Shovel and buckets
A shovel to take samples and move material, buckets to measure out parts consistently by eye. Label the buckets if they hold different samples.
Tools
Tools
Your first tests with clay need no machinery; whatever is in the shed will do. Large builds use more serious equipment, but hand work rests on a small kit: something to dig with, something to sift with, somewhere to mix, something to apply with and something to check the result. Below are tools grouped by purpose, without brands or models. Protective gear gets its own place, and it should not be put off until later: lime and dry dust do not forgive carelessness.
A sieve and a couple of labeled buckets already make a lab, as long as you write down what is in each.
Here the tools are grouped by task, without brands, models or costs. Use each one according to the manufacturer's instructions and do not try to replace a professional with a tool.
For tests and mixing
What you need to dig soil, prepare it and mix it with fillers.
For finishing and checking
Tools for applying plaster and checking the result.
Trowel and float
The trowel throws on and presses in the mix; the float levels and compacts the surface. Keep water at hand to wet the tools.
Level and plumb line
They show whether the wall is vertical and the coat is even. A plumb line is handy where a long level will not fit.
Moisture meter
Helps compare the moisture of different parts of a wall, and of the same spot at different times. It is a guide for observation, not an exact diagnosis.
Protective gloves, goggles and mask
Gloves protect your skin from lime and rough clay, goggles protect your eyes from splashes, and a mask protects your lungs from dust when sifting, sanding and handling dry mixes.
Read next
- How-to
A test clay mix, checking a wall for moisture and refreshing clay plaster, step by step and in general terms.
- Care
Caring for a natural-material house: water and walls, cracks, refreshing finishes, ventilation and the after-winter walk-around.
- Planning
The order of works from idea and plot to final inspection: local rules, a professional design, the wet-work season and your budget of time and energy.
What we rely on
- General knowledge about building with natural materials
- Make Stroy editorial materials
Make Stroy retells widely accepted knowledge about building with clay, straw, timber and lime in its own words, without mix ratios, dimensions or calculations. Load-bearing structures, the foundation and the roof are designed and calculated by a professional; stoves, chimneys, wiring and gas are handled only by professionals. Look up your local building and fire rules before the first shovel goes into the ground, because the rules differ by country.