Mud plasters and renders
Practical Action
roughened by light grooving, scratching or pitting, to provide good bonding for the second coat.
The second coat is only applied when the first is dry.
If the plaster contains a cement or lime stabiliser, it is important to spray the plaster coat
twice or three times a day with water during the first days of drying, especially during hot
weather, to reduce the development of cracks. In general, plaster work should be shaded from
the sun, and it is better to avoid plastering on very hot or windy days.
All pictures are extracted from Earth Construction: A comprehensive guide (see below).
Further reading
• Alternatives to Portland Cement Practical Action Technical Brief
• Additives to Clay: Organic additives derived from Natural Sources, Practical Action
Technical Brief
• Additives to Clay: Minerals and synthetic additives, Practical Action Technical Brief
• Mud as Mortar Practical Action Technical Brief,
• Clay as a binder Practical Action Technical Brief,
• How to Make Stabilised Soil Blocks, Technical Brief by Practical Action Southern
Africa
• *Earth construction, A comprehensive guide, CRATerre, Practical Action Publishing,
1994.
• Building with Earth, CRATerre, Mud Village Society, Delhi, India, 1990
• *Building with Earth, A handbook, 2nd Ed., J. Norton, Practical Action Publishing,
1997
• *Appropriate Building Materials, A Catalogue of Potential Solutions, R. Stulz, K.
Mukerji, Practical Action Publishing/SKAT, 1993
• Soil Preparation Equipment (product information), by Kiran Mukerji et al, GTZ,
Eschborn, Germany, 1991
• Earth Building Materials and Techniques, Select bibliography, CRATerre, GTZ,
Eschborn, Germany, 1991.
• The basics of compressed earth blocks, CRATerre,GTZ, Eschborn, Germany, 1991
• Stabilisers and Mortars (for stabilised soil blocks) product information, by Kiran
Mukerji, CRATerre, GTZ, 1994
• Compressed Earth Blocks: Vol. 1,Manual of Production, Vince Rigassi, CRATerre-EAG,
GTZ, 1995
• Earthen Architecture, Hands On Brief, Practical Action / TVE, Series 1,
• Rammed Earth Structures Keable & Keable Practical Action Publishing 2011
Useful contacts
CRATerre
Maison Levrat (Parc Fallavier)
B. P. 53, F-38092 Villefontaine -CEDEX
France
Tel: +33 474 954391
Fax: +33 474 956421
E-mail: craterre@club-internet.fr
Website: http://terre.grenoble.archi.fr/
CRATerre is the international centre for earth construction at the school of Architecture in
Grenoble. CRATerre is a member of basin.
Auroville Earth Institute
Auroshilpam, Auroville 605 101,
T.N. India
Tel: +91 413 262 3064 / 262 3330
Fax: +91 413 262 2886
Email: earthinstitute@auroville.org.in
Website: http://www.earth-auroville.com/
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