Does Plaster Support anything?

[owlhayden]

This is probably going to sound really stupid, but am I right in thinking that plaster of any sort (old style internal cement render in this case) has nothing to do with the structure of the building and does not support the walls/ceilings in any way?
I presume that the bricks and mortar, joists etc prevent a terrace house from falling down. Not the plaster.
Then in theory, you could have a house with bear brick walls internally and it be just as structurally sound as a fully plastered house?
This is probably the stupidest question on here but I'm not a builder/plasterer and I would like to know what acually holds my house up! Thanks

 

[Micilin]

Yes - in my case wife, two kids ,a dog and some fish.

Plaster does not by itself hold anything up - it is relatively poor in tension as well as compression -but it does have other benefits-

A coat of sand and cement will help old brickwork or blockwork, replacing pointing , filing gaps and stopping further deterioration, and seals in dust.

The other benefits might include insulation( heat and sound) and a degree of fire protection not just from insulating, but by sealing off areas from smoke and air movement.

In the case of big buildings the weight of the plaster coat is a factor - a big factor in lightweight plasters such as browning being developed back in the day, rather than the much heavier, but cheaper, sand and cement

Protection from damp and water ingress and mould can also be added -and in the case of my work, somewhere to hang your coat.

 

[Alastairreid]

Yes - in my case wife, two kids ,a dog and some fish.

-and in the case of my work, somewhere to hang your coat.