lath

from the other side showing through. Sawn lath became popular after the introduction of the circular saw in the 19th century. A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. Lath has expanded to mean any type of backing material for plaster. This includes metal wire mesh or expanded metal that is applied to a wood or metal framework as matrix over which stucco or plaster is applied, as well as drywall products called gypsum or rock lath. Historically, reed mat was also used as a lath material. One of the key elements of lath, whether wooden slats or wire mesh, are the openings or gaps that allow plaster or stucco to ooze behind and form a mechanical bond to the lath. This is not necessary for gypsum lath, which relies on a chemical bond.

from the other side showing through. Sawn lath became popular after the introduction of the circular saw in the 19th century. A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. Lath has expanded to mean any type of backing material for plaster. This includes metal wire mesh or expanded metal that is applied to a wood or metal framework as matrix over which stucco or plaster is applied, as well as drywall products called gypsum or rock lath. Historically, reed mat was also used as a lath material. One of the key elements of lath, whether wooden slats or wire mesh, are the openings or gaps that allow plaster or stucco to ooze behind and form a mechanical bond to the lath. This is not necessary for gypsum lath, which relies on a chemical bond.

Etymology

The word is recorded from the late 13th century and is likely derived from the Old English word * , a variant of . This in turn would seem to stem from a Proto-Germanic word *laþþo, from which have sprung words in many Germanic languages, e.g. Dutch , German . The root has also found its way into Romance languages, cf. Italian , French . The related German word ( ) denotes a board, plank, sash, shutter, counter and hence also a shop.

Types of lath

lath, each piece has been split from a log

Counter-lath

Counter-lath is a term used in roofing and plastering for a piece of wood placed perpendicular to the lath. In roofing, a counter-lath is a slight piece of timber parallel with and between common rafters to give the lath extra support, or a lath placed by eye between every two gauged ones. When plastering, sometimes a counter-lath is placed perpendicular to the lath as a fillet (a thin, narrow strip of material) to space the lath off of the surface to allow the plaster to pass through the lath and create a key.

Metal lath

Metal lath dates from the late 19th century and is used extensively today with plaster and stucco in home and commercial construction. In addition to providing a matrix to which the stucco can adhere, metal lath adds strength and rigidity. . Metal lath can be stapled directly to studs, and is capable of bending to easily form corners and curves. Three coats of plaster are required when using metal lath. Several types of metal lath have been developed for a variety of applications: Expanded metal lath is made by slitting and pulling apart a thin sheet of metal, which produces diamond-shape holes through which the plaster can form keys. Ribbed lath is made from slit and expanded metal with V-shaped ribs which give it more stiffness, and is designed to span larger distance between framing supports Self-furring lath is an expanded metal lath which is dimpled to hold itself off from a solid surface Wire lath is made from welded or woven wires and is similar to hardware cloth Paper backed wire lath is wire lath with building paper attached Strip laths is metal lath that is several inches wide and is often used to reinforce joints and on corners Corner lath is pre-bent for use in making corners Wire mesh used on inside corners to prevent cracking is called Cornerite.

See also

Garden trellis Lath art Lattice truss bridge

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374315982 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.