IN modern construction clay plaster gave way to professional finishing materials. But as before, it remains in demand among people living on their land. In this article we will tell you in what proportions a clay solution is prepared, and how to plaster the walls and ceiling with this affordable and environmentally friendly material.
Where is clay plaster used?
For many years, clay plaster was used, perhaps, only for laying partitions indoors, as well as for finishing and laying stoves and fireplaces. But, if you look at old buildings plastered with clay compounds, you can be sure that it is still in good use.
Red brick partitions are also very durable, in the masonry of which cement-clay mixtures are often used. Moreover, unlike fragile drywall, you can hang heavy racks on them without fear of them falling.
Clay-sand mortar is most often used to plaster wooden and clay (adobe) walls not only outside, but also inside the house. In principle, any surface can be plastered with clay. The main thing is to prepare them correctly, as well as select the fat content of the clay and maintain the proportions with additives (sand, sawdust, straw) in the solution.
This one is environmentally friendly pure material able to absorb excess moisture and release it as needed. Clay plaster with the inclusion of flax or straw fibers looks original, so designers and craftsmen are increasingly using it as decorative finishing.
Advantages and disadvantages
Plastering walls with clay has many advantages:
- Environmental friendliness; clay does not contain harmful impurities.
- Fire resistance: it is absolutely not afraid of fire.
- This material easily sticks not only to concrete or brick, but even to wood. In the latter case, shingles are used to secure it.
- Even a non-professional can work with plastic clay mortar.
- It is able to “breathe,” that is, absorb moisture from the air and release it when the relative humidity changes, which is very important for creating a comfortable microclimate.
- Adsorption. It has been noticed that allergy sufferers feel more comfortable in rooms decorated with clay plaster. After all, clay can absorb odors and bind harmful substances.
- It costs absolutely nothing: you can dig it up with your own hands in the nearest quarry or in your garden.
- Good sound insulation and heat conservation.
Despite the obvious advantages, clay plaster also has disadvantages:
- Duration of surface drying - a layer only 1 cm thick will dry for 5 days. Thicker 5-10 cm layers dry in 2-3 weeks.
- Moisture capacity. Due to their ability to absorb water, clay surfaces require additional protection.
- Low strength. Of course, it cannot be compared with cement mortar. Clay is easily scratched and chipped.
Specifications
By thermal conductivity Clay-sawdust coating ranks second after gypsum-perlite mortar - its thermal conductivity is 29 W/m ×°C. In its pure form, the thermal conductivity of clay is 69 W/m × °C, that is, almost 1.5 times lower than that of a cement-sand mixture.
Another important indicator for plaster is vapor permeability. After all, moisture must be removed from the premises to avoid condensation. Vapor permeability coefficient for clay = 0.11-0.15 mg/(m*hour*Pa). This is more than that of log walls. Therefore, clay is excellent for plastering wooden houses.
Density(mass to volume ratio) for clay is 1700 kg/cubic. m. Brick has a similar density.
Consumption of clay plaster with a layer thickness of 1 cm it is equal to 15 kg per 1 sq. m.
What clay is suitable for plaster?
The ratio of clay and sand in the composition directly depends on the fat content of the clay. Very oily clay requires much more sand. Proportions can vary 1:5 (clay-sand); 1:4, 1:3 (for clay of medium fat content) and even 1:2. If the clay is very thin, then sand may not be added at all. Please note that you need to measure components not by weight, but by volume. To do this, it is more convenient to use a bucket or large jar.
To select the proportions of the clay solution, you need to determine the fat content of the clay. This is done as follows.
Prepare 4 types of the indicated solutions with different sand contents and try to roll a small ball of 3-4 cm in size from each of them. Now throw each of them from a height of about 1 m.
The “correct” ball, when dropped on a hard surface, should not change its shape much or be damaged. If it is flattened, the solution is too greasy. It will crack as it dries. If it crumbles, then the clay is thin, and you need to increase its ratio in the mixture, otherwise the plaster will be fragile.
Also, to check the readiness of the solution, you can place a clay ball on a hard surface and flatten it, reducing its height by half. Ideally, small cracks should appear along the edges of the sample. If they don’t appear at all, then more sand is needed. If the cracks are deep, then, on the contrary, clay is added.
You can try to roll out the prepared solutions into a long rope 20-30 cm long with a cross-section of a couple of centimeters. By experimenting and selecting the ratio of sand and clay, it is necessary to ensure that such a flagellum does not crack after bending.
Advice! If you want your clay plaster to last as long as possible, protect it from moisture with a thin layer of cement (ironizing) or paint.
How to make mortar for plaster
You can prepare mortar for plaster without any complicated tools. We take an old large container - for example, a trough or bathtub. Even if a large volume is required, you should not soak more than 10-15 buckets - mixing the clay with sand will be difficult.
Clean clay, free of soil and plant roots, must be soaked at least 24 hours and stirred periodically. In this case, it will be easier to work with - it will be easy to knead it with your hands. Drain off excess water. We remove all large lumps that are poorly moistened with water and plant debris. Since we have already determined the quality of the clay and know the required proportions, we prepare the solution by adding the right quantity sand.
Add liquid gradually so as not to overdo it. Continue kneading until the solution reaches the desired consistency.
If you have a mixer or at least an electric drill, the cooking process can be significantly speeded up. Large quantities require a concrete mixer. By the way, to ensure that the clay in it breaks perfectly, throw a couple of stones or pieces of brick into the water. They will help break the clay and mix the solution.
Additives in the clay mixture
For plastering fireplaces and stoves, asbestos, lime or gypsum is often added to the mortar to increase the strength of the future plaster. Very little of them is required - 1/10 of them. For example, if the ratio of clay and sand is 1:2, then 0.1 part of asbestos and 1 part of lime are added to the mixture.
Advice! Teach that for laying a furnace, cement, which collapses under the influence of very high temperatures, not used. Only clay (preferably fireclay) and sand in a ratio of 1:3. For a small fireplace, you can use a 1:2 ratio.
Fireclay (white fired) clay is often used for kiln plasters. After exposure to high temperatures, it acquires the properties of stone and becomes fireproof. It is crushed and used in solutions in proportions 1:3:1 (clay, sand, cement M400-500).
For oily clay, the amount of sand can be increased. Remember that the amount of cement is calculated based on sand. That is, the more sand, the more cement.
In the event that it was not possible to obtain high-quality clay without chernozem impurities (and in some areas it has to be obtained from great depths), it is better not to take risks and purchase already ready-made mixtures for plastering and especially for laying bricks of stoves and fireplaces. After all, stoves built on an unsuccessful solution may begin to smoke when it cracks.
Clay mortar with the addition of sawdust is an ideal option for insulating a building. The lumber in the composition not only improves the heat conservation of the building, but also acts as reinforcement for the plaster layer. However, this mixture is not very elastic, and it is not easy to smooth it out. Therefore, the mud hut is often left without leveling. But after drying, the plaster with sawdust is not afraid of cracks and does not crumble.
Advice! If the solution turns out to be too liquid, leave it alone for a while, and then simply drain off the excess water.
Preparing walls before plastering
Clay mortar due to lack of chemical bonds the surface to be plastered does not adhere well to a smooth base. Therefore, when facing bricks, the joints must be jointed before plastering.
For reinforcement wooden surfaces finished with clay plaster, use shingles. The use of plaster mesh in this case is not very convenient. Since clay is not as flexible as gypsum, it will not bond well to the mesh.
Shingles are narrow boards 3-5 mm thick, which are nailed onto the wall. Are located wooden planks at an angle of 45°. Moreover, the nails should not go into the wall completely, but only halfway. The rest of them are bent and recessed into the wall. In this case, the shingles will hold up better.
Plastering with clay
The principle of working with a clay mixture is essentially no different from working with conventional plaster:
- Beacon profiles are also placed for alignment.
- To obtain a durable surface without cracking, the thickness of each layer should not be more than 10-15 mm.
- In case of strong slopes and the need to apply a solution of greater thickness, clay-straw or sawdust mixtures are used, which can be applied to shingle-reinforced walls in a large layer.
- If necessary, a new layer is added on top of the first only after the surface has dried.
- After finishing with shingles, the walls are dust-free and moistened with water.
- The surface is moistened abundantly so that it does not take liquid from the solution and weaken the plaster.
- The solution is applied with force to ensure better adhesion.
- To reduce the formation of cracks, it is advisable to add fiber additives to the solution.
The video below shows how to plaster a wall made of clay or wood.
Decorative clay finish
Lately clay colored plaster is becoming one of the most popular materials for interior decoration. It is used in many decorating techniques and is suitable for emphasizing the home owners’ commitment to natural, traditional materials.
Often natural texture clay wall complemented by the application of relief drawings or patterns. To do this, the clay is puttied with a fine-grained compound without impurities. Then they roll over a layer of putty 3-5 mm thick with rollers, stamps, or form a pattern with their own hands.
The finishing layer can be coated with a vapor-permeable casein primer or paint in various colors.
Here are a few photos of clay in the interior.
Until recently, mud houses were considered housing for the poor. This was due to minimal costs for its construction.
Roofing a house made of clay
Clay as a building material has been used in housing construction for a long time. Today, history can confirm that not only houses for poor people were built from clay. Almost all over the world there are examples of how clay perfectly coped with the functions assigned to it, not only in the economical construction of housing, but also in the construction of monumental buildings.
Houses were rarely built purely from clay, this was due to the fact that it had a rather fragile structure after complete drying. Therefore, we had to look for reinforcing materials. This turned out to be the easiest. Natural materials such as:
- Straw;
- Small tree twigs;
- Reed;
- Bamboo;
- And materials similar to them.
They coped with this task best. In European territory, which includes Russia, straw was mainly used as the most economical additive to clay in housing construction.
In addition, at all times, straw was considered a waste material, which was not suitable for livestock feed, but showed itself perfectly in construction, where it was used to cover roofs and erect walls. Until recently, houses made of clay and straw were the main housing of the inhabitants of the steppe and desert zones.
This type of house has many advantages, especially its environmental friendliness. If the thickness of the walls is made to a certain size, and this is usually done, then a unique microclimate is created inside the premises, which has a beneficial effect on human health. In such a house it is always cool in the summer, and constantly warm in the cold season.
Construction of a roof for a house made of clay
The most difficult thing in building a clay house is finishing its walls. It is impossible to stick wallpaper to them; the paint comes off after a short time. The main finishing is whitewash. IN modern conditions This is the cheapest and most unsightly option.
But with the advent of modern finishing materials Solving problems with finishing the walls of a clay house has become easier. For example, interior decoration can be done using drywall.
The wall will become smooth, and you can continue to fantasize about the interior. The façade can be finished using materials such as siding, all kinds of panels, facing brick and so on. The main thing in this situation is to strengthen the foundation.
Methods for building a house from clay
There are three ways to build a clay house. The first is to make bricks from clay and straw. This type of brick is called adobe brick. IN different regions size adobe brick varies greatly from each other, from standard sizes ordinary brick to the size of a cinder block.
To make adobe bricks, you need to make a mold from boards tailored to the size you choose. Clay mixed with straw is hammered into a mold and laid out on a drying area. The main condition for making adobe bricks is the presence of a level area sufficient to accommodate a large number of bricks.
The second way is as follows. Formwork is installed into which the finished clay-straw mixture is hammered. This method seems simpler, there is no need to bother with making blocks.
But this also has its drawbacks. Firstly, a lot of time is spent on assembling and disassembling the formwork. Secondly, you will have to purchase boards for formwork. Although you can use boards for these purposes, which will later be used for laying floors.
The process of this technology is that the formwork is first installed at a certain height. They fill it all with clay and wait for it to dry.
House covered with clay
Then the formwork is removed and installed on the next level, and everything happens until the finished walls reach a certain size, that is, the level of the ceiling. The most interesting thing about this method is that you can know exactly how much material is needed to complete the job.
The third method can be attributed to the fastest construction of a house. Here you will need strong twigs that can be cut from trees or trimmed young growth. The rods in in this case will act as reinforcement. The first step is to install thick rods in the form of columns. Smaller ones are woven between them. It turns out to be a kind of frame, which must be coated on both sides with ready-made clay. In this case, clay is used without straw. Now clay based on straw is mixed, and with this solution we throw the frame again on both sides. It turns out to be a fairly strong wall.
Necessary certain time so that it dries. The next operation is leveling the wall surface. To do this, you need a solution based on sand and clay and a plaster float. If further finishing takes into account the installation of drywall, then it is not necessary to level the walls.
Previously, coating the walls of a clay house was considered one of the main operations. There were special craftsmen who knew exactly how to properly coat the walls of a house with clay. Today this is all in the past. With the advent of new finishing materials, this operation may not be carried out at all.
The modern building materials market offers a wide selection of finishing products that allow you to cladding the facade of a house or building in an original and high-quality manner. interior walls premises. In this article we will look at the features of plastering walls with clay with detailed instructions preparing the solution and applying it to the surface.
Advantages and disadvantages of clay plaster
Clay plaster is considered environmentally friendly and natural material, which has been used in construction since ancient times. The practical use of plaster will ensure beautiful design rooms. Walls plastered with clay will breathe without highlighting harmful substances into the air. At the same time this material is not harmful, unlike other putty solutions made on the basis of polymers and other synthetic substances.
Previously, plastering walls in this way was the only option for finishing work. Despite the fact that modern manufacturers offer a wide selection different solutions, yet many buyers prefer to use natural materials. Plastering a house with clay has many advantages, which will be described below:
- Eco-friendly and natural product.
- Clay mortar is capable of absorbing moisture, which will prevent walls from collapsing.
- Low cost of materials compared to other types of products.
- After using the solution, there is practically no waste left, and the remaining clay can be reused.
- Ease of preparation of the mixture.
- Clay for plastering walls will protect the surface from mechanical and other influences.
- The material is elastic in its structure.
- Clay can be used for finishing work indoors and for the facade.
- Clay application technologies will allow you to create an original decorative pattern on the walls, and adding paint creates a certain shade.
Clay plastering has its drawbacks, which are determined by the following parameters:
1. Natural clay, which does not have various additives, is a unique material that requires experience to work with. When preparing a solution, the main thing is to correctly calculate all the components, because there is no specific recipe for making the mixture.
2. Plastering the facade of a house is not an easy task. It is important to consider that clay absorbs all moisture well, which is why small cracks appear from time to time around the perimeter of the building. Thus, clay walls will need to be renewed every year.
3. Recently, there are not many craftsmen who would professionally plaster walls with clay, and therefore paying workers can be expensive.
Majority construction stores offer a wide range of products, while on the shelves you can see decorative clay, as well as mixtures different shades and variations. The physical and other characteristics of the clay are usually indicated on the packaging, and manufacturers also provide short instructions for use. In fact, clay does not have to be purchased from in kind, because it will be possible to buy the prepared mixture, which will make the work process easier for a beginner.
Important to know! If you decide to choose natural clay for summer cottage or other places, you must remember that the use of material without special additives can cause cracking of the plaster under the influence of moisture or active sunlight.
Clay plaster: composition and types of mortar
To preserve the properties and the original layer of clay, many advise applying a layer of plaster over the clay base of the wall. This will strengthen the finish or facade of the building, as well as protect the material from excess moisture and the like. But, most specialists use only clay mortar, the preparation technology of which has the following sequence:
- sand;
- clay;
- water;
- sawdust from wood or other type of material.
It is worth knowing that sawdust various kinds, as well as various fibers are added to the clay to keep the solution bonded and cohesive. This will help prevent cracking of the wall surface under the influence of the sun or other natural factors.
Clay mortar for plaster can be divided into several types, depending on the materials added to the mixture. So, there are these types of plaster mixture:
- solution with added sand;
- mixture with sawdust different breeds trees;
- a combination with the addition of the two previous components.
IN certain situations When it is important to create a high-quality mixture for finishing the facade of a building, you need to add cement or putty. These materials will help hold the solution together. Before starting finishing work, it is important to calculate climate zone Houses. This is explained by the fact that clay is a heat-insulating layer. Before starting work on plastering with clay and sawdust, it is necessary to study the characteristics and features of the surface being treated.
Technology for preparing clay plaster
When preparing a solution, you need to know that adding synthetic fibers It is recommended to use for rough finishing of walls or to form an insulating layer. You can add cement or sand to the plaster, which will reduce the elasticity of the mixture and also help retain heat in the thickness of the walls.
It is recommended to apply a clay solution for plastering walls when the insulation layer has already been installed in the room. The main positive property of clay is that it is excellent for adhesion to other materials, for example, wood, stone, cement or concrete. To prepare a clay solution you will need the following equipment:
- a vessel for mixing the mixture;
- bayonet shovel;
- screwdriver;
- a set of spatulas for applying and distributing clay over the surface;
- a large sieve for sifting various components that are added to the mixture;
- drill with additional attachment for mixer;
- To attach the metal mesh you will need a hammer drill.
Also, to prepare the solution you will need different materials, which are:
- metal mesh that will be used to reinforce the wall surface;
- clay;
- additional fibers or sawdust, which depends on the type of work;
- dowels that will attach the mesh to the wall surface.
After preparation necessary tools, devices, as well as materials, you can begin preparing the mixture. Many people are interested in the question: how to dilute clay for plaster? As a rule, the technology of work depends on the type of clay, which may differ in different parameters. However, there is no specific procedure for stirring the clay and preparing the solution. However, when performing work, you must adhere to the sequence, which determines the quality of the mixture produced:
1. First you need to prepare all the components used in the work.
2. After this, the clay is soaked in water and left for a day.
3. After the time has passed, the wet mixture must be mixed again and excess water removed from the container.
4. It is important to sift various fibers, sawdust, and sand through a sieve.
5. After cleaning the additional components, they are added to the clay along with water, and all components are thoroughly mixed.
6. The prepared mixture should have a thick and sticky consistency, and the proportion of clay and sand for plaster should be 1:2 or 1:5.
After completing this work, the mixture becomes ready for use. If the composition of the solution is too sticky, then to remove this property you need to add a little sand. The prepared mixture can be tested for plasticity using several methods:
- Visually, the clay mixture should resemble the appearance of thick sour cream.
- You can also make a small ball. It must be pressed against a solid base, creating a plane 1 cm thick. If all components are mixed correctly, then the pressed edges of the ball should not crack.
Another option for checking the plasticity of the solution is the following procedure. To do this, you need to create a ball, after which it is dropped to the floor from a height of one and a half meters. The net effect should be that the ball should not crack.
Note! If the ball cracks in one of the ductility testing methods, this may indicate an overabundance of sand. If the ball has spread, this is indicated by the presence of a large amount of water in the solution. All shortcomings can be easily corrected by adding the necessary components to the mixture and mixing them.
Step-by-step instructions for plastering with clay
The technology for working with clay resembles the method of application cement mortar. To prepare the solution, the main components of the plaster are: sand, clay, cement, which can be added to hold the mixture together. When carrying out work, you should adhere to the following instructions:
1. First, attach the mesh and metal to the working area using dowels. This is important for reliable application of the solution.
2. Using a spatula, the solution is applied to the wall surface. The thickness of the clay layer should be no more than 5 cm. This layer is rough and does not need leveling.
3. After applying the first layer, you need to wait until it is completely dry, after which you can begin further finishing.
4. When the rough surface has dried, you need to clean it and sand it using sandpaper.
5. The last and final stage of applying plaster is the finishing coating of the wall surface.
Plastering walls with clay is great solution for insulation and finishing country house. This option for applying plaster is ideal for rustic style or the design of houses made of logs or wood, which will ensure the environmental friendliness of the building. As decoration, you can use volumetric embossing or clay modeling technology. To protect the wall surface from external influences, you can paint the clay with paints and varnishes of different shades.
Recommendations from experts on applying a clay plaster layer
Experts in the field of plastering houses advise adhering to some recommendations for carrying out work. For example, it is not recommended to start finishing work immediately after building a house. Otherwise, the house will still succumb to settlement, causing the plaster on the walls to crack. The approximate settlement period for a house is 1.5-2 years for wooden or brick structures. A building constructed from foam concrete or aerated concrete has a lower load, which determines the settlement period of 4-6 months.
After the erected house has stood, you can begin plastering with clay, video of the work, which can be seen at the end of the article. First, it is important to do the interior decoration of the room, and lastly you need to start external works. This point is explained by thermal and physical parameters and the peculiarities of finishing. This will prevent cracking of the plaster layer from exposure to steam.
Before plastering, you need to prepare the walls. First of all, they must be even. After all, with an uneven surface, the layer of clay in different places will be different, which is not very good. In this case, the layer of plaster will be thicker, which is not very favorable, because standard thickness layer should be up to 2 cm. If the thickness of the clay plaster is large, it will begin to crack and fall off over time. Also, it is also not recommended to make a layer of plaster of 4 or 5 mm, otherwise the mixture will not stick to the wall.
When applying the plaster layer, you need to remember about the adhesion of the mortar to the wall. To do this, the surface is pre-moistened with water, after which plaster can be applied. This will create a reliable connection between the finish and the wall. At the same time, clay can be applied to the surface not immediately, but thin layers. This will allow it to stick together better. building material, which will extend the life of the clay plaster layer.
The technology of plastering walls with clay is not labor-intensive, however, it requires some care when preparing the solution and applying it to the wall surface. All work can be done with your own hands, the main thing is to follow the recommendations of specialists and step-by-step instructions for the expected result of the work.
A “muzanka” or a house that is coated with clay is a very comfortable and environmentally friendly housing. In the summer it is quite cool, and in the cold it is warm, while the organized microclimate has a beneficial effect on human health. Coating a house with clay is a somewhat labor-intensive job; for this reason, it has recently lost some of its popularity, giving way to simpler types of work. If you are not afraid of difficulties, and you are in full readiness to revive old method, try to build a “mud” on your own.
Well, if you are interested in planning and creating interiors of public buildings, visit the website studio-practica.ru. Only there they will help you create a suitable and comfortable interior quickly and without problems.
Build the frame and foundation of the mud hut house. You can just drive stakes into the ground and carefully intertwine them with twigs; this will be a fairly simple structure for storing things and relaxing in the summer. To build more substantial housing, it is necessary to build concrete foundation- install on it vertical bars, fill them with bars, upholster the structure with a board or slab.
The surface of all walls should be covered with willow rod or shingles to ensure excellent adhesion of the wall to the clay. The rods should be stuffed at an angle of 45°, while using an ax to split thick branches into 2 halves. If possible, immediately build a roof for the structure.
Then start preparing the clay. To do this, take a container; it is recommended to dig a round hole in the ground large sizes. Place sand and clay in the hole in layers, pour water into the center.
Mix the clay - it is recommended to do this using your feet. If the container is small, use a drill with a regular curved pin or a special attachment. Gradually add straw to the clay - the thicker the stem, the better.
Knead the clay, moving towards the edge starting from the center. If necessary, add straw or water. You should not throw a large amount of straw at once, otherwise it will not be easy to mix. Clay should be thrown from the edges into the center of the hole. As a result of the above steps, you will get a fairly thick, homogeneous mass.
The wooden surface of the wall must be slightly moistened with water using a broom. Bring the clay closer to the building, you can load it into the cart. It is recommended to work with clay using a fork rather than a shovel.
Take the clay mat with your hands and throw it forcefully at the wall. The clay should stick well and turn into a pancake. When covering shingles or rods, spread them a little.
If the clay does not stay on the wall overnight, you should tear it off and let the surface of the wall dry. Sometimes you need to wet your hands with water.
Photo: avillageinafrica.wordpress.com
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Once upon a time in past life I had to do, among other things, fire protection. Among several permitted types of fire protection (impregnation, etc.), I discovered such a type as clay-based coating. This, as it turns out, is one of the most reliable and forgotten types of fire protection. In my opinion, this type was forgotten due to the high labor intensity, since everything had to be done with a regular brush.
Can you imagine what kind of work it is to crawl around attic beams and smear them with clay with a brush? Therefore, when impregnation appeared, which was produced by spraying, they forgot about coating. And this despite the fact that this technology was the most reliable and preferable and would have saved a lot and many. When treating the attics of ancient buildings with impregnation, including schools, hospitals and boarding schools (this liquid itself is not very cheap and is not at all durable), I very much regretted that it was impossible to use a cheap and durable coating due to the high labor intensity of the process. However, in the mid-nineties, compressed air sprayers for thick mixtures with small inclusions appeared on sale. Of course, I immediately purchased this sprayer and immediately tested it on clay.
Considering the fact that by this time I was no longer involved in fire protection, as an experiment I treated the attic of my dacha, my neighbor and friends. I picked up the clay in the garden. To treat an attic of 100 sq. meters took no more than 30 minutes. More time was spent preparing and mixing the clay. Shocked by the result, I tried to treat the second floor of my building in the same style, with the only difference that instead of clay I used chalk adhesive putty.
I used finely sifted sawdust as filler. I tried sand, small crumbs, but nothing worked. The filler settled at the bottom of the container and did not flow through the nozzle. Spraying was carried out on the ceiling and walls, upholstered somehow with plasterboard. The putty reliably covered all the irregularities. Including all fasteners, wires, nails and screws. The result is a reliable, fire-resistant, durable coating and not at all expensive. Given its adhesive base, it held tightly to wood, plasterboard, and wires. I became convinced of this when I began to wash the splashed windows.
Encouraged by the results, I decided to treat my structure from the outside as well. I wanted not only to decoratively and fire-proof the structure, but also wanted to increase the heat-insulating characteristics of the house, since the second floor was made of hardboard. The insulation was the notorious polystyrene foam. It holds heat very well, but people don’t like the great love of mice for it and its good flammability. To do this, I treated the walls of it on both sides with clay from a sprayer. Adhesion was excellent due to the porous surface of the foam.
The first time, the clay treatment didn't quite work out. Sawdust had to be abandoned as a filler due to its getting wet when raindrops hit it. Oily clay cracked when dried. When filled with sand to a large extent, it became wet and was easily washed off. But in all cases the fire protection turned out to be excellent. If you first attach synthetic material to the wall to be treated using a construction stapler. plaster mesh, then the spraying will hold securely. Due to the fact that outer side the building was from large sheets Fiberboard, then with temperature and weather changes the fiberboard warped. I had to somehow fix it with slats. I couldn't figure out how to do it decently. When I started to cut the frame, there were no problems. The net easily lay along the logs. I had to rack my brains with the ends, but nevertheless everything worked out pretty quickly. With spraying, everything turned out quite easily.
I was able to use the clay mixture to treat not only the frame, but the entire façade. With the onset of the first frosts, I was happy to notice that the house had become much warmer than last year. I am not an expert in clay-filled plastering mixtures, but even what I managed to achieve inspires me. Spraying technology is simple and not labor-intensive. In just an hour or two, you can process dozens square meters without any special financial investments. Where there is no direct rainfall, the spraying lasts for many years. You can, of course, cover everything facade paint, but what stops me is the desire to increase the protective layer. I want to know: to what thickness can it be built up?
On level ground wooden wall from an old clapboard, the situation was even simpler. To do this, I secured the plaster mesh and immediately covered everything with clay. From wooden slats I tried to depict the remains brickwork, but then the frost overtook me.
Next year I will try to treat a wooden fence with clay.
