. Therefore, they are often used as flame retardant coatings.

As with any other material, there are a lot of nuances in applying this, which should be studied if you are going to work with it and want to know: what is alabaster?

How to prepare gypsum dough

A solution of building gypsum is prepared at the rate of 1 kg of material per 0.5 liters of water. First, water is poured into the container, and then the material is gently covered with it, while stirring it, so that no lumps are formed. The mixture should have a consistency of sour cream. To decide the question of how to plant alabaster, you must take it very seriously. In many respects, the final result of the work will depend on this.

Do not forget that the solution hardens within half an hour, and sometimes faster. If the cooked mixture thickens, then it should not be diluted with water, and it is unlikely that it will work. To increase the time for setting the solution into it, you can add a little joinery or wallpaper paste.

To improve the water resistance of the product from alabaster, it can be painted or covered with a special moisture-proof paste.

The gypsum dough is applied with a spatula or trowel, after finishing the work, the tool should be thoroughly rinsed.

Store alabaster in rooms where the humidity does not exceed 60%.

Conclusion

Having adopted the rules for working with alabaster and adhering to them, it is possible to perform all the required construction or repair work in a qualitative manner.