Under the mysterious term Tadelakt hides a special wall design from the Orient. This has now also arrived in Europe and is a real trendsetter among plasters. It takes a lot of time and patience until it really shines and makes every wall a real masterpiece.

Tadelakt originally comes from Marrakech in Morocco and is painstakingly produced there by hand. The plaster is a lime plaster, more precisely shell lime. And it has some fundamental advantages over the local variants. It is very glossy, totally robust and even waterproof. Therefore, it is suitable for wet rooms as well as for any other area.

Work with tadelakt begins

What makes the whole thing not quite so easy is the time it takes before complete wall areas shine in the new look. At least a month, to be precise. But let’s take it one step at a time. First, the powder must be obtained and mixed with water. This should be done in such a way that the plaster can be easily applied to the wall, is not too liquid and in any case does not show any lumps. Soak the finished mixture should be 24 hours. Only then will it have the right consistency. If you like, you can then add color pigments to get the desired wall tone. About four kilos of tadelakt are needed for one square meter of finished wall surface. Experts advise to plan about one day for four to five square meters of finished surface. Accordingly, it can be cost-intensive. Patience is also required until the finished result.

It depends on the right tool for tadelakt

The application on the wall is done with a rubbing board. This creates a layer between three and five millimeters thick. Then the plaster must be smoothed, preferably with a so-called Venetian trowel. It is important to press evenly so that the layer ends up being the same thickness everywhere. A polishing stone is then required. This should be made of hard ceramic. This is rubbed in circular motions over the freshly applied surface to expertly compact the plaster underneath. It takes a bit of practice and dexterity to get the whole thing really even.

Tadelakt and its many advantages

The advantages of Tadelakt can be seen in its special surface. Namely, the mineral glossy plaster is absolutely waterproof at the end of treatment. This is one reason why it is so popular, especially for use in wet rooms. To get it really waterproof you need a soap based on olive oil. The soap is applied to the plaster in circular movements at the end of the drying phase. The oil in it reacts with the lime and in a way seals it. A mixture of 1:20 with water is recommended. This makes it completely waterproof. As soon as Tadelakt comes into contact with water, the surface darkens noticeably. As soon as the plaster dries again, the color of the surface also becomes light again as usual. Particularly in the case of heavily used surfaces, signs of wear can naturally appear over time. But this is quite attractive and does not detract from the beauty of the whole.

Patience is required!

Speaking of demolition. Anyone who thinks that after one or two days the wall design is done, will be disappointed. After 2 days have passed for mixing and applying, but now patience is required again. After the olive oil soap is also applied with the help of a brush and subsequent treatment with the polishing stone, it takes at least a month for the tadelakt to dry out completely. During this time, it constantly changes its appearance, especially if you have previously mixed it with color pigments. So the whole thing is not for hectic people, but for connoisseurs it is a real design element. Beautiful, shiny, practical and changeable like no other plaster.

Image copyright: jehoede