Lath

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. 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 wallboard 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. The word lath is recorded from the late 13th century and is likely derived from the Old English word *læððe, a variant of lætt. 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 lat, German Latte. The root has also found its way into Romance languages, cf. Italian latta, French latte. The related German word Laden (Middle High German: lade) denotes a board, plank, sash, shutter, counter and hence also a shop. Wooden-slat laths are still used today in building construction to form a base or groundwork for plaster, but modern lath and plaster applications are mostly limited to conservation projects. Tiles, slates, and other coverings on roofs and walls are often fastened to laths, sometimes also called battens or slats. Such strips of wood are also employed to form lattice-work, or are used as the bars of Venetian blinds, and window shutters. Lath is also used on many tobacco farms in the Connecticut Valley as a means to carry and hang the plant in barns. This is achieved by using one of two methods: hooking or spearing. A 'spear' lath is a regular lath that is held in an upright position. A worker then mounts a spear on top and 'spears' the tobacco onto the lath. The other form of lath is called 'hook' lath, which has small hooks attached that allows workers to hook the stems of tobacco plants onto the lath, often between two lengths of twine attached to the lath and twisted mechanically. A lathhouse is an open structure roofed with laths in order to grow plants which need shelter from the sun. Laths were also used to fix reeds to a timber structure before plastering.