Whether for a floor, a counter, a fireplace cladding, shower walls or an accent wall covering, we love the aesthetic appearance of a polished concrete (or microcement) finish. This all-purpose covering offers the advantage of being seamless, unlike the installation of ceramic, for example.
But today we invite you to discover an alternative option which has proven itself among our neighbors in Europe and which is worth being known here in Quebec: lime plaster.
Let's see the difference between the two products offered on the Quebec market.
Polished concrete and its composition
Its main composition is cement. A single production of cement, a key ingredient in concrete, generates 7% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. For comparison, the airline industry is responsible for 1.5% of global CO2 emissions.
Subsequently, in its composition, we find harmful additives in the polished concrete such as polymer resin or glycol ether. The latter belongs to a family of chemicals of which there are more than 80 derivatives. Due to their toxicity, they are prohibited in commonly used products, but they remain widely used as part of the ingredient list of microcement coatings.
Concrete is beautiful and versatile, but unfortunately, it bends all the criteria in terms of environmental degradation
Lime plaster and its composition
The more natural it is, the more simplified the ingredient list. For the lime plaster product sold at Domeco, its composition is 100% natural ingredients, ranging from air lime to linseed oil and black soap.
Forget polished concrete, make way for lime coatings!
No solvent, no biocide, no VOC, air lime is extracted from quarries in its pure state and is undeniably a healthy product. Flexible and compatible with healthy products, lime is composed of limestone calcined in a lime kiln.
Advantage #1: Its conservation. When the lid is closed, the lime coating remains intact. This means that the product lasts for years, you do not have a limited time to do your work.
Advantage #2: Lime plaster is permeable to water vapor, so it allows the supports to breathe, which helps prevent the appearance of mold and condensation in damp rooms.
Thanks to its properties, lime keeps walls healthy and prevents humidity from accumulating.
Advantage #3 : The finishing lime coating is easy to apply and does not require sanding between coats. It offers several application techniques with different results while working on the same and unique material.
