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What is
Tadelakt?
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Ancient art, is the shortest description. Produced ONLY in the
Marrakech area, Tadelakt is the world's oldest lime
plaster. It is universally acknowledged as the most
magnificent (and most difficult to apply) of the limes.
Tadelakt has been used in the palaces, riads and baths
of Morocco for centuries because of its beauty and
durability.
Tadelakt also is unique among lime plasters because it
can be used for interior and exterior surfaces. While it
is most commonly applied on walls and ceilings, Tadelakt
also can be used to coat other cementious objects, such
as chimneys, baths and showers -- even pottery.
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When
learning is hard work |
Tuscan
Impressions' owner Eve Gray mixes pigment in a tub of
Tadelakt during the weeklong classes under a
Tadelakt master in Marrakech.
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Other companies sell a faux-Tadelakt that does
not use original Marrakech materials, and
applicators often do not use the traditional
Moroccan methods.
The artists at Tuscan
Impressions, as you have come to expect, do it
the right way. We took on this marvelous finish
only after studying the ancient application
methods under artisans in Marrakech.
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The
tradition of Tadelakt
Tadelakt is a manual
compression finish that demands a balance of
water and patience. True Marrakech Tadelakt contains no
synthetics and has a higher clay content than typical
lime plasters. (See the cooked lime in photo to the
left.)
A Tadelakt
finish is a labor -intensive project that is worth the
effort.
It is applied using a large
wooden trowel, then compressed
with aggressive circular motion of the trowel to bring
the water to the surface in the form of a cream.
Smoothing with a
stainless trowel is the next step, followed not too
quickly by the use of a smooth-faced river stone, known
as a gallette. It is the gallette work that closes the
plaster.
The final step
is applying a Moroccan olive oil soap with the gallette,
to give the Takelakt its moisture resistence. |
