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Iron mesh strips brick wall construction: Nowadays, while building thin walls, iron mesh with cement-sand mortar is also spread between layers of bricks. What is the reason for doing so? What is this iron mesh strip called and what are the advantages of installing it between layers of bricks?

Now-a-days people keep the interim partition wall of 4 inch to reduce the cost of building the house and get more space in the room. While making these thin walls, the artisans are placing iron mesh bars between the layers of bricks. These are called ‘Mesh Strips’ or ‘Ladder Wire’. This is done to strengthen the wall and prevent it from cracking in the future.

When we build a thin wall, its self-supporting capacity is very less as compared to thick walls due to its very small width. There are many advantages of applying this mesh strip, due to which it is being used in modern construction.

• First, it holds the wall together. Thin walls can quickly weaken at the slightest movement or vibration. This mesh strip strengthens the grip of the bricks in the wall. It locks the layers of bricks together, allowing the wall to stand as a strong structure.
• Second, cement, brick and concrete expand and contract differently as the weather changes, i.e. in heat and cold. This increases the possibility of cracks in the wall. Apart from this there is a risk of cracks in the plaster and walls due to settlement of the building or any stretching. This mesh acts as a stabilizing framework that distributes the tension/stress evenly across the wall and prevents cracks.

These strips protect the walls from earthquakes and shocks. Thin walls cannot withstand mild shocks from earthquakes or vibrations caused by heavy vehicles passing by the house. This iron mesh strip gives flexibility and strength to the wall, so that the wall does not collapse in between.

If you see this mesh between the walls as well as at the column (pillar) and wall joints, it is called ‘chicken mesh’ or ‘fiber mesh’. A concrete pillar and a brick wall are both different materials. So the joints of both are stretched differently due to change in temperature. By applying this mesh before plastering there never vertical crack occurs at the joint of pillar and wall.

In this way the iron mesh strips act as the backbone of the thin wall, so that your wall stands securely for years without any cracks.