Various types of roofs are used in since old times. Mud roof is one of them.
Mud Roof is constructed from good white earth including a large percentage of sodium salts. Mud roof is the cheapest. It can be provided either on tiles or on wood boards.
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What is Mud Roof
The mud roof includes rolled steel beams of adequate size and properly spaced according to the span. On the top of this beam, T- section is located at 30 cm centre to centre. The size of this T section is usually 50 mm x 50 mm x 6 mm. The flange of a section is placed at upwards. Well Burnt tiles or any other roofing material are located between the flanges of this t-iron section.
After this, 15 cm layer of stiff mud made from good white earth is laid over the tiles. This layer is continuously beaten till the surface becomes hard and beater and resounds when struck upon it. The top of this terrace surface is plastered with mud plaster. In the mud plaster, cow dung is mixed in sufficient quantity. The surface is finished with four parts of cow-dung and one part of cement mixed in water. This surface is renewed from time to time. Mud terrace is used in an area of light rainfall.
In some region, mud roof is done on the teak wood boards which are 4 mm to 5 mm thick. These wooden boards are nailed to the wooden joists. 2.5 cm thick layer of wood shaving is spread over the wooden board. Bricks are laid on edge over the wood shaving. Bricks are laid with lime or mud mortar. 8 to 10 cm thick layer of mud is spread between the bricks. This layer is become beaten hard. At last, 2.5 cm thick layer of white earth containing a high percentage of sodium salts is applied. This top layer has to be renewed once in a year. These roofs provide insulation against heat and thus keep the building cool and comfortable. But nowadays these types of roofs are not constructed with a popularity of RCC slab or precoated /Mangalore tiles roofs.
A well-designed terrace plays an important role in your safety and saves money.