Hi so in a previous post i said how i had removed concrete render from my cottage to replace with lime, now repairing and reinstating wattle and daub walls, but I have a minor problem, how anal should i be? my wattles are set towar the front of the panels as possibly the cottage was never rendered. When the concrete was put on 'builders' removed the facing daub leaving bare wattles and removed several ledges, I have spent time this afternoon 'sowing' twine round the original wattles to reinstate a new ledger, very long and tedious, my new idea is to reinstate the new ledger but then screw through the ledger into the wattle to secure it, comments please, after all this is a renovation and by doing it this way in the future it will tell a story, good or bad idea?
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livias
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If there is room to butt and screw then just do it. Best drill and use stainless steel screws to be on the safe side. Then you can pat yourself on the back that in 100 zillion years time the next person to look at it will be able to tell exactly which is the 2014 renovation work
Zebra
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Know nothing about wattle and daub but have to agree with the general principle that a few modern materials don't hurt. It's fantastic that you're reinstating the wattle and daub though. Agree also with the use of stainless steel screws, as normal BZP/galvanised screws could corrode in contact with the lime, and could stain through the render. They might not, but probably best to be on the safe side with that one.
Flyfisher
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Builders of old didn't use stainless steel nails because they were not available. As a result, tons and tons of perfectly good lath & plaster walls and ceilings have been lost forever because the period nails rusted away and the ceilings and walls fell away from the supporting beams. Well, they did in our house anyway.
We're currently having the cement render covering our house replaced with lime render. It's Grade 2* and the work is being done with sawn laths and stainless nails, all under the watchful eye of our CO. Seems eminently sensible to me to use the most appropriate modern materials available in a sensitive way to preserve what is remaining of the original fabric of the building.
I'm guessing that no one here is so fanatical about period living that they are having all the electrical wiring removed (depends on the period I suppose), or are using gas mantles or beeswax candles for lighting, or are using an open fire for cooking? But I could easily be wrong and if you are doing any of the above then of course you should not use stainless fixings and should be getting your nails hand made by the local blacksmith.
We're currently having the cement render covering our house replaced with lime render. It's Grade 2* and the work is being done with sawn laths and stainless nails, all under the watchful eye of our CO. Seems eminently sensible to me to use the most appropriate modern materials available in a sensitive way to preserve what is remaining of the original fabric of the building.
I'm guessing that no one here is so fanatical about period living that they are having all the electrical wiring removed (depends on the period I suppose), or are using gas mantles or beeswax candles for lighting, or are using an open fire for cooking? But I could easily be wrong and if you are doing any of the above then of course you should not use stainless fixings and should be getting your nails hand made by the local blacksmith.
DJH
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I agree with using stainless steel fixings although I prefer screws and washers rather than nails so as to minimise disturbance to the existing structure especially if it's a bit shaky. It also gives the opportunity to use s/s wire fixings wrapped around the screw heads and washers. If you are set on using nails then annular ring shank nails are best as smooth shank ones tend not to grip into timber like ferrous ones do when they corrode a little gripping in the grain of the wood.
Marine grade 316 or austenetic stainless steel fixings are best as they will resist attack from damp lime. In my experience ordinary stainless steel can corrode under certain conditions where lime is present. If you can pick up the nails with a magnet then they are not the ones you need to use.
Good luck with the work.
Doug
Marine grade 316 or austenetic stainless steel fixings are best as they will resist attack from damp lime. In my experience ordinary stainless steel can corrode under certain conditions where lime is present. If you can pick up the nails with a magnet then they are not the ones you need to use.
Good luck with the work.
Doug
Keithj
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We were debating the same topic during our repairs. Our carpenter, a wise old ship-repairer, gave some simple advice: screws hold things together, nails may push them apart.
The builder doing the repairs used what looked like bronze screws (Reisser was the name on the boxes) to screw the oak in place where it wasn't pegged. I'm hoping now that those weren't coated steel screws...
The builder doing the repairs used what looked like bronze screws (Reisser was the name on the boxes) to screw the oak in place where it wasn't pegged. I'm hoping now that those weren't coated steel screws...