Plaster with clay. Advantages of natural material
Plaster with clay solves at once 2 important questions for tenants: first, the use of natural material that is literally under your feet, significantly reduces the cost of repair, and secondly, clay is a natural hygroscopic material, popular since ancient timestheir ecological properties.
Find the clay is simple enough, because it is recycled solid rock in the process of plant life, which form one of the upper layers of the earth, usually located at a depth of 1-1.5 m. If you do not have the opportunity to excavate a pit on your site,to get out and delivered clay to the place.
Plastering with clay is possible both inside and outside the premises. These repair and finishing works differ only in nuances: if it is sufficient to cover the layer of clay plaster with a finishing coat and paint with water-based paint for the interior decoration of the walls, then it is necessary to provide protection against moisture penetration for the outer clay-based finish, which is capable of quickly destroying the surface layer,additionally cover the walls with a thin layer of cement or paint with a water-repellent paint.
Plaster with clay mortar. Determine the plasticity of the clay, the composition of the working test
Do not think that you have in the literal sense of the word, plaster walls clay. No, in order to achieve high protective values of the walls and increase the time between repairs, a balanced composition of clay, sand, which reduces its plasticity, and the fibers of the filling element of natural or artificial origin, is required. This recipe is the know-how of many repair masters, some of them use hay or ground straw as a fiber, others - wool or a substitute( polypropylene), others - add wood sawdust.
As practice shows, plaster with clay mortar containing sawdust is the best protection for walls. Naturally, it matters which sawdust is a part: it is allowed to use pine and alder, but oak chips are the most efficient. The peculiar structure of the wood adds to the finishing material the strength of modern artificial analogs, but at the same time preserves all the hygroscopic properties of the natural finish. Experienced repairers who prefer natural materials confirm that such plaster retains its visual and protective properties up to 10 years.
But before you start kneading the mortar, you need to get hold of the clay and find out its plasticity. The presence of fatty impurities and moisture makes the material more ductile and ensures the appearance of cracks after the solution dries. To exclude this possibility, a different ratio of sand to fiber is used - within 50-80% of the amount of clay.
Plaster with clay. The reverse side of the
medal As we all know, everything in our life has its underside. In a megalopolis it is difficult to find clay. But in addition, in addition, it is very important to choose the right fat content and combine the ingredients to get the right consistency.
Another drawback of the natural way of finishing works is long drying time. As the old people who live in mud houses say, the plaster of clay walls is permissible one month after the erection of the house. And in practice, the clay solution layer 1 cm thick dries at a temperature of 35 degrees for two days .
And here you decide for yourself what to choose - the speed of the modern rhythm of life or the naturalness and dimensionality of any action inherent in our ancestors.