Building Construction

Engineering
CE-120
Lecture 09
Surface Rendering
 Also known as surface finishing and surface treatments. It is the art of treating the masonry
surface with a suitable material in order to make it:
 Weather resistant
 Decorative
 Control acoustics
 There are various type of surface rendering of masonry walls
 Plastering
 Pointing
 White washing and color washing
 Distempering and painting
 Tiling
 Terrazzo work
Plastering
It is wet mix of suitable material applied to masonry work as a finish to
fill in any irregularities in the surface and to provide a smooth surface.
Requirements of good plasters are the following:
It should firmly adhere to the surface
It should not contract volume while drying and setting
It should have good insulation
It should have good fire resistance
The plastered surface should be smooth, non-absorbent and washable
It should have good impact (It should defect with hitting furniture) and abrasion
resistance
Plastering
Types of Plaster
Plaster may be classified as:
Cement Plaster
Lime Plaster
Mud Plaster
Stucco Plaster
Mughal Plaster
Terrazzo Plaster
Cement Plaster
It is obtained by mixing fine aggregate(usually sand) with Portland
cement and water in ratio ranging from 1:2 to 1:3 for fine plastering
and 1:5 to 1:8 for general plastering of walls
The sand used in the plaster work shall preferably coarse, free from
clay and organic contents.
Cement plaster is ideal for external finishing. It is also used for
internal rendering of buildings. It is specially suited for damp
conditions i.e. bathrooms, kitchen etc
Cement Plaster
Thickness of cement plaster varies from 10 to 15mm.
Following are the steps followed in cement plaster work. Details can
be seen in 14.4.1 of Arora
1. Surface preparation
2. Screed work
3. Mortar Mixing
4. Plaster application
5. Curing
Lime plaster
In case of lime plaster the fine aggregate may be sand or surkhi (brick
powder)
Hence, this plaster can be lime-sand plaster or lime-surkhi plaster.
Lime plaster is rarely used in Pakistan. For historical building lime-surkhi
mortar is used
In case of lime-sand plaster, the proportion is usually, 1 part of lime and 2
parts of sand/surkhi
Thickness of lime plaster varies from 20 to 25 mm
Lime plaster may be applied in one, two or three coats. Lime plaster in
the final coat is made with richer mix than the first and second coats.
Lime plaster
Lime plastering is suitable for internal rendering of buildings, but it is
not commonly adopted these days
Following are the steps followed in lime plaster work. Details can be
seen in 14.4.2 of Arora
1. Surface Preparation
2. Application of first coat
3. Application of second coat
4. Application of final/finishing coat
Mud Plaster
Mud plaster is prepared by mixing soil with water
Sand(usually 10%) cement(usually 10%) locally available straws and
cow dung may be added to strength and stabilize the mortar against
weathering actions
Mud plaster is usually applied on adobe(sun-dried brick masonry)
wall surface in rural areas
In rural areas mud plaster is usually applied hand without using
towels and floats
Mud Plaster
Following steps are followed in plaster work
1. Surface preparation
2. Mud mortar mixing
3. Application of mud plaster with wooden float
4. Tamping after 24 hours for compaction and filling of joints
5. After tamping, water is sprinkled and the surface is polished with steel float
6. Finally the surface is given a wash of fine earth, cow-dung and cement
usually in 3:2:1
Pointing
Application of lime or cement mortar to masonry joint on surface of
the wall is known as pointing
Pointing is usually applied on external surface of wall
The joints are roughly filled during masonry work. These joints are
afterward neatly finished off to make them water tight.
Mortar used in pointing is richer than cement plaster mortar
Pointing
Pointing
The purpose of pointing is to:
To make the masonry joints water resistant
To improve the appearance of wall surface
Pointing is preferred over plastering when:
Smooth and even surface is not essential
Natural beauty of the material is required
The wall material has enough weather resistance
Workmanship of the masonry wall is neat & good
Types of Pointing
1.Weathered Pointing
In this type of pointing, the mortar
surface is made inclined by keeping
the upper surface about 12mm inside the
wall face while the bottom is kept flushed
with the wall
This pointing easily throw rain water out of wall surface
Types of Pointing
2.Struck Pointing
This is similar to weather pointing but with a reverse slope,
keeping the bottom surface inside the wall face while the
upper is kept flush with the wall surface.

3.Flush Pointing
The joints are filled flush with wall
surface
This is the most common and simplest type of pointing which
is economical and durable
It does not afford a lodging place for dust
Types of Pointing
4.V-grooved pointing
In this type a V-shaped groove is made
in the joints with special tool
It has a good appearance which is
generally

5.Keyed Pointing
In this type, the joint is first filled
up flush and then a circular piece
of steel tool is prepared and rubbed
in the middle of joint
Types of Pointing
6.Recessed Pointing
In this type, the face of the mortar
is pressed in the joint but keeping
the surface of mortar vertical within
the joints
This type of pointing is suitable for good quality masonry work with
edge and sharp corner
Types of Pointing
7.Tuck Pointing
In this type, the joint is first filled up
flush and then a square groove is
formed immediately in the center of
mortar joint
The joint is then filled or tucked with while lime putty
Types of Pointing
8.Beaded Pointing
In this type, the joint is filled with
mortar projecting from the
surface of wall
The shape of beaded pointing may be circular, v-shaped, or square
headed pointing is usually used for stone masonry
Washing
Washing is the application of lime water(i.e. quick lime mixed with
water) on smooth plastered surface to give it a pleasant effect. Wash
may be:
White wash(Without adding color)
Color wash(If color is added to lime)
Wash preparation
 White wash is prepared by mixing quick or fat lime mortar
 The quick lime is put in a container (heat resistant preferably steel)
Washing
Sufficient water is then poured in the container
When slaked, more water is added and stirred to get a mixture of
uniform consistency
The wash is then strained through coarse cloth or sieve in another
container
Acrylic, glue or rice water may be added to enhance the binding
power of wash
Color pigments are pigments are added in case of color wash
Washing
Surface preparation:
Surface should be cleaned, brushed and dried
Surface should be made smooth by a sand paper in order to develop
proper bond b/w the surface and wash
Large hole if any shall be filled with lime putty
In case of re-washing, the old surface shall be cleaned, scraped to
remove loose old wash and rubbed with sand paper
Washing
Application of wash:
Wash is applied in two or three thin coats with the help of brush. In
case if re-washing one coat may be sufficient
The coats are applied alternatively with vertical and horizontal
strokes of brush
Each coat should be allowed to dry before the application of the next
coat
In case of color wash on new surfaces, first coat is applied with white
wash and other two coats with color wash
Washing
Distempering
Distempering is a water-based paint consisting of powdered chalk,
coloring pigments and glue mixed in water
Ready to use distemper are available in market now-a-days. Only
water is added to obtain a mix of required consistency
Distemper is commonly used for surface treatment of interior wall
surface
Distempering
Surface Preparation
The plastered surface on which distemper is to be applied shall be dry
The surface is first cleaned and brushed
The surface is rubbed with a sand paper
A primer coat is applied to the wall surface which may consist of
white wash mixed with glue or readily available prime coat
Readily available wall putty is applied on the wall surface in two or
three thin coats. Each coat is applied with sand fine paper before
application of next coat
Distempering
Application of Distemper
After surface preparation two or three coats of distemper are applied on
the surface using a soft brush
Each coat should be allowed to dry before the application of the next
coat
On new surface of two or 3 coats may be required however for old
surface one coat may be sufficient
In each coat, distemper shall be applied vertical and then immediately
crossed off horizontal
As for as possible distemper should not be done in wet weather
Emulsion and plastic Emulsion
Emulsion is a water based washable paint. The main difference in
distemper and emulsion is the quality of acrylic
Plastic emulsion is used for exterior surface having high weather
resistance
Plastic Emulsion is commonly known as Weather shield
Distempering
Painting
Oil painting generally consists of four ingredient
Pigment: It is provided color and capacity to the paint. It is in the form of fine particles that are
dispersed not soluble. Pigments are dangerous which included lead, chromates, and asbestos
Binder is what hold everything together. Binder is usually linseed oil which is frequently mixed
with one or more other vegetables oil.
Solvent keeps their respective pigments and binders in solution and help them
penetrate deeply into the surface being painted. Thinner or petrol is used as solvent.
When the thinner is evaporating out of the paint the process is referred as drying
Additive are some additional ingredients added to the paint to improve its properties
Oil paint may have glossy or mat texture
Painting
Painting is the application of one or more coats of paint on wood, steel or plastered surface
to protect the surface from decay, rust and other weathering actions.
Surface preparation
The surface should be absolutely dry before application of paint.
The surface should be cleaned, rubbed and smoothened using sand paper
In woodwork knots shall be properly treated before application of paint
In steelwork rust shall be removed before application of paint
Application
After surface preparation, primer coat is applied which fill up small pores
Large pores are filled up with putty and then rubbed when dry with sand paper to get a smooth surface
Two or three coats of paint are the applied. Each coat must be allowed to dry before the next coat is
applied
Care must be taken that no brush mark is left on the finished surface
Painting
Tiling
 Tiles have been known to maintain their integrity for many years.
 Tiles are made from natural clay or manufactured from other ceramic materials, quarry stone or
metal.
 They are relatively thin in reaction to their facial area.
 Tiles can be textured, smooth, embossed, patterned, sculptured, or engraved and are available
glazed or unglazed.
 They are available in many types, sizes and shapes and can be cut into nearly any configuration
with tile-cutter.
 Tiles are burnt in kilns at very high temperature that result in a material that is tough, dense and
durable enough to be water-resistant.
 A tile is difficult to get stained, easy to clean and its color rarely façade.
 Tiles are suited to be used in nearly every facet of construction including all types of building.
 Interior usage of tile can be found being used in floors, walls, ceilings, fixtures and furnishings.
Tiling
Application
Tiles may be applied to the surface using:
 Ready to mix grout or organic adhesive( known as thin-set process)
 Thick layer cement-sand mortar; 1 to 2 inch for floors and ¾ to 1 inch for walls( known as
thick-set process)
Before application of tiles, the surface should be made rough either at the
time of plastering or at the time of tiling using mason’s hammer.
Care shall be taken to properly level and plumb the tile work.
Tiling
Terrazzo work
Modern day terrazzo is a mixture of mostly marble or granite chips, marble
powder, Portland cement and water or a synthetic resin
After this matrix has hardened but not completely cured the surface is ground or
chemically peeled to expose the aggregate, then polished to give a smooth finish
Terrazzo provides a dense, extremely durable, smooth surface controlled by the
size and color of the aggregates and binder.
Terrazzo work is mainly applied on floors, in dado and skirting.
Terrazzo can be:
Washed terrazzo
Grinded terrazzo
Non-washed non-grinded terrazzo
Terrazzo work
Mixing
As first step cement is dry mixed thoroughly with marble powder in equal proportions.
Then marble chips are added to the dry mix in proportion of one part of cement-
powder mix with one to two parts of marble chips
Water is then added and thoroughly mixed to get a mixture of uniform consistency
Application
The surface on which terrazzo is to be applied, shall be cleaned, rubbed and wetted.
After surface preparation cement-sand plaster is applied on wall, and the surface is
made rough.
When the plaster is sufficiently hardened, the terrazzo mix is dashed against the wall
with a trowel and pressed using wooden float to get a uniform surface, free from voids.
In case of non-grinded terrazzo the surface is made smooth with a steel float.
Terrazzo work
Terrazzo work
Terrazzo work