Bricklaying and plastering leca wall -- teach me all you know

[phl]

I was planning to build and plaster a leca wall on the upper floor of my house. I'm pretty handy with most things, but I've never done masonry and plastering. I've searched online and on forums to try to figure out how to go about it but have mostly picked up loose tips.

I want to build an interior wall with leca blocks and then plaster it smooth. On one side, I'll be putting up tiles, and on the other side, wallpaper. I would love to have tips/links on how to:

Prepare the floor/walls around (the wall will end against the chimney).

Reinforcement, how and how much? Should I knock it into the chimney?

What type of mortar should I use?

How do I plaster the whole thing, and with what type of mortar?

What tools do I need?

What else should I consider?

Someone might even have tips on a good overview of different types of mortars/plasters/concretes so that one can understand A and B mortar, etc.

I appreciate all tips!

 

[gaia]

of all questions my first thought was - do you know if the floor can withstand the new load you're planning to add? It will be many kilos of blocks, tiles, mortar, and plaster on a narrow floor area ...
gaia

 

[phl]

of all questions my first thought was - do you know if the floor can withstand the new load you plan to add? It will be many kilos of blocks, tiles, mortar, and render on a narrow floor area ...
gaia

I assume so. The floor in question is over 20cm thick concrete. Currently, there is a lightweight concrete wall 80 cm from where the new wall will be. The old lightweight concrete wall will be removed. On the floor below, there is a brick wall under the lightweight concrete wall, but I'm not sure if it is load-bearing (I'll check the drawings tonight).

 

[phl]

Any more tips?

 

[synpunkter]

finja.se

maxit.se

 

[gaia]

I assume so. The floor in question is over 20cm of concrete. Currently, there is a lightweight concrete wall 80 cm from where the new wall will stand. The old lightweight concrete wall will be removed. On the floor below, there is a brick wall under the lightweight concrete wall, but I don't know if it is load-bearing (will check the drawings tonight).

no yeah, I suspected it was a wooden house like many others. Congratulations on a solid build. The floor will hold, but check that the ceiling stays in place before you start demolishing .
I can recommend another page - "dinbyggare.se" where there are practical tips on how to do things and which tools are needed.
Get the right tools at once - the right tools do half the job, and you'll need them in the future too in your stone house, I suppose . I myself found a box with some masonry tools at a flea market. Probably thrown out by someone who put wood paneling on their brick house .
I promise you'll be surprised at how easy the job is once you get the hang of it and try it yourself.
Good luck!
gaia

 

[phl]

Well, I suspected it was a wooden house like many others. Congratulations on a solid construction.

That's why I bought the house after 1.5 years of searching =)

Then the floor will hold, but make sure the roof stays before you tear it down .

There are no load-bearing walls on the upper floor, it's supported over the trusses, so no problem.

I can recommend another site - "dinbyggare.se" where there are practical tips on what to do and which tools are needed.
Get the right tools at once - the right tools do half the job and you'll need them in the future for your stone house too, I can imagine .

I'll check dinbyggare.se and see what's there. Found some good brochures at Finja Concrete. They were useful yesterday when I was leveling the floor too.

Don't mention good tools to me, I consider myself an incurable tool fetishist =) The next best thing about new projects is the excuse to expand the tool arsenal...

 

[gaia]

That's why I bought the house after 1.5 years of searching =)

For us, it took a little longer to find a concrete building with external walls of plastered brick. A war bunker in the basement=winekeller was a bonus ;D. We would never be able to afford building with such quality today and are satisfied with the old house despite slightly poorer insulation - the wood burner keeps heating costs down . It was a relief to move from an 80s wooden house ;D. I guess you had the same requirements when buying a house as we did
gaia

 

[jonmo]

I am reviving this old thread in hopes of some new info.

I am possibly about to renovate a kitchen in a house from the turn of the last century. The current 80s kitchen needs to go, and I'm keen on installing something a bit older. One feature we had in our previous kitchen was a masonry pantry. I would love to have one again, but the question is whether it would work.

I am eager to build a small pantry in a corner of the kitchen that you can almost walk into. The two walls are to be made of masonry. The floor is a classic subfloor/pine floor. I have two initial questions:

- According to the responses above, I should check that the floor can support it. I understand that. But I don't understand how to practically check it. How do I make sure, in practical terms, that the neighbor below doesn't get an unexpected visit?

- Our previous pantry was what I assume is called a "cold pantry." As it was against an exterior wall, there was a vent that allowed it to get quite cold if desired, especially in the winter. In the corner where it would be built now, there is no exterior wall. Does this mean it would be too warm inside? The apartment is electrically heated, and there's a bit of distance to the nearest radiator or tiled stove. It should be able to work even in summer, right?

 

[Oldboy]

With wooden beams => build in wood.

If you don't have an exterior wall, (and ideally a north wall), it doesn't matter much how you do it, it won't become a cold pantry. But a genuine old-fashioned "walk-in pantry," even if not usable as a cooler, is still nice to have.

Good luck with the restorer.

 

[jonmo]

With wooden beams => build in wood.

Even if there was previously a tiled stove in that corner? It was probably further into the corner and didn't have the same load. And how do I know what kind of beams it is? The house is from 1903. Should I look for construction drawings at the city planning office? Or should I start somewhere else?

If you don't have an outer wall, (and preferably a north wall), then it doesn't matter much how you do it, it won't be a cold pantry. But a real old-fashioned "walk-in pantry", even if not usable as a cooler, is still nice to have.

I understand that it won't be cold. The question is really if it will become warm instead, for some reason I haven't thought of. Of course, one should have an old-fashioned pantry!

Good luck with the restoration.

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to the project!