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Lime Plaster

Dec 03
Love0

Charred Wood Meets Bright White Shikkui Plaster

By Lime Plaster
shikkui lime plaster finish

Bright white shikkui lime plaster contrasting with the charred oak timbers

The hammock house, our outdoor timber frame structure, has been a fun opportunity to experiment with different finishes. The charred oak timbers were a first try. This spring, we installed an earthen floor over the plywood subfloor, which I’ve always wanted an excuse to do. And this fall, I did some of the first finish plaster, a shikkui lime plaster in the gable ends.

Here are some process photos of the shikkui experience.

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Aug 15
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Himeji Castle Tour: The Most Plaster I’ve Seen in My Life

By Lime Plaster, Japan

himeji castle tour

There are so many architectural details to absorb at Himeji Castle that it’s somewhat dizzying. The multi-level main keep (pictured above) has an astonishing dry stack stone foundation wall, a soaring timber frame with huge posts and beams, and an amazing cascading tile roof. Notably, the earthen walls (and even under the roof eaves and between roof tiles) are finished with shikkui.

I was taken to Himeji Castle for part of the “Who Wants to Come to Japan” TV show filming. While I was there, I had a rare up-close and personal look at some of the shikkui plaster restoration work on one of the rooftops.

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Feb 26
Love12
sugita kogyo jigane trowel

Making a Forged Plaster Trowel with Sugita-san

By Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster, Japan

Now that the episode of “Who Wants to Come to Japan?” (世界ニッポン行きたい人応援団) has aired, I can talk about my experience during the filming week. The first thing I want to share about is my visit to the Sugita family, a very generous family who run a top quality trowel business. Started by Sugita-san senior, the business (Sugita Kogyo) is a small operation and is now mostly handled by the son. During my two day visit, I had the privilege of observing Sugita-san’s process for making a hand-forged jigane trowel.

Plaster, trowel, and tool geeks — read on.

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Nov 14
Love6
clay manure plaster finish: straw bale house

Essential Natural Plasters: My New Favorite Book for Plastering

By Resources, Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster

essential natural plasters book reviewThe world of natural plasters runs deep. Despite the seeming simplicity of plaster, there’s a lot of depth to explore. Materials, recipes, tools, and application can vary widely from project to project, person to person, and place to place. Although there are some good resources on the subject, there haven’t been a lot of in-depth publications focused on plastering in North America specifically.

Luckily, that’s changed with the release of Essential Natural Plasters. This is easily my new favorite resource for natural plaster recipes and techniques. The authors Michael Henry and Tina Therrien (and a host of contributors) shine a bright light on the sometimes mysterious subject of clay and lime finishes.

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May 08
Love3

Finished Home with Earthen Floor and Clay Plaster

By Clay Plaster, Earthen Floor, Lime Plaster, Lime Plaster
clay plaster faswall block home

A white clay plaster finish meets the earthen floor made with site soil

This winter, I had the chance to revisit a home that I worked on last spring. The homeowners have moved in and it was very sweet to see the house in a finished state. It’s a great feeling to contribute work and then see everything tied together in the end. The finished look is great — the earthen floor looks smooth and feels soft on the feet and the clay plastered walls add brightness and texture. Look ahead to see more pictures.

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May 13
Love0

Lime Time: Lime Plaster on Faswall Exterior

By Lime Plaster
Lime plaster base coat on Faswall block

Applying the first coat of lime plaster over the faswall block

Lime plaster is the source of a lot of confusion for folks, myself included. It’s taken a long time to understand even the basic ins and outs of hydraulic lime, hydrated lime, slaking, carbonation, blah blah blah. When you start to read and hear about lime plaster, it sounds a bit like alchemy. Which it kinda is. Lime is totally unlike clay plaster, which seems so simple and innocent in comparison. Lime plastering is, after all, a chemical process that you really want to ensure goes according to plan.

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Apr 24
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Straw Bale Plaster Tips

By Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster, Straw Bale Building
Straw Bale Construction: Plaster

Plastering your straw bale house — a critical step to get right!

Plastering straw bale walls is time-consuming, it requires finesse, and it’s definitely something you want to avoid having to do over again, at all costs. Plaster is a barrier to the elements, to moisture, and it’s what will define the aesthetic appearance of your home. I recently appreciated Andrew Morrison’s succinct plastering tips article at Strawbale.com.

If you want a better handle on how to do a successful plaster job on your house, read this! It’s the most technical and critical part of straw bale construction.

Feb 29
Love0

Lime Plaster and Lime Wash on Cob or Straw Bale Wall

By Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster
limewash

Applying a lime wash in Gobcobatron

This year, I added a layer of lime plaster to the bottom half of the wall in my house. The idea was that adding some extra alkalinity to the surface would deter surface mold growth — although it’s been so mild this winter that I haven’t actually been able to determine if it makes a difference! (Remember that last year I was having terrible mold and condensation problems on the bottom of my walls during the coldest parts of year.)

Well, the thing that I actually want to talk about is — wow, I love the half earthen plaster and half lime plaster look! Having lived with it for several months now, I know that I want to try something like this in our new straw bale house. But next time it will be even easier than how I did it this time.

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Dec 30
Love0

The Year of Mud Top 10 News and Posts for 2011

By Lime Plaster, Earthen Floor, Strawtron, The Year of Mud Book, Natural Building Workshops, Wabi-sabi Kitchen, Moisture, Timber Framing
Pug Cone

Pug dons a dog cone in 2011... but that's not terribly related to the here and now...

2011 has presented us with a wide mix of events and emotions. It’s been everything from momentous, to extremely challenging, to gratifying, and everything in-between. Just like every other year, I suppose, right? Each year is not so different from the last, but at the same time, each year is full of its own unique experiences.

This was the year we experienced some significant health challenges, decided to build a new home, continued to do major renovations to Gobcobatron to correct some of its moisture and heat issues, made some advancements on our kitchen construction, hosted our first mini building workshop, began organzing two major natural building courses, got some rewarding nods in the media, and ultimately, just like last year, kept incredibly occupied.

Here I present the top 10 news and posts from The Year of Mud in 2011.

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Jul 13
Love0

New Lime Interior Plaster in Gobcobatron

By Lime Plaster
Lime plastered interior, in process of curing

Lime plastered interior, in process of curing

Earlier in the year, April and I decided that we would re-plaster the bottom four feet of wall in the house in lime to help with mold prevention. (Lime is, after all, highly alkaline and inhibits mold growth.) We had our opportunity to do so last month, and although we haven’t put the finishing touches on, this is what it looks like thus far.

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