Wattle and Daub

Building begins with wood and mud. (c. 6000 B.C.E.)

The technique of wattle and daub was first pioneered by human civilizations as early as 6000 B.C.E. as a way of weatherproofing their shelters. In its essence, wattle and daub is a way of filling in the gaps between the structural elements of wooden houses.

In a typical Tudor example, oak staves were placed vertically between structural beams and then thin twigs of a flexible hardwood, such as willow or hazel, were woven horizontally between the staves, creating a robust mesh, or “wattle”.?The wattle was then coated with daub-a mixture of clay or mud and animal dung, strengthened with straw or horsehair. This mixture was pressed onto the wattle by hand. The mud and dung helped the daub adhere to the wattle, and the fiber content prevented cracks from forming. The finished wall was sometimes burned to make it hard, the pottery, or coated with lime to make it more weatherproof. This resulted in a strong wall that kept out the wind and rain, the cold in the winter, and the heat in the summer.

“…developed when an enterprising human first daubed mud upon a branch shelter…” Joseph F. Kennedy, The Art of Natural Building

Wattle and daub walls did have their disadvantages; however, if they became damp, they had a tendency to rot or become beetle-infested. And the term, “breaking and entering” is thought to have originated from the ease with which criminals could enter such a building simply by breaking through wall. HI