KNAUF DRYWALL SEES BRIGHT FUTURE FOR MACHINE PLASTER
Building trades have to do better to meet the challenge of lower costs and higher standards, says Knauf Drywall Marketing Manager, Bob Stark. In a significant step, plasterers are increasingly switching from traditional methods to efficient new systems. As a leading manufacturer of plaster and plasterboard, Knauf Drywall is at the forefront of the new trend with its machine-applied one-coat MP75 Projection Plaster giving plasterers the opportunity to produce a better finish in a fraction of the time for a traditional two-coat finish. Knauf Drywall has also introduced MPFinish, a time-saving machine-applied quality finishing coat for drywall constructions.
Knauf Drywall recently touched down at Bruntingthorpe airfield, Leicestershire, for a dramatic demonstration, highlighting the potential of machine plastering. Contractors, specifiers and members of the press were on hand to watch two teams of plasterers race for the better finish, putting traditional and modern plastering methods to the test on identical masonry walls. Knauf MP75 proved to be more than three times faster than hand applied plaster – with the manual team completing just 40m² of two coat plaster during the five hour challenge, compared to the MP75 team’s impressive 135m².
Bob Stark says surging oil prices and the credit squeeze have put the spotlight on costs in general, and the building industry will have to smarten up for survival. “Cost savings through greater efficiency will be essential in order to deliver improved build quality and still maintain reasonable profitability,” he says. “With this in mind, projection plastering is clearly the way ahead for the industry. New technology adds a fresh dimension to traditional skills, enabling plasterers to deliver a superior quality in a shorter time. This will ensure that plaster remains an attractive option for masonry walls.”
Sales of MP75 Projection Plaster are doubling each year, he says, and many specialist contractors won’t go back to the old techniques. “The cost and quality benefits are immediately apparent, and UK contractors are now enjoying the same benefits as their continental colleagues, who converted to MP75 several years earlier.”
MP75 Projection Plaster is fast-drying and specially formulated for one-coat machine application on most interior wall surfaces. It is particularly suitable for surfaces such as brickwork, blockwork and concrete. MP75 is machine-applied to a wall in short horizontal bands, then simply ruled and floated manually for a durable, smooth white finish.
With MP75, a three-man team can complete 15m² per hour, making it one of the most productive building materials on the market. MP75 is nailable, abrasive proof and fire retarding – and it is ideal for decorating or tiling. It is available at builders’ merchants in 25kg bags, which yield about 28 litres of wet plaster to cover approximately 3m² at an average thickness of 10mm.
Knauf Drywall has extended its machine plaster portfolio with MPFinish, which makes the spray application of finishing plasters possible. Specially formulated for machine application and developed with leading spray machine manufacturers – who have brought out new machines to suit it – MPFinish mixes and sprays perfectly, without causing wear. It cuts plastering time by more than 50% and produces a superb quality, durable finish on walls and ceilings.
Knauf MPFinish is a very high quality multi-finish gypsum plaster giving excellent coverage – which makes it extremely economical too. It makes plaster an attractive alternative to taped and jointed drywall finishes – and gives specifiers a brilliant surface for decoration. The wet plaster is applied at the rate of 1m2 every 11 seconds on vertical or horizontal surfaces. Using this method, three man teams are regularly completing over 220m² per day – more than twice as much as traditional hand plastering.
Knauf MPFinish compares well with traditional board finishing plaster on a material cost per m² basis. “Because it encourages much higher productivity, its labour costs are significantly reduced,” says Bob Stark. “The extra speed improves timescales for main contractors, without increasing drywall package costs.”