How to Make Homemade Plaster for Walls
If you are redoing a wall or walls in your home, there are many textures and materials that you can use to get the look you want. Consider making a clay plaster for the walls that you can apply and spread as you wish. It will give the wall a red clay southwest feel and can be textured like regular plaster or stucco.
It is made of natural ingredients and is a lot cheaper to use.
Things You Will Need
- Shovel
- Clay
- 2 buckets
- Sand
- Trowel
- Mesh or sieve
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Dig down about 2 feet in the ground in an area that has clay soil.
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Remove a bucketful of soil at this level.
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Fill a separate bucket one-third full of water, then add the clay soil from the first bucket. Add soil to the second bucket until it's three-quarters full.
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Stir to break up big chunks and then let it sit for a full day.
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Stir it the next day to mix it well.
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Strain the mixture through mesh into a clean bucket to remove sand and rock. Use a 1/4-inch mesh for a base plaster and 1/8-inch mesh for a finishing plaster.
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Mix the watered clay with fine sand to achieve the texture of plaster. This generally results in from 1 part clay mix to 9 parts sand up to 2 1/2 parts clay mix to 7 1/2 parts sand.
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Dampen the wall by spraying it with a spray bottle before applying the plaster.
The Drip Cap
- If you are redoing a wall or walls in your home, there are many textures and materials that you can use to get the look you want.
- Fill a separate bucket one-third full of water, then add the clay soil from the first bucket.
- Mix the watered clay with fine sand to achieve the texture of plaster.
References
Writer Bio
Tara Dooley has written for various websites since 2008. She has worked as an accountant, after-school director and retail manager in various locations. Dooley holds a Bachelor of Science in business management and finance.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
- Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
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