Tadelakt vs Shower Plaster

Tadelakt or Shower Plaster, what is the difference? Is there a difference? How do they compare performance wise? Let's dig into what is going with these two increasingly popular bathroom options. Both give you a beautiful shower with no grout lines, but the cost, maintenance and performance will be a bit different.

Lets start with Tadelakt as most everyone that wants plaster in their shower is calling it Tadelakt. There are even manufacturers of shower plaster that call it Tadelakt. What is it, what makes it unique? Tadelakt is actually describing the process or technique the plasterer goes thru when installing a lime plaster. The technique is an ancient Moroccan one that originated around 2000 years ago. (Ochs 2007) The word Tadelakt is arabic and means "to rub." One of two essential components of a lime plaster being Tadelakt is that it is polished while it still has moisture in the plaster. The second component, is that a suitable olive oil based soap be polished into the damp plaster. These two things create something remarkable in Tadelakt that makes it stand out from all other lime plasters; the finished plaster is hydrophobic (water repellent) for the entirety of its existence. This is the key feature of Tadelakt, a plaster surface that can repel water and is inherent in the material. When olive oil based soap is applied to the still curing lime plaster at the correct time in the application process, a chemical reaction between lime and a fatty acid in the soap creates calcium stearate, which is a natural wax. This layer is deep within the plaster and becomes inherent within the Tadelakt surface. Polishing the soap into the plaster also gives Tadelakt its velvety, shimmery finished surface.

Tadelakt: Plaster that has gone thru a process of polishing and natural chemical reaction to create an inherent maintenance free water replency.

This process of soaping the wall while it is curring makes the plaster itself hydrophobic. If you wanted to use this as your finished shower surface, it would last a lifetime with some simple cleaning and care. (I prefer this, as there is no finish maintenance) Some people prefer to wax the surface for added stain protection and additional sheen though it is not necessary.

Shower plaster on the other hand is the same material, (lime plaster) it just isn't going thru the Tadelakt process, i.e. the soap polishing step. Shower plaster relies on the addition of one or two sealers on top of the dried plaster after it has been installed in order to be water proof. The similarity between a shower plaster and Tadelakt is in the build up of the base layers, and the end result of having a water resistant surface for a shower. The two main differences are maintenance and the look. A shower plaster will require finish maintenance. Since the water resistant layer is on top of the plaster, it will wear off either by cleaning or touching and will require reapplication. This could be every 6 months it could be every 24 months, it will just depend on the amount of use the surface sees. The second difference is the look. A plaster shower actually has more finish options because it is not being polished the way a Tadelakt surface is. So if you'd like a more open, matte-like, or lightly textured surface it's possible with shower plaster. (though in a shower, I'm not sure you want much texture on the walls)k. Another thing to note, because Shower Plaster relies on a topical sealer, we loose some of the natural abilities of the lime plaster. It's ability to regulate humidity and anti fungal properties are diminished.

Shower Plaster can cost about 1/3 less than Tadelakt because it doesn't require as much time intensive polishing.

Both Tadelakt and Shower Plaster offer beautiful shower wall surfaces that are easy to clean and naturally anti-microbial. Shower Plaster can offer more varied looks and costs less than Tadelakt, thougth it requires routine maintenance of it's top coats. Tadelakt on the other hand requires no maintenance to function and maximizes the inherent traits of the lime plaster's anti-microbial nature and hygroscopy. Tadelakt does cost more to have it installed, as the finishing process just takes longer, and more skill. A plaster shower will cost a bit less, but the trade off is maintenance of the water proof sealer. Both are beautiful and both are better than scrubbing grout and dealing with mold. With either option, you'll be happier.