Pebble or dry dash Selected aggregate such as pea shingle is dashed or thrown on to a rendering background before it has set and is tamped into the surface with a wood float to obtain a good bond. The plaster used was a lime plaster which generally has been superseded by gypsum plasters. Slow drying-out process which can take several weeks causing delays for the following trades. Need to apply lime plaster in several coats, usually termed render, float and set, to reduce the amount of shrinkage. The main advantages of dry lining techniques are speed, reduction in the amount of water used in the construction of buildings thus reducing the drying out period and in some cases increased thermal insulation.
Suitable materials are hardboard, plywood, chipboard and plasterboard.
Hardboard, plywood and chipboard are fixed to timber battens attached to the wall at centres to suit the spanning properties and module size of the board. Finishing can be a direct application of paint, varnish or wallpaper but masking the fixings and joints may present problems. As an alternative the joints can be made a feature of the design by the use of edge chamfers or by using moulded cover fillets. Two processes are used in the manufacture of these hard glazed tiles. Firstly, the body or 'biscuit' tile is made from materials such as china clay, ball clay, flint and limestone which are mixed by careful processes into a fine powder before being heavily pressed into the required shape and size.