Expanded definition
Tadelakt generally refers to any lime plaster applied according to the principles and techniques of Moroccan tadelakt, but using the lime bodies available in places other than Marrakech.
Defining materials
The basic characteristics of a tadelakt plaster are these:
It is a lime plaster. It does not include Portland cement.
It may include fine marble or limestone sand, but not other aggregates.
It has been compressed when plastic, eliminating all voids.
It has been mechanically polished, using stones or abrasives that are harder than the plaster finish, to provide a smooth, sometimes shiny, finish.
It has been treated with a natural soap (often "black" or olive oil soap) to speed carbonation of the surface and render the surface more water-resistant.
Defining techniques
Mixing plaster powder with water and yellow pigment to make Tadelakt in Riad Dar Rita, Ouarzazate, Morocco.
In Morocco the traditional technique for application is as follows;
Tadelakt plaster powder is blended with water for 12 to 15 hours prior of the pigment mix.
Tadelakt is applied in one thick coat to the wall with a wooden float. It is then smoothed with this float.
A flat, smooth and hard stone is then used to compress the Tadelakt, and a plastic trowel used as a final polish.
Finally It is then sealed with an olive oil soap solution.
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