There are a few choice moments in building your own home that just stick with you.
The first is the genuine start, when the foundations are going down, and you know you are actually doing this, after that there are a few more like when it actually starts to look like a home.
However, one of the biggest moments is when you begin to design the actual interior of the home.
This is the place you will be living your life in, a place that will be decidedly what you are to the world and what you show to the world.
So, it can come as a big decision when you decide to build cabinets or paint walls. But what material do you use? What color? Many people go for alabaster, but what exactly is alabaster?
In this article, we seek to explore this elusive design concept and show exactly what it is.
What Is Alabaster?
Most people find alabaster quite confusing. This is because people refer to it in different ways, and the reason is that it can refer to two different things at the same time that are somewhat interlinked.
This is because alabaster is in fact a type of rock that is quite soft and good for carving, it is a color that is used in interior design, and it is the mineral that is used to make plaster.
We realize this may be quite confusing, but we will delve into each one of these in turn.
Alabaster: The Rock
Alabaster is a type of rock that can come from either gypsum or calcite. It is fine-grained and pure snow-white in color, with its unique properties making it soft, but still solid, meaning it is perfect for carving and utilizing in structures.
Most of the most beautiful statues and artwork you see from the ancient world are made from alabaster rock.
It has been used since the times of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, to carve containers, buildings, statues, and walls of historical text for the next generation. This type of alabaster was made from calcite.
The more medieval alabaster comes from Europe and is mainly gypsum. This type of alabaster is much softer, allowing for more detailed and intricate carving, but it is also much more fragile, meaning even a fingernail could scratch it.
Alabaster is an amazing rock to carve with, but it will not survive the outdoors and can be damaged easily unless treated, so it is one to be wary of in some instances.
Alabaster: The Paint
The paint of alabaster is a hue that is very reminiscent of the Alabaster rock that it is based on, and it is often used in homes that are going for a completely neutral tone or is used in conjunction with other alabaster paints.
Since the color is so neutral and bright, it is a fantastic color to put down on the walls on a temporary basis. You may even love it so much that you decide to keep it.
Alabaster: The Plaster
Plaster is a type of powder that you mix with water that is then spread over walls and ceilings in homes and left to harden for protective purposes.
This is because, while brick is a great building material, it is porous – which means it has a lot of tiny holes inside it – which means that it will let air and damp into your home.
By plastering over these bricks, you can add an extra layer that is thick, dense, and hard to allow your house to have its own environment and keep out damp and mold.
This isn’t just limited to homes, either. Plaster is also used to create orthopedic casts and dental impressions for patients in need of medical care. While it is very protective, it is easy to cut away, making it perfect for these purposes without trapping said patient in it.
Another feature of plaster is that it can be molded easily for decorative purposes, especially if you make it extra thick.
This makes it perfect to put into molds or to mold yourself into a beautiful decoration with relative ease.
Plaster can be made from lime or cement, but it is normally made with alabaster – especially if people are going to decorate with it.
What Is A Better Material For My Home: Marble Or Alabaster?
Well, that depends on what you plan to use either for my friend.
Before we dive into this, we will explain that Marble is a very hard, metamorphic rock made of recrystallized carbonate minerals.
It is similar to alabaster in color and that they can both be made using calcite, but is very smooth due to being incredibly dense and hard.
So, if you were planning to use either one of these rocks in a structure, like a countertop, a floor, or a column of some kind, then you should always use marble.
Marble is very difficult to scratch, cut, or harm in any way, whereas alabaster is not. Marble can take the punishment of being relied on, so it is best to use that.
However, if you were planning to use either of these rocks for decorative or design purposes, then alabaster is the way to go. It is much easier to shape, sculpt, and position than marble ever will be.
It is a flexible material that can be shaped as you want and used in multiple different ways, which marble cannot do.
Not only that, but marble tends to be far more expensive, so you should use marble if you can afford to and if you need to.
If you wanted a set snow-white home, though, we would recommend a combination of the two for functionality and beauty.
Conclusion
Alabaster is a type of rock that is snow-white and can be turned in plaster, as well as giving its name to a color of paint.
It is a flexible material that can be shaped and sculpted into many different objects, making it perfect for use in interior design.
Hi, my name is Joel Adams and I like to think of myself as a professional DIYer. Whatever odd jobs a person needs to be done around the house, I’m their guy.
I’m talking shelves, making sideboards and tables, painting feature walls… the list is neverending!
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