New floors and walls hurray!
Beautiful weather, generous instructors, incredible students and a model location are all the ingredients that came together for a super Earthen Building Workshop series. Michael smith of claystrawwood.com taught 14 participants how to lay a earthen floor.
“I install earthen floors in several layers. The first step is a drainage layer of round, coarse gravel 4” to 6” thick. This prevents moisture wicking up from the subsoil and into the earth layer above, and also allows spilled liquids to drain away. After that, I usually lay down two base layers of mud mix, each about 2” thick. The mixture is made of soaked clay soil, sand, gravel, and straw. Each layer is leveled carefully with screed boards, but not trowelled smooth. Alternatively, I sometimes install a 4”-6” thick layer of compacted road base in place of the poured base layers.
The finish coat of an earthen floor is a very smooth mix the consistency of cake batter, made up of screened clay slip, sifted sand, and fine fiber such as chopped straw or horse manure. It is applied only after the base layer is completely dry, and is polished smooth with a steel float. When bone dry, the floor is sealed with four or more coats of oil, and then sometimes waxed. For more complete instructions on how to install your own earthen floor, see my book “The Hand-Sculpted House””
Michael Smith
Massey Burke of masseyburke.carbonmade.com came up from the East Bay to lead the group in a lime plastering workshop. Participants applied exterior and interior lime plaster with natural pigments.
“Earth as a structural medium is labor intensive; thus my work depends upon community. For this I find that earth as a material has an accessibility like no other: clay soils are available most places in the world, half of the earth’s population currently lives in earthen structures, and people across the economic and cultural spectrum respond to the beauty of a well-built earthwork.”
Massey Burke
It is an incredible experience to come together and build. We at emerald Earth are so grateful for all the eager and enthusiastic participants that dedicated their week to this project.
Michael Smith of strawclaywood.com instructing Jas mixing the clay and straw for the new earthen floor.
Many hands make lite work.
Ariahna laying clay floor
Workshop participant Mark, working on a corner of the new clay floor in our stunning (sunning) meeting room.
Incredible participants of The Earthen Floor workshop this September.
Josh and Katie Rose applying lime plater to exterior door.
Jas applying Lime plaster with natural pigments to the exterior wall of the common house.
Massey Burke of masseyburke.carbonmade.com
