Update from Mauk

[patrick newberry]

1. I have been packing clay coated straw In forms and then I plan to  coat
the outside with a cement stucco mixture. In order to save money I  thinking
of using a clay-based  plaster for the inside walls. I know regular adobe
type mixture is around 70 or 80 percent sand and the rest  clay. Is this
crazy? Am I loosing a lot of strength  in my six inch  straw walls by doing
this?  I could make one wall cement stucco on both sides and one wall cement
on one side and adobe plaster on the other and compare the strength (pig Vs
bullet strength).  Will the clay-plaster  rub off on my clean cloths such
that My wife will yell at me every time I go into the building? Should I use
linseed oil (organic or otherwise) to form a better surface. Can you paint
clay based plaster  with regular paint with or without linseed oil coating
and why am I becoming obsessed with linseed oil? Oh I just thought I need to
dig out my strawbale book, I think they have some plaster type recipes in
it. I will basically treat the inside walls just like the inside of walls of
a strawbale house. 

2. When I finally get around to building my cob walls in what ever shape or
form happens upon me, what about the floor inside. I mean if the floor
inside was going to be adobe or cement I guess you just pour the stuff,
float it and it's level. But what other floor options are available or are
used for adobe/cob houses. (by the way I heard Julia Robert's is buying an
adobe house in Taos) If I put a wood floor in how to the floor joists
connect the adobe walls? Could I put a ledge on the inside of the cob wall
and have the floor joist sit on that? (might be pain to keep level). I guess
other options might be some kind of ceramic tile on a bed of sand but this
is a low budget operation. Any thoughts or experiences on floors for cob houses.

By the way our 14 year old daughter now has a boy friend so I guess that
means she has adjusted to living in the country. I'm going to be honest he
ain't exactly what I was hoping for but hay at least she has stopped crying
and saying I ruined her life. She didn't even what to go back to Atlanta
last weekend but she did tell me to tell her friends that I left without her
and that is why she didn't come to visit them. Go figure.