So we've taken out an old bath in the new house that we've bought. House was built in 1974 and this is the second wall that we've come across that is made of straw. That's right. Straw. What on earth are you supposed to cover it with. The wall that is exposed is behind the bath. Do we need to seal it with something before we plaster it and what kind of plaster should we be using. Concerned that the straw is exposed in a bathroom which means alot of moisture will be in the air and I'm concerned that if the straw gets damp in any way then it will rot. Does anyone know what to do in this situation please?
my walls are made of straw how can I plaster them
- Thread starter dandielion
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dandielion, hi.
Sounds as if you have compressed straw? if so it was a material called "Stramit" or very similar, used as a roofing material where the straw planks had metal edges, if you were walking on this type of roof everyone trod a path along the steel angles on the board edges.
Does your straw wall have a metal edge at floor level? the metal you may see is a channel that was fitted to the long edges of this material. some panels had an Asbestos paper fixed to one face of the panel.
It was used as a roofing panel with a waterproof top layer, generally felt, or used as a cheap internal partition, had reasonable thermal properties, but if it gets wet, it will literally disintegrate so it must be fully coated to prevent this eventuality.
If you consider it, the wall above the bath will be in-tact the Stramit being covered with Plaster and probably wall tiles? To keep the Stramit in reasonable condition the Stramit has to be coated with plaster
Ken
Sounds as if you have compressed straw? if so it was a material called "Stramit" or very similar, used as a roofing material where the straw planks had metal edges, if you were walking on this type of roof everyone trod a path along the steel angles on the board edges.
Does your straw wall have a metal edge at floor level? the metal you may see is a channel that was fitted to the long edges of this material. some panels had an Asbestos paper fixed to one face of the panel.
It was used as a roofing panel with a waterproof top layer, generally felt, or used as a cheap internal partition, had reasonable thermal properties, but if it gets wet, it will literally disintegrate so it must be fully coated to prevent this eventuality.
If you consider it, the wall above the bath will be in-tact the Stramit being covered with Plaster and probably wall tiles? To keep the Stramit in reasonable condition the Stramit has to be coated with plaster
Ken
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I would use two coats of bonding plaster to fill the open grain of the material then skim it.
Frank
Frank
Hi KenGMac, that's the word I remember the plasterer using. Stramit. You're right, the wall above the bath is covered in wall tiles but it is all open and bare from the top of the bath down to the ground. I know the plasterer who did the kitchen used some kind of pva coating over the stramit parts that were showing and thanks Frank we'll do what you recommend and get some bonding plaster.
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When you say straw, do you mean like woodwool panels? See here http://thenaturalbuildingcentre.co....ds/2013/05/tiki-download_file-41-400x280.jpeg
If so I would have thought you could just stick some water resistant plasterboard on using the normal adhesive?
If so I would have thought you could just stick some water resistant plasterboard on using the normal adhesive?
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