Clay plaster: benefits, application, application

Owners of private houses have recently increasingly inclined their choice towards natural materials when finishing the surfaces of their homes. Clay plaster is a great example of this. It does not contain harmful ingredients, and among its advantages are the ability to absorb moisture, allow air to pass through, as well as the characteristics of high adhesion to various materials.

Advantages and disadvantages of clay compositions

Before making your choice towards one or another finishing material, you should consider its features. Plastering with clay allows you to achieve soundproofing of walls, and such work can be done on a limited budget. The material is cheap, elastic, and therefore easy to apply.

Clay plaster for walls also has its disadvantages. Among others, the ability to absorb and release moisture well should be highlighted. This quality can cause the wall to become covered with cracks over time. Despite the fact that the composition lends itself well to application, finishing work requires the specialist to have relevant experience. Clay is a finicky material. Therefore, it must be used in conjunction with special additives to achieve a good aesthetic result.

Decorative clay finish

Recently, clay colored plaster has become one of the most popular materials for interior decoration. It is used in many decorating techniques and is suitable for emphasizing the home owners’ commitment to natural, traditional materials.

Often the natural texture of a clay wall is complemented by the application of relief designs or patterns. To do this, the clay is puttied with a fine-grained compound without impurities. Then they roll over a layer of putty 3-5 mm thick with rollers, stamps, or form a pattern with their own hands.

The finishing layer can be coated with a vapor-permeable casein primer or paint in various colors.

Here are a few photos of clay in the interior.

We hope you found this article interesting, please leave your questions and comments in the comments below. Here you can also read other articles on plastering and wall decoration.

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Specifications

Clay-based plaster has very good thermal insulation characteristics. In terms of this property, the mixture is somewhat worse than only clay-sawdust coating. The thermal conductivity of the first is 29 W/(m K). If we compare this characteristic with cement-sand mortar, for clay this indicator is 1.5 times lower.

A fairly important property is also vapor permeability. Since moisture must leave the premises, this characteristic is valued in finishing materials. In this case, it varies from 0.11 to 0.15 mg/(m h Pa). This value in this case is even greater than that of a log, so the composition is also applicable for wooden buildings.

When choosing such a composition, it is also important to take into account the density. This characteristic denotes the ratio of mass to volume. In this case, it is equal to 1700 kg/m3. This indicator is characteristic of brick. To calculate the required amount of material, you need to know its consumption. The material can be laid on walls 1 cm thick. Then about 15 kg will be needed for each square meter.

Application technology

Plastering can be carried out on wooden, brick, concrete and lightweight concrete surfaces after the house has completely settled (a wooden house takes about 2 years to settle). Work is carried out in dry, cool weather.

Preparatory work. Cutting down uneven surfaces, clearing joints in brickwork, laying overlapping reinforcing mesh if necessary, notching concrete surfaces, covering wooden surfaces with 2 layers of shingles.
The surface is wetted. Spray from top to bottom with a clay-sand composition of liquid consistency to level the walls. A trowel, spatulas, a trowel and a rule are used. Layer thickness ~ 2 cm. Evenness is checked by the rule and the building level.
Thin finishing layers with fillers are applied after the base layer has completely dried. The original texture is created by textured rollers or stucco molding.
Painting is done to protect the plaster.

The answer to the question why clay plaster is used is simple - cheap and environmentally friendly raw materials and ease of application.

Exterior finishing

Types of clay plasters

If you want to decorate the walls with clay, it is important to understand what compositions exist based on this material. They are classified by ingredients and are:

sandy;
combined;
with sawdust.

The first ones are recommended for interior walls, then an additional layer of insulation will not be needed. But the mixture with sawdust can be used both indoors and outdoors. The mentioned fillers play the role of reinforcing elements and add thermal insulation qualities.

If clay plaster is prepared with the addition of fibers and sand, you will get a combined mixture that tolerates external influences well, so the material can be used under difficult conditions, for example, frost and high humidity. The layer acquires the qualities of crack resistance and strength, and it can be used under the influence of the sun and moisture.

Attention! If you do not want the mixture to crumble, you should add cement or gypsum to the ingredients. This composition also acquires the qualities of viscosity and strength.

Construction of houses

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The modern building materials market offers a wide selection of finishing products that allow you to cladding the facade of a house or interior walls in an original and high-quality manner. In this article we will look at the features of plastering walls with clay with detailed instructions for 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 practical use of plaster will provide a beautiful design for the room. Walls plastered with clay will breathe without releasing harmful substances into the air. Moreover, 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. Despite the fact that modern manufacturers offer a wide selection of different solutions, many buyers still prefer to use natural materials. Plastering a house with clay has many advantages, which will be described below:

Eco-friendly and natural product.
Clay mortar is capable of absorbing moisture, which will prevent walls from collapsing.
Low cost of materials compared to other types of products.
After using the solution, there is practically no waste left, and the remaining clay can be reused.
Ease of preparation of the mixture.
Clay for plastering walls 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.
Technologies for applying clay will allow you to create an original decorative pattern on the walls, and adding paint will create a certain shade.

Clay plastering has its drawbacks, which are determined by the following parameters:

1. Natural clay, which does not have various additives, is a unique material that requires experience to work with. When preparing a solution, the main thing is to correctly calculate all the components, because there is no specific recipe for making the mixture.

2. Plastering the facade of a house is not an easy task. It is important to consider that clay absorbs all moisture well, which is why small cracks appear from time to time around the perimeter of the building. Thus, clay walls will need to be renewed every year.

3. Recently, there are not many craftsmen who would professionally plaster walls with clay, and therefore paying workers can be expensive.

Most hardware stores offer a wide range of products, and on the shelves you can see decorative clay, as well as mixtures of different shades and variations. The physical and other characteristics of the clay are usually indicated on the packaging, and manufacturers also provide short instructions for use. In fact, it is not necessary to purchase clay in its natural form, because you can buy a prepared mixture, which will make the work process easier for a beginner.

It is important to know! If you decide to choose natural clay for your summer cottage or other places, you need to remember that using the material without special additives can cause the plaster to crack when exposed to moisture or active sunlight.

Clay plaster: composition and types of mortar

To preserve the properties and the original layer of clay, many advise applying a layer of plaster over the clay base of the wall. This will strengthen the finish or facade of the building, as well as protect the material from excess moisture and the like. But, most specialists use only clay mortar, the preparation technology of which has the following sequence:

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

It is worth knowing that sawdust of various kinds, as well as different fibers, are added to the clay so that the solution is held together and cohesive. This will help prevent cracking of the wall surface under the influence of the sun or other natural factors.

Clay mortar for plaster can be divided into several types, depending on the materials added to the mixture. So, there are these types of plaster mixture:

solution with added sand;
mixture with sawdust from different tree species;
a combination with the addition of the two previous components.

In certain situations, when it is important to create a high-quality mixture for finishing the facade of a building, you need to add cement or putty. These materials will help hold the solution together. Before starting finishing work, it is important to calculate the climatic zone of the house. This is explained by the fact that clay is a heat-insulating layer. Before starting work on plastering with clay and sawdust, it is necessary to study the characteristics and features of the surface being treated.

Technology for preparing clay plaster

When preparing the solution, you need to know that the addition of synthetic fibers is recommended for rough finishing of walls or for forming an insulating layer. You can add cement or sand to the plaster, which will reduce the elasticity of the mixture and also help retain heat in the thickness of the walls.

It is recommended to apply a clay solution for plastering walls when the insulation layer has already been installed in the room. The main positive property of clay is that it is excellent for adhesion to other materials, for example, wood, stone, cement or concrete. To prepare a clay solution you will need the following equipment:

a vessel for mixing the mixture;
bayonet shovel;
screwdriver;
a set of spatulas for applying and distributing clay over the surface;
a large sieve for sifting various components that are added to the mixture;
drill with additional attachment for mixer;
To attach the metal mesh you will need a hammer drill.

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, which depends on the type of work;
dowels that will attach the mesh to the wall surface.

After preparing the necessary tools, devices, and materials, you can begin preparing the mixture. Many people are interested in the question: how to dilute clay for plaster? As a rule, the technology of work depends on the type of clay, which may differ in different parameters. However, there is no specific procedure for stirring the clay and preparing the solution. However, when performing work, you must adhere to the sequence, which determines the quality of the mixture produced:

1. First you need to prepare all the components used in the work.

2. After this, the clay is soaked in water and left for a day.

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

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

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

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

After completing this work, the mixture becomes ready for use. If the composition of the solution is too sticky, then to remove this property you need to add a little sand. The prepared mixture can be tested for plasticity using several methods:

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

Another option for checking the plasticity of the solution is the following procedure. To do this, you need to create a ball, after which it is dropped to the floor from a height of one and a half meters. The net effect should be that the ball should not crack.

On a note! If the ball cracks in one of the ductility testing methods, this may indicate an overabundance of sand. If the ball has spread, this is indicated by the presence of a large amount of water in the solution. All shortcomings can be easily corrected by adding the necessary components to the mixture and mixing them.

Step-by-step instructions for plastering with clay

The technology for working with clay is reminiscent of the method of applying cement mortar. To prepare the solution, the main components of the plaster are: sand, clay, cement, which can be added to hold the mixture together. When carrying out work, you should adhere to the following instructions:

1. First, attach the mesh and metal to the working area using dowels. This is important for reliable application of the solution.

2. Using a spatula, the solution is applied to the wall surface. The thickness of the clay layer should be no more than 5 cm. This layer is rough and does not need leveling.

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

4. When the rough surface has dried, you need to clean it and sand it using sandpaper.

5. The last and final stage of applying plaster is the finishing coating of the wall surface.

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

Recommendations from experts on applying a clay plaster layer

Experts in the field of plastering houses advise adhering to some recommendations for carrying out work. For example, it is not recommended to start finishing work immediately after building a house. Otherwise, the house will still succumb to sedimentation, causing the plaster on the walls to crack. The approximate settlement period for a house is 1.5-2 years for wooden or brick structures. A building constructed from foam concrete or aerated concrete has a lower load, which determines the settlement period of 4-6 months.

After the erected house has stood, you can begin plastering with clay, video of the work, which can be seen at the end of the article. First, it is important to do the interior decoration of the room, and lastly, you need to start external work. This point is explained by thermal and physical parameters and the peculiarities of finishing. This will prevent cracking of the plaster layer from exposure to steam.

Before plastering, you need to prepare the walls. First of all, they must be even. After all, with an uneven surface, the layer of clay in different places will be different, which is not very good. In this case, the layer of plaster will be thicker, which is not very favorable, because 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 4 or 5 mm plaster is also not recommended, otherwise the mixture will not stick to the wall.

When applying the plaster layer, you need to remember about the adhesion of the mortar to the wall. To do this, the surface is pre-moistened with water, after which plaster can be applied. This will create a reliable connection between the finish and the wall. At the same time, clay can be applied to the surface not immediately, but in thin layers. This will allow the building material to bond better, which will extend the life of the clay plaster layer.

The technology of plastering walls with clay is not labor-intensive, however, it requires some care when preparing the solution and applying it to the wall surface. All work can be done with your own hands, the main thing is to follow the recommendations of specialists and step-by-step instructions for the expected result of the work.

Where is clay plaster used?

There is no point in plastering walls with pure clay - it is used in all kinds of masonry mixtures, which are easy to use and have many positive features. To prevent the formed layer from crumbling, special substances are added to the plaster composition. This makes the cladding durable. Among the most common areas of use are external and internal walls. The following are added to the clay:

cement;
gypsum;
lime.

This increases strength and provides moisture resistance. In addition, such a composition can be whitened after drying. A similar mixture can also be used for basement floors. In such basements you can prepare vegetables, because the ideal level of humidity and comfortable temperature will be maintained inside. In this case, clay is often used unchanged, because the quality of finishing is not very important here.

You can also decorate stoves with this plaster. The layer is durable, and to improve the characteristics, cement is added to the clay, this increases crack resistance. In general, it is best to finish homemade heating devices with clay compounds, since they perform well when exposed to high temperatures. This also applies to fireplaces.

If you want to achieve quick drying, you should add alabaster to the composition. The surface will be smooth, so the plaster can also be used for residential premises. If you have a wooden house, it is best to line its walls with the composition described, since it simply cannot be found better for these purposes.

If you want to get a smoother layer, you should add cement, which also increases the strength of the finish. But it will need to be protected from moisture by additionally covering it with another layer of another cladding with the appropriate characteristics.

Attention! Clay plaster, although it has a wide range of uses, is not recommended for use on balconies and loggias, since the coating will not have the quality of durability.

Features of using clay

Today, many hardware stores already provide this material for sale (photo), while many manufacturers are beginning mass production of it with various physical characteristics and color options. The packages with the finished material contain instructions from the manufacturer, which indicate the rules for preparing the mixture and the scope of application.

In the store you can purchase the ready-made clay you need.

Important! When using clay from your own site, it is worth paying attention that without additional additives, the plastered surface may crack when exposed to direct sunlight or excessive exposure to moisture.

To preserve the integrity of the clay layer, many people use clay plastering on walls. This allows you to decorate the facade of the building and at the same time protect the clay layer, which in this case is used as insulation for the load-bearing walls of the building.

How to choose clay plaster

In order to know which composition to choose for the job, you must know the features of its operation, the purpose of the mixture, as well as what properties the layer should have. For example, if plaster is used to form the first leveling layer, you will need material with added sand, the fraction of which is 2 mm. If a covering is needed, then the sand should have a fraction of 1 mm. If you have clay concrete walls or bases covered with shingles, the mixture should not contain sand at all - it should contain straw.

The coating may have reinforcing properties; for this purpose, the solution is prepared with the addition of sawdust. This also reduces thermal conductivity, so the walls are warmer. The top of this lining can be covered with a clay-sand mixture to level everything well. If the walls need to be warmer, you should choose plaster with the addition of perlite. But it is more difficult to apply, since the components easily fly apart.

How can you plaster a stove to prevent it from cracking: types and types

Plaster for stoves and fireplaces should be chosen carefully. Finishing the surface with typical building materials is unwise. Due to the variability of temperatures and their increased coefficient, heat-resistant brick oven plaster is selected. Elasticity indicators are also important in order to prevent cracking and crumbling of the walls during the firing of furnace equipment.

To plaster the structure, it is advised to buy a ready-made mixture for plastering stoves. An important component is clay of medium fat content, without the introduction of sand and extrusion.

How to plaster the stove to prevent it from cracking? There are different types of primer raw materials.

Heat-resistant type - has a general purpose to plaster the stove. The composition is selected for a temperature of 200 degrees. Finishing can be carried out by covering the entire heating area, not including the cooking zone and oven. A Russian stove, an English fireplace, or a bathhouse can also be completely plastered using a heat-resistant solution. Fireproof mixture - can withstand contact with open fire for a certain period of time, about 20 minutes. Fire-resistant plaster can also withstand indefinitely

When purchasing, these names are often confused, but this does not matter for the material, since the firebox and chimney are not plastered. The front part of the structure with an open firebox is coated with a refractory compound. Heat-resistant composition - can withstand temperatures of more than 800 degrees, in contact and without contact with the flame

Heat-resistant material is used to finish the cooking area, which has a very strong heating system and difficult braking dynamics. It is useful to partially cover with heat-resistant plaster for stoves and fireplaces, 20-30 cm away from the exit of metal parts that can heat up to 400 degrees.

Heat-resistant composition - can withstand temperatures of more than 800 degrees, in contact and without contact with the flame. Heat-resistant material is used to finish the cooking area, which has a very strong heating system and difficult braking dynamics. It is useful to partially cover with heat-resistant plaster for stoves and fireplaces, 20-30 cm away from the exit of metal parts that can heat up to 400 degrees.

Simple DIY mixtures

It may be the case that for lower costs it is better to purchase elements of the material. Then you buy quicklime and extinguish it yourself; the fluff-lime material becomes covered with cracks within a year. The composition for plastering the oven in dry form must be sifted, the lime dough, milk must be kneaded well so that no unslaked curds remain.

Samples of solutions for plastering a stove with your own hands.

Clay with sand and asbestos - ratio 1:2:0.1.
Clay with lime, sand, asbestos – 1:1:2:0.1.
Lime with gypsum, sand, asbestos – 2:1:1:0.2.
Clay with cement, sand, asbestos – 1:1:2:0.1.

The purpose of the compositions is as follows:

as an initial layer or main primer;
second coating for priming or for the chimney;
finishing layer for painting, whitewashing. It is possible to introduce pigments based on silicone into such a mixture. The clay is taken white or gray. The raw material is prepared in batches and is produced in 3-5 minutes, since the gypsum present instantly hardens. Therefore, the kneading is only mechanical, no more than 5 minutes;
high strength composition for covering under decorative printed plaster.

Is it possible to prepare heat-resistant plaster yourself? To save time, it is possible to prepare raw materials yourself, following technological processes and mixing proportions. A simple heat-resistant mixture is kneaded as follows:

sand is sifted;
then it is combined with clay;
raw materials are poured into containers;
fluid is injected;
The mass is stirred with a mixer until it reaches the consistency of sour cream.

The amount of sand and clay to plaster the walls of the fireplace at home will depend on the fat content of the clay. Add 3-4 measures of sand to fatty raw materials. To determine the fat content, the clay is placed in a bucket, water is added and kneaded until the consistency of sour cream. Then a little of the mixture is scooped up with a plate. When the clay covers the board by 1 mm, then it does not have a greasy structure. A thick coating indicates the fat content of the raw material.

Decorative compositions

Plastering the stove with decorative materials is quite possible to do yourself, as well as finishing it with brickwork and stone. For finishing, compositions without polymer pigments are applied. They are used instead of a covering, if there is a finishing surface, or as a second coating of the primer when plastering under brick or stone.

Properties of clay for plaster

In order for the solution to be of high quality, you should use clay with certain properties. This is especially true for the reason that the solution can only be prepared independently. And if you take sand of the wrong fraction or in the wrong volume, you can get cracked walls, the material of which comes away from the surface in pieces.

Clay mortar for plastering walls should be prepared with a certain ratio of the main ingredient and sand. The preparation features depend on the fat content of the clay. If this figure is quite high, more sand will be needed. The proportions might look like this:

1 to 5;
1 to 4;
1 to 3;
1 to 2.

The average indicator is relevant for clay with normal fat content. If the clay is thin, you can avoid sand altogether. Ingredients should be measured by volume, not by weight. To do this, you should use containers, not scales. In order to determine the fat content of the clay, four balls should be made with different amounts of sand. Each of them is thrown to a height of about a meter, and when they fall, they are checked for condition. The correct clay should not change too much. When this happens, the raw material is too fatty. When the material dries, it will lose the integrity of the coating.

How to prepare clay.

The lumps are crushed, sifted through a coarse sieve, and filled with water for 1-2 days. To speed up the soaking process, the trough can be placed in the sun and covered with film so that the mixture warms up but does not dehydrate. The viscosity of hot water is lower; it penetrates better into rock particles.

Obtaining fine clay.

The quality of clay (including moisture holding capacity) depends on dispersion. Therefore, old masters advise preparing clay for future use: it is poured into shafts (not more than a meter in height) and moistened. In winter, as the mass freezes, it swells and becomes loose. This material is more flexible, more pleasant and easier to work with, and produces fewer cracks. This is especially important when creating decorative, glossy clay plaster.

For plastering stoves, it is better to use dispersed clays, ground by hand or by defrosting. The thickness of the finishing of the heating shield should be minimal so that the brick can release heat without hindrance.

Required tools and materials

Initially, the master must prepare a certain set of tools and materials. Among the first are:

capacity;
sieve;
electric drill;
perforator;
shovel;
spatulas;
grater;
rule.

Containers will be needed not only for preparing the mixture, but also for measuring materials in a certain volume. The spatulas should have different widths, and a grater will be needed for grouting.

As for materials, you will need:

net;
clay;
sand;
sawdust;
cement;
nails;
dowels

In order to reinforce the walls, you can also use shingles. Dowels are sometimes replaced with nails, which will strengthen the layer of reinforcement. You can also use special fibers to prepare the mixture.

Preparatory work

For clay walls, a composition with low weight is suitable. Lime-based solutions are used for plastering exterior walls, while clay or gypsum mixtures are suitable for interior decoration. It is not recommended to use cement plasters, since the material puts a large load on the clay surface, and the finishing layer will collapse over time.

The technological process involves the creation of three layers:

In order to carry out the initial finishing of the walls, it is necessary to prepare the following materials:

To prepare a solution for the rough composition of the plaster, sawdust is combined with sand and water and clay are gradually added.

Important! The fine finishing of clay walls requires the absence of sawdust in the plaster. This is explained by the fact that they absorb moisture and increase in size, thereby compromising the integrity of the coating.

Instructions for applying clay plaster

Before you begin applying the composition, the walls should be prepared. They are cleaned of old finishes, this is especially true when it comes to cement plaster. The area to be trimmed is made rough using a sander. If you have to work with wooden walls, you should install shingles.

Useful tips or how to avoid defects and cracking

In order for the finish to be reliable and last a long time, maintaining aesthetics, before clay plaster the surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned of weak layers of the old finish, dust and greasy stains must be removed. Apply primer.

How to avoid cracks when plastering with clay mortar

Before work, wet the surfaces well. The basic rule is to choose good quality clay and prepare the solution correctly. Strengthen the surfaces with reinforcing mesh or shingles (thin slats stuffed diagonally crosswise), for thin layers - jute or linen burlap. It is better to apply clay plaster in 2 layers: the first thick - clay-sand-straw, the second - finishing, clay-cement-sand-lime, to achieve a smooth surface.

The shingles perform two functions - lathing for insulation and reinforcing mesh for finishing

Plastering a wooden house inside with clay - the secrets of the masters

Plastering wooden walls inside a house with clay begins with carefully sealing the joints with tow; this will create an additional thermal insulation layer and help reduce the consumption of the mixture. Wooden walls should be treated with an antiseptic, then waterproofed - roofing felt is placed on the walls, the joints overlap 100 mm. After which the lathing is made and the wooden house is plastered with clay.

Important: It is not recommended to use metal reinforcing mesh for wooden houses. Wood and clay are microphobic materials, and humidity will lead to corrosion of the metal and damage to the finish.

This is an environmentally friendly, practical and inexpensive method of finishing, but despite the obvious advantages and disadvantages of clay plaster on a log house, they also exist: wood works under the influence of delta temperature and humidity, and over time, small cracks are inevitable on the surface. But they can also be turned into advantages, turning them into trendy craquelure.

Texture of finishing with a mixture with the addition of sawdust

Design

Clay is an almost universal material; thanks to additives and coloring, you can achieve different shades of the material: white, terracotta, gray, beige, etc. In addition, the solution can be applied using different techniques according to the principle of decorative plaster. The main thing here is to show your imagination, and as a result you will get not just a durable, but also a beautiful finish.

Preparation of the solution

Typically, clay plaster is made by hand. The clay should be soaked in water for 24 hours, after which it is mixed and excess liquid is removed. Sawdust and fibers are passed through a sieve. The same needs to be done with sand. After this work is completed, all ingredients are combined with clay and water, and then mixed well. The correct mixture should have a sticky, thick consistency. If the composition turns out to be too sticky, you should add a little sand.

The mixture is tested for plasticity. First of all, this needs to be done visually. The plaster should resemble thick sour cream. The second method is to make a ball that is pressed against the surface. If the ingredients were mixed correctly, then the edges of the crushed ball, whose thickness has become 1 cm, should not crack.

Recipe No. 3 Sand-clay with additives

Additives in plaster can greatly improve its quality. For example, to increase plasticity, durability, add color and structure to plaster.

The most common additives are wheat paste, manure, cactus juice, casein (milk protein), flaxseed and canola oil. Read more about supplements here.

To prepare the solution, mix:

Option 1

Read how to prepare wheat pasta here >>>.

Option 2

Kaki Hunter, “Earthbag building: the tool, tricks and techniques”

Option 3

Baron Leopold Korff, April 17, 1838, "On clay plaster"

Option 4

Maya Creek, Education in Sustainability

Maya gives tips on how to mix 3 layers of clay plaster:

All this needs to be mixed to a paste consistency. This consistency can easily penetrate deeper into the straw, forming a very good base for subsequent plastering with clay.

The mixture should be thick, as the layer will be several centimeters thick. The mixture takes longer to whip and becomes stickier.

A slightly damp mixture is needed for the first layer as a base to create a secure base. Subsequent, thicker batches will adhere to this initial coating much better than directly on a wetted soil layer.

However, all these solutions must be tested specifically on your materials: do test batches and apply plaster. And also, modify, experiment with additives and develop the most pleasant and high-quality consistency for yourself.

Solution and its use

The recipe for clay mortar largely depends on the location of its future use.

Recipes

The most common recipe for solving the problem of how to make a clay mortar for plaster is the following (this mortar is also called lime-clay):

a day before preparing the solution, soak the clay,
and immediately before starting we also knead it thoroughly;
then, thoroughly stir the lime and prepared clay in the container;
then, gradually adding sand, add water and continue stirring;
if the clay sticks (they say it’s too greasy), then more sand is needed;
to increase strength, add sawdust, shavings or straw to the solution;
sawdust must first be sifted;
gypsum or cement can be used as an additional binder.

Plastering clay walls is practically no different from any other plaster - all the same mesh, spraying, finishing layer and smoothing

Helpful advice! We do not recommend using dry sawdust when creating a clay solution; they will take up a significant amount of water and swell. The best solution would be to soak the sawdust first and then let it sit to remove excess water.

In any case, add water gradually and monitor the consistency of the mixture. For the same reason, we do not recommend using clay plaster prepared with dry sawdust as a finishing layer.

Whether to use clay plaster on ordinary walls is a question. But where the price of this material increases many times is when finishing high-temperature surfaces, primarily stoves. Here we can offer several possible compositions of plaster using clay.

All of them are characterized by the presence of asbestos, a substance that increases the thermal stability of the mixture:

the first composition does not use cement, but contains 3 parts clay, 2 parts lime, 1 part each gypsum and sand and a high asbestos content - one fifth;
the second composition is already without gypsum, but with a higher clay content - 4 parts, in addition, there is 4 times less cement and lime, 2 times less sand and 10 times less asbestos;

the third composition is the simplest, used in furnaces - clay and cement one part each, but 2 times more sand, asbestos is still a little - a tenth.

Helpful advice! We recommend using pine, alder or oak sawdust as the most preferable ones.

This combination of straw and clay plaster is an ideal option for creating a truly warm room.

Is it worth plastering the outside of a wooden house? Plastering wooden walls: types and production

Plastering the outside of a wooden house will improve the appearance and protect the wood from adverse weather conditions, extend the life of the structure and improve the microclimate of the home.

You can plaster a wooden house from the outside or inside with the following compounds:

Cement.
Izvestkov.
Gypsum.
Clay.

The solutions got their names from the type of binder that forms the basis of the composition. If cement, lime and clay mortars are suitable for both external and internal work, then gypsum-based mortars are used for internal work. In addition, combined solutions are often used: clay - sand, gypsum - lime and other mixtures.

Clay is considered the best material for plastering the walls of a wooden house. This is an environmentally friendly material, although difficult to work with. For the solution, take the following components in equal proportions:

Clay.
Water.
Sand.
Sawdust.
Manure, preferably horse manure.

The sand used is quartz, with a fraction of 1.2 mm. For finishing, a clay-sand solution is prepared.

You can plaster the walls from the inside with a gypsum-lime mixture in a ratio of 1:4.

A simple and effective old-fashioned way to plaster a log house with “warm” mortar over a factory-made mesh or woven wire using nail markers directly on the wall:

Prepare a solution of composition 1/1/1 from sawdust and clay straw, use a concrete mixer to speed up the mixing, pour water into the eye.
The solution is applied in a layer up to 50 mm thick; the layer above the reinforcing mesh cannot be made more than 30 mm - a larger thickness will lead to cracking.
After the layer has dried, the facades are rubbed down with a cement solution.

In addition to self-prepared mixtures, you can plaster a house with special industrial compounds that are prepared from dry construction mixtures.

Wall decoration with clay

Despite the variety of finishing materials offered on the modern construction market, more and more residential property owners prefer environmentally friendly natural materials.
These include clay plaster, which makes it possible to cladding the façade walls of a house with high quality or to decorate the interior of rooms in an original way.

When deciding to use clay, you should understand what properties the final product will have and what the specifics of the material are during the installation process.

Advantages of clay

Of course, the main and most significant advantage of clay plaster is the absolute safety and environmental friendliness of the resulting finish. Additionally, owners who decide to use clay in decoration receive an interesting and aesthetic interior solution.