What is Tadelakt?
Tadelakt refers to a Maroccan lime plaster. The word Tadelakt actually comes from the arabic verb 'to rub in' because the lime plaster is not waterproof when you have applied it, you need to rub it in with soap!
The soap chemically reacts with the chalk ('Lime') and forms 'Calcium soap', this soap doesn't solve in water and becomes hard.
To prevent holes in the calcium soap layer you need to close all cracks and big pores in the lime plaster. To do this the plaster is made glossy by rubbing it with a smooth stone.
The soap chemically reacts with the chalk ('Lime') and forms 'Calcium soap', this soap doesn't solve in water and becomes hard.
To prevent holes in the calcium soap layer you need to close all cracks and big pores in the lime plaster. To do this the plaster is made glossy by rubbing it with a smooth stone.
How to apply tadelakt
To apply Tadelakt you need to be a very precise and it is very labour intensive.
It needs quite some exercise to be able to make a 100% watertight finish and you also have to apply it in one go, because whenever the tadelakt dries is will leave a visible seam when you continue next to it. For this reason it's advised to stop at the edge of a wall or object.
Step 1: Preparing the mix
First you need to put the lime under water for about half a day. This will create a full connection between the water and the chalk, needed for a perfect hardening of the lime.
Step 2: Adding colour
When the chalk is fully soaked with water you can add colour pigments to the mix. make sure to mix it well as different saturations in the mix will be visible when applied and in worst case could cause cracks due to difference in drying time.
Step 3: Applying the Tadelakt lime
Tadelakt can be applied like any other lime plaster. You need to ensure the subsoil is porous and stable (no movement, shrinking or expanding!).
When the subsurface is smooth and few porous, you can use a sticky plaster to roughen it up and make it more porous.
Tadelakt is applied in one layer only and without seams or sharp edges.
To apply any lime render you need to use a wooden or stainless steel trowel. An iron trowel will cause a reaction with the lime, turning it black.
Step 4: Compacting the render
When the render is 'leather dry' (feels like leather), you can compress the lime with a stiff trowel (push it hard!). Traditionally a flat stone was used to do this.
Afterwards a flexible (japonese) throwel or plastic throwel can be used to smoothen out the surface.
Step 5: Polish... Polish and polish some more...
Now you can start polishing the surface with a hard smooth stone. This is one of the mosy labour intensive parts of the process
Step 6: Soap
Finally when the tadelakt has fully dried, you can saturate it with (olive oil) soap
Maintenance
Depending on the use you can polish the Tadelakt about every year with soap.
Be sure not to let the render come in contact with acid products!!! (lemon, chemicall cleaning products, etc.)
It needs quite some exercise to be able to make a 100% watertight finish and you also have to apply it in one go, because whenever the tadelakt dries is will leave a visible seam when you continue next to it. For this reason it's advised to stop at the edge of a wall or object.
Step 1: Preparing the mix
First you need to put the lime under water for about half a day. This will create a full connection between the water and the chalk, needed for a perfect hardening of the lime.
Step 2: Adding colour
When the chalk is fully soaked with water you can add colour pigments to the mix. make sure to mix it well as different saturations in the mix will be visible when applied and in worst case could cause cracks due to difference in drying time.
Step 3: Applying the Tadelakt lime
Tadelakt can be applied like any other lime plaster. You need to ensure the subsoil is porous and stable (no movement, shrinking or expanding!).
When the subsurface is smooth and few porous, you can use a sticky plaster to roughen it up and make it more porous.
Tadelakt is applied in one layer only and without seams or sharp edges.
To apply any lime render you need to use a wooden or stainless steel trowel. An iron trowel will cause a reaction with the lime, turning it black.
Step 4: Compacting the render
When the render is 'leather dry' (feels like leather), you can compress the lime with a stiff trowel (push it hard!). Traditionally a flat stone was used to do this.
Afterwards a flexible (japonese) throwel or plastic throwel can be used to smoothen out the surface.
Step 5: Polish... Polish and polish some more...
Now you can start polishing the surface with a hard smooth stone. This is one of the mosy labour intensive parts of the process
Step 6: Soap
Finally when the tadelakt has fully dried, you can saturate it with (olive oil) soap
Maintenance
Depending on the use you can polish the Tadelakt about every year with soap.
Be sure not to let the render come in contact with acid products!!! (lemon, chemicall cleaning products, etc.)
What are polished plasters?
When Tadelakt plaster became more and more popular, several manufacturers decided to create their own waterproof lime render.
There are many available on the market.
At hamadryad we decided to use one of these: Stuc 'N Floor, 100% natural and manufactured in Belgium.
Polished plasters are usually easier to apply than tadelakt and you'll have a higher probability of making it 100% waterproof.
It can easily be applied by any 'handy person' without having much experience.
There are many available on the market.
At hamadryad we decided to use one of these: Stuc 'N Floor, 100% natural and manufactured in Belgium.
Polished plasters are usually easier to apply than tadelakt and you'll have a higher probability of making it 100% waterproof.
It can easily be applied by any 'handy person' without having much experience.
How to apply a polished plaster
Different polished plasters have different ways of aplying. We will describe the application of our Stuc 'n Floor render:
Step 1: Applying a sticky lime render if necessary
To have a good adherence you can apply a render that will stick on just about anything. We used a render named Cappotto.
This can be applied with a stainless steel throwel and needs to be nice and smooth. After application it is advisable to scratch the layer with a scratch throwel.
Step 2: Applying a water repellent subsoil with netting
By applying a base render rich on puzzolaan / Tras you can allready ensure a good water repellent property of your wall. We chose to use a chalk named Intonaco.
This render is applied the same way as the capotto. You can put two layers, each of no more than 8mm of thickness. Between nboth layers you can put a glass fibre netting to prevent cracking of the final layer.
The second layer should be roughened up with a textured paint roller.
Step 3: Applying Stuc 'n Floor polished render
Before applying the stuc 'n floor render the previous layer needs to be fully dry (usually allready after a few hours).
You now have to rub your throwel against the rough surface of the Intonaco render to chop off the sharp spikes.
Next you can start applying the Stuc 'n floor render. Don't put more than 4mm of thickness and take good care everything is nice, smooth and covered. Don't stop in the middle of the wall as this will leave a visual seam. Usually this render is also applied in two thin layers. Always let the previous layer fully dry.
Step 4: Polishing
When the last Stuc 'n Floor layer is 'leather dry' you can use a throwel (preferably a flexible japonese one) to polish the surface. This is however not necessary!
Step 5: Soap
Finally, just like tadelakt you need to rub soap into the render to create a hard and fully watertight surface!
Step 1: Applying a sticky lime render if necessary
To have a good adherence you can apply a render that will stick on just about anything. We used a render named Cappotto.
This can be applied with a stainless steel throwel and needs to be nice and smooth. After application it is advisable to scratch the layer with a scratch throwel.
Step 2: Applying a water repellent subsoil with netting
By applying a base render rich on puzzolaan / Tras you can allready ensure a good water repellent property of your wall. We chose to use a chalk named Intonaco.
This render is applied the same way as the capotto. You can put two layers, each of no more than 8mm of thickness. Between nboth layers you can put a glass fibre netting to prevent cracking of the final layer.
The second layer should be roughened up with a textured paint roller.
Step 3: Applying Stuc 'n Floor polished render
Before applying the stuc 'n floor render the previous layer needs to be fully dry (usually allready after a few hours).
You now have to rub your throwel against the rough surface of the Intonaco render to chop off the sharp spikes.
Next you can start applying the Stuc 'n floor render. Don't put more than 4mm of thickness and take good care everything is nice, smooth and covered. Don't stop in the middle of the wall as this will leave a visual seam. Usually this render is also applied in two thin layers. Always let the previous layer fully dry.
Step 4: Polishing
When the last Stuc 'n Floor layer is 'leather dry' you can use a throwel (preferably a flexible japonese one) to polish the surface. This is however not necessary!
Step 5: Soap
Finally, just like tadelakt you need to rub soap into the render to create a hard and fully watertight surface!