Making an earthen wall is an economical way to bring life to the plain, whitewashed walls of your home. A mud mixture usually consists of clay, sand, fine fiber and water. Clay acts as the binder of the mixture, while sand and fine fiber prevents the mixture from cracking. Depending upon the smoothness of your walls, you can try a number of earthen art on them, just by adding lime putty to the mixture. Go through the instructions given in the following lines and learn how to mud walls.
Instructions To Mud Walls
Things Required
- Clay Soil
- Sand
- Fine Fiber
- Water
- Bucket
- Window Screen
- Trowel
- Small Stick
- Lime Putty (optional)
Procedure
- In a large bucket, mix one part of clay soil with four parts of sand, one and a half parts of fine fiber and enough water, to make the mixture look slightly wet than peanut butter.
- Sift the mixture with a window screen, to remove pebbles and other impurities.
- Using a trowel, apply the first layer of the mud to the wall. Smoothen the mud with the back side of the trowel. Let it dry completely, before you apply the second coat.
- Apply the second coat of the mud. The second layer of mud should be a bit thinner than the first coat, because it may get cracked after it is dried.
- Before the mud dries completely, give it a texture with a small stick.
- Leave it to dry. Apply the third coat, if needed.
Tips
- If you plan to make earthen art or accessories on the walls, make a separate mixture. Add a little bit of lime putty to the mud mixture, so that the earthen plaster binds better.
- Practice the wall art on a sheet of drywall first, before making the design on the walls coated with mud.
- The application of mud will depend upon the surface of the walls. A fine mud will be suitable for a very smooth wall. You may sift your materials thoroughly, to make a finer mixture.
