Relief Plaster for Walls: Benefits and Types

Benefits of Relief Plaster

Decorative relief plaster is a finishing decorative material that enables a unique wall finish. It is a plastic mass that may contain resins, lime, crushed stone, various additives, and more. The advantages of this type of finish are obvious:

• High durability, ease of application, and simple maintenance – walls can be wiped down as needed.
• The more textured the plaster creates, the better it hides minor defects and the less labor-intensive wall preparation becomes. It adheres well to various surfaces.
• Decorative benefits can be discussed at length: besides creating different textures, you can create your own work of art on the wall – a relief panel or bas-relief from plaster. The color palette is also impressive.

One of the most popular types of relief plasters is Venetian plaster. This finish has withstood the test of centuries, even millennia. Genuine Venetian plaster contains ground marble, lies smoothly on walls, and creates an elegant marble pattern. Thanks to the filler’s properties, this plaster is very durable and suitable for use in bathrooms and other high-moisture areas. Of course, such relief plaster, with a relatively high price, is not affordable for everyone. There are Venetian plasters that use substitutes for marble and are accordingly less expensive.

In Moscow, Venetian plaster with a natural stone effect costs on average from 2000 rubles per 15 kg container. In Kyiv, the price of Venetian relief plaster starts at around 500 hryvnias for 15 kg. Premium Venetian plaster with a polished marble effect is produced, for example, under the brand TREVIGNANO.

Venetian Relief Plaster, Video:

Textured plaster allows for various visual effects. Seamless texture is another advantage of this type of finish. Depending on how the texture is achieved, plaster can be grouped into several categories:

• Textured plaster – ready-made decorative plaster where the relief does not need to be created manually. After application with a trowel, roller, sprayer, or other tool, and drying, the plaster naturally develops texture, for example, pebble mosaic plaster.
• Structural plaster – mostly white plaster, where texture is achieved through specific techniques, and color is added via tinting, for example, 'Old Castle' plaster.

Applying decorative plaster can be done by DIYers, but the more complex the desired pattern, the higher the likelihood that professional help is needed.

Textured plaster, priced in Moscow from around 300 rubles per dry mix pack (facade coroed), starts from about 80 hryvnias in Kyiv. Decorative plasters for interior use cost more and are typically sold as ready-to-use mixtures. One of the more expensive interior textured coatings, mimicking the Mediterranean style, is the RIVIERA decorative plaster.

Textured Plaster, Video:

Decorative plaster is not the only unique finishing option. As noted above, you can also create a plaster panel.

Options are numerous: from scenes of ancient life to abstract designs and exotic birds. Additionally, as an elegant decorative option, fresco painting on fresh plaster is returning to fashion. However, fresco painting on plaster is not inexpensive – it is an elite home finishing choice.

Custom plaster artwork creates an atmosphere unmatched by any other. Frescoes on fresh plaster often decorate large classic-style living rooms, while a small fresco can be the highlight of a bedroom.

Fresco Painting on Fresh Plaster and Relief Plaster, Real-Life Images:

Photo 1 — Decorative Plaster

Photo 2 — Plaster Panel

Photo 3 — Fresco