Rotband plaster: instructions for use

Building materials by the German manufacturer Knauf have been leading the sales list on the Russian market for several years already. One of the most demanded products is the Rotband plaster. The instructions for using this material are simple and understandable even for a beginner, the technical characteristics of the plaster are at a height, and the German quality speaks for itself.

Knauf "Rotband" plaster has earned the recognition of renovation professionals and newbies for many reasons. It is noteworthy that the approach to the selection of raw materials for the manufacture of their products from the founders of the company is purely professional. The Knauf brothers are mining builders by profession. For many years, they tried to find a material that would be of high quality, economical and easy to work with, and settled on plaster.

A large amount of this mineral in the composition of the plaster provides all its unique properties and advantages:

• The plaster mix "Rotband" is distinguished by a carefully thought-out composition. Its basis is a finely dispersed powder from a quarry gypsum. Components of natural origin are added to it, which increase the elasticity, the ability of the solution to retain moisture longer, adhesion to the working surface and strength.
• Moisture-retaining components in the composition protect the layer from cracking after application to the wall or ceiling.
• Multifunctional material for repair. It copes with many tasks and allows you to close up deep targets, align walls with curvature differences up to 5 cm in one go, prevent heat loss, improve sound insulation in a room, prepare the surface of walls and ceilings for decorative finishing, perform decorative finishing itself and even restoration work.

• The instructions for use are accurate and understandable, therefore Knauf "Rotband" is suitable for professional use and do-it-yourself repairs. Numerous reviews confirm that repairs with materials from the Rotband line are not at all difficult.
• The plaster mix is ​​universal. It fits best on relatively flat concrete, cement or cement-plastered surfaces, but is also suitable for working on other substrates. In particular, brick walls and porous materials, which are characterized by high moisture absorption, drywall, DSP and OSB boards. It copes well with leveling and finishing walls in old rooms and on bases that have repeatedly undergone cosmetic repairs.

• Thanks to the work of the production concern at the international level, the products comply with European quality standards recognized in any country, and are adapted to the climatic conditions of different countries, including the difficult Russian climate.
• The plaster coating is durable and durable in dry and damp rooms. It is suitable for the decoration of bathrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, if special compounds are used to protect the plaster.
• The mixture is able to "not conflict" in tandem with finishing materials from other manufacturers and is most effectively combined with products within its own line.

• The slurry is very malleable but does not run down the surface. It is convenient to use when finishing problem areas.
• It is not necessary to use a putty after applying the Rotband plaster.
• Gypsum is very economical when decorating walls and ceilings; it does not require as much as cement-sand mixtures. This saves both finances and time for renovation work.

• The thickness of one layer is plus or minus 50 millimeters. This is usually enough to level the wall in one go.
• The cured plaster coating is fire resistant.
• Gypsum plaster allows the wall to "breathe", which means that condensation will not form under the finishing material.
• Gypsum is a natural mineral substance. It does not cause allergic reactions and does not release toxins.

The disadvantages are also worth paying attention to. As many experts note, the solution may shrink slightly. This is important to consider when calculating the consumption of a substance and diluting it with water.

You can also get into trouble when trying to apply a second five-centimeter layer on the first one without a primer in between. Adhesion in this case is not up to par.

For beginners, material consumption can greatly exceed the figures indicated by the manufacturer. The mixture hardens on contact with air in less than an hour. You need to work very quickly.

They deserve special attention, since they determine the quality and service life of the material.

In addition to the already mentioned composition, such characteristics as packaging, storage, layer thickness, strength and density, color and size of fraction, time characteristics are taken into account.

The form of production of Rotband plaster is packaged bags of 5, 10, 25 and 30 kg. Five-kilogram packages are made of polyethylene and paper, heavier ones are made of paper only. Such packaging not only helps to keep the dry gypsum mixture suitable for use, but also provides information useful to the buyer. All packages have a brand distinctive mark - the stamp “German standard. Tested quality ". In addition, there is a marking with the time of packaging of the goods in the format: year, month, hour, seconds. On the outer layer of the package there is an embossing - stripes.

Paper or plastic containers are stored in a dry and ventilated place at a temperature not lower than 0 degrees and not higher than 25. It is advisable to prevent heating of the mixture and exposure to sunlight on the package.

Outside on the package there is an information table, which indicates the main characteristics. According to these data, the size of the fraction cannot exceed 1.2 mm. This indicator is important for the "fluidity" of the solution. The smaller the fraction, the more it "crawls" along the wall. The larger, the better it adheres to the wall and the higher the adhesion to the treated surface.

The color is not specified, but the manufacturer claims that it does not affect the performance of the plaster. The shade of gypsum does not depend on the addition of the dye, but on the place where it is mined. The finished solution can be colored white, gray or pinkish. White plaster comes to the market from German and Krasnodar factories, gray from Krasnogorsk, pinkish from Kolpino.

Time indicators are superimposed on each process separately. So, the solution “matures” after adding water in 3-7 minutes, remains liquid and suitable for work for 25-35 minutes, a thin layer dries up in 3-5 hours, and the thickest one - only in 7 days.

It is almost impossible to check the density and strength indicators on your own.

They regulate the maximum load on the plaster layer, and the manufacturer sets the following figures for the Rotband line:

• Density - 950 kg / cubic meter;
• Compressive strength - not less than 2.5 MPa;
• Bending strength - not less than one.

The last but most important characteristic is the consumption of the mixture per square meter. It deserves detailed consideration.

The condition of the working surfaces is different, and the material consumption is indicated as averaged - for a layer of 1 cm. The professionalism of the person performing the repair works also plays a role. Specialist painters can determine the required layer thickness as accurately as possible, but amateurs often think that more is better. Where it was possible to do with two centimeters of thickness, they impose a maximum, as a result, the flow rate increases greatly.

To avoid unnecessary time and financial costs, you need to correctly calculate the gypsum mixture per square meter.

This is done manually step by step:

• "Hanging" the walls. A perfectly flat surface is rather the exception than the rule, so you need to compare the height differences at least at three points. To do this, the length of the base of the wall is divided into three equal segments, in the middle of each segment, 20 cm from the ceiling, a nail is driven in, a cord with a load is tied to the nail. Below, at the point where the load stops, drive in another nail and fix the end of the cord. The same cord can be pulled along a horizontal line. This method allows you to accurately determine the differences in the curvature of the walls.

• Calculation of the arithmetic mean. This indicator will be equal to the required thickness of the plaster layer in order for the wall to become as even as possible. For example, if the wall is 9 meters long, three canopies were placed on it, and the deviations were 1, 2 and 3 centimeters, they must be added and divided by the number of canopies. In total, the total curvature gives 6 centimeters, and the leveling layer should be 2 cm.
• Calculation of material per 1 square meter. The package contains the minimum layer thickness per square meter. From these data, it is easy to get both the maximum and the average indicator. For example, with a layer thickness of 2 cm, you need to multiply the data from the information table by 2. For Rotband plaster, consumption per 1 sq. M. m at 1 cm is 8.5 kg. It turns out that for 2 you need 17 kg per meter.
• Calculation of the material for the entire area. 17 kg (another resulting number) must be multiplied by the wall area. For each surface, the calculation is carried out separately.

• Calculation of the number of packages of plaster. The total weight of the plaster must be divided by 5, 10, 25 or 30 (kg in 1 package). The larger the volume, the cheaper the price per kg, so it is better to focus on a large package.
• Stock of plaster. Even a manual calculation does not give a 100% accurate result. The number of bags of plaster required to renovate a room is always rounded up. At 10.5 - up to 11, at 12.5 - up to 13. If the number is even, an additional bag is purchased in the amount of 5-15% of the total mass.

For priming and decorative finishes following plastering, a completely dry and as smooth surface as possible is required.

The thickest layer of 5 cm dries for 7 full days. Based on this, you can make an approximate calculation of the time for drying a layer of 1 cm - from 24 to 34 hours. The exact figure depends on the thickness of the layer (1 cm will dry faster than 3) and the type of surface. On porous and highly absorbent walls (blocks of aerated concrete, brick), the plaster loses moisture faster and dries faster, on materials of medium absorbency (like drywall) the indicators are average, and on dense concrete bases the waiting time is maximum.

The technology of applying Rotband plaster is available to anyone. It is carried out in stages - from preparatory work to treatment with protective equipment.

Painting work without preliminary preparation - money and time down the drain. The room to be repaired must be freed of debris, if any, dry cleaning (remove construction dust) and damp cleaning. Clean walls or ceiling must be primed with a composition suitable for the type of surface in two layers after an interval of several hours.

It is recommended to protect the floor covering with a dense polyethylene filmfixing it with masking tape. This will eliminate the need to remove white plaster stains and cured drops of mortar from the floor.

For painting work, you will need several containers for water (pour into the plaster mixture, wash the tools) and a solution, a stepladder, a paint patch to pour in portions a solution for processing deep cracks, a trowel, half-graters, a grater, spatulas and a special tool called a rule.

A construction mixer is needed to mix the solution. A drill with a mixing attachment is also suitable.

It is also worth stocking up on work clothes, comfortable shoes, gloves. When plastering the ceiling, use a respirator, goggles and a hat or kerchief to protect hair.

When the second coat of primer is dry (after about 24 hours), it's time to start finishing directly. Old brickwork, porous materials and wood with good absorbency can be primed in three thin coats.

Mixing of the solution is carried out in a plastic container. Use clean water at room temperature and a mixer or drill. It is necessary to strictly follow the manufacturer's recommendations on the temperature and amount of liquid and thoroughly mix the gypsum mass until smooth.

The solution is infused for up to 10 minutes, then they begin to apply. For sealing deep cracks and forming pyramid beacons on the wall, it is prepared in a small amount separately so that the rest of the mass does not freeze.

There are several ways to apply Rotband plaster: in 1 step, in 3 steps and on beacons.

For application in one step, the wall must be sufficiently flat and not problematic. In this case, the ready-made solution is collected on a trowel and applied to the wall from bottom to top, retreating from it a distance equal to the thickness of the layer. Thus, the entire area is covered.

The layered version is intended for difficult surfaces that need additional reinforcement.

In total, three layers are applied:

• "Splash" - a liquid solution of minimum thickness;
• "Soil" - the main layer, the thickness of which is 3-4 cm. If necessary, a paint net is "embedded" into it for reinforcement;
• "Cover" is a thin finishing layer that evens out the surface of the wall and mesh.

Further, several options are possible. If the wall is already flat, then treat the cover with putty before decorative finishing; if there are still defects, prime the cover and reapply the plaster with one layer of the required thickness.

It is started when the plaster has already "grabbed" but has not completely hardened. A paint float is applied to the wall and begin to process from left to right in a circular motion.

To carry out the work with high quality, using the plaster "Rotband", professional advice for beginners will help:

• it is always worth purchasing material with a margin;
• do not dilute a lot of solution at once;
• add water to the dry mixture, and not vice versa, and do not pour in the entire recommended volume at once;
• work in a dry room, observing the temperature regime from +5 to +25;

• take into account in advance whether the plaster will perform a decorative function and apply a relief already in the process of plastering;
• use two coats of high-quality primer;
• before applying the plaster, remove all metal elements from the wall or paint over in 2 layers with white enamel;
• do not try to speed up the drying process with heat fans and heaters - the moisture will evaporate too quickly and the surface may crack.

You can find out how to level the ceiling and walls with your own hands from the video below.