Types of Plaster Used on Drywall

Lime

• This type of plaster is used to bring back the old look of Venetian walls from years ago. It is time-consuming to achieve this look because it you must complete it in a two-step process. You must apply a Venetian lime to your drywall to get the Venetian look; then apply a coat of the lime with small trowels, and smooth it out with larger trowels. The finish on the drywall must be brushed, and then a sealer is used to finish the look.

Acoustic

• Acoustic drywall, also known as popcorn, is a common drywall plaster. The texture is a dry-bagged product that you mix with water to expand the small chips in the texture. The small chips are what gives the drywall a “popcorn” look. This type of texture is not hard to apply, but it is difficult to remove, as it makes a mess.

Orange Peel and Knockdown

• You spray these two types of plaster onto drywall by using a hopper sprayer. Orange peel plaster consists of thinned-down joint compound that is sprayed onto walls or ceilings. You can change the appearance of orange peel by using different-sized nozzles on the sprayer and standing closer or further away from the surface you apply it to. You create the knockdown appearance when you apply the orange peel plaster and use a drywall knife to “knock down” the texture. This gives the drywall a refined look, but this method is very time-consuming.

Gypsum

• Gypsum plaster, also known as Plaster of Paris, dates back to the early 1700s. You create this type of plaster by mixing water with calcium sulfate. Gypsum is a building material with much of the same characteristics as mortar or cement. This type of plaster easily conforms to a variety of drywall designs. It can also be dangerous to mix as when it is mixed with water, as the mixture can give off a lot of heat. For that reason, use extreme caution when mixing gypsum plaster with water.