Tadelakt Bathrooms

Tadelakt Bathrooms and Wet-rooms

Earthouse recently worked on a new Tadelakt bathroom in association with Parker SW Ltd. Although it is an ancient plastering material, Tadelakt can create a contemporary look. When applied correctly, Tadelakt creates a waterproof surface meaning it is ideal for bathrooms and wet-rooms, reducing the requirement for tiles and unsightly grouting. It is also superior to regular plaster in bathrooms, which simply soaks up water, causing potential damp issues and mould.

View of the Tadelakt bathroom wall.

View of the Tadelakt bathroom wall.Traditional bathroom tiling has not been used here because it is simply not required. Showers and sinks can be fitted straight onto the Tadelakt walls. 

Polishing the Tadelakt

Tadelakt can be mixed in a range of colours and shades. On this occasion, a light grey was chosen. This is the largest area we have plastered in Tadelakt and required a lot of polishing. Tadelakt is hand polished with a polishing stone, we use porcelain polishing stones which can be purchased from Mike Wye Associates.

Once the Tadelakt has been polished it needs to be sealed. This is a three stage process; initially olive oil soap is used, followed by punic wax and finally carnauba wax.

Tadelakt is low maintenance once is has been sealed; it will require re-sealing periodically, but this can be done by the customer as required. It is best to avoid using harsh chemicals on the plaster; soap and water will clean it effectively.

Bespoke Tadelakt

Earthouse can create bespoke bathrooms, wetrooms and feature walls. Due to it’s versatility we can create unique baths, seats and beautiful storage features. Tadelakt is not limited to bathroom usage; it can be used throughout a house, injecting colour and an interesting fresh style. It can also be used externally.

For more information, please see our previous post about Tadelakt plastering.

If you are interested in creating with Tadelakt, please Contact Us.

Tadelakt Plastering

Tadelakt – Decorative plaster

At Earthouse we are always looking to extend our knowledge of materials and work hard to develop our expertise. We also like to try completely new things! In 2014 we went on two courses; the first was Tadelakt Plastering and the second was Venetian Plastering.

Tadelakt is a polished plaster which has its roots in Morocco. Due to it’s fantastic water repelling qualities it is great to use in bathrooms and can even be used to create a wet room. It has a beautiful sheen once fully polished and can take a wide variety of colours. As well as creating our own bathroom, we have also created a beautiful bedroom feature wall.

Tadelakt Bathroom

Stage 1 - Creating a space

Stage 1 – Creating a space

Stage 2 - Starting the build

Stage 2 – Starting the build

Stage 3 - The build progresses

Stage 3 – The build progresses

Stage 4 - Completing the build

Stage 4 – Completing the build

The photos above show the stages we went through to create the structure and shape of the bath. The bath is built from breeze blocks and waterproof cement. We wanted the bath to sit in an awkward shaped alcove so that we could make the most of the space in our bathroom area.

Tadelakt completed on the walls and bath

Tadelakt completed on the walls and bath

This photo shows the baths with inbuilt bath seat, a very simple plug and tap design. The shower is positioned in the recess and luckily does not require a shower door or curtain. As Tadelakt is water repellent there is no need for tiling etc.

View of the tadelakt bath

View of the tadelakt bath

The photo above shows an alternative view of the bath and surrounding walls. Following the application of the plaster, it is polished with a polishing stone. To finish the bath is waxed with Karnuba wax.

We chose the pigment to have a yellowy-cream colour finish. Other colours can be used.

All the bathroom walls are now finished in the same colour Tadelakt – no damp issues at all!

Alternative usage of Tadelakt

Basin 1

Basin 1

Basin 2

Basin 2

These basins were created using a terracotta planter and applying layers of the plaster then polishing. Tadelakt is incredibly versatile and can be used in a number of ways.