Hello,
My partner and I have an old timbered stable on a concrete slab where the lower timber logs were so rotten that we had to remove them. Now we have replaced these with lecablocks (from Byggmax) up to about 1 meter in height. We used mortar B from Byggmax for the joints.
Now the question is what to do with plaster and paint. Do I need to use mesh when the wall ends under the windows? How much mesh is needed if so, should it cover the entire surface? What type of plaster should be used? On the package from Byggmax, it only says mortar B, and on a package from Bauhaus, it said both plaster and mortar B. Can I use the one from Byggmax for plaster?
Perhaps a silly question, but is plaster needed at all? The lecablocks are water-resistant as they are, aren't they? What's the point of the plaster apart from looking better?
On the inside toward the boxes, we plan to put plywood to protect the lecablocks from potential kicks. Is plaster or paint needed on the lecablocks then?
Wow, so many questions. I hope someone can help me with at least some of them
My partner and I have an old timbered stable on a concrete slab where the lower timber logs were so rotten that we had to remove them. Now we have replaced these with lecablocks (from Byggmax) up to about 1 meter in height. We used mortar B from Byggmax for the joints.
Now the question is what to do with plaster and paint. Do I need to use mesh when the wall ends under the windows? How much mesh is needed if so, should it cover the entire surface? What type of plaster should be used? On the package from Byggmax, it only says mortar B, and on a package from Bauhaus, it said both plaster and mortar B. Can I use the one from Byggmax for plaster?
Perhaps a silly question, but is plaster needed at all? The lecablocks are water-resistant as they are, aren't they? What's the point of the plaster apart from looking better?
On the inside toward the boxes, we plan to put plywood to protect the lecablocks from potential kicks. Is plaster or paint needed on the lecablocks then?
Wow, so many questions. I hope someone can help me with at least some of them
Hello, As a stable builder, (okay, builder might be a stretch but I've built 4 horse stables so far in my career at least) maybe I can contribute something anyway
I would have plastered with B-grade on the outside (Masonry & Plaster Mortar B from Byggmax if that's where you shop), it probably doesn't need meshing on leca, the plaster has good adhesion on leca. However, I almost always mesh when I plaster, but it's mostly because I always build according to the principle "as safe as possible even if it's not necessary".
If you don't plaster, Leca has a tendency to absorb a lot of water, which might not be so good if you paint on the inside. Here I'm not an expert in the field so I can't really say how it would affect having an unplastered facade, the only thing I've noticed is that leca can absorb a lot of water, even though the leca blocks themselves don't suffer any damage from it as far as I know. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable about leca can provide a bit more grounded facts on the subject.
On the inside, I would definitely mesh (when you mesh, cover the entire surface, overlap joints at least 10cm). Considering how much force there is in a horse kick (about 10kN (1 ton)). After a bit of asking around and consulting, we also used A-grade (Cement Mortar A, or whatever it might say on the bag, although it's not available at Byggmax) on the inside. Harder mortar to withstand the relatively severe abuse it can get from the horses.
Oops, I saw you plan to put plywood on the inside, yes, that should work. I've covered a stable with plywood in the stalls, to "save" the actual wooden planks that make up the stall walls and would be very complicated to replace (requiring total dismantling of the stall). We also lacquered these boards with a couple of layers of boat varnish to be extra durable and easy to clean, and they really are. The stable is really quick to clean with a high-pressure washer, and it gets very clean quickly without effort or scrubbing. Quite practical and durable in the long run, also easy to replace if needed (haven't needed to replace them in 7 years!)
Maybe I should add that we chose birch plywood, which is quite a lot harder than the regular pine plywood. More expensive, but it has probably paid off in the long run as all the boards are still in very good condition, even though it's only 8mm plywood.
Plywood works great, but I would probably think twice about it, it won't be very fun to attach the plywood to the leca blocks, especially if you plan to attach the plywood directly against the leca. It will require a lot of drilling and plugging, to withstand the wear it needs to be securely fastened with fairly close screws. An alternative to bolting a couple of struts to the walls to get something to screw into also unfortunately goes away, if you get air between the plywood and the wall, it will never withstand a horse kick. It's also always a bit tricky to get plugs to sit really securely in leca, sure they don't sit badly, but it's not like plugging into concrete.
Had I done it myself, I would probably have plastered both the inside and outside according to the above.
Regards, Peter // heading towards his 5th stable (horse-crazy parents and girlfriends take their toll.....)
I would have plastered with B-grade on the outside (Masonry & Plaster Mortar B from Byggmax if that's where you shop), it probably doesn't need meshing on leca, the plaster has good adhesion on leca. However, I almost always mesh when I plaster, but it's mostly because I always build according to the principle "as safe as possible even if it's not necessary".
If you don't plaster, Leca has a tendency to absorb a lot of water, which might not be so good if you paint on the inside. Here I'm not an expert in the field so I can't really say how it would affect having an unplastered facade, the only thing I've noticed is that leca can absorb a lot of water, even though the leca blocks themselves don't suffer any damage from it as far as I know. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable about leca can provide a bit more grounded facts on the subject.
On the inside, I would definitely mesh (when you mesh, cover the entire surface, overlap joints at least 10cm). Considering how much force there is in a horse kick (about 10kN (1 ton)). After a bit of asking around and consulting, we also used A-grade (Cement Mortar A, or whatever it might say on the bag, although it's not available at Byggmax) on the inside. Harder mortar to withstand the relatively severe abuse it can get from the horses.
Oops, I saw you plan to put plywood on the inside, yes, that should work. I've covered a stable with plywood in the stalls, to "save" the actual wooden planks that make up the stall walls and would be very complicated to replace (requiring total dismantling of the stall). We also lacquered these boards with a couple of layers of boat varnish to be extra durable and easy to clean, and they really are. The stable is really quick to clean with a high-pressure washer, and it gets very clean quickly without effort or scrubbing. Quite practical and durable in the long run, also easy to replace if needed (haven't needed to replace them in 7 years!)
Maybe I should add that we chose birch plywood, which is quite a lot harder than the regular pine plywood. More expensive, but it has probably paid off in the long run as all the boards are still in very good condition, even though it's only 8mm plywood.
Plywood works great, but I would probably think twice about it, it won't be very fun to attach the plywood to the leca blocks, especially if you plan to attach the plywood directly against the leca. It will require a lot of drilling and plugging, to withstand the wear it needs to be securely fastened with fairly close screws. An alternative to bolting a couple of struts to the walls to get something to screw into also unfortunately goes away, if you get air between the plywood and the wall, it will never withstand a horse kick. It's also always a bit tricky to get plugs to sit really securely in leca, sure they don't sit badly, but it's not like plugging into concrete.
Had I done it myself, I would probably have plastered both the inside and outside according to the above.
Regards, Peter // heading towards his 5th stable (horse-crazy parents and girlfriends take their toll.....)