How to coat a house with clay and straw. We coat the house with clay. Clay plaster - composition and recipe

Until recently, clay houses were considered housing for the poor. It was related to minimal cost for its construction.

Clay roofing for a house

Clay like construction material 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, it was necessary to look for reinforcing materials. This turned out to be the easiest. natural materials, such as:

Straw;
Small twigs of trees;
Reeds;
Bamboo;
And similar materials.

They were the best at this task. On the 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 waste material, which was not suitable for livestock feed, but proved to be excellent in construction, where it was used to cover roofs and build walls. Houses made of clay and straw until recently were the main dwellings of the inhabitants of the steppe and desert zones.

This type of house has many advantages, especially its environmental friendliness. If you make the wall thickness of a certain size, and this is usually done, then a kind of microclimate is created inside the premises, which has a beneficial effect on human health. In such a house in the summer it is always cool, and in the cold season it is always warm.

Clay roof construction

The most difficult thing in building a clay house is the decoration of its walls. It is impossible to stick wallpaper to them, the paint leaves after a short time. The main finish is whitewash. AT modern conditions This is the cheapest and least aesthetic option.

But with the advent of modern finishing materials solving problems with decorating the walls of a clay house has become easier. For example, interior decoration can be done with drywall.

The wall will become even, and you can continue to fantasize about the interior. Facade decoration can be carried out using materials such as siding, various panels, facing brick and so on. The main thing in this situation is to strengthen the foundation.

Ways to build a house out of clay

Build clay house possible in three ways. The first is to make bricks from clay with straw. This type of brick is called adobe brick. AT different regions the size adobe brick differ greatly from each other standard sizes ordinary brick to the size of a cinder block.

For the manufacture of adobe bricks, it is necessary to make a form of boards, designed to fit the size you have chosen. Clay mixed with straw is hammered into a mold and laid out on a drying platform. The main condition for the manufacture of adobe bricks is the presence of a flat area sufficient to accommodate a large number bricks.

The second way is as follows. A formwork is installed into which the finished clay-straw mixture is hammered. This method seems easier, no need to mess around with making blocks.

But here, too, there are drawbacks. Firstly, a lot of time is spent on the assembly and disassembly of the formwork. Secondly, you will have to purchase boards for formwork. Although it is possible to use boards for these purposes, which will later be used for laying floors.

The process of this technology is that the formwork is first set to a certain height. Clog it all with clay, wait for it to dry.

Clay house

Then the formwork is removed and set to the next level, and everything happens until the finished walls reach a certain size, that is, the level of the ceiling. The most interesting thing about this method is that you can know exactly how much material is needed to complete the work.

The third way can be attributed to the very fast erection at home. Strong rods will be needed here, which can be cut from trees or cut young growth. The rods in this case will act as reinforcement. First of all, thick rods are installed in the form of columns. Smaller sizes are woven between them. It turns out a kind of frame, which must be coated on both sides with finished clay. Clay in this case is used without straw. Now straw-based clay is kneaded, and with this solution we throw the frame again from two sides. It makes a pretty solid wall.

Necessary certain time to let it dry. The next operation is the alignment of the wall surface. This requires a solution based on sand and clay and a plaster trowel. If further finishing will take into account the installation of drywall, then it is not necessary to level the walls.

Previously, plastering 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 the house with clay. Today it's all in the past. With the advent of new finishing materials this operation may not be carried out at all.

Clay plaster is environmentally friendly pure material natural origin. It has been used in construction since ancient times. This material allows you to create a beautiful design of housing, while the coating will not emit substances harmful to human health. Not so long ago, clay plaster was the only option for finishing material. The modern construction market offers a huge number of different plaster mixes based synthetic materials, but there are still fans of plastered walls with natural raw materials.

Among positive aspects clay solutions, the following should be distinguished:

Clay plaster is a 100% natural product.
Solutions of this type absorb and release moisture well, which prolongs the life of the coating.
Low cost compared to other types of plasters.
After using the solution, the remains can be stored as long as you like.
The material is able to protect the walls from mechanical influences.
The elasticity of the clay makes it easy to apply the solution.
This mixture can be used for finishing facades and interior surfaces.
With the help of a clay composition, you can not only level the walls, but also apply a decorative layer.

Clay plaster - a natural, environmentally friendly material for wall decoration

Like any other material, clay plaster has some disadvantages:

The absence of a recipe for the manufacture of solutions. As such, there are no proportions for mixing, so each master prepares plaster, relying only on his experience.
Possibility of cracking. When decorating facades with clay, it is important to remember that fast drying solution in the sun may cause cracking of the coating.
A small number of masters. This composition in recent times it is used very rarely, so there are few experienced workers left who could qualitatively finish the surface with clay.

Types of plasters based on clay

Without exception, all types of clay plasters consist of various combinations the following ingredients:

Clay;
Sand;
Water;
Sawdust from alder, pine or oak.

One of the main components of clay plaster is sawdust.

Previously included horse dung, but now it is completely replaced with clay with sawdust. The following solutions are available:

Clay-sandy.
Clay with wool, sawdust, felt, needles and so on.
Clay-sand with the addition of fiber.

On a note! To increase the viscosity, cement can be added to the mixture, but then the solution will dry faster.

To give the composition certain properties, sand, sawdust, wool, and in some cases cement are added to the clay solution.

How to choose clay mortar

The first criterion for choosing these mixtures is thermal conductivity:

Solutions with fiber are the most warm option. Such a solution is best used for rough wall decoration.
The addition of both sand and fibers reduces ductility and increases thermal conductivity. Such materials are suitable for wooden buildings that support comfortable temperature due to the properties of natural wood.
Clay and sand compositions are well suited for finishing.

Instructions for applying clay plaster

The first step is to prepare all the necessary tools and materials:

Mixing container or concrete mixer;
Spatulas different sizes for wall plastering;
Sieve for filtering the solution;
Hammer or screwdriver;
Fasteners (nails or screws);
Reinforcing mesh or shingles.

After that, you can start preparing the foundation:

Before plastering with clay, the old coating is removed, especially when it comes to cement plaster.
The surface is carefully cleaned, fasteners are removed from it, and the protruding reinforcement is cut with a grinder.
The treated area is made rough with grinder. If the walls are made of wood, then shingles will be required.

Before applying the clay mortar, it is necessary to remove the old finish

Solution preparation

In order to properly make a clay composition, it is necessary to be guided only by the fat content of the solution. There are no exact formulas, instructions and proportions, as, for example, for plaster or cement mixtures. AT classic recipe there is straw, but the factory production technology involves the use of polypropylene fiber.

There are two ways to test the plasticity of clay:

First you need to put the clay in a container and fill it with water, then knead it with an electric drill with a mixer nozzle. Properly prepared solution should not stick to hands. From finished plaster you need to make a small ball with your own hands (just roll it in your palms) and flatten it into a cake. Then you need to consider its edges: if they are cracked, then there is a lot of sand in the solution and little clay and water. A properly made composition after compression forms an even “pancake” without breaks.
You can also roll not a ball, but a flagellum up to 20 cm long. It must be bent in an arc, if cracks appear on the surface, it means that the solution lacks clay.

When preparing a clay solution Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the plasticity of the material

Should know! The correct indicator of 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 is required about 50-80% of total weight, clay with sawdust should be 40-10%, the rest is water.

Instructions for applying clay compositions with your own hands:

Solution cakes are applied to the entire wall at even intervals, after which they take a wide spatula, trowel or rule and stretch the material over the surface using the selected tool.
Evenness check building level if necessary, make another layer of plaster.
The surface is left to dry for a month in summer and 3 months in winter.
Then you need to carry out fine finish. To do this, the first step is to prepare a clay solution of a more liquid consistency than for rough work. The ratio is as follows: 1 part clay, 1 part cement, 3 parts sand.
The mixture is applied in a thin layer on the wall and carefully level it. hand tools, after which the surface is left to dry for 3-4 weeks.

Application of ready-made clay mortar

At the end of the wall they whiten lime whitewash. You can also rub the clay coating with a grater, treat with a primer, and plaster on top gypsum mortar. This completes the plastering with clay.

Do-it-yourself plastering of walls with clay is a fairly simple process. Unlike work with other materials, it does not require clear calculations and careful surface preparation. The main thing is to follow the above instructions and check the walls as often as possible.

Before you start leveling the clay walls of the house, assess their condition.

If the clay forms durable coating, which does not crumble and does not crumble, it makes sense to spend repair work according to one of the methods described below.

1 If the surface of the walls is fragile, easily crumbles and crumbles, it is not worth repairing such a finish. In this case, it is better to go the other way - to dismantle the clay layer to the frame (wood or brick) and perform a new finish.

2 Determine the base material on which the clay plaster is applied.

It will depend on which of the alignment methods walls fit for your case the most.

Most often, the frame of old houses with clay interiors is brick or wooden. If it is a clay-finished brick, then the easiest way is to remove the layer of clay and make a new finish on the brick. The clay layer may or may not be removed.

In this case, both wet and dry methods can be used to level the existing coating. It all depends on the condition of the clay surface, the time and means that you have at your disposal (read about the features of each method below).

It all depends on the condition of the clay surface, the time and means that you have at your disposal (read about the features of each method below).

If the walls are wooden (shingles), it is best to use a dry leveling method.

3 Regardless of which alignment method you choose, the walls must first be prepared, for which you need:

check how well the clay holds. If it is strong enough, then you need to proceed to the next step. If the surface crumbles, then use a spatula to remove all exfoliated areas.

wash off the whitewash, if any, and allow the surface to dry.

prime the base (it is better to use a primer based on organic solvents).
If gaps are visible after applying one coat of primer, apply 1-2 more coats. Before applying each subsequent layer, the previous one should dry well. If, after preparing the base, leveling is planned wet way, instead of priming the walls, it is better to treat them with concrete contact.

4 Alignment of clay walls can be carried out in a wet way, i.e. plaster.

It is better to use this method if the preservation of clay walls is of fundamental importance and at the same time their condition is not critical. However, be prepared for the dirty work that will take you a lot of time.

5 Plastering clay walls can be done in 2 ways:

using a serpentine grid as a basis;

using a composition similar to that applied to the walls (in this case, the mesh is not needed).

The basic rule when puttying: on loose and fragile bases, stronger and harder coatings cannot be applied. That is, if a hard putty is applied to soft plaster, the latter can easily peel off.

6 It is impossible to plaster clay with cement and it is impossible to plaster on "bare" clay.

Clay walls do not need to be plastered with cement, as a water- and air-tight layer is created, and clay wall will start to break down. Clay must "breathe" - this is what its durability mainly depends on. Clay plaster must be painted with lime paint, then everything will be fine.

On "bare" clay, no plasters can be used at all, with the exception of the clay itself.

And here here you can find out how the facade walls are finished.

7 What can be plastered? For plastering on the grid, you can use any putty. In the process, keep in mind that dry clay is a fairly durable material, but when it gets wet it loses its properties.

The modern building materials market offers wide selection finishing products that allow you to clad the facade of the house in an original and high-quality way or internal walls premises. In this article we will consider the features of plastering walls with clay with detailed instruction preparing the solution and applying it to the surface.

Advantages and disadvantages of clay plaster

Clay plaster is considered an environmentally friendly and natural material that has been used in construction since ancient times. The use of plaster in practice will ensure beautiful decoration rooms. Walls plastered with clay will breathe without emitting harmful substances to the air. At the same time, this material is not harmful, unlike other putty solutions made on the basis of polymers and other synthetic substances.

Previously, plastering walls in this way was the only option for finishing work. Although modern manufacturers offer a wide range of different solutions, yet many buyers prefer to use natural materials. Plastering a house with clay has many advantages, which will be described below:

Ecological and natural product.
Clay mortar is able to absorb moisture, which will prevent the destruction of walls.
Low cost of materials in comparison with other types of products.
After applying the solution, there is practically no waste left, while the remains of the clay can be reused.
Simplicity of work on the preparation of the mixture.
Clay for wall plastering will protect the surface from mechanical and other influences.
The material is elastic in its structure.
Clay can be used for finishing work indoors and for the facade.
Clay application technologies will allow you to create an original decorative pattern on the walls, and the addition of paint forms a certain shade.

Plastering with clay has its drawbacks, which is determined by the following parameters:

1. Natural clay, which does not have various additives, is a kind of material that requires experience to work with. When preparing the 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 no easy task. It is important to consider that clay absorbs all moisture well, which is why small cracks appear from time to time around the perimeter of the building. Thus, clay walls will need to be updated every year.

3. Recently, there are not so many craftsmen who would be professionally engaged in plastering walls with clay, and therefore wages for workers can be expensive.

Majority construction stores offer a wide range of goods, while on the shelves you can see decorative clay, as well as mixtures different shades and variations. The packaging usually indicates the physical and other characteristics of the clay, as well as manufacturers represent a little instruction by application. In fact, it is not necessary to purchase clay in its natural form, because it will be possible to buy a prepared mixture, which will facilitate the process of work for a beginner.

It's important to know! If you decide to choose natural clay for suburban area or other places, it must be remembered that the use of material without special additives can cause cracking of the plaster under the influence of moisture or active sunlight.

Clay plaster: composition and types of mortar

In order 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 excessive moisture and the like. But, most experts use only a clay solution, the preparation technology of which has the following sequence:

sand;
clay;
water;
sawdust from wood or another type of material.

It is worth knowing that sawdust of various kinds, as well as various fibers, are added to the clay so that the solution is bonded and cohesive. This will get rid of the 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 such types of plaster mixture:

solution with the addition of sand;
mixture with sawdust different breeds trees;
combined combination with the addition of the two previous components.

In certain situations, when it is important to create a quality mixture for finishing the facade of a building, cement or putty must be added. These materials will allow you to fasten the solution. Before starting finishing work, it is important to calculate climate zone at home. This is due to 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 to be treated.

Technology for the preparation of clay plaster

When preparing a solution, you need to know that adding synthetic fibers it is recommended to use for rough finishing of walls or for forming an insulating layer. Cement or sand can be added to the plaster, which will reduce the elasticity of the mixture, and will also keep heat in the thickness of the walls.

It is advised to apply a solution of clay for wall plastering when the insulation layer has already been installed in the room. chief 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 devices:

bowl for mixing the mixture;
bayonet shovel;
screwdriver;
a set of spatulas for applying and distributing clay over the surface;
large sieve for sifting different components that are added to the mixture;
drill with an additional nozzle for the mixer;
to attach a metal mesh, you need a puncher.

Also, to prepare the solution you will need different materials, which are:

metal mesh that will be used to reinforce the wall surface;
clay;
additional fibers or sawdust, depending on the type of work;
dowels that will attach the mesh to the wall surface.

After preparation necessary tools, fixtures, as well as materials, you can start preparing the mixture. Many are interested in the question: how to dilute the clay for plaster? As a rule, the technology of work depends on the type of clay, which may differ in different parameters. At the same time, there is no specific procedure for mixing clay and preparing a 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 that, the clay is soaked in water and left for a day.

3. After the time has elapsed, the wet mixture must be mixed again and excess water removed from the container.

4. It is important to sift different fibers, sawdust, and also sand through a sieve.

5. After cleaning the additional components, they are added to the clay along with water, while all components are thoroughly mixed.

6. The prepared mixture should have a thick and sticky consistency, and the ratio of the proportion of clay and sand for plaster should be 1:2 or 1:5.

After the implementation of these works, the mixture becomes ready for use. If the composition of the solution is too sticky, then to remove given property you need to add some sand. The resulting mixture can be checked for plasticity by several methods:

Visually, the clay mixture should resemble the appearance of thick sour cream.
Also, you can make a small ball. It must be pressed against a solid base, creating a plane 1 cm thick. If all the components are mixed correctly, then the pressed edges of the ball should not crack.

Another option for checking the plasticity of the solution will be the following procedures. 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 resultant effect should be that the ball should not crack.

On a note! If the ball cracked in one of the ductility testing methods, this may indicate an excess of sand. If the ball spreads, then this is indicated by the presence of a large amount of water in the solution. All imperfections are easily corrected by adding the necessary components to the mixture and mixing them.

Clay plastering step by step instructions

The technology of working with clay, resembles the method of application cement mortar. To prepare the mortar, the main components of the plaster are: sand, clay, cement, which can be added to hold the mixture together. When carrying out work, the following instructions should be followed:

1. First attach the mesh and metal to 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 to be leveled.

3. After applying the first layer, you need to wait until it dries completely, after which you can proceed to further finishing.

4. When the rough surface is dry, it must be cleaned and sanded using sandpaper.

5. The last and final step in applying the plaster is top coat wall surface.

Plastering walls with clay is great solution for insulation and finishing country house. This option of applying plaster is excellent for rustic style or the design of houses made of log or wood, which will ensure the environmental friendliness of the building. As a decoration, you can use volumetric embossing or clay modeling technology. To protect the surface of the wall from external influences, you can paint the clay with paints and varnishes of different shades.

Recommendations of specialists for applying a plaster layer of clay

Experts in the field of plastering houses are advised to adhere to some recommendations for the work. For example, start finishing work immediately after the construction of the house is not recommended. Otherwise, the house will still succumb, causing the plaster on the walls to crack. The approximate period of house settlement is 1.5-2 years for wooden or brick structures. A building erected 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 up, you can start 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 work. This moment is explained by thermal and physical parameters and the peculiarity of the implementation of the finish. This will avoid cracking the plaster layer from exposure to steam.

Before plastering, you need to prepare the walls. First of all, they must be equal. Indeed, with an unequal surface, the layer of clay in diverse places will be different, which is not very good. In this case, the plaster layer will be thicker, which is not very favorable, because the standard layer thickness should be up to 2 cm. With a large thickness of clay plaster, it will begin to crack and fall off over time. Also, a layer of plaster of 4 or 5 mm 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 solution to the wall. To do this, the surface is pre-moistened with water, after which plaster can be applied. This will create a reliable fastening of 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 the building material to better hold together, which will extend the life of the clay plaster layer.

The technology of plastering walls with clay is not laborious, however, it requires some care in the manufacture of the mortar and its application 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 outcome.

Until recently, clay houses were considered housing for the poor. This was due to the minimal cost of its construction.

Clay roofing for a house

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.

Straw;
Small twigs of trees;
Reeds;
Bamboo;
And similar materials.

They were the best at this task. On the 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 that was not suitable for livestock feed, but showed itself perfectly in construction, where it was used to cover roofs and build walls. Houses made of clay and straw until recently were the main dwellings of the inhabitants of the steppe and desert zones.

Clay roof construction

The most difficult thing in building a clay house is the decoration of its walls. It is impossible to stick wallpaper to them, the paint leaves after a short time. The main finish is whitewash. In modern conditions, this is the cheapest and not aesthetic option.

But with the advent of modern finishing materials, it has become easier to solve problems with decorating the walls of a clay house. For example, interior decoration can be done using drywall.

The wall will become even, and you can continue to fantasize about the interior. Facade decoration can be carried out using materials such as siding, all kinds of panels, facing bricks and so on. The main thing in this situation is to strengthen the foundation.

Ways to build a house out of clay

There are three ways to build a clay house. The first is to make bricks from clay with straw. This type of brick is called adobe brick. In different regions, the size of adobe bricks varies greatly from each other, from the standard sizes of ordinary bricks to the sizes of cinder blocks.

The second way is as follows. A formwork is installed into which the finished clay-straw mixture is hammered. This method seems easier, no need to mess around with making blocks.

The process of this technology is that the formwork is first set to a certain height. Clog it all with clay, wait for it to dry.

Clay house

The third method can be attributed to the fastest construction of a house. Strong rods will be needed here, which can be cut from trees or cut young growth. The rods in this case will act as reinforcement. First of all, thick rods are installed in the form of columns. Smaller sizes are woven between them. It turns out a kind of frame, which must be coated on both sides with finished clay. Clay in this case is used without straw. Now straw-based clay is kneaded, and with this solution we throw the frame again from two sides. It makes a pretty solid wall.

It takes some time for it to dry. The next operation is the alignment of the wall surface. This requires a solution based on sand and clay and a plaster trowel. If further finishing will take into account the installation of drywall, then it is not necessary to level the walls.