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HOW do I...fix a crack in a plastered straw bale wall?

Cracks happen. They can happen in cementitious plaster. They can happen in earthen plaster. They can happen in lime plaster. Cracks in plastered bale walls generally happen during the curing (in cementitious and lime plasters) process or the drying (in earthen plasters) process.

Cracks in exterior plaster must be repaired to protect against water infiltration and to keep insects and rodents out of the wall. Cracks in interior plaster must be fixed to protect against the rapid movement of moist interior air into the wall which can result in condensation and straw damage.

There is no universal solution for filling cracks. Professional bale builders have used a variety of methods and materials over the years to try to fill cracks.

Interior cracks in cementitious (cement containing) plaster

I've found that cracks in the interior plaster of our straw bale walls to be relatively simple to fix. I mix up a small batch of Sheetroc 90 or FS90 setting type compound and work a little well into the crack. I then layer on two layers of fiberglass drywall tape then liberally coat it with more compound and trowel it smooth. We are covering all of our walls (straw bale and interior partition) with StructoLite for texture. It produces a European hand troweled plaster look which we like. (Well...Anita likes the look...I like the fact that I don't have to be a great drywall taper since the StructoLite goes on over one layer of tape poorly applied.)

Most ready-to-use compounds you buy in a tub at the hardware or home building store will contain vinyl. This can result in a difference in colour when you paint over it since the underlying plaster will absorb water from the paint more quickly than the ready-to-use compound. Your straw bale plaster will most likely also have a much rougher texture. You should try to use a crack filler with a texture and colour as close to your original plaster as possible. Avoid using ready-to-use compounds.

Another way to improve the colour and texture match of the wall is to sponge the entire wall with a thin coat of whatever compound you are using to fill the cracks. This fills in tiny cracks and smooths out the finish on the wall.

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