How to prepare plaster mortar for the stove. How to plaster a stove so it doesn't crack. With the addition of cement

A plastered stove looks better, heats the same way, but retains heat longer. This is one of the facts! Therefore, this kind of work needs to be done. However, not everyone knows how to plaster a stove so that it does not crack.

If you can apply rough plaster with your own hands on the walls of an ordinary room, this does not mean that with a brick stove you will succeed the first time and correctly.

In order for you to collect crumbled mortar from the floor in the near future, immediately after work, when plastering stoves, you must strictly follow certain rules. There are not so few of them, but carefully following and observing the order of work will lead to an excellent and long-term result. Let's figure out how and with what to plaster the stove so that it does not crack, provided that the work is done with your own hands.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a new or old heating structure, you will still have to apply a new layer of plaster to a clean brick surface. Therefore, before plastering the stove with your own hands, you need to thoroughly clean all surfaces on which the solution will be applied.

The requirements for a new coating in conditions of constant heating of the base to high temperatures are quite high, therefore both the base itself and the mixture must be correctly selected.

Plastering stoves is a responsible task that must also be approached from an environmental point of view. Indeed, with constant heating and cooling, all substances that are destroyed by increasing the temperature of organic and inorganic inclusions will inevitably be released from the mixture.

Therefore, the base must not only be environmentally friendly in itself, but also be as free from impurities as possible. Also, the material used must meet certain technical requirements, in particular, have a high degree of elasticity so that the plaster does not crack, and also have high thermal conductivity.

For what? This may not be the main question, but still.

After plastering, the stove will look neater and, if not decorated, will be in harmony with the interior. It will be possible later, just select special coatings. This is the first one.

Second: the masonry will not only be stronger, but also more airtight. As a result, heat loss is eliminated, and smoke from the firebox will not penetrate into the room. Your room will not be smoky, you will need to clean less often, the furniture and curtains will not turn black, and most importantly, your health will not deteriorate. Respiratory tract diseases due to a malfunctioning stove are a common phenomenon.

Briefly about the solution

Let’s remember or take notes on some important professional tips on how to plaster a stove so it doesn’t crack:

The best solution for plastering a stove is a mixture of lime or clay with sand, with the obligatory addition of asbestos chips. Yes, the material is practically no longer available in stores, since its production has ceased. But to prepare the solution with your own hands, you can still get asbestos. For example, crumble an old asbestos pipe into dust, break slate (preferably flat, not wave), you can finally “get” a bucket of asbestos at a construction site. It's still there somewhere.
A self-prepared cement-based mortar is also suitable if it has a complex composition, and, again, be sure to include asbestos chips. It is also recommended to add reinforcing materials to the mixture in small quantities for cement mortars. It could be hemp or straw.
Be sure to NOT plaster a stove that has just been built. It needs to dry, efficiently and for a long time. Otherwise, it will be impossible to ensure that the plaster does not crack; part of the mortar will fall off during the first ignition.

Pure clay is not an option!

Do-it-yourself plastering of the stove is done on a mesh, that is, on pre-prepared reinforcement and fixed to the base. You can take a ready-made, large-mesh mesh (cell sizes up to 10x10 cm), or you can make it yourself. To do this, you need to drive nails between the bricks so that only the 5 mm along with the hat, but not less than 45 mm was recessed inside the base. A thin wire is wound onto these nails, hammered in a certain order, to serve as reinforcement. When using a ready-made mesh, you can simply attach it to the wall surface with mortar, but it is also better to firmly fix it using nails driven into the seams between the bricks.
After plastering, the walls of the stove can be painted, but for this purpose special paints are selected that, according to technical characteristics, are ready for such use. They have a special mark on the can, look for it when purchasing paints. Oil paints are strictly not used for painting stoves!

The main problem when choosing an option for plastering a stove, as already mentioned, is constant temperature fluctuations, and quite amplitude ones at that. Incorrectly selected solutions may not immediately crack or even crumble the next day, but they will still last at least a short time. Therefore, if you do not want the surface of the plaster to crack, then prepare the mixtures correctly!

How to prepare the mixture?

You can immediately consider several options so that you have something to compare with, and choose an acceptable one in case of a shortage of raw materials.

Let it be clay and lime, since this is the most popular solution, lime-clay. You can also mix lime-gypsum or cement-clay-sand mixtures. When preparing such solutions, it is important to definitely add reinforcing materials, in the singular: asbestos as a filler and reinforcement material, as well as hemp, fiberglass, straw, etc.

If you hear that you need to add salt to the solution, these are unfounded arguments of home-grown specialists; its necessity and usefulness have not yet been proven. At the same time, asbestos is a material known to be harmful, so the composition of the fillers for the mortar on the stove is still up in the air.

Options for the composition of the finished solution that you can prepare yourself:

2 parts lime dough, 1 part sifted river sand, 1 part alabaster (gypsum), 0.2 parts asbestos crumbs.
1 part soaked clay, 2 parts sifted sand, 0.1 asbestos, 1 part cement.

The clay-sand mixture should be prepared at the rate of 1:2, the cement-clay-sand mixture - 1:2:1, the lime-clay-sand mixture - also 1:2:1, here cement is replaced with lime. All mixtures must contain 0.1-0.2 parts of asbestos chips. When using gypsum, do not forget about the speed of its hardening; prepare such a volume of solution that you can make with your own hands before it thickens.

Ideally, the gypsum mixture should be produced immediately within 4-5 minutes, so you need to prepare no more than 5 liters of solution in advance when working one person at a time.

How can you properly plaster a stove?

Now we come to the most basic process. The oven surface is cleaned and the mixture is prepared. Remember to select masonry joints 10mm deep. Immediately before plastering with your own hands, the stove must be heated properly so that the walls dry out and the plaster is laid on a hot surface.

The solution is applied in several layers, usually 2 or 3 are enough. The total layer should have a thickness of no more than 1-1.5 cm, this is quite enough. It was necessary to level the walls during laying.

After installing such a unique sheathing, you need to apply the next layer, which will be the primer on the spray. The consistency of the solution should be thinner than that of a spray, a little like batter.
The last layer will be a covering; it is needed to completely level the surface. The consistency is even thinner than that of the soil, which will allow the mixture to penetrate into any remaining cracks and fill uneven areas. The thickness of the covering layer can be from 2 to 5 mm.

Practical advice: which is prepared on a lime basis. Dilute the boiling lime or lime paste to the required consistency, and then strain through cheesecloth. Such paint will not get dirty and will not deteriorate at high temperatures of the base.

Plastering stoves with your own hands

Recently, in country houses, dachas and bathhouses, it has become fashionable to make stoves the old fashioned way: plastered with clay plasters and whitewashed with chalk and lime. Natural ingredients, fresh smell, antibacterial effect from whitewashing - our ancestors knew a lot about the beneficial properties of building materials and healthy living conditions!

Stoves without lining do not look aesthetically pleasing; dust and debris collect in the seams of the masonry, which not only is difficult to clean, but also spreads unpleasant odors, burning when the stove is heated. Plus, (especially if the stove-maker laid the masonry very quickly, since his pipes were “burning” and a legitimate hundred grams and a cucumber were waiting for him for lunch), a certain amount of smoke and carbon dioxide comes out through various microcracks in the seams formed due to poor-quality masonry which are harmful to health. To avoid all of the above, stove plastering, tiling, thin-layer stamped concrete or other types of stove finishing are done, which require some expense. Therefore, plastering the stove is one of the economical options.

If you are just planning to make a stove, and then plaster it and are reading this article, then perhaps it would be more advisable for you to buy an initially beautiful, even brick or facing brick, lay the stove out of it evenly, in accordance with the building level, and beautifully embroider the seams between the bricks, then it will initially look great, especially if you then open it with a special water-based stove varnish, for example, with a wet stone effect. This, perhaps (but not a fact) will cost a little more than a stove made of old or crooked brick, which is then covered with plaster mortar, but then you will not need to bother with plastering the stove, and the stove itself will initially look very beautiful and will constantly please you with your appearance. In addition, you will avoid possible peeling of the plaster (which occurs over time), as this often occurs due to mistakes made when plastering the stove. But, if you already have a ready-made stove and, most likely, it is made of clumsy or old brick, then you cannot do without plastering the stove, which you can do yourself.

Longevity secrets for .
Why does plaster fall off the surface of the stove?
Stove plaster peels off mainly for the following reasons:
1) due to who made the stove - he could have made the wrong thickness of the seams or bandages of the rows of bricks.
2) overheating of the oven.
To prevent this problem, a thin steel reinforcing mesh is used, the cell size of which is no more than 1 cm. The mesh is attached with wire to the brickwork of the furnace, with wire 3 mm thick. It is advisable to insert wire into each row of brickwork during the construction of the furnace.
Instead of steel reinforced mesh, you can cover the stove with burlap, which must first be soaked in liquidly diluted clay and a thin layer of clay mortar applied to the walls of the stove. The burlap is laid out and straightened on the surface of the oven so that there are no air gaps between them. Such a furnace cannot subsequently be overheated too much.

Do-it-yourself oven plaster
Prepare a solution for do-it-yourself oven plaster
Furnaces are plastered with simple clay mortar or lime-gypsum, cement-clay-sand, lime-clay-sand mortar. You can purchase these solutions in the store in dry form, packaged in bags, or prepare them yourself.
Since ancient times for do-it-yourself stove plastering Clay mortar is popular. Plastering the stove is done after the brickwork has completely hardened and its shrinkage has been eliminated (after about a month). If you prepare the solution correctly and plaster the stove, the plaster will last for many years.
A high-quality solution for plastering a stove should be easily applied to its surface and smoothed out well; the amount of sand mixed into the clay depends on the degree of fat content of the clay. If the fat content of the clay is high, then the proportion of the components of the mixture for plaster should be 1/3 or 1/4. In order to increase the strength of the plaster, you can add 0.1/0.2 shares of crushed glass fiber or asbestos fiber to the clay-based solution.

Now about how to do it right plaster the stove with your own hands.
Before you begin plastering the stove, its surface must be cleaned of dust, masonry mortar residues and other contaminants. In order to improve the adhesion of the mortar to the brickwork, it is necessary to clear the seams between the bricks to a depth of about 0.5 cm. Before applying the plaster mortar, it is necessary to heat the stove and apply the mortar to the warm walls.

Proportions of the most common plastering compositions for plastering stoves

proportions in parts:

clay -1, sand - 2, asbestos - 0.1;

gypsum - 1, lime - 2, sand - 1, asbestos - 0.2

clay - 1, sand - 2, lime - 1, asbestos - 0.1;

clay - 1, sand - 2, cement - 1, asbestos - 0.1;

gypsum - 1, lime - 2, sand - 1, fiberglass - 0.2.

Applying plaster to the stove
After preparing the plaster mortar, we begin to apply it to the surface, that is, to do-it-yourself oven plaster.
We start plastering the stove from the top. We moisten the brickwork with water and apply a thin layer of mortar with a trowel or grater, and then a thicker one. It is not recommended to apply layers thicker than 0.5 cm. In order for the plaster to dry evenly, it must be applied as evenly as possible. After the plaster has set but is still soft, you need to rub it in a circular motion using a wooden trowel. At the end of this procedure, the surface of the oven should become smooth and even. If the plastered surface of the stove is poorly smoothed, this indicates that the plaster has already set. In this case, you need to spray with a large brush or brush, moisten the set surface of the plaster and continue grouting with a wooden brush. Ultimately, the thickness of the facing layer of plaster should not be more than 1 cm.
The corners of the stove are plastered in the same way as door and plaster openings are plastered, using wooden or metal slats leveled. After applying the plaster solution, after about 10-15 minutes, the lath is carefully removed and, if necessary, the corner is corrected and floated.
After the plaster mortar has hardened, it is recommended to cover the oven with lime milk, to which salt must be added (about 100 g per bucket). You can also dilute the lime dough with milk removed during grouting.

The process of plastering a stove with your own hands should subsequently have the following result:

the deviation of the stove surface, starting from the vertical plane to its entire height, should not exceed more than 1 cm.
Similarly horizontally - no more than 2mm.
The deviation of the thrust between the corners from the straight line should not exceed 3mm.
When applying a 2 m long rule, the detected differences relative to a flat plane should not exceed 2 mm.

Painting the stove with your own hands.
You can paint the stove the old fashioned way - with chalk and lime milk; dyes for water-based paints are added for color. There are also many heat-resistant enamels, paints and varnishes. Some paints have a specific odor when the oven heats up, but it disappears over time. Emulsion, organosilicon, silicate paints with semi-matte and matte films are used for painting stoves and fireplaces.
Metal parts of the furnace, such as the firebox doors and casing, are painted with silicone-based paints of various colors (KO-84, KO-818, KO-822, KO-828, KO-5125, KO-174, KO-286, KO-198)
I will focus on one inexpensive, but quite beautiful and modern way of painting a plastered and unplastered stove - this is painting the stoves with water-based paints E-VA-27A E-VA-27APG, E-KCH-26, E-KCH-26A, E-HV -28. To do this, the plastered or unplastered surface of the stove is cleaned of dust, primed with a universal primer or a primer for mineral surfaces, after drying which a couple of layers of water-based paint are applied. The time interval between coats is written on the paint packaging. The paint can be given shades of the required colors using coloring pigments (colors) for water-based paints.

The stove can be painted in several colors, or designs can be applied manually or using a stencil. The only drawback of this paint is that it is not washable, but can be quickly updated if necessary with one new coat of paint. So that such a stove can later be easily wiped with a damp cloth, it is necessary to use washable water-based paint to paint the stove and apply designs through a stencil, and after it has completely dried, open the painted surface of the stove with a heat-resistant matte or glossy water-based varnish. When using a glossy varnish, small irregularities will shine, so if there are any, it is better to use a matte varnish, then they will not be noticeable.
Before applying the varnish, the water-based emulsion must be completely dry (the drying time is indicated on the packaging), otherwise it will blur when applying heat-resistant water-based varnish.
The varnish will make the surface of the stove, painted with washable water-based paints, more comfortable for cleaning and wet wiping of its surface.

You may be interested in reading how decorative finishing of stoves and fireplaces is done using thin-layer decorative printed (stamped) concrete technology. You can read about this by going to
This link

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How to make a solution for plastering a stove? A stove is a fairly reliable source for heating a room, which is not affected by the gas supply, lack of electrical energy, or diesel fuel. The article reveals the secrets of what kind of mortar to use for plastering stoves.

The purpose of any plaster is to fill in irregularities, remove roughness, and eliminate other surface defects.

However, for a fireplace and stove, the plaster must have such fundamental features as:

High temperature resistance.
Increased fire resistance.
Great degree of plasticity.
Resistant to cracking.
Environmentally friendly, which requires the absence of toxic substances in the room when using the stove.

In addition, when finishing stoves it is necessary to take into account such factors as:

Heating its elements.
Extension.

Why do you need stove plaster?

Despite the fact that when making a stove, craftsmen try to make it as strong and as airtight as possible, it is almost impossible to find an unplastered structure.

There are several reasons for this:

Finishing material allows you to change the interior of the room.
Make the exterior appearance of the structure noble.
The plaster composition for a clay stove is an additional safety layer that allows you to increase the strength of the stove masonry and improve the tightness. This is due to objective reasons: temperature changes contribute to the appearance of cracks in the masonry, this will be a source of smoke entering the room, which will have a bad effect on the interior and on people’s health.

To plaster the stove you can use:

Clay-sand mortar with cement or lime additives.
A mixture of gypsum and lime.
Compositions based on clay(see Clay plaster: composition and features of use). This is the most common option for applying a coating to the stove yourself.

Advice: Brickwork should be plastered only after it has completely hardened, usually 30 days. In this case, shrinkage will not affect the finishing result.

When preparing a composition for plastering a stove, it is necessary to observe certain proportions of the components used in the clay-sand mixture, which depend on the fat content of the clay itself - the main parameter of the composition. For example, if the fat content is high, the ratio is chosen: one part clay, to which 4 parts sand are added.

Tip: To increase the strength of the mixture, add fiberglass or asbestos to the prepared solution for plastering the stove.

To prepare a solution for plastering chimneys, slaked lime must be added to the composition. Otherwise, due to condensation, the coating will simply fall off the existing brickwork.

How to prepare a clay-based solution

Proper preparation of the solution and the period of its exposure are the key to reliable operation of the structure over a long period of time.

To prepare a high-quality solution, take:

One part plain clay.

Two parts of river sand. With increased fat content, the amount of sand increases: for one part of clay, take from three to four parts of sand.

Crushed asbestos or fiberglass - at least a tenth of the total amount of the composition. They serve to bind the solution and increase its strength. Sometimes such materials are replaced with straw or chopped hemp, which makes the solutions more environmentally friendly for human health.

What components are used in the preparation of complex mixtures for finishing the stove.

Mortars for plastering stoves can be made from:

Lime.
Cement.
Plaster.

For the lime-gypsum composition when plastering stoves, take:

Slaked lime – 2 parts solution.
Construction gypsum - one part in the mixture.
River sand - one part.
Fiberglass or asbestos - at least 0.2 parts by volume.

Advice: When preparing such a mixture and then plastering the stove, it is necessary to take into account that the gypsum hardens very quickly: after 5 minutes it will begin to set, and after 30 minutes it will almost completely harden.

This property of gypsum provides it with the ability to be an excellent additive for the manufacture of lime mortars to increase their strength.

To make a cement-clay-sand mortar you will need:

Portland cement composition - one part.
Plain clay - one part.
River sand - two parts.
Asbestos - 0.1 part of the total composition.

For a lime-clay-sand mixture you need:

Slaked lime - one part in the composition.
River sand - two parts of the total volume.
Asbestos - at least 0.1 part of solution.

How to prepare the mixture

When the composition of the mortar for plastering the stove is prepared, it should be:

Creamy.
Not too thick, like in the photo.

To mix the plaster, it is better to use a drill with an attachment that will work as a mixer.

Prepare the components.
Soak the clay in a large container for about a day so that it can be well saturated with liquid and swell.
Sift sand, preferably river sand, to remove shells and other unnecessary inclusions. In this case, it is advisable to use dry material so that you can accurately maintain the proportions of the plaster mortar for finishing the stove.
It is better to use cement M400. Hardening of this material begins after 15 minutes, and after 12 hours its setting is completed.
The final strength of the cement layer applied to the surface of the furnaces will be achieved in 30 days.

Tip: Lime is an excellent plasticizer for the mixture. Its price is low, and its astringent properties help ensure good adhesion on brick surfaces. But the lime-based composition hardens very slowly, which should be taken into account if it is necessary to plaster the stove.

To ensure high-quality application of the solution, professional tools are purchased:

To better mix the composition, it is necessary to use a drill with a mixing attachment, which will prevent the formation of lumps in the solution, give it uniformity, improve the appearance of the surface after plastering, and save the work of the master.

The brickwork is prepared: it is cleaned of the remnants of the previous mortar using a spatula or a metal brush, dust, using a soft brush.

Tip: Between the bricks, the seams should be cleared to a depth of 10 millimeters to ensure better adhesion of the mortar to the base.

Nails 45 millimeters long are driven into the joints, in increments of no more than 150 millimeters, and protruding outward by 10 millimeters.
The surface is treated with a primer (see Why a primer is needed: technological nuances of finishing work).
Before applying any solution, special bases for plaster are used - a large-mesh metal mesh, which is pre-installed on the stove. This technique will strengthen the plaster layer and give it good strength under constant exposure to extreme temperature changes. Sometimes master stove makers use special burlap for stoves as a reinforcing layer. To do this, the material is glued to the solution so that no air gaps arise. This method quite effectively improves the performance properties of the outer layer of the furnace.

Advice: Plastering should only be carried out on hot walls.

Brickwork is well wetted with water.
The first layer of solution is applied, the consistency of liquid sour cream.
After hardening, a second layer is applied, up to 10 millimeters thick.
After drying, the surface is pre-moistened with water and leveled.

Advice: If cracks appear, after the last layer of plaster has dried, the defects should be filled out, carefully moistened with water, thoroughly filled with mortar, and after drying, rubbed.

How to make a mortar for plastering a stove, the composition of the components, and the technology for coating the material can be seen in the video in this article.

How to plaster a stove so that it does not crack during everyday use? This question arises for those home owners who have just acquired this heating device, and in cases when the time has come to repair a stove that was built a long time ago.

It should be noted that cracking most often occurs when there are violations in the technology of the plastering process or in the preparation of the surface for applying the finish, as well as due to improper preparation of the solution.

To plaster the brick walls of the kiln, traditional sand-clay mortars and professionally prepared plaster mixtures are used, which can be bought today at any construction or specialized store.

But whatever type of plaster is chosen, it must meet certain requirements, such as heat resistance, high adhesion and an adequate response to the expansion of the wall material when heated.

Why plaster the stove at all?

In what cases and why are stoves plastered? The answer to this question is no less important than the first, since, having learned it, you can understand whether this process is worth carrying out at all, or whether you can leave the stove without finishing, or decorate its walls with ceramic or fireclay tiles.

Reasons that require finishing walls with plaster include:

If the stove is old and was previously plastered, but for some reason the finishing cracked and began to fall off, and sloppy masonry was discovered underneath.
If the stove is old and there is a danger of cracking of the masonry mortar in the seams and the penetration of carbon monoxide into the room.
If there is a need to transform this structure, giving it neatness and aesthetics, for example, when updating the entire interior and changing its design style.
Over time, various insects can take up residence in the seams between rows of bricks, especially in cases where the masonry was made using natural materials. Timely processing and plastering will help prevent their occurrence.
If the stove has just been erected, but the masonry is done sloppily, without jointing, and the structure does not look aesthetically pleasing, plaster will help correct this situation.

The advantage of plaster over other finishing materials:

It should be noted that plastering the stove is the most affordable and easiest way to tidy up the surface of the stove.
By choosing plaster for wall decoration, you can save a lot, since the price of ceramic tiles or stove tiles is several orders of magnitude higher than the price of plaster mixture.
Plastering can be applied to any of the existing types of stoves, both for the restoration of an old stove and for finishing a newly built one.
Plaster increases the thickness of the wall, which increases the heat capacity of the building and leads to fuel savings, since the stove takes longer to cool down.
Plaster increases the level of fire safety and reduces the possibility of carbon monoxide entering the room.
The plastered surface can be covered with water-based paint, whitewash or decorative plasters.

Tools for getting the job done

The quality of plaster application and its ideal distribution on the surface of the furnace walls directly affects the adhesion of materials and longevity operation. In order for the plastering process to be easy and bring the expected result, it must be carried out with high-quality tools, which include:

Spatulas - from medium for taking the solution from the container, to wide, used for applying it to the wall.
A plaster hammer used for driving plaster nails.
Trowel (trowel) for applying and distributing mortar on stove walls.
A cam hammer used to work with chisels, trojans and gears.
Standard scissors for cutting fiberglass mesh. If the walls are covered with chain-link mesh, then metal scissors will also be required.
Grater and grater. These tools are used to level and smooth plastered surfaces.
The trowel is used to bring the surface to perfect smoothness.
Chisel. Using this tool, notches are made on the surface of the furnace walls for better adhesion of materials.
Brushes of different sizes for applying primer compositions, and when using some techniques - both the plaster itself and to give it a textured surface, if provided.
Brush with metal bristles - for cleaning surfaces and seams when removing old plaster.
Construction level for checking the verticality and horizontality of planes.
A plumb line is used to control the evenness of walls and applied plaster.
The rule helps to align the plaster applied to the walls according to the beacons installed on them.

Types of plaster solutions

As you know, the oven is exposed to constant temperature changes, so the plaster layer must be resistant to this phenomenon. When making up the solution yourself and selecting the proportions of materials, you must take this into account.

The most important point is the composition of the plaster mortar

Plaster mixtures can be simple or complex:

Simple are compounds consisting of two ingredients - clay and sand.
Complex solutions are those that contain more than two components.

Before making the mixture, some of the materials need to be prepared by cleaning them from various impurities:

The sand must be sifted through a fine sieve.
The clay is also rubbed through a fine metal mesh, turning it into powder and freeing it from plant roots and small stones.

The clay for making the plaster mixture is chosen to be quite fatty, since this quality will directly affect the adhesion of the plaster and the wall. If excessive fat content of the clay is noticeable, a little more sand can be added to the solution.

Before mixing the solution, the clay is soaked by mixing with water. Next, it is left for several hours. If during this time it has absorbed all the water, then more liquid is added, and so on until the water covers the clay from above by 100 ÷ 150 mm. After this, the mixture is mixed - it should have the consistency of thick sour cream and have good plasticity.

Prices for heat-resistant plaster

plaster for stoves and fireplaces

Video: tips for properly soaking clay for mortar

Asbestos, which is added to the solution, plays the role of a reinforcing component. Instead of asbestos, hemp, finely chopped straw or shredded fiberglass (microfiber) can be used.

It should be noted that for plastering compositions it is better to choose natural, environmentally friendly materials that, when heated, will not emit harmful fumes that are unsafe for the health of the residents of the house.

Some craftsmen add salt to the solution and explain this by saying that it makes the solution stronger. However, this is not entirely true. Salt does not strengthen the clay, but it increases its hygroscopicity, which makes it more plastic, preventing it from drying out, so the plaster cracks less. In addition, salted plaster does not harbor various insects, which is also very important for a private home.

The table below shows several recipes for plaster mortars for stoves.

Composition Number	Clay	Sand	Fluffed asbestos	Lime	Cement	Gypsum
1	1	2	0.1	-	-	-
2	1	2	0.1	1	-	-
3	1	2	0.1	-	1	-
4	1	1	0.2	2	-	1
5	1	1	0.2	2	-	-
6	-	1	0.1	2	-	1

Separately, it is necessary to say about such a material as gypsum, which is one of the components of some plaster solutions. For example, in mixture No. 4, it is used instead of cement as a fastening agent. Gypsum hardens very quickly, it sets almost immediately after application to the wall, and after 10 ÷ 15 minutes the plaster layer using it will already harden.

This building material is often used together with lime, as it gives strength to the solution and promotes rapid drying. But, having chosen a solution with the addition of gypsum, you need to take into account its properties and prepare small portions of the mixture, otherwise it will harden and will be unsuitable for work. It is definitely not possible to extend its “life” even for a short time by diluting it with water.

We plaster the stove with our own hands

Preparatory work

Plastering will not be of high quality if the surface of the furnace walls is not well prepared for applying the finishing material. Therefore, the first step is preparatory work that will create good conditions for the adhesion of the plaster mortar.

If an old stove or fireplace is being repaired, then its surface must be freed from the plaster on it, knocking it down manually using a chisel and hammer. After the walls are freed from the old layer, they are well cleaned of dust - this process is carried out with an iron and ordinary brush.
The fresh masonry of the stove must also be cleaned, since the remains of masonry material may linger on the bricks, which will reduce adhesion, which will lead to the plaster falling away from the wall.
Next comes the deepening of the seams, and this is carried out both for a new stove and for a restored one. Dry mortar from the joints is selected to 5 ÷ 10 mm. Then the seams are well cleaned of dust.
After cleaning, the walls are primed well, and it is necessary to cover the buried seams with a thin brush.

Sometimes it is necessary to apply several layers of plaster - this need arises if the walls of the furnace are very uneven. This method of plastering requires additional reinforcement of the surface with a metal or fiberglass mesh with cells of 15 ÷ 20 mm. Reinforcement will secure the plaster well on the walls and make it less vulnerable to temperature changes. In addition, a thicker layer will increase the heat capacity of the oven. The metal mesh is attached to the surface using nails with wide heads that driven into the seams between bricks.

The fiberglass mesh is embedded in oncarried the mixture is applied to the wall, or the solution is placed on top of the mesh, leveling it. Fiberglass is mainly used if the surface is fairly smooth.

To maintain or restore the evenness of the corners of the stove, steel or perforated aluminum corners are mounted on them with an adhesive mixture.

In order to achieve evenness of the wall with large differences, beacons made of metal profiles are placed on top of the reinforcing mesh, fixed to the surface with a gypsum mixture that dries quickly, which practically does not slow down the work. If time is of the essence, then the beacons can be placed on a clay solution. But this method is possible if the mesh is adjacent to the wall.

The walls of the stove can be leveled to perfect smoothness for whitewashing or painting, or the surface can be left smooth, but rough, to be covered with decorative relief plaster. It should be noted that it is recommended to apply a not too thick preparatory finishing layer under laying ceramic tiles or decorative plaster.

There are various ready-made compositions or additives that help imitate natural stone of different types. In this case, the surface of the furnace, with the correct composition of the solution, will be impossible to distinguish from natural material.

The table shows the recipe for preparing decorative plaster solutions.

Component sucking of decorative plasters imitating the texture of natural stone, in parts by volume
Material	White marble	Yellow marble	Red marble	Gray granite	Labradorite
Portland cement M400	1	1	1	1	1
Lime dough	0.2	0.15	0.1	0.1	-
Marble flour	0.1	0.05	0.1	0.1	-
Marble chips up to 6 mm in size	3	3	3	3	3
Mica (based on cement volume)	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Paint (based on cement volume), %	-	Ocher 3 ÷ 5	Iron minium 5÷10	Manganese peroxide 1÷5	Manganese peroxide 6÷8

Preparation of plaster mixture

A solution composed in the correct proportion and well mixed is one of the factors on which high-quality plastering of the stove depends. To mix the mixture you will need a drill and a mixer attachment.

Before you start cooking, you need to consider some points:

Soaked clay, if it is used in a solution, must swell for at least two to three days. If, after standing for this time, it continues to absorb water, then it is not ready for kneading and you should add more water to it and leave it to swell for a while.
The sand added to the solution must not only be sifted, but also dried - this will help in maintaining the correct proportions when preparing the mixture.
Lime will be a good plasticizer for the solution - its viscosity will make the mixture more adhesive. In addition, it will help the solution to set quickly enough, which will shorten the work period. In principle, a small amount of it is recommended to be added to mixtures consisting of any ingredients.
The most suitable grade of cement is M400. It begins to harden 17 ÷ 20 minutes after mixing, sets in 3.5 ÷ 4 hours, and its final hardening and strength gain occurs after two ÷ three days.

If you purchase a ready-made dry mixture, it is easy to prepare:

Water is poured into a clean container of suitable size.
Then the powder is poured into the container, the proportions of which in relation to water are indicated on the packaging.
Using a mixer, the solution is mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed without lumps or dry inclusions.
The solution is kept for 7 ÷ 10 minutes, then mixed again, and after that it is ready for use.

If the solution for plastering is prepared independently, using traditional materials, then the process is carried out as follows:

The required amount of clay mass is laid out in the container. Dry sand, slaked lime and cement are added to it in accordance with the specified proportions.
The mixture is also mixed with a mixer until smooth. If necessary, a small amount of water is added to the solution during the mixing process.

This solution is used immediately, since the cement and lime set quickly enough.

Plastering process

As mentioned above, the plastering process can take place in different ways, some of which will be discussed below.

First way

This method is used if there are large distortions on the surface, and it requires radical leveling by applying a layer with a thickness of 50 to 80 mm.

In this option, the first step is to attach the leveling beacons. They are set to the building level, achieving perfect evenness.

After this, the oven is heated until warm.
Next, the entire surface of the oven is wetted with water using a wide brush or roller. Water will drive particles of dust and dry mortar into the seams.
After this, the walls are primed. The primer layer must dry, creating a layer that will promote adhesion of the surface and the applied materials.

Sketch of the solution, or “spray”

Next, by “spraying” (sketching), the first plaster layer is applied, which should not be thicker than 4 ÷ 5 mm. The solution for this layer should have the consistency of medium-liquid sour cream. The mixture is applied with accentuated movements, since the solution must get into the seams between the masonry rows. After completing the sketch, the solution is allowed to dry thoroughly.
After it dries, the next layer is applied, which should protrude above the installed beacons by 8 ÷ 10 mm. The solution is applied from the bottom of the wall, approximately 400 ÷ 500 mm, and is immediately leveled using the rule that follows the beacons. Next, the solution is poured onto the next area and leveled again, and so on, until the entire surface is covered with a leveling plaster layer.

While the mixture is still wet, carefully rub it with grout, sanding the surface.

Stove-makers have one secret that promotes uniform drying of the plaster layer, which reduces the risk of cracks appearing on its surface. The entire oven, after applying the mortar and sanding, is covered with damp burlap. If it dries quickly, it is moistened one or two more times.

When the surface has dried, the matting is removed, and if cracks are found, they are immediately rubbed and smoothed with a trowel with a rubber surface.

The third layer, the “covering”, is a smoothing layer, so the solution for it is made quite liquid and applied with a thickness of only 1.5 ÷ 2 mm. This layer is applied if the surface of the oven is to be covered with paint or whitewash.
Difficulty always arises when drawing out corners, even if they are reinforced with metal corners. The easiest way to apply the solution evenly and level it well is to use an angled spatula.

Prices for corner spatulas

corner spatula

To create a corner, some craftsmen use a wooden strip on one side of it, and after the applied solution has dried, they move the strip to the other side of the corner and apply the mixture to the one where the guide was installed earlier.

It is recommended to round the very edge of the corner, which can be achieved by using a corner spatula. This must be done, first of all, for the safety of small children living in the house. Also, a rounded corner is less susceptible to chipping, for example, during repairs and moving furniture.

Second way

When using this method of putting the oven in order, a metal mesh is used, which reinforces the surface of the oven and sets the thickness of the plaster coating.

Use a metal mesh to level the surface, moving it away from the wall in the right places at a distance of up to 25 mm. For rigidity, a wire is placed under it, which can be hooked onto the mesh itself or metal slats.

In this method, the plaster mixture is also applied in several layers until the mesh underneath is completely covered.

Finishing using such reinforcement is more durable and securely fixed to the surface.

The first layer is also applied using the “spray” method - the solution must pass through the mesh and adhere well to the wall. Having sprayed this surface, the walls are left to dry. After they dry, the mesh will become motionless, and it will be easy to apply subsequent, leveling layers of the solution over it.
After leveling and drying the top, last layer, the resulting cracks are covered and rubbed.
The next stage is the installation of the decorative coating.

Third way

The third method of plastering is used if the walls of the furnace are quite smooth and they only need to be “refreshed” a little.

The solution for this method is applied in one or two layers with a thickness of no more than 2 ÷ 3 mm.

The wall is also prepared and primed.
Then, if necessary, thin metal guide rails, which will help you navigate the thickness of the layer. Slats may not be used if the surface is flat and there is no need for them.
With this finishing method, it is best to use a solution with the addition of fireclay clay and crushed asbestos, which will act as a reinforcing component.
The mixture is applied starting from the bottom of the oven using a wide spatula, and immediately leveled with a rule along the metal slats. If beacons are not used, then the solution is smoothed, focusing only on the evenness of the surface.
In this case, the corners are also drawn out using a corner spatula.
When the walls of the oven are completely covered with mortar, they are carefully smoothed out with grout without pressing.

It is good to lay ceramic or fireclay tiles on this finish, as well as apply decorative relief plaster.

Decorative design of the stove

Decorative finishing of the stove can be done to suit every taste. If the plaster turns out smooth, then bake can be covered with whitewash - this method can be called traditional, since it has been used for a long time. Whitewash was often painted with water-based paints, which gave the room originality and emphasized national traditions. Most often, patterns were chosen that were characteristic of the area where the building was located.

Today, with the advent of new technologies and materials, the stove is often decorated with plasters that can create patterns on the surface that imitate one of the types of stone or a uniform relief structure.

There are other elements of three-dimensional drawings - in this case everything will depend on the imagination of the master. To create them, improvised objects are often used, for example, plastic film, brush, broom, mesh for cleaning dishes and other materials or accessories.

If you have a predisposition to creativity, you can use decorative plaster to create relief compositions that protrude beyond the walls of the stove even by 7 ÷ 10 mm, and then cover them with coloring compounds. Paints are applied over damp decorative plaster - then they are well absorbed into its surface and become more durable. After the entire surface has dried, painting can be done one more time.

In addition to decorative plaster, the stove is often decorated with terracotta or ceramic tiles. The availability of corner finishing elements on sale greatly simplifies its installation and makes it possible to make corners and all surfaces neat and aesthetically pleasing. The tiles are mounted on a special cement-based adhesive composition, which has the ability to withstand the effects of temperature changes.

Video: plastering a stove followed by finishing with terracotta tiles

What do you need to consider when starting plastering and finishing?

When plastering a stove, you need to take into account some points that may affect the quality of the work performed.

You cannot apply plaster to a newly erected stove structure. A “fresh” stove should not only be well dried, but also go through the stages of shrinkage. To do this, it is used for two to three months, and only after this period can finishing work begin.

To paint a plastered surface, only water-based paints can be used. Other coloring compositions containing drying oil or organic solvents will release harmful substances and unpleasant odors into living spaces when the stove is fired.

For all plastering and decorative work on the stove, it is recommended to use natural-based materials, without any synthetic additives that are harmful to human health.

It should be noted that all the methods discussed in the article are not as easy to implement as they seem at first glance. Therefore, if you have a complete lack of experience in this work, you should not take risks and translate quite, sometimes, expensive materials. It is better to entrust these important activities to real professionals who know first-hand the secrets of masonry and subsequent finishing of the stove.

Evgeniy Afanasyeveditor-in-chief

Author of the publication 28.08.2015

It is advisable to treat the stoves after the brickwork has completely hardened and the possibility of its shrinkage has been eliminated. As a rule, the masonry dries in about 5-8 weeks.

Remember that plaster will last you a long time only if you prepare the solution correctly. As a rule, they are plastered with a regular clay mixture. However, nowadays lime-gypsum mortars have gained wide popularity.

You can also use a cement-clay-sand or lime-clay-sand composition. You can easily purchase all these materials at any hardware store in the form of a dry mixture or prepare them yourself.

A high-quality plaster mixture should be easy to apply and smooth on the surface. The amount of sand that needs to be mixed into the clay solution depends on the degree of fat content of your mixture.

If you use fatty clay, then the ratio of the main components in the resulting mixture should be approximately 1:3-1:4. To increase the density of clay-based plaster, you can add approximately 0.1-0.2 parts of crushed fiberglass or asbestos.

How the process works

We figured out what solution should be used to treat the surface so that the finish does not crack. Now let's look at how to apply plaster correctly.

Before you begin plastering your fireplace, you should thoroughly clean the surface to remove dust, mortar residue, and other debris.

It is advisable to heat the stove before plastering and apply the solution to warm walls.

To improve adhesion to the masonry, you should clear all the seams between the laid bricks to a depth of approximately 0.5-1 cm.
Plastering the stove must begin from the top.
It is advisable to thoroughly moisten the brickwork with water.
Then, using a special grater or trowel, apply a liquid layer of solution.
After it dries a little, you can begin to apply a thick layer.
To ensure that the plaster dries evenly, try to apply it in an even layer.
Once it has set sufficiently but is slightly soft, rub it in using a wooden grater.

Advice: It is irrational to apply a layer thicker than 0.5-0.7 cm.

After you complete these operations, the surface of your fireplace or stove should be smooth and perfectly level. If you notice that the surface layer is not smoothed well, it means that the plaster has not had time to set.

If this is the case, you need to moisten the set part of the plaster with a brush. Then you can continue finishing work with a wooden brush.

The thickness of the facing layer of plaster should not exceed 1 cm.

Use wooden or metal slats to finish the corners. Be sure to level them. After plastering the corners, remove the slats after 10-20 minutes. If necessary, correct the corner using a grater.

After you finish plastering the stove, you need to cover the surface with lime milk. Be sure to add salt to the milk.

The applied layer falls off the stove or fireplace for the following reasons:

Incorrect ligation of a row of bricks.
The seam is too narrow or wide.
Severe overheating.

Advice: to prevent these problems, experts advise using a reinforcing mesh during the plastering process, the cells of which will not exceed 1-1.5 cm.

The mesh must be installed using wire on the brickwork. The wire thickness should be about 3 mm. It is advisable to add it to each row of masonry before you start building the fireplace.

If you don't have the opportunity to use reinforced mesh, you can use burlap. First you need to soak it in liquid clay, and coat the fireplace wall with clay mortar.

Remember that the burlap on the stove must be installed in such a way as to completely eliminate air gaps between it and the stove itself.

Worth noting! A stove covered with burlap should not be overheated too much.

If after plastering you find a crack, then you need to prepare a special solution. To seal cracks, craftsmen recommend using a fireproof mixture.

This type of plaster for a stove is a regular ready-made mixture using refractory clay, lime, and cement:

Be sure to sift all components through a sieve.
Soak the clay for a day.
Later, extinguish the lime with water.

Remember that your clay solution should be uniform and thick.

A mixture using cement is usable for only an hour.

Before using this solution, it must be diluted with water. Then add PVA glue and you can start plastering the pipe and the rest of the surface.

After receiving the solution, clean the cracks well. It is advisable to moisten them with warm water. Then cover the surface of the stove with a metal mesh and nail it. It is advisable to nail the mesh in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 10-12 cm.

As noted above, filling cracks must be done only on a heated stove. This is done so that the seams expand and provide good adhesion to the plaster. During heating, the pores of the brick will open and come into effective contact with the mixture.

If, after the plaster has dried, you find new cracks, straighten their edges and moisten them with warm water. Then scrub with a thick solution.

After all layers have completely dried, it is advisable to whiten the surface of the stove. It is better to use paints based on chalk or lime. It is highly not recommended to use oil-based compounds, as they begin to disintegrate during heating and smell unpleasant.