The Problem With Plaster
Plaster...
It gives us clean contemporary lines, which we can do a multitude of things with from paint, wallpaper and tiles. For many builders its a dream because its quick to install and relatively cheap, however with over 300,000 tonnes of wasted Gypsum per annum (the main ingredient of Plaster and plasterboard) and plasterboard in the construction industry alone per year it’s not the most environmentally friendly finish available.
Waste from the manufacturing process of Gypsum is estimated to be around 500 tonnes.
This contributes towards the colossal amount of 500,000 to 1 million tonnes of waste created by demolitions and refurbishments of buildings in the UK.
As well as all the wastage the process of making Gypsum has a huge detrimental effect on the environment. Fossil fuels and CO2 is often used in large quantities and the extraction of natural Gypsum before it is processed and used in the production of plasterboard also required a huge amount of energy and then there is the distribution of the materials to consider!
The paper layer of plasterboard is also reputed to increase the levels of toxicity in the surrounding areas of production, including the close water courses.
So why do we go straight for the plastered finish?
The obvious reason is…. its just because that’s what we know!
So what are the alternatives?
The obvious choice for us is to produce buildings, which celebrate one of the most sustainable materials we have available to us.
Wood. Beautiful, natural, simple, wood.
(You can even paint it if you really want a clean White wall!)