In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a clay house from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Hello. I made house repairs, a house made of clay, the walls in the room are falling off in some places. Is it possible to completely cover the wall with a net and putty, will it hold?
Tina, Kyrgyzstan.
Yes, this type of repairing clay walls is practiced. The repair technology is usually as follows. The old walls are cleaned to better layers of clay, then self-tapping screws are attached to the depressions, the walls are moistened with water and a preliminary layer of clay is applied to level the walls. Then, a plaster mesh is attached to the heads of the screws sticking out of the walls and a second layer of clay is applied, leveling it.
If the hollows are filled with a layer of clay of about 5 centimeters or approximately about this thickness (with thicker layers and a large area of fallen off sections of clay, this may not work), then on the plaster grid the thickness of the applied layer should not be more than 4 centimeters.
Sometimes, whole fragments, sections of the walls, are removed and in this place a frame made of wooden elements or metal reinforcement is installed, which are then sealed with clay, most often adobe, that is, with the content of appropriate additives in it. The filling is done in stages, that is, not all at once, but with a delay in time so that the adobe has time to dry.
Other questions about adobe houses:
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Video (click to play).
If you own an old adobe house, do not despair, because, in principle, there is nothing wrong with the restoration. Knowing how to put everything in order, you can repair an old adobe house on your own and without problems. In fact, an adobe house is a building made of clay, that is, unbaked raw bricks, which, if possible, were lined with ordinary bricks around the perimeter.
Like any repair, it all starts with an inspection of the building, drawing up a work plan, an estimate and the purchase of the necessary materials. If you are not sure that you can carry out all the work on your own, then it is better, of course, to turn to qualified workers. The main elements of any residential building are the foundation, walls and roof, so let's look at everything in order.
In adobe buildings, the classical foundation was rarely used, that is, the walls of the house were erected on a compacted clay pillow. Or, in the version of an adobe structure, wooden pillars were driven into the ground, which were subsequently coated with clay. When inspecting the building, if you see the presence of cracks on the walls, the difference at the level of the window openings, then with a 100% guarantee we can say that the house has shrunk and the foundation needs to be repaired under the walls.
Option to strengthen the foundation of an adobe house
To do this, trenches are dug along the walls, but not in a continuous strip, but in increments of approximately one meter and a depth of about 0.6 m. Waterproofing is done along the lower edge of the adobe blocks. In problem areas, sections of the foundation are laid (the simplest option, reinforced concrete or sand-cement blocks). After that, it is imperative that waterproofing is done around the entire perimeter and a blind area is constructed.
One of the main problems of adobe walls is that a "belly" appears after a long time: irregularities and bulges appear on their surface. If such irregularities are up to two centimeters in size, you can try to clean them up, and when there are more, it is better not to take risks, but to think over a way to cover them (in the case of a facade, you can use siding, inside drywall).
Plastering adobe walls inside the house
During the construction of adobe houses, all floors were mainly made of wood. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the condition of the floor beams and if they are in a deplorable state, they need to be completely changed. Of course, this is a large amount of work, since you will have to disassemble the roof, replace the entire piping and make new wooden floors.
The roofs of such houses used to be covered with what was at hand: from reeds to ceramic tiles. When restoring an old roof, the first thing to start with is to inspect the entire wooden structure. If necessary, replace the worn-out elements and treat the entire crate, for example, with mastic.
Before starting roof repairs, it is necessary to carefully examine all its elements.
If the old roof is covered with tiles, it is advisable to replace it with a lighter material, since, having a lot of weight, it creates an undesirably large load on the entire structure of the house.
When deciding to carry out a complete renovation of a building in the first place, never neglect the advice of experts. Since, unknowingly, you can cause irreparable damage to the entire building, which ultimately affects your budget.
Clay walls are found not only in old buildings. The tradition of plastering walls with this environmentally friendly material is gradually reviving due to the material's ability to keep warm indoors in winter and cool in summer.
Putty on clay walls has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when performing work. Surfaces can only be finished with compounds that are lighter in weight than clay, otherwise they will fall off.
Clay walls are plastered on the outside with lime mortars, and gypsum or clay mixtures are used for internal surfaces.
Cement compositions are immediately excluded, since they will crumble due to their severity.
The technology requires the application of a rough, finishing and decorative layer.
The table shows the components of the solution for the rough layer and their characteristics:
The quality of the solution is checked by rolling a ball. Its components should not stick to your hands. If, when pressed, the ball changes shape without cracking, then the solution is quite elastic.
Plastering the wall on clay as the first step requires surface preparation. Oil stains are removed, traces of mold are smoothed down to the base. If the wall is damp in some places, you need to find the source of this problem.
Sources of wall moisture:
if the groundwater is close to the surface, moisture can rise to the wall through the pores of the foundation. In this case, measures are taken to lay the waterproofing material between the base of the building and the wall;
when water pipes are laid near walls, condensation can cause moisture in the walls. The pipeline requires the installation of a heat-insulating material that prevents the formation of moisture;
if the wall is moistened by rainwater, drain pipes and visors are installed.
Surface preparation stages:
Remove any loose pieces of clay to locate loose spots. The surface is tapped in places where building materials are lagging behind, a dull sound is heard.
The surface is treated with antifungal agents and allowed to dry completely, only then proceed to further work.
The walls are primed in several layers using a spray gun or a wide molar brush. Clay surfaces absorb moisture very strongly, so apply a generous amount of primer.The layer dries up within 24 hours, after which it is primed several more times.
The primer gives the surface strength and ensures good adhesion to building materials.
After the wall has been primed, the damaged clay plaster is repaired. The existing cracks are closed and the areas from which the exfoliating pieces were removed are restored.
Plastering on clay is performed with an earthen solution prepared in the proportion: 1 part clay, 2.5 parts sand, sawdust as a binding material.
The cracks are expanded in depth by 1 cm, the sides are formed at an angle of 45 degrees.
The clay is soaked in water for a day
The clay is soaked in water for a day so that it becomes plastic. Add dry components, then add water to get a creamy solution.
Clay plaster is applied in several ways:
using a mesh - serpyanka in the form of a base for plaster;
using the same mortar from which the walls are made.
With a spatula, apply the solution to the damaged area. Rub the plaster over the clay with movements in all directions: along, across, down, up. Then rub with a grater. When the surface is dry, you need to reapply two coats of primer.
On clay, you cannot use plaster solutions from other components, except for clay. The cement mortar will not adhere, as it does not adhere well to the clay and does not allow the surface to breathe, which leads to the destruction of the lower layer. For information on how to plaster clay walls using a mesh, see this video:
For mesh plastering, you can use any putty.
To properly align the walls, you need to putty them.
Filler solutions are prepared with a fairly liquid consistency. Plaster putty is made independently or purchased ready-made in a store.
The lime-clay mixture and the clay-gypsum mortar are respectively prepared in the proportions:
Clay walls are found not only in old buildings. The modern trend of green building is increasingly giving preference to building houses exclusively from environmentally friendly materials. In either case, the clay on the walls raises a number of questions for the master about the correctness of working with such material and the convenient methods of finishing it.
Clay has been one of the main building materials for centuries. Today its use in construction is not so important. However, the positive qualities of this material indicate that its use is largely justified.
1. Clay is a natural material. Its natural deposits are large, and it is quite possible to get to them with your own hands, without resorting to the services of expensive equipment. In addition to clay, you will also need sand and sawdust. But these materials are also inexpensive and available.
2. Clay does not cause reactions in allergy sufferers.
3. The walls, plastered with clay-sand mortar, perfectly absorb water vapor and odors, thereby maintaining an optimal level of humidity in the room, and provide natural air filtration.
4. This natural material, in combination with environmental friendliness, has good thermal insulation properties. In a house where the main component of the walls is clay, it is not hot in summer, but comfortable and warm in winter.
5. Ordinary gypsum plaster can be used to decorate the clay walls. Subsequently, you can glue the wallpaper and paint in the same way as on walls made of other materials.
Clay walls also have some disadvantages:
Being a material that strongly absorbs moisture, clay requires a special approach to waterproofing. Otherwise, condensation, leaking pipes or roofs, high groundwater and other sources of moisture will destroy the clay wall, no matter what it is covered with.
Clay itself is a loose and free-flowing base.In working with it, it is worth adhering to certain rules and not neglecting long-term drying. All this significantly increases the time of repair work.
When starting to decorate clay walls, you should study the features of the work and do not forget about them during the repair process. This article will consider the main issue of decorating clay walls - putty, and also provides detailed instructions for putting putty on clay walls. But before you start, you need to go through the preparatory stage.
When starting to repair and decorate clay walls, you will need the following tools:
A set of spatulas, trowel, polisher. Choose which tool for filling clay walls is more convenient by testing. Someone is more convenient to use spatulas, while others are accustomed to working with a slicker or other tool.
Buckets for mixing clay-sand mortar and putty.
A construction mixer and a shovel will be indispensable when preparing large volumes of finishing mixtures.
Knife for opening cracks and trimming serpyanka.
A construction stapler can come in handy for attaching a meter mesh to a wall.
You can determine the evenness of surfaces with a building level and a rule, a plumb line and threads.
The following materials are needed:
Putty for clay walls is needed for starting and finishing (depending on what kind of coating is planned to be applied after puttying).
Reinforcing nylon mesh with a fine mesh. A narrow serpyanka is necessary to strengthen the cracks, and the meter-long one will be applied over the entire surface of the wall.
To correct the walls with a clay-sand mortar, you need 1 part of clay, 2 or 3 parts of sand, water. Also, if desired, you can introduce a little sawdust or small straw to reinforce the mixture. Our ancestors also added horse manure to clay to increase plasticity and thermal insulation. The smear turned out to be strong, even, with a fine fraction. The composition should brew well and resemble thick, homogeneous sour cream in consistency. You can also use a 1: 4: 1/4 mixture of clay, sand and plaster.
First of all, all old coatings must be removed. This applies to both whitewash and various paints and wallpapers. To facilitate the removal of old coatings, the walls can be wetted. The swollen top layer of clay will be easy to clean.
The technical features of the clay smear of the walls are that this base is relatively soft and free-flowing.
Before you start leveling the walls with putty, you should check the clay surface for damage. To do this, tap the wall with the handle of a trowel or spatula. A dull sound and slight movement will give away places where the clay has come off and may collapse. So that new repairs do not have to be redone due to a piece of the wall that has fallen off, it is better to remove the dangerous place in advance.
If the clay smear has cracks, follow these steps:
With a spatula, knife or trowel, clean the edges of the crack at an angle of 45 degrees to a depth of at least one centimeter.
Primer and dry well.
Fill the crack with a starting putty or clay-sand mixture with pressing movements.
Apply a serpentine so that it completely bridges the gap.
Cover with a layer of putty on top, pressing the mesh into the mass.
Even in the case when the clay plaster is made at a high level, the walls are even and smooth, the components of the composition are kept in perfect proportion, it is necessary to prepare the clay walls for the application of the putty.
The clay base must be strengthened. For this, a deep penetration primer should be used. While seeping into the coating to a depth of up to a centimeter, the primer, upon drying, tightly glues the particles of the loose base, preventing them from disintegrating and not allowing excess moisture to pass through.At the same time, the priming of clay walls increases the level of adhesion of the base with the subsequent finishing layer, and also prevents the formation of mold, since mainly antiseptic additives are included in the primer mixtures. It is also necessary to treat with a primer those places that have been cleaned of weak parts. It is necessary to prime the clay twice before puttingty, drying each layer well.
An important step will be to determine the flatness of surfaces. In houses of an old building, walls are often found that are far from ideal. Some were originally erected without proper alignment, others were smeared with not very skillful craftsmen. As a result, carrying out modern renovations in a room with such walls will result in significant expenses for leveling. Therefore, before starting work, identify the degree of evenness of walls and ceilings using a building level, as a rule, plumb lines and threads stretched along vertical marks. Professional builders use special laser levels to determine the planes.
As mentioned above, you can use different mixtures to correct clay walls. It can be a clay-sand mixture, a lime-clay solution (clay, sand, lime paste in a ratio of 6: 15: 2), a clay-gypsum mixture. But it is most convenient to level the clay walls with a putty.
The layer of starting putty should not exceed 1.5 cm, although the maximum allowable layer for gypsum plaster is 3 cm per application. Therefore, the masters recommend correcting deeper irregularities using clay solutions, or using drywall for leveling.
Important! Plastering or patching up defects on clay walls can only be done with lighter substances than clay. So, cement mortar is not suitable for this purpose. With clay, he will not be able to adhere properly and will quickly fall off.
We pass directly to the puttying process. Before proceeding with the putty, the master already knows what the final result will look like.
If the final finishing of the room is planned with wallpaper, then the reinforcing mesh can not be applied to the entire surface of the wall. After a two-time priming and complete drying of each layer, the defects are corrected within 24 hours. It is enough to place a narrow serpyanka on problem areas and cover the entire surface of the walls with a layer of starting putty (gypsum plaster). Next, we wait for the starting layer to dry well.
Important! Do not rush, as poorly dried clay walls (saturated with moisture from the putty) can collapse during further processing.
After drying, use a spatula to smooth out irregularities in the putty and protruding parts. No finishing putty for clay walls is required under dense wallpaper. The non-woven base adheres well and prevents the putty from cracking. However, it is worth noting that the next time the wallpaper is removed, the putty may fall behind along with the canvas, this is the nature of clay.
To avoid this, as well as before puttingty for painting, it is necessary to apply a reinforcing mesh.
There will be a putty for painting.
Putty for painting on clay walls is somewhat risky. If, due to temperature differences, or the appearance of excessive moisture, the clay cracks, it will immediately appear on the painted surface. There are two ways to prevent this situation:
When planning to paint the walls, you can apply paintable wallpaper. A solid base will not react to small cracks that may appear on the clay. The texture of wallpaper for painting often looks more profitable in the interior than just plain walls.
The best option for strengthening the putty on clay walls would be to use a reinforcing nylon mesh. In order to fix it on the clay wall, you can use a construction stapler. By rolling the roll down from the ceiling, the mesh is nailed to the wall with staples.The disadvantage of this method is that the mesh eventually folds down, the staples can protrude above the surface.
You can avoid such inconveniences using the gluing method:
apply a thin layer of starter putty to the wall;
attach the edge of the mesh under the ceiling and move the spatula down and to the sides, pressing the mesh into the putty, glue it to the wall;
having straightened well one strip of a meter-long serpyanka, put the next overlap by 2 - 3 cm and repeat the procedure;
having paved the entire surface of the wall in this way, apply another leveling layer of starting putty.
Next, we will tell you how to make a putty for painting on clay walls:
after complete drying of the layer within 24 hours, for a better result, it is recommended to apply another leveling layer of starting gypsum putty;
after complete drying, the starting coating should be well cleaned with an abrasive mesh for grouting the putty;
before applying the finishing putty, it is recommended to apply a primer and let it dry;
the finishing putty is applied in a thin layer, and after drying it is sanded.
Important! When cleaning the surface of the putty for painting, it is recommended to use a portable light source. Substituting it close to the surface at different angles, all the irregularities will be clearly visible.
before painting, many masters recommend priming the finishing layer again, but practice shows that it is better to paint without priming, so the water-based paint is evenly absorbed into the putty, forming an equally uniform layer.
Putty is one of the main technological processes in the repair. By doing it right, the repairman ensures half the success of the repair. Clay walls are not a hindrance to creating a beautiful and modern interior, and in some respects they have advantages over other building materials.
You can consolidate all of the above by watching the plot below "Putting clay walls". The video tells about the sequence of work on the putty of clay walls.
Having completed all the work, adhering to the recommendations given in the article, repair work in a house with clay walls will be easy, and the result will please with quality.
