Comparison Between Skim Coat And Cement For Smooth Plastering

Nowadays, appearance and quality became a requirement in designing a building aside from economy, safety, and environmental aspects. One of the finishing techniques that can be applied on the surface of the building to make it look more appealing is smooth plastering and painting. In this paper, an attempt has been made to determine the comparison of the two products which are the skim coat and cement used in smooth plastering including painting. This study specifically aims to: 1.) Determine which material is the fastest and easiest to apply. 2.) Determine which material has a good quality output. 3.) Determine which material can cover a larger area. 4.) Determine the total cost of labor and materials in the process of application. And 5.) Compare which is the most economical among the two. Cost estimation, time recording, quality comparison, and output calculation of skim coat and cement are the methods used to gather data. In cost analysis, the total estimated cost of skim coat is Php 431.26 and in cement is Php 323.94. The total time of application elapsed in skim coat is 92.81 minutes while in cement is 106.87 minutes. Cement can cover an area of 9.39m2/hr in smooth plastering while skim coat is 6.46m2/hr. In painting, Skim coat can cover 9.40m2/hr while cement is 5.14m2/hr. In terms of quality, the output of skim coat is more pleasing compared to cement. Based in cost analysis, skim coat is more expensive than cement. But considering the time of application and the difference of the coverage of skim coat and cement in smooth plastering and painting also the quality of the output of the two products, it can be concluded that using Skim Coat for Smooth Plastering is more economical than using Cement.