Step 7. Surfacing the Walls
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Step 7. Surfacing the Walls Challenge I to provide your straw-bale walls with long-term protection, both inside and out, from the elements, the occupants, infestation by vermin and depredation by curious cattle or vandals. Walk-Through. flow chart looks at considerations related to these decisions. * With the settling nearly complete, this is a If you do decide to use a plaster-type good time to double-check to ensure that all material, the next major decision involves gaps have been stuffed with some insulating whether to use some sort of netting as material and, if you wish, capped with a cob reinforcement. The choice made here has mixture. Then make a final inspection of significant implications, which we explore on your wall surfaces. This is your last chance page 101. to do any final trimming and/or filling of However, even if you chose plaster for most gaps or depressions. Since you will soon be of the straw-bale wall surfaces, you might still covering the walls, this is also your last consider using drywall, attached to vertical chance to add another niche or two, more "furring strips ", on surfaces against which electrical boxes, more elements related to you plan to attach things like floor-and hanging things on the walls, et cetera. wall-mounted kitchen cabinets. Drywall is an • During the design process, decisions would inexpensive material which, when properly have been made about how the inside and "furred out", will provide you with outside surfaces of the exterior walls would wonderfully smooth, straight surfaces to be surfaced. This is the last chance to mount things against. For more details on reconsider those choices. A good review of attaching "furring strips", seepage 131. the most commonly used surfacing materials • Issue 9 o/The Last Straw includes an is provided by Issue 9 o/The Last Straw. article by Jon Ruez (1995) that provides The "flow chart" on page 100 takes you field-tested, detailed information about through the series of choices (and options) attaching reinforcement to a straw-bale leading to a completed and maintained building. Please note, however, that Jon surface. Whether the wall surface in would now recommend attaching the stucco question is inside or outside, and whether netting after the expanded metal lath is in one chooses a plaster-type surface or one of place, rather than before. Use Jon's article as the non-plaster options, an early decision a general guide. When it comes to specifics, involves whether to install a barrier against use his suggestions, those in this and other air (and the water vapor it contains), or books and videos, and those gleaned from water in liquid form or both. If you elect to conversations with other bale builders. Weigh use a barrier, one must then decide whether the options in light of your unique situation, it will cover the whole wall or only a portion and then choose the materials/techniques that (usually the lower part). The sidebar to the are right for you. Page 89 Surfacing the Walls Surfacing the Walls Page 90 * For our "model" building, we can now wrap the building's corners with galvanized, strip of expanded metal lath for extra (f • — ^ expanded metal lath (a.ka. "diamond lath" reinforcment at and "blood lath "), to reinforce the plaster at corners of frames these often-bumped locations. The same type (stucco netting and \r lath not of reinforcement is recommended at door and window openings. First, as appropriate, shown) ' protect the edge of the wooden frame with a waterproof material (see below for options). Then attach one edge of an appropriately shaped piece of lath to one edge of the frame. non-loadbearing Finally, wrap this piece out onto the wall and window or door secure it with "Roberta"pins (see page 92). frame As part of this process, some builders add a commercially available metal edging strip, called "J-strip", to provide a uniform way to eventually end the plaster against the door commonly used alternative to roofing felt is and window frames (see diagram at bottom of Plaster Kraft Paper (a.k.a. Kraft paper, page). At such openings, many builders take Grade D paper, or black paper). You may great pains to create corner coverage with no also want (or be required) to protect external, gaps, in hopes of preventing the diagonal RBA tie-downs from any contact with cracks that so typically appear in the plaster plaster-type materials by covering them with at these locations. Additional resistance can strips of roofing felt or the equivalent. This be provided by attaching an extra strip of will protect them against rusting and lath near each corner as shown in diagram, corrosion. It may also, as described later in upper right. this "walk-through ", allow the tie-downs to = The cut edges of this lath are like many, be retightened after the first coat of plaster tiny razor blades (therefore, "blood lath"). has hardened. Expanded metal lath is needed Gloves are highly recommended. over these waterproof materials to hold the * On the outside of the wall, cover all first coat of plaster in place until it cures, exposed metal and wood with roofing felt or and to provide additional reinforcement some other waterproof material to isolate where the plaster is not keyed into the bale them from the damp plaster. A thinner, surface. Expanded Metal Lath Meets Wood Frame lath and plaster caulk If exterior, include waterproof membrane between \, plaster and wood wood frame double glazing For these options attach the expanded metal lath before placing the frames Page 91 Surfacing the Walls * For our "model" building, we can now with the "improperly" oriented lath, will continue the process of surfacing the walls by adequately support the first coat of plaster creating an exterior curtain of stucco until it hardens. netting, securely attached at the top to the Focusing now on stucco netting, imagine a RBA and at the bottom to the wooden "nailer" design in which only the first course of bales in the side of the grade-beam collar. The has a waterproof drape. Which way do we toe-up system involving pressure-treated want to orient the strips of netting? Straw- 2"X4"s [5X10 cm] fastened to a slab (see the bale builders have usually chosen the diagram on page 47) also provides a horizontal orientation, perhaps having seen it convenient nailer both outside and in. used this way in mainstream construction. One-inch mesh poultry netting (a.k.a. "chicken Those building in earthquake-prone areas wire ") is commonly used as a substitute for might be acting on the hunch that wrapping stucco netting, but may not meet code. corners with horizontal strips may provide • For both expanded metal lath and stucco stronger reinforcement at these critical netting, the orientation of the openings in locations than a series of vertical strips the material is important only where they are connected at a limited number of points along placed against something other than straw their overlap. Many builders, if orienting the (e.g., roofing felt or a "barrier" material). strips horizontally, chose to initially run them For metal lath, in such cases, the longer right across door and window openings, dimension of the diamond-shaped openings coming back later to custom cut and make should run horizontally and the narrow strips attachments to the frames. of metal that form the mesh should slope The vertical orientation, although generally downward toward the wall. For stucco less used so far, seems to have some netting applied over something other than advantages. A series of strips of equal length straw, the long dimension of the "diamonds can be precut. Given their restricted length should also be horizontal. In addition, the and secure attachment to the non-movable small, slightly protruding sections of wire, RBA, the strips can more easily be pulled taut designed to hold the netting away from the before the lower end is fastened to the toe-up underlying material, should be on the inside. or the foundation. This removes much of the When used directly over straw, both materials looseness that would otherwise have to be can be used in any orientation you find most dealt with as described on the next page. convenient. The crucial thing is that the Another possible advantage is that, instead of plaster be applied with enough force to leave having to move back and forth along the lath or netting completely imbedded in the horizontal strips, one can do all the work on plaster. each strip from the same general location. So, when wrapping the outside corners of a This can mean a lot less moving of building with "blood lath ", we can use a scaffolding and/or ladders. One case in single, full-width strip run vertically. Ah, but which you must use the vertical orientation is what if some or all of the courses are covered when you are using the netting as a tie-down with a barrier to exclude liquid water? In system after you have pre-stressed the walls such a case, you may also want to use stucco (as described on page 73). netting (or an equivalent). This, combined Considering the way doors and windows Surfacing the Walls Page 92 interrupt stretches of wall surface, the most short piece ofrebar, bamboo, etc., and then efficient approach might be to use vertical push the free end through the wall from the strips in the unbroken areas, while using inside to the outside. The loose end can then horizontal strips to fill in the gaps above and be twisted around the netting, securing it to below frames.