How to Repair a Straw Bale Wall

Ever wondered how to repair a straw bale wall? Although rendered straw bale walls are stronger than plaster, they can still be scuffed by the wayward kick of a child or by moving furniture through the wall instead of around it. Luckily, render can be patched when it is damaged!

 

Follow these simple steps for easy render repairs.

 

Step 1: Collect the render

Collect the render that has been knocked off. In our example, the render was smashed off intentionally, as  the door was scraping on the wall.

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Sifting

Using a piece of flyscreen, or a fine sieve you no longer care about, sift the collected render. Work the render through so you have no big chunks. You should end up with a fine powder.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Mix with water

Combine the render powder with water. Leave this to sit for a couple of days. The consistency should be like thin porridge, so don’t add too much water at once.

If you accidentally make it too wet, just leave your bucket in the sun for a while until enough water evaporates.

 

Step 4: Moisten wall

Spray water on the area of wall to be repaired. This helps the new render to bind to the old layer.

 

Step 5: Apply new render

Apply the render to the wall. Use rubber gloves for this process, as once the lime in the render is rehydrated it can will burn the skin. Try to blend the edges of the new render into the old. Depending on the size of the area to be fixed, you may want to use a trowel to smooth out the area.

 

Step 6: Sponge

When the area has dried a bit (to the point where it can’t be squished with a finger), it’s time to sponge. Using a damp sponge (such as this one), gently rub in small circles. This helps to blend the render and create a uniform texture. The render may take a day or two to dry, depending on the size of the area and the ambient temperature.

 

I hope this helps you to fix any damaged sections of render- maintaining your straw bale home for decades to come. Let me know if there are any other straw bale topics or issues you would like information on.

We are here to help!

*****

For more information on rendering your straw bale house, contact Mark Beedle. Mark runs a straw bale rendering business, and his website has some beautiful pictures of his work.

If you are new to straw bale building or just getting started on your owner-builder journey, consider looking at our online straw bale house building course. Our extensive video tutorials will teach you everything you need to know about building your own straw bale home (not just bale installation and rendering!).

We also offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

If you aren’t satisfied with the information we provide, we will refund every cent!