The loft style interior is currently one of the most popular in the world. Residential and commercial premises are decorated with simple and multifunctional furniture, combining old stairs, unlined pipes with mirrors, and modern appliances. The result is a stylish interior for a relatively small amount of money.
A characteristic feature of the industrial style is the decoration of the walls with rough plaster, which imitates the rough texture of concrete. The advantage of a decorative coating for concrete is the ability to independently create a relief. It is worth remembering that in order to imitate concrete on a wall, you must choose high-quality materials and strictly adhere to the stages of their application.
Features of concrete effect plaster
An imitation of a concrete wall, depending on the designer’s idea, can become the main accent in the room or an unobtrusive background for interior elements. It is better to combine concrete-look plaster with wooden furniture, metal lamps, and brick partitions. If desired, you can add dyes of various tones to the composition to obtain a coating with a more delicate or, conversely, cool color.
Among the advantages of textured concrete-effect plaster are the following:
- easy application - the solution is quite plastic, so working with it is easy;
- high aesthetic characteristics - this type of cladding will allow you to create an exquisite interior in the loft style, minimalism;
- various decorative solutions - depending on the type, plaster can reproduce smooth and rough concrete surfaces in any shade of gray;
- excellent thermal conductivity - this allows you to reduce the cost of heating the room;
- high degree of adhesion to any surface - the mixture has good adhesion to stone, brick, metal, etc.
If you want to create the effect of concrete on the wall in the bathroom, corridor, hallway, then decorative plaster is an ideal option. It is not afraid of humidity, temperature changes, and is resistant to mechanical stress, so it is suitable for rooms with high traffic and high levels of moisture.
Wooden decor for walls in loft style
The industrial style is also “friendly” with wooden coverings, but they need to be used in doses. Too much wood will take the interior into a chalet or country style. Although wood is a traditional material for a loft, it is important to maintain a balance between the more traditional ways of decorating walls for a loft and wood that is not so familiar to walls. Wood textures domesticate the loft, while more familiar brick and concrete add the necessary brutality. In addition to aesthetic value, panels made from solid natural wood have other advantages: they provide the necessary thermal barrier and sound insulation; behind them you can hide electrical equipment, curvature of walls and other defects. Although there is no need to hide them in the loft, this functionality can be useful for a “soft” loft. The following is used as wood decor:
- barn boards
- decorative panels
- wooden sheathing
- saw cuts and slabs
Where is decorative plaster applied to concrete?
This coating is an original design option for an apartment in the loft style. Its high performance indicators allow you to implement bold ideas in areas such as the shower room and kitchen. Using various techniques, it is possible to create coatings that highly accurately imitate the texture of cellular or smooth concrete, formwork, and concrete slabs. A wide variety of colors are possible: light gray tones, dark, almost black.
There is no need to fill the entire space with the concrete effect. Painting one or more walls will be enough to make a nice accent.
Industrial trends in the interior look good in buildings with large areas. A concrete base can become an excellent background on which multi-colored drawings are successfully placed, decorations in the form of sconces, wooden shelves with multi-colored components are placed. Such moments diversify the concrete surface with living colors and make it rich.
Designers are happy to use the material to design:
- conference rooms;
- hotel lobbies;
- company offices;
- cafe;
- restaurants.
How to create the effect of clean concrete
You can create the effect of concrete on a wall using many finishing materials that are tinted with appropriate coatings, but there are specially developed compositions for plastering under concrete. The Concret Art mixture from San Marco creates the effect of a concrete surface. It can be used for both ceilings and walls. Surface drying time is about half an hour; application of the second layer is possible after 6 hours after the first coating of the walls. The amount of time for complete drying may vary depending on the thickness of the coating layer applied.
Tips for using Concret Art decorative plaster:
- easy to apply with a spatula; for leveling it is better to use a steel trowel;
- consumption per square meter is 0.8-1.2 kg;
- after grinding, a smooth surface with the effect of concrete is obtained;
- If desired, protective paint or glazing compounds can be applied to the plaster, but after this the surface will shine. If you are still trying to create the effect of rough concrete, it is better to leave the wall a matte color.
San Marco concrete plaster is strong, durable, moisture resistant, and is well suited for finishing curved surfaces. The paste composition is already ready for use. It is enough to prepare the necessary tools and surface for applying the composition. Thanks to this type of material, you can achieve the effect of pure concrete. To do this, you need to master a special technique for applying the composition.
Using a steel trowel, you need to apply strokes on the wall, directed in different directions. Thus, it is necessary to cover the entire wall or the entire ceiling with a uniform layer of about 0.5 millimeters. During the drying process, it is better to smooth the surface with a wet sponge so that after drying a characteristic pattern appears. If in some places the mass does not lie flat enough, this can be corrected using fine-grained sandpaper.
Composition of the plaster mixture
Manufacturers offer ready-made plaster mixtures in various versions. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups: microcement and microconcrete. Both categories contain:
- Finely ground cement;
- Seeded sand of minimum fraction, cleared of impurities;
- Polymer additives that give the compositions specific properties.
In addition to the listed components, microconcrete contains mineral additives of a slightly larger fraction.
The ingredients are usually indicated on the packaging. The manufacturer's recommendations, rules for preparing the surface, mixing the mixture and applying plaster are also written there.
Examples of wall textures “like concrete” Source o-remonte.com
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in finishing materials.
How to create a lime plaster effect
The gray coating Intonachino Minerale (Intonachino Minerale) from the San Marco brand will help create the effect of lime plaster on the wall. This mineral building material consists of airy lime with the addition of quartz sand, which allows you to achieve various decorative techniques. The company produces this type of coating in two versions: with grains of sand with a diameter of 0.7 millimeters (GF series) and particles of a slightly larger fraction - 1.4 millimeters (GM series).
It’s worth choosing the cladding depending on what result you want to see on the wall. If the structure should resemble porous shell rock, it is better to opt for fine-grained plaster. If you need to get a multifaceted texture that will be more similar to chipped oak bark, you should take a closer look at the GM series
Properties of textured plaster Intonachino Minerale:
- the first layer dries in about 2-3 hours, the next layer must be applied after 6 hours;
- due to its moisture resistance, the material can be used in bathrooms and kitchens;
- the plaster does not fade or lose its original appearance, and is resistant to mechanical damage (which is why pet owners often buy it);
- Available in finished form in containers of 1 kg and 25 kg.
To apply the composition, use a stainless steel or plastic trowel or a sponge roller. Consumption depends on the grain size: the smaller the diameter of the sand, the more mass is required. The material is applied in a thin layer. As soon as the composition begins to dry, you need to smooth the surface with a special sponge, creating the effect of ancient plaster.
How to create the effect of marble plaster
By imitating a concrete wall with your own hands, you can create the effect of aged marble by using Marmo Antico textured plaster. It allows you to reproduce the structure of massive marble slabs with characteristic chippings. Manufacturer San Marco produces this type of product in packages of two sizes: 1 kilogram and 25 kilogram.
Marmo Antico textured plaster has the following advantages:
- the mineral base is environmentally friendly, so it is suitable not only for external, but also for interior decoration;
- is not afraid of moisture, it can be washed;
- surface drying of the first layer occurs in just 2-3 hours;
- the mass is already ready for application;
- will last for many years and will not lose its appearance over time.
The mineral wall coating is applied in two layers with a stainless steel trowel. The second layer can be applied only after the first has completely dried (after approximately 6 hours). Consumption - about 2.5 - 3 kilograms per square meter. The plaster is applied in even thin layers, as soon as the material begins to dry, it is necessary to fill the porous areas for a smoother surface. Before it dries completely, you need to have time to run a steel trowel over the plaster in order to get the characteristic veins of aged marble. Afterwards the surface is smoothed.
Depending on what effect you want to achieve in the end, the plaster is coated with glaze paint. For example, after applying Cadoro Velvet the wall will have a slight pearlescent sheen, and after Roxidan it will have a patina (copper coating). If you need to get additional surface protection without excess shine, it is better to purchase Velature silicone varnish. It prevents the appearance of mold, gives the coating a matte finish, and can be tinted.
If you want to buy plaster for concrete, but don’t know how to choose it correctly and how much composition is needed to cover the walls or ceiling, contact our specialists for advice. To do this, call the phone number listed on the website or write by email. Our managers will help you select the required amount of plaster and advise you on applying the composition to the walls or ceiling yourself.
Glass blocks
This is a fairly common material in both civil and industrial construction. In loft, glass blocks are used not only as a translucent structure, but also as a decorative element of the wall structure. Considering that the style includes large windows, a wall or part of it made of glass blocks can become the main style accent for a room without windows.
Stages of applying plaster for concrete
The stages of applying plaster imitating concrete must be performed in the following sequence:
- alignment;
- cleaning;
- primer;
- applying the base layer;
- smoothing;
- applying a second layer (if necessary);
- adding texture before drying;
- smoothing;
- application of a protective coating.
Before applying decorative plaster, it is necessary to properly prepare the surface. To do this, level the walls, because the concrete composition will not hide too noticeable surface imperfections, for example, depressions or, conversely, bulges on the wall. After leveling, you need to start cleaning: remove dust and dirt that may affect the adhesion of the plaster to the surface.
Priming the walls is a fairly important step in preparing walls for applying plaster, so it should not be skipped. Thanks to the primer, the decorative layer will have better adhesion to the surface, which prevents the product from falling off. The mixture, which is applied as a base layer before plastering, must contain quartz sand.
The first layer of textured plaster is applied using a trowel and evenly distributed over the entire area in a thin layer. It must be applied using the cape method, starting from the bottom of the wall. After an hour, the surface to be treated is smoothed in a circular motion, if one layer is enough, until it dries with a stiff brush, spatula, or trowel to give the effect of concrete. If a second coat is needed, then the first coat should be smooth and the second coat textured.
Remember: the more complex the pattern, the more layers of plaster will have to be applied. In this case, each layer should be as thin as possible so as not to weigh down the wall.
As soon as the plaster begins to set, the structure is smoothed out and the protruding tops are removed. This creates the effect of polished concrete. After the composition has completely dried, the surface can be treated with glazing paint or decorative wax.
Decoration
The most trivial solution is to paint the loft walls. When maintaining style, you should choose soft colors - gray, pale red, brown or blue. For small rooms it is better to choose lighter shades, while spacious rooms are in perfect harmony with dark tones. There is no need to be afraid to experiment and add a little brutality by applying paint unevenly, with rough strokes.
The exclusive decor of the loft walls is of no small importance. These could be designer lamps, various intricate decoration elements with clear geometric shapes, or paintings in an avant-garde style. You can install LED backlighting by placing the light source below. As for the incidence of light on the surface, this will emphasize the texture and add a significant amount of romanticism.
You can also decorate the loft walls with household items or rare details. For example, you can hang an old cast iron frying pan in the dining area. An open shelf with an antique iron or a handmade souvenir standing on it will look good. In this regard, the options are practically unlimited. It should be remembered that the style does not tolerate overloading of decor, therefore all decorations used should not be at the expense of spatiality and freedom of creativity.
The best option would be to turn to professionals, presenting them with your vision. Designers will create a design project for the interior of the apartment, and real specialists will turn the idea into reality, taking into account all the wishes of the customer.
Tools needed to simulate a concrete wall
To create the effect of a concrete wall using decorative plaster, the following tools are needed:
- metal trowel - necessary for applying the composition without joints and leveling it, also suitable for creating some decorative effects. The catalog of the Sanmarco-Vernici online store presents trowels from the Pavan company. You can choose a stainless steel tool with a wooden, plastic or rubberized handle, sizes 200*80, 240*100;
- stone sponge - used for applying glaze coating;
- a metal brush made of thin wire - necessary to create a shading effect;
- mat - to create roughness;
- spatula - for applying coating in places hard to reach with a trowel, forming a pattern, applying material to the trowel;
- level - to level the surface.
Safety precautions
Before starting work, personnel are instructed on safety precautions and working with paints and varnishes and equipment. It is mandatory to use personal protective equipment - overalls, goggles, respirators, rubber gloves.
If concrete painting will be carried out at height, the reliability of hanging cradles and scaffolding should be checked before work. Overloading structures in order to quickly complete work is unacceptable. If workers rise to a height of more than 6 m, a protective flooring is installed on the ground . The area where painting is carried out is fenced off.
In case of electric shock, injury, or contact of solutions with mucous membranes, consult a doctor immediately.
