Wattle and daub is an ancient building technique using intertwined branches and mud to create walls. It is still used today in some parts of the world and is associated with Tudor architecture. The technique is cheap and durable, making it ideal for certain climates and regions.
Wattle and daub is an ancient building technique used to make both interior and exterior walls. Many examples can be found in old houses, especially in Europe, and this technique continues to be used to produce new houses in some parts of the world. The look and feel of the technique is quite distinctive, and when done well, a wattle and daub house can be warm and very durable. The technique was also borrowed from other construction techniques; many green building companies, for example, incorporate some form of it into their design.
There are two stages to building wattles and daubs. The first is the creation of wattles, intertwining branches, lathes or wands that form a tight lattice. The wattle can be used to lay foundations for walls both inside and outside a house, or to fill the gaps between walls and ceiling joists. Once the wattle is made, it can be covered in mud, a chalk-like mixture of clays, mud, plant fibers, and animal dung. After the daub set, many people whitewash the resulting wall to make it more weather resistant and to brighten it.
Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have used this technique since at least the Neolithic period, and some examples of Neolithic houses would look very familiar to modern humans. This technique is also used extensively in the Middle East and parts of Africa, as the construction is cheap, reasonably weatherproof and resistant to cooling, as whitewashed walls can prevent the penetration of heat in extreme climates, making it ideal for these places.
Because wattle and daub construction is cheap and easy, it has historically been associated with poverty in some regions of the world. It is certainly true that many workers and serfs lived in such houses, often building themselves and making the necessary repairs. Many of these houses were quite modest, daubed with materials available from the surrounding land and covered with a thatched roof made of straw or other plant materials.
Many people associate wattle and daub with Tudor architecture, as this building technique was commonly used during this period in British history. One of the hallmarks of Tudor architecture is that the structures typically have half-timbered walls and roofs, filled with whitewashed wattle and daub. As a result, Tudor homes have bold supporting beams that are often stained black or dark brown with expanses of textured white wall between them. This effect is often mimicked with drywall or plaster in modern homes to create a Tudor feel.
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