I had been planning to post this article for a long time, but I kept putting it off because... this year I didn’t manage to finish what I started - my walls were plastered on the outside only once, and then only incompletely... Next - 15 steps in the plastering process straw house…
1. Before plastering the walls should be straightened- for example, a large wooden hammer; I also saw an example of how the “excess” was cut off with a grinder or chainsaw. First we do it from the street side - there will always be time inside :) .
2. Then you can do it again check the gaps between the blocks and in the openings - and fill them with straw or a mixture of chopped straw and clay.
3. Next, we cover the frame with mesh so that the plaster holds tighter.
You can use metal or plastic. There is one problem with the first one - mobile communications begin to jam inside the house. Therefore, my plans were for the lower part of 1 meter to be metal, and everything above to be plastic. However, in practice it turned out that the outside was covered with a plastic mesh 2 meters high.
You can plaster the walls either on top of the plaster mesh or without it, rubbing the plaster into the straw - the second option is labor-intensive, but cheaper (you don’t need to buy a mesh - although the plaster consumption is 15-20 percent higher, so it’s worth doing the math, perhaps) .
In addition, sometimes instead of a mesh they make a thin sheathing of slats or shingles.
4. For attaching the mesh We use metal wire or nylon cord and stitch the blocks together with the mesh. This is not necessary, in principle. I started to do this, but then I realized that she would hold on just fine anyway.
5. Cover the openings with film. I think it's clear why.
6. Install scaffolding. This item is also optional - it depends on the height of your walls, of course. One of the most.
7. Check the clay for plasticity- if you plaster with clay, of course.
At first I was going to do this, but in the end I settled on lime plaster for the external walls.
8. Prepare the plaster mixture.
9. Check the mixture for readiness:) This is also not difficult - you can plaster a piece of the wall and wait for it to dry. If cracks appear, you need to reduce the amount of clay.
10. Plaster 1 time - rough.
Everyone knows from films how mud huts were made in Ukraine - in large pits, a bunch of people mix the clay with their feet, and then women and children throw lumps of this mixture with all their strength into the walls with their hands. In general, there is a lot of fun here :) But you can also use special devices for applying plaster - it won’t be as romantic, but it will be faster.
In the case of lime plaster, such fun, alas, is cancelled...
11. Leveling the thrown plaster with a grater board. There is an article about tools for more details.
12. Waiting for drying within about 7-10 days.
13. Plaster 2 times.
14. Plaster 3 times - finishing.
You can add to the top layer of plaster linseed oil(about 5% by weight of the plaster) - it will become a good breathable and at the same time moisture-proof impregnation. You can also add dye to the third layer of plaster.
15. If desired, paint the walls, for example acrylic paint.
Some people use potassium silicate for finishing painting ( liquid glass), which also forms a waterproof film. By adding pigment to it, you will get the desired color.
These are the steps I came up with - everything seems simple and it’s quite possible to do it yourself. Write in the comments - let's discuss!
Wall of a thatched house after the first layer of lime plaster Typhoon-Master No. 28
Adobe brick or monolithic adobe walls- amazing material. has been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Very durable, despite the materials: clay and straw. As you know, additives such as sand and lime are also added to the base material. Nowadays, cement and even gypsum have been added to the composition of this material.
Let's get straight to the question. There is no special method here. We will plaster and putty like any other wall. The most important thing is to focus on preparation: prime the material well, do not skimp on the primer. It is best to do this 3-4 times, since the clay will absorb any moisture very well and quickly, including the primer. Below are some good primers. it doesn’t matter where you work: façade or inner part premises. Very often, it happens that the applied plaster will simply fly off. That is why many people abandon the usual cement mortar, preferring polymer plasters or cement plasters with the addition of polymers. Such compositions have great adhesion. If necessary, you can attach a reinforced metal mesh to the wall using anchors.
As for the solution for plastering the facade, if possible, you can use cement mortar(if reinforced metal mesh is attached) mix the mixture in a ratio of 1:2 (grade 400 cement and sand), you can add a plasticizer. If you decide to abandon cement, then you can use Knauf plasters:
Afterwards, be sure to prime, preferably 2 times. Next, use Knauf Multi-Finish cement putty. During puttying, use a molar mesh. At the end of the work, prime the surface again and cover it with paint if desired.
Indoors, after plastering the surface, you can use gypsum putty-plasters such as Rotband and Goldabnd for puttying. Don't forget to use a molar grid and prime the surfaces. Also, indoors, the walls can simply be covered with plasterboard - maybe it will be better and faster, and most importantly, cheaper.
Straw and compressed straw blocks have three real “enemies” - increased humidity, fire and rodents. Let's call them “obvious” shortcomings.
Building a house using straw bales may seem like a crazy idea at first. And, by the way, for some, this alone is a serious limitation - not many can handle the risk of being branded a “black sheep.” But still this is not the only one and not main drawback and the risk of building a thatched house.
Straw and compressed straw blocks have three real “enemies” - increased humidity, fire and rodents. Let's call them “obvious” shortcomings.
The disadvantages are obvious
1. Risk of rotting at high humidity
Straw with a moisture content of more than 20% begins to mold, the stems rot and collapse, so it is so important to keep the straw blocks dry before construction begins, lay them dry and quickly seal them with plaster.
During construction. The straw walls are only partially ready, so they are covered with cellophane film against the rain
This also implies that thatched walls cannot be left open. At the same time, the choice of coatings is also limited: cement-sand plaster, clay-sand plaster gypsum plaster gypsum sheets wood panels
The danger of mold exists for both unplastered and poorly made walls.
In areas with a constantly humid climate, high-quality vapor barrier will be needed on the internal surfaces of external walls. Wide roof overhangs will protect the house from heavy rain.
2. Fire
Plastered compressed straw blocks are highly fire resistant and have been officially rated as having a very high fire resistance rating. A properly protected thatched wall is superior in fire safety to a wooden one. But straw scattered around a construction site can easily cause a fire. You need to be especially careful with straw in attics, attics, and near fireplaces.
This is confirmed by the story of a woman whose house burned down during construction.
"A house was being built for permanent residence(autumn 2005). I bought the plot with a finished ground floor. The frame was secured to the foundation with 14x220 anchors. The blocks were tied with two simple twines; they were not pressed properly, because... During installation, a lot was gutted... The outer wall was covered with DSP, and the inner walls were covered with boards at intervals. A straw house burned down. Fire in a straw house during construction. Fire in a straw house during construction.
In the photo you can see to what stage the house was built before it burned down (they managed to make a subfloor on the second floor and interior partitions). At this stage, the builders began to place glass insulation on the foundation on the 1st floor, heating blowtorch(April 2006). According to them, the windows on the second floor were open. After some time it began to smoke under the casing and floor. They began to blow it up and flood it, but they couldn’t, the fire spread very quickly and burned the whole house. There are many versions, but I think there was a draft of hot air and, most importantly, a violation of fire safety regulations...”
Prevention measures:
- no smoking on the construction site
- quickly clean up scattered straw
- always have a fire extinguisher on hand
- do not use open fire sources until the walls are plastered
- use tightly compressed straw blocks
- After laying the blocks, plaster them outside and then inside the house before starting interior decoration.
3. Rodents
“The mice will eat it” is a very common statement about thatched houses. Why is it so widespread? Because mice can actually settle in straw in search of food and warmth. True, not in any straw, and not really in straw :) It is inconvenient for mice to settle directly in straw blocks - they are prickly, but in the voids between the block and, for example, a plasterboard, they are quite capable.
By the way, rodents are not the only small pests that can help you tear your house apart :) There are also birds and insects that can also choose straw as their habitat.
Preventive measures: use rye or rice straw for insulation (mice do not eat it and do not live in it), isolate all possible access routes to the straw.
Disadvantages little mentioned, but really existing
4. Design limitations
When using a load-bearing frame, the design limitations are small, but they do exist, and they relate primarily to the number, location, width and height of openings.
5. Thick walls
Width straw block makes the walls quite thick. One of the difficulties with walls of such thickness is the need to expand the foundation and increase the roof area. In homes with thinner walls, creating exactly the same usable interior space requires fewer resources.
Straw walls. Thick thatched walls protect well from frost, but increase the foundation and roof...
6. Few standard projects
Unlike houses built using other technologies, there is a clear lack of standard straw bale construction schemes. This means that the development of a project for the construction of a thatched house will most likely have to be ordered individually, and you will have to look for understanding architects-designers-builders.
In some countries there are still no building codes(in Belarus it is regulated by SNIP, in the Russian Federation and Ukraine it also seems to be).
7. Deadlines and money
You need to immediately have a certain amount on hand in order to quickly solve “must-have problems.” I will give one dialogue from the forum that well illustrates this point.
- ... one BUT: if I build a log house and I run out of money, I can live in it unfinished, but a thatched house requires both external and interior decoration, and right away.
- The cost of minimal finishing for living in a house is so insignificant that it does not deserve separate discussion. If there is money for the frame, roof and windows, then there will be crumbs for plastering.
- Something tells me that it will cost at least $5 per square, - and there are a lot of squares in the house!
- Necessarily! No less than 5! If you don’t apply your hands yourself, but walk and poke with your finger, it’s uneven here, apply some oil there...
8. Deadlines and money - 2
We have suitable straw closer to August, and if there is not enough money, then we may not have time to do everything before winter. And in winter external walls Plastering cannot be done. Therefore, there is the prospect of overwintering straw under the roof of an unfinished house or outbuilding on the site, and then risk No. 1.
9. “Pointing finger”
Due to the fact that the technology of construction from straw blocks is not yet very widespread, it will be necessary to monitor the progress of work much more and more carefully in comparison with construction from “traditional” materials: so that builders do not smoke, do not work with a burner, and that fertilizers are nearby with straw (for example, ammonium nitrate - spontaneous combustion is possible upon contact with sawdust or straw), and so that children with matches do not appear nearby...
P.S. Disadvantages of thatched houses with a load-bearing frame
You may have already heard that a thatched house can be built framed or frameless. To be honest, I still have little idea of the process with such a frameless house, but people mention the disadvantages of thatched construction with a load-bearing frame, so we’ll just note them “for show.” So, this is an additional expenditure of time, money, labor, materials to create a load-bearing system, when the blocks themselves could support the weight of the roof, as well as the need to create a foundation that carries the weight of the blocks and concentrated loads from the vertical posts. published
Unlike manufacturers of modern finishing mixtures, clay plaster is truly an environmentally friendly building material. It has undeniable advantages, and its technical and performance characteristics are quite sufficient to solve most problems in construction.
About this, and about the types of compositions, and the right technology DIY application will be discussed in this article.
Advantages and disadvantages
Most often, this plaster is used for finishing adobe (clay) and wooden walls. There are certain advantages and disadvantages of clay plaster timber house, log house or structure made of rounded logs.
Plastering wooden walls inside a house with clay, photo of a living room with a fireplace
Advantages:
- Cheap material;
- Absolute safety for environment and for humans;
- Possibility of quick and safe disposal or reuse;
- Vapor-permeable material capable of regulating room humidity;
- Non-flammable, does not emit carcinogenic or toxic substances when heated to critical temperatures.
Flaws:
- Requires experience and accuracy in finishing;
- Sensitive to humidity;
- It is necessary to reinforce the walls with metal mesh or shingles.
Traditional and modern compositions
One of the oldest recipes for preparing clay mortar for plastering walls has the following proportions:
- Clay 10 parts;
- Sand 5-8 parts;
- Straw 5-10 handfuls.
Such a large scatter of sand occurs because the clay in different regions has different fat content. The fatter the clay, the better its plasticity and higher adhesive abilities. The fat content of clay for plastering walls is determined simply. A small lump is soaked in water and a ball with a diameter of 50 cm is molded from it. The material should knead well, but not stick to your hands. Then the ball is squeezed in the middle, if it has turned into a neat pancake, then such a material is greasy and suitable for plastering with clay, and if it cracks at the edges, then such a material is skinny and unsuitable for wall decoration.
Fireproof composition
There are numerous ready-made refractory compositions on sale with the addition of lime, gypsum or cement binders. However, for plastering stoves it is enough to use fireclay clay, and fiberglass as reinforcement. Previously, asbestos fiber was used, but it is too harmful for humans.
Furnace finishing with clay plaster, composition with fireclay clay
Moisture-resistant compounds
Clay plaster with the addition of a small amount of cement, in the proportion of 1 part cement to 7 parts clay-sand mixture, obtains a fairly high resistance to moisture. at the same time, it can absorb up to 60% of moisture from the atmosphere, which has a positive effect on the microclimate of the bathroom.
Bathroom finishing
Warming compounds
The traditional material for insulating plaster, horse dung, is now quite scarce, so plaster wooden house Inside, clay for insulation is made using a composition with sawdust, which is mixed into a standard mixture, but without adding straw. Plastering a wooden house with clay and sawdust is done exclusively indoors.
Applying plaster
The main way to avoid cracks in plaster clay mortar– use metal wire reinforcement or shingle the walls. In addition, the ratio of ingredients is slightly changed towards reinforcing substances of natural or artificial origin. Add more straw and less sand. This ball of plaster is intermediate, as it does not have a very neat appearance.
Mortar with more straw avoids cracks
Video of the process of plastering clay walls of adobe (adobe) house:
Just recently I came across interesting video material. While watching a video about how to build a house from timber, I noticed another story - about how to build a house from straw with your own hands. And after looking, I decided to write about it.
The video was filmed by the settlers of the Ark.
It turns out that the cost of building such frame house made of clay and straw, it is not very large. The technology is also not very complicated. The house turns out warm. The plot itself just shows how to build frame house made of clay and straw, the terms of work, the price of construction, the technology of pressing clay with straw are described. The video is definitely worth watching, even just for your own development. And suddenly, it will come in handy in life!
a return to partially forgotten construction technologies is associated with the trend of using natural materials. They give homes a natural coziness and have good environmental qualities. A classic example of such buildings are adobe houses, the main material of which is a mixture of clay and straw. The buildings gained popularity for their environmental friendliness, natural regulation of the indoor microclimate and relative simplicity.
Adobe house. What is it?
Analogues of modern houses made of straw and clay existed in ancient times. Some of them have survived to this day - in the arid regions of Asia and Africa you can find entire adobe cities. Improvement construction technologies led to the widespread spread of clay buildings throughout central Europe and modern Russia. Properly built clay houses have a service life of more than a century and are safe for residents.
Visually, adobe buildings do not always differ from ordinary ones, although their main “charm” lies in the ability to give the walls any shape and adapt them to objects home interior. Numerous recesses, bathtubs and smooth transitions strikingly distinguish clay buildings from brick and other block-cement structures.
Old technologies are rarely used in their original form, since the performance parameters of modern houses are improved through the use of modern additives. Natural fire-fighting properties of clay that is prone to baking when elevated temperature, are improved with the introduction of components that increase strength characteristics.
Clay construction technology
1. Materials that you should stock up on in advance:
wooden boards and beams for building the frame of walls and roofs;
clay;
sand;
straw;
water (well or centralized water supply).
TO additional materials that will be useful during the preparation and finishing stages include:
gravel - for preparing backfill for the foundation;
material for the manufacture of solid or brick foundations;
flat wooden planks for upholstering the walls of the house;
wooden (metal) formwork or mold for making blocks.
Although the house will be made of clay, it is better to make its foundation classic - strip. A strong and elevated foundation will increase the service life of the house and reduce the impact of melt water on bottom part walls
The site for construction should be chosen away from lowlands and access to the surface groundwater. The optimal location of a clay house is on a hill.
To get the most durable building suitable for our latitudes, it is better to make walls by pouring mortar into the formwork. You can also use clay blocks, which are laid similarly to classic block structures.
A significant reduction in construction costs is achieved by independently extracting clay on your own site. Straw is cheap in small quantities, but the largest costs will be associated with the purchase of sand and lumber.
The straw should be dry and free of rot. It is best to buy it immediately after the harvest season, and then leave it for the winter in a dry and ventilated area.
2. Preparation of the solution
Many authors advise using not pure clay, but a mixture of it with sand. Since clay and sand differ in composition for different regions, you can test their different proportions (2:1, 1:1, 1:2, etc.). The clay-sand mixture, to which water has been added to obtain a dough-like consistency, should be clenched in a fist and dropped onto a solid base from a height of 1.5-2 m. A lump of a suitable composition should not split or flatten too much when falling.
To prepare the solution, you can use a concrete mixer or a flat base with edges curved upward (mix the solution with your feet). The clay is crushed to a fine powder, after which sand and water are added to it. There should not be a lot of the latter so that the mixture maintains a highly viscous consistency and does not flow out of the formwork.
Straw is added to the resulting clay-sand solution in an amount of 30 to 60%. The more straw, the lower the thermal conductivity of the walls and their strength (you will have to limit yourself to one floor). The resulting solution is poured into formwork forms placed along the edges wooden frame Houses.
The frame is assembled from beams and consists of vertical and horizontal guides. There should be a blank for the roof on top, since after pouring the walls you need to immediately start covering it. The solution is poured in stages (up to 30 cm per day), after which the wall should be given time to dry. At self-construction the wall usually “grows” by 10-15 cm in one daily cycle.
The outside walls are covered with sheathing made of straw or reed - they create an additional heat-insulating layer. The sheathing is attached in a thin layer, which is pressed against the wall with wooden flat strips (nailed to wooden supports). The outside of the sheathing is covered with clay or lime plaster.
3. Roof made of straw and clay
Tied sheaves of straw are laid on top of the boarded roof frame, which are then leveled (the rope holding them together is cut). The straw is fixed in the same way as the sheathing on the wall - with wooden slats. After covering the roof, you can begin to coat it with clay-sand mortar.
The process is carried out from the lower edges of the roof to the ridge. After hardening, the coating will not allow moisture to pass through, but will allow the room to “breathe” and maintain humidity at an optimal level of 50-55%.
Feature: the roof should be filled alternately and evenly on both slopes to avoid skewing.
4. Decorating the walls of the room
How are they different? modern houses from old buildings?
To give additional tensile strength to the clay solution (straw partially copes with this), cattle manure was previously widely used. The same solution was used to plaster the walls of the room, which was called the “muzanka”. The main disadvantage of such houses is the abundance of insects in the walls.
Nowadays natural chaff and firewood are used to increase strength. A couple of centuries ago they were difficult to get, but now they are waste from plant processing.
view of adobe house
The addition of crushed stone or expanded clay increases strength and reduces shrinkage during drying. The auxiliary element is sand. To increase the rate of hardening, cement or lime can be added to the clay-sand mortar. Their additives are used during construction in wet weather, with the goal of reducing the risk of getting wet even more. wet material walls
Casein, starch and liquid glass help increase the viscosity of the solution during operation. The latter is an antiseptic, therefore it additionally prevents the appearance of mold and insects.
Application modern technologies construction, including sublimation strong foundation, increases the strength and stability of the building. Instead of a clay roof, you can lay out a regular roofing material covering, which is covered with slate or tiles on top. This will not worsen the environmental properties of the house, but will improve its performance.
To protect your home from rodents, you need to provide a thin metal mesh under the sheathing.
Features of caring for thatched houses
A separate point in the operation of buildings is fire safety. Clay houses with external and internal surfaces coated with clay or lime mortar are less prone to destruction in a fire than ordinary ones. When a fire occurs, the straw in the walls does not ignite, since air access to it is blocked by a layer of clay.
house wall made of clay and straw
Despite the high fire resistance of the walls of adobe houses, the wooden parts of the roof do not have it. To reduce the likelihood of fire, wood should be treated with fire retardants. They do not provide absolute protection against fire, but are very effective if the application technology is followed.
Construction companies involved in the construction of houses made of clay and straw claim that it is practically impossible for insects to appear in the walls. This is true only when maintaining low humidity, which is not always possible. Do not neglect the advice to use lime plaster, which will block the walls from allowing moisture to enter and will suppress the development of insects.
Before building a house, consider the location of the stove and bathroom. Reflective screens should be placed in places of contact with heated surfaces, and waterproofing should be done in wet areas.
Adobe house: pros and cons of the structure
Advantages of adobe buildings:
clean and healthy "atmosphere";
indoors is cool in summer and warm in winter;
cheapness building materials;
relative ease of construction.
About the features of houses made of clay and straw, as well as personal experience construction of the author, look at the video:
based on Internet materials