Interactive lesson

Stone and ćerpič, step by step

Interactive lesson: choosing and dressing stone, slaking lime, a stone wall with through-stones, soil tests, making ćerpič (adobe), laying it and a plaster that breathes.

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The whole lesson as text

1. Boots and a hat

Stone and earth need good boots and a good hat.

Stone or earth — Stone lasts, doesn't burn and doesn't mind damp. Ćerpič (adobe) is cheap and made from your own soil, but it fears water and is weak in an earthquake.
Boots: a high plinth — A stone or concrete foundation and a plinth 30–50 cm above ground keep the wall away from splash and from damp in the soil.
Hat: a deep overhang — A roof with a 50–60 cm overhang and a gutter, so rain doesn't fall on the wall.
Plaster that breathes — Old stone and earth walls are repaired with lime, not cement. Cement traps moisture in the wall.

Why: Stone and earth don't rot, but water destroys them. That's why a stone or ćerpič wall stands on a high plinth and under a roof with a deep overhang.

The oldest combination: stone foundation and plinth, ćerpič wall, roof with a deep overhang.
Dry-stone walls and terraces are in module H02-06, and foundations in H62-02.

2. Stone: choosing and dressing

Good walling stone has at least two flat, roughly parallel faces and isn't round.

Sort straight away — As you gather, stack stone in heaps: large for the foundation, long for through-stones, flat for corners and small for packing.
Hammer, point, chisel — Knock off edges with a hammer and sledge and split along the bedding. Dress faces and beds with a point and chisel.
Wedges for a block — A large block is split along a line of holes and wedges.
Goggles and care — Chips fly: goggles are compulsory, for anyone standing nearby too. Snakes live in stone heaps: don't put your hand where you can't see.

Why: River cobbles are hard but round and won't stay put in a wall. Limestone is common in many areas, easy to dress and durable.

Cutting and grinding stone makes dust containing silica: work wet or wear an FFP3 (US P100) mask.
Lift stone with your legs, roll big stones with a bar and wear toe-cap boots.