Clay plaster, the composition of which is simple and literally lies under our feet, is increasingly found on construction sites as facing material for interior and exterior decoration. It is known that it was the main material for craftsmen many centuries ago, why are we returning to this experience again today?
The return to ancient construction traditions is not accidental. Modern mixtures for finishing houses practically do not exist without chemicals, which over time harm the body. The cheaper the composition, the more harmful it is. Expensive plasters are not affordable for everyone, and they do not become less chemical. Clay interested consumers primarily because of its environmental friendliness, because the ancient masters did not have a chemical industry.
And even not so old village buildings where this material was used are still functioning properly, which means that the clay does not crumble after a couple of years, but behaves like a full-fledged durable one. natural finish, not only not harmful, but even beneficial for humans. Plastering walls with clay is cheap, and for those who are especially thrifty, there is an opportunity not to spend a penny on the components, but to dig them themselves from the nearest quarry, river, or even on their own site. After all the mixture requires only clay and fine sand. But this is an activity for extreme sports enthusiasts, because the depth of good clay is about 1.5 m, and not so little is required.
Even if you buy ready-made mixtures, they are quite cheap. When choosing, you just need to pay attention to the place of extraction, because clay is a good adsorbent of harmful and sometimes radioactive contaminants. There are no problems with the color of the plaster, because natural clay can be of several shades, roughly representing the entire palette from red-red to blue, and this depends on the location and depth of extraction. Dyes, although natural, are rarely added, and natural fillers, such as straw, can be used for a textural effect.
In addition to being cheap and environmentally friendly, this has a number of advantages. Therefore, before instructing how to plaster with clay, let’s consider what we win and what we lose. The layer that you get on your walls will not soon deteriorate, which will be indicated by numerous cracks, because the clay is very elastic, and gives this quality to the plaster mixture. Its appearance will always be presentable and original; like a natural material, it is not afraid of humidity, temperature changes, wind and even moderate earthquakes. Its density creates the effect of preserving the room, preventing the passage of harmful substances, for example, exhaust from the street; it is believed that even electromagnetic radiation to some extent delayed by such walls.
After ten years, the first crack may appear, but restoration is done almost instantly, and it is unlikely that it will be necessary to cover the entire wall; it is enough to fake the problem area. The layer of clay plaster breathes well, allows moisture and steam to pass through, the microclimate in the room will be almost ideal of all possible options. And you don’t have to wait for unwanted guests in the house; various kinds of insects simply won’t be able to gnaw through the strong bonds of natural clay. The advantages include the hypoallergenic nature of this material, as well as the cleanliness of not only the layer on the walls, but also the construction process. No harmful waste is generated, because everything is taken from nature, and there is no shame in returning the excess to it.
It would be unfair not to mention some of the difficulties that will have to be faced. If you are doing it for the first time, then you will experience all the capriciousness of clay plaster, because preparing it is not so easy, because there is no recipe; readiness is assessed by a practical method. We will try to help you master it, but if available experienced craftsman It's better to take him to help. By the way, finding such a person is also not easy, because clay is not yet so popular, and previously it was not taken into account at all; few people really know how to work with it competently. The plastering process itself is quite lengthy; you will have to wait a long time for each layer to dry, and if you do external finishing with this material, restoration will be required almost every year. Although the plaster will not crumble, it will crack frequently.
Let's start describing the work itself, because there are many nuances here, so we won't be distracted by theory anymore.
Clay plaster is heavy, so adhesion must be very high. To do this, it is advisable to have noticeable roughness on the wall, but it is better to build shingles ( wooden grate). If the walls are brick, clean the surface of any remnants of the previous finish and open the seams. Then the clay will lie confidently and for a long time. Wooden house It definitely has to be with shingles; making notches on logs is a thankless task. You should not use metal, as clay is unlikely to be able to press into it well, it is too dense.
A pure mixture of clay and sand is used for finishing plaster, because she is very “cold”. The clay should first be soaked in water for 2-3 hours, then a little more water is added and mixed thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mass. Then sand is poured into the container and the composition is mixed again. But the proportions need to be selected experimentally; they will depend on the initial fat content of the clay. This can be checked in several ways, but the fastest and does not require a perfect eye is the ball method.
To begin with, achieve such a condition that the mixture does not stick to your hands; this is done by gradually adding water. Then take a little mixture and make a ball 2 cm in size. Place it on hard surface and flatten it, not to a thin pancake, but to an impressively plump one. Now pay attention to the edges, if cracks have formed on them, then the solution is not plastic, more clay is required, if there are no cracks, then you have guessed the proportions and you can start working. On average, 50-80% sand is required for the solution.
The basic plaster solution is prepared with additives, these can be sawdust, straw, pine needles. This solution holds more tightly, i.e. fillers give a reinforcing effect and retain heat better. The “warmest” – purely clay mortar with the same additives, but it is not plastic and will definitely require finishing, since cracks will not take long to appear.
The first layer is thrown on in sloppy lumps, and in order to better stick them to the surface, you need to make some effort, i.e. press the lumps, and not spank them with a spatula, as is done with other plasters. If this layer is the only one, then it needs to be perfectly leveled with a grater; if not, then it is enough to simply roughly bring the surface to the same level. You need to let the layer dry, this will take a little over a month in the summer, and all three in the winter.
Then the next layer is applied, usually “cold”, see its description above. Its thickness is small. You can also use a grouting solution, where cement is also added to the clay and sand. In this case, the clay-cement-sand ratio is 1:1:3. The surface should now be smooth. And this layer should dry, give it a few weeks. Do not try to speed up the process; forced drying will immediately damage the coating. Then the wall can be decorated, painted or left in a natural color. If some finishing is still planned, then a number of additional preparatory work, for example, a primer.
Clay plaster is environmentally friendly pure material of natural origin. It has been used in construction since ancient times. This material allows you to create a beautiful home design, while the coating will not emit substances harmful to human health. Not so long ago, clay plaster was the only finishing material option. Modern construction market offers a huge number of different plaster mixtures based on synthetic materials, but there are still fans of plastered walls made with natural raw materials.
Among positive aspects clay solutions, it is necessary to highlight the following:
Clay plaster is a natural, environmentally friendly material for wall decoration Like any other material, clay plaster has some disadvantages:
Without exception, all types of clay plasters consist of various combinations of the following ingredients:
One of the main components of clay plaster is wood sawdust. Previously included horse dung, but now it is completely replaced by clay with sawdust. The following solution options are available:
On a note! To increase the viscosity, you can add cement to the mixture, but then the solution will dry out faster.
To impart certain properties to the composition, sand, sawdust, wool, and in some cases cement are added to the clay solution. The first criterion for selecting these mixtures is thermal conductivity:
First of all, you need to prepare all the necessary tools and materials:
After this, you can begin preparing the base:
Before applying the clay solution, it is necessary to remove the old finish To properly make a clay composition, you need to be guided only by the fat content of the solution. There are no exact formulas, instructions or proportions, as, for example, for gypsum or cement mixtures. The classic recipe contains straw, but the factory production technology involves the use of polypropylene fiber.
There are two ways to test the plasticity of clay:
When preparing a clay solution Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the plasticity of the material You should know! The correct fat content is the key to a long service life of the plaster, so it is better to double-check everything in advance. You can adjust the fat content with sand. Usually sand requires about 50-80% of the total mass, clay with sawdust should be 40-10%, the rest is water.
Instructions for applying clay compositions with your own hands:
Application ready solution made of clay At the end the walls are whitewashed lime whitewash. You can also wipe clay coating float, treat with a primer, and plaster the top with gypsum mortar. This completes the clay plastering.
Plastering walls with clay with your own hands is a fairly simple process. Unlike working with other materials, it does not require precise calculations and careful surface preparation. The main thing is to follow the above instructions and check the walls with a level as often as possible.
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:
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 you make the walls of a certain thickness, 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. Eg, 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, various panels, facing brick and so on. The main thing in this situation is to strengthen the foundation.
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 the size of 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 the manufacture of adobe bricks is the presence of a flat area sufficient to accommodate large quantity 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 finished walls will not reach a certain size, that is, ceiling level. 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.
It takes some time for it to dry. Next operation- This is the leveling of 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 leveling the walls is not necessary.
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.
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 to the air. Wherein 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. Although 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:
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 spots appear from time to time. small cracks along 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 present small instructions by application. 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.
It is important to know! If you decide to choose natural clay for summer cottage plot 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.
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:
It is worth knowing that sawdust of various kinds, as well as different fibers, are added to the clay so that the solution is held together 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:
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 the climatic zone of the house. 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.
When preparing the solution, you need to know that the addition of synthetic fibers is recommended for rough finishing of walls or for forming 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. Main positive property clay is that it is excellent for adhesion to other materials, such as wood, stone, cement or concrete. To prepare a clay solution you will need the following equipment:
Also, to prepare the solution you will need different materials, which are:
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 for carrying out 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 time has passed, the wet mixture must be mixed again and removed excess water 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:
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.
On a 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.
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. Last and the final stage applying plaster is finishing coat wall surface.
Plastering walls with clay is an excellent 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 influence You can paint the clay with paints and varnishes of different shades.
Experts in the field of plastering houses advise adhering to some recommendations for carrying out work. For example, start finishing works Immediately after building a house it is not recommended. Otherwise, the house will still succumb to sedimentation, causing the plaster on the walls to crack. The approximate settlement period of 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, a layer of 4 or 5 mm plaster is also not recommended, 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 in 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.
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, sprayers from compressed air thick mixtures with small inclusions. Of course, I immediately purchased this sprayer and immediately tested it on clay.
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.
Next year I will try to treat a wooden fence with clay.
