Learn why using a plaster hardening additive is the best option for working with this material.
The demand for plaster to decorate environments is growing every day and the trend in civil construction is to increase its use even more, whether for partitions, coatings or recesses and dry construction. For this reason, we think it is important to state here the general characteristics of plaster and how to delay its hardening in the best way, using a retarding additive of drying time of the plaster, making your job even easier!
Gypsum is a powder obtained by calcifying a rock called gypsum. Compared to large gypsum-producing countries, such as the United States, Canada, France, and Spain, Brazil still has a very low utilization of its reserves for the production of gypsum.
From this, we can conclude that the future of civil construction points to the increasingly frequent use of plaster both because of large rock reserves in Brazil and because of the benefits that this material offers. So, as it is a promising market, let's see how to increase your productivity even more when working with plaster, by delaying its hardening, allowing you to save additional time to handle it. Shall we go, there?
Gypsum is a material with binding properties, that is, when mixed with water, it hardens after a while, having bonding and strength characteristics. The mixture of gypsum and water hardens due to the formation of a crystal mesh and, after the beginning of the adhesion, it continues with the hardening process, as do the other binders.
temperature and calcination time, during the manufacture of the plaster;
granulometry of its particles;
amount of water in the kneading;
presence of impurities or use of additives.
Among the factors that can alter the drying time of the plaster, we can note the influence of adding an additive to the mixture. This is very interesting to gain additional time to work with plaster, avoiding waste. However, some additives used are not specific for this purpose, which may compromise the final result. We will understand more about this in a bit.
The plaster setting time, which is how long it takes for the mixture to start hardening, begins quickly when water is added to the plaster and ends 20 to 30 minutes later. But, this may vary with the amount of water, for example, since the lower the amount of water, the faster the pick up time will be.
In the next topic, you will learn how plaster drying time can be both an ally and an enemy when working with plaster!
Drying time as ally and enemy
We know that plaster is a material that hardens very quickly, but why can this be good and bad at the same time?
The natural hardening of plaster is extremely fast and this can be good for speeding up the finishing process of the piece, such as painting. But, How long does plaster dry? Generally, it doesn't take more than 15 days of drying (curing) before the painting can be done, which is quite fast compared to traditional methods.
More important than that are the problems that the rapid drying time of the plaster can cause. Because it is very fast, its hardening can occur even before the pieces are formed or the coating is applied, which can generate waste of the plaster that cures before being applied, having to discard this material, causing environmental problems, in addition to the cost of this waste and disposal.
So, to avoid premature hardening of the plaster and thus obtain additional time to manipulate and make the pieces or coatings, many plasterers use homemade methods to delay hardening and avoid the problems mentioned above. We are going to show you what these procedures are and the risks of doing them instead of making use of a specific additive for this purpose.
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Homemade methods of delaying hardening
Because of the problems that the rapid hardening of plaster can cause, plasterers end up developing homemade and not always safe ways to delay drying time, and thus save more time to produce the pieces or even apply the smooth plaster to the walls.
But although home procedures often bring immediate results, for the most part they are not 100% effective, since products added to the mixture can compromise the properties of the plaster and, consequently, the final result.
Adding sugar, lemon juice, alcohol are some elements added to the plaster in order to delay its hardening, which can be a huge mistake due to the problems that may arise.
We can mention some of them: alteration of the resistance of the plaster to compression and flexion, impairment of the aesthetic of the finish itself, change in the color of the plaster, risk of shearing of the material and the risk of displacement.
Therefore, it is not worth saving when choosing the method to delay the hardening of the plaster, since purchasing a product developed by professionals who understand the subject will bring guaranteed quality to the plaster parts and coatings!
We will present the right product that slows down the hardening of the plaster, but that does not compromise the final result of your work, on the contrary, it helps to maintain the quality of the coating or the part produced!
How to delay the hardening of plaster in a professional way
We have already seen that it is not worth using homemade methods to delay the hardening of the plaster, given the problems that may appear and the expenses to repair them. So, the best thing to do is to invest in a professional plaster retardant additive to delay its hardening and allow its prolonged use.
But what are the benefits of investing in a professional additive as a plaster retardant? In addition to the problems we discussed in the previous topic about the problems of not choosing a professional product, you have the advantages of choosing to purchase an additive developed exactly for this purpose. Among them, we can mention:
Quality control;
Standardization of the mixtures;
No change in the general characteristics of the plaster.
To meet this demand, Blok developed an additive that delays the hardening of gypsum, making it easier to carry out your work longer and avoiding waste, Blok Slow Plaster.
BlokGesso Lento allows the plaster mixture to be dosed according to the required open time, reducing the waste of cured plaster mortar and increasing the finishing and smoothing time during application.
For this reason, it is essential for use in plaster works or factories, since the reduction in costs it provides is significant. In addition, Blok Gesso Slow does not change the strength and characteristics of the plaster. There's no reason not to use it! __________________________________________________________
Well, after explaining the plaster hardening process, it was possible to understand the importance of choosing the right product to delay drying time, wasn't it?
Leave out the homemade methods of retarding additives because it is an economy that is not worth it, given the damage that can arise. Invest in the right product, BlokGesso Lento, the cost-benefit is guaranteed and the result is surprising!
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