3..2 Wall finishes

3.2.1 Case study

Plastering, wall tiles and paint are used as wall finishes in the case study.

Plastering

The plaster used was a lime plaster, which generally has been superseded by gypsum plaster.

The disadvantages of lime plastering are:-

• Drying shrinkage, which causes cracking

• Slow drying-out process, which can take several weeks, causing delay for the following trades

• Need to apply lime plaster in several coats, usually termed render, float and set, to reduce the amount of shrinkage.

Glazed Wall Tiles

Two processes used in the manufacture of these hard glazed tiles.

First, the body or ‘biscuit’ tile is made from materials such as china clay, ball clay, flint and limestone, which are mixed by careful processes into a fine powder before being heavily pressed into the required shape and size. The tile is then fired at a temperature of approximately of up 150°C.

Second, glazing is applied in the form of a mixed liquid consisting of fine particles of glaze and water.

Tiles are fixed with a suitable adhesive, which can be of thin bed of mastic adhesive or a bed of a cement-based adhesive; the former requires a flat surface such as mortar screed.

Ceramic or glazed tiles are considered to be practically inert; therefore careful selection of the right adhesive to suit the backing and final condition is essential.

Glazed tiles can be cut easily using the same method as employed for glass.

Types of wall	location	Wall finishes
Tiles wall	Dry Kitchen Wet kitchen	1 500mm high ceramic tiles
Tiles wall	Bathroom	C eramic tiles to ceiling height
Plaster wall	Other internal walls	P laster and emulsion paint
Plaster wall	External walls	P laster and weather resistant paint

3.3 Roof finishes

Type of roof	location	Roof finishes
Concrete roof	Main structure	Concrete roofing tiles
Asphalt roof	Car porch	Fibreglass asphalt roof
Framing	Roof frame	Metal roof trusses Reinforced concrete frame

Roof finisher car porch

Concrete roofing tiles

3.4 Ceiling finishes

Location	Finishes for ceiling
Car porch	P laster ceiling
Bedroom1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom3 Bedroom4 Family area	P laster ceiling
Bathroom1 Bathroom2 Bathroom3 Bathroom4	Plaster ceiling
All other area	Skim coat