Thatch roofing is a traditional roofing method that involves using dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, rushes, sedges, and so on to create a roof covering. The history of thatch runs back thousands of years down, allowing it to be one of the oldest types of roofing. Started around the Mesolithic era (8000-2700 BC) in England and running along with Iron Age (1200-600 BC) in the heart of Rome on Palatine hill and also been around during the iconic Viking era, it has its moments of being an antique itself. There are records of thatching all across the world; from England, Germany, Rome, Africa, Asia, UK-Canada, and many more.
In this article, we first trace the history of thatching, materials used in thatching, and then survey its development into its present-day circumstances.
History of Thatching
1. Stone Age
According to archaeological researchers, the first traces of thatch huts were found by the hunter’s group during Stone Age. In order to acquire a temporary shelter, the hunters seemed to have constructed small thatched-roof tents.
Moving on a little further, farmers during the agricultural revolution started to use the fodder of the crops from paddy, maize, and wheat for the construction of roofs, by mixing it with clay and small stones.
2. Bronze Age
Stepping into the early urbanization, we can see the development of thatching in building bricks. Straw and clay were mixed together and dried in shade and were later cut into square bricks. In the later years of 3000 BC, this technique was also used in ceramic pottery.
Materials used in Thatching
1. Water Reed
Water reed is the most durable and long-lasting thatch material, with a life expectancy of 50-60 years. While re-thatching water –reed one must make sure to fix the rafters in the eaves level.
2. Long straw
Long straw must be converted into yealms before it can be used for thatching. A yealm is a compact straw leveled at both ends. While re-thatching with a long straw, existing material will be removed back to the base coat, before fixing with the new straw.
3. Combed wheat reed
Combed water reed is similar to a water reed, where the type of straw used has the grain removing combing machine in it. The existing material from the roof doesn’t necessarily all have to be removed.
Thatching in modern days
Thatching has made its way back into today’s lifestyle again, with a kick of evolution to it. After the industrial revolutions, the flavor for thatching dropped down due to a lack of skilled labor techniques. Thanks to new and improved flame retardants and cost-effectiveness thatching is now a trendy viable option.
KHW solutions are now providing the opportunity to enhance the ecological lifestyle by providing Palmex thatch roofing across 63 countries. With a 20-year guarantee and a 50-year lifespan, this is your ideal deal for renovations. Palmex also provides zero maintenance cost, Repels insects, bugs, and rodents, is 100% recyclable and is certified UV-resistant and wind-resistant.
We hope this blog for “History of thatch roofing” has been helpful for you. For more information about our company, you can contact us via email info@khwsolutions.com or visit our website @https://khwsolutions.com/
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