Brisbane Thatch & Decks
"Bali Huts"
Balinese thatch - Installation Instructions
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Balinese thatch, supplied in strips of 2.5m (horizontally) by 0.8m (vertically). The Alang-Alang grass is woven around a bamboo batten, which is 2.5m long. The Alang-Alang grass provides over-hang of 0.5m.
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1)Start thatching from the bottom on any one side and work your way up.
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• The first strip goes on the fist line marked up from the bottom of the rafters, on the pre-marked pencil lines, with the end covering half the hip beam.
• Attach the thatch strips to the rafters & hips by nailing or stapling them through each bamboo batten. Your strip spacing, (batten spacing), should be 75-100 mm apart as per the pre-marked pencil lines.
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(If you do not have access to a 50mm Stapel gun use very common and accessible nail gun (or Brad nailer) firing 50mm 15 Gauge Brad nails)
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*IMPORTANT * The string side faces down, the visible bamboo tie rail faces up.
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Don't use the 100mm nails supplied for the mud-bugs to nail down the thatch. Its for the Mudbugs.
2) Cut the strip off at the center of the furthest rafter (or hip if it reaches)
3) The bamboo battens can be sawn or cut to the required length, with no need to bind or tie them after cutting. (long garden tree branch loppers work well)
4) Continue up the roof until one full strip spans hip centre to hip centre.
• By now you should have the complete lower area of one side covered except for a small triangle, cut strip pieces to thatch this triangle before continuing up the roof.
• Continue up the roof starting each strip at hip centre and cutting strip at center of other hip, keeping the off cuts in order.
• You will reach a point where the off cut is about half the strip length; (i.e. 1.4m) this off cut then becomes your next piece of thatch to attach.
• From there on up your saved off cuts should fit all the way to the top, remember to cut each one at the centre of the hip. (If you have a lot of long off cuts left over give us a call before continuing as you are doing something wrong.)
• Once you have finished one side repeat the process for all 4 sides.
•5) When all sides are finished use some thatch off cuts or strips to attach 4 or more extra layers at the top, on top of each other, by nailing or stapling them to the side of the king post or ridge beam extension.
CONGRATULATIONS
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YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED THE STRIP THATCHING STEP II MUD-BUGS
1) “Mudbugs” or hip covers are bundles of the Alang-Alang grass that are used to fill-in the corners (hip joints). These bundles need to be nailed or secured-in. Each bundle needs to be tied around with wire and a long nail (supplied) or screw. The bundles then are nailed or screwed onto the corner rafters.
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PREPARING THE MUDBUGS - See Video
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• Cut a piece of tie wire long enough to go twice around the mudbug (at the cut end of the thatch) plus about 100mm for twisting.
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• 100mm along the length of wire wrap it once tightly around the 100mm (supplied)nail just under the nail head.
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• Push the nail through the middle of the mudbug about 100mm from the cut end of the mudbug.
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• Wrap the wire tightly around the mudbug twice, twisting the 2 ends together with pliers.
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IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE TIE WIRE IS VERY TIGHTLY TWISTED
TO PREVENT THE MUDBUD GRASS FALLING OUT IN WINDS ETC.
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2) • Once you have the mudbugs tied, start by nailing two to the bottom of the hip beam, checking that the mudbug thatch overhang is the same length as the thatch overhang at the bottom.
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Note : For Haxagonal huts and Umbrellas: Only start with one Mudbug at the bottom and end with one Mudbug at the top of each hip.
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• You need to hammer the nail a long way in, so that it pulls the wire tightly and actually starts to squash the mudbug into an oval shape. The using your hammer, splay the mudbug out so that it covers the whole bottom corner.
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• Then start your way up the hip nailing one mudbug about every 250 - 300mm above the last one..
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• At the top you should end with on 2 ea mudbug on each hip...
Balinese thatch - Installation Instructions For All Bali Huts that comes together with a King Post. eg.
Square and Hexagonal Bali Huts - Go to (3)
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If you have a Rectangular Bali Hut go to (6)
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3) After finishing each hip, Fit another 8 mudbugs around the top of the king post covering the top of the mudbugs that you finished the hips with. Nail one mudbugs to each flat end of the king post and another one on each corners.
Make sure they tidy and level on top so you can fit the crown over them.
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4) Finally, place the Balinese crown (if you have one) right on the top, you can use a bead of silicon around the base to help hold it on if you are in a really windy location.
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To finish, you can water the roof down (subject to water restrictions) and rake it with steel garden rake while it is wet, this will remove any loose thatch and start the straightening process.
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• It usually takes a few weeks, some rain, and a few rakes for the
thatch to straighten out properly.
5) To finish, you can water the roof down (subject to water restrictions) and rake it with steel garden rake while it is wet, this will remove any loose thatch and start the straightening process.
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• It usually takes a few weeks, some rain, and a few rakes for the
thatch to straighten out properly.
6) Finishing each hip with two mudbugs at the top, Fit another mudbug in the middle of the 4 top mudbugs.
Make sure they tidy and level on top so you can fit the crown.
Fit two more rows of thatch on the ridges and about 200mm over the top of the top mudbugs.
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7) Finally, place the Balinese ridge capping (if you have one) right on the top of the ridge covering the last bit thatch, you can use a bead of silicon around the base to hold the terracotta ridge capping in place. (Alternatively you can also drill a hole into the top of the ridge capping and secure the tiles with a batten screw to the ridge)
8) To finish, you can water the roof down (subject to water restrictions) and rake it with steel garden rake while it is wet, this will remove any loose thatch and start the straightening process.
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• It usually takes a few weeks, some rain, and a few rakes for the
thatch to straighten out properly.
9) Should you experience any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact one of our staff at Brisbane Thatch and Decks,
041 721 9091
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