Ref.: Cob: RE: patio walls?

[ortoneda]

I've used succesfully potassium silicate outdoors and I strongly recommend it. Actually I would really like to see potassium silicate paint as a standart for all cob, indoors and outdoors. Outdoors because of the weather, indoors because of the dust. Making experiments is extremely valuable, but if cob has to be professional we need of formulae that are effective and universal. I am introducing cob in Spain and fighting the image many people has of cob, strawbale, etc as experimental. I do commercial eco-building work, have several employees and pay taxes, I cannot afford experiments that would put costumers off and put myself facing risks that could take my company down. I cannot go around looking for pieces of marble or specially shaped stones. I can do it privately, never as an employer. I can't get enough  fresh horse shit for some people to do plastering 8 hours a day and not a way to have it delivered to the building site that is cost effective. Experimenting is good, bu!
t unless we use what we learn  to get a standart that is universal, practical and reasonably priced,  it's barely idle and anecdotical. By the way and keeping in the realm of the anecdotical, I covered a cob oven with cooked flour as if painting, the oven has stood outdoors for over a year, weathering heavy rains, hail, and three weeks of snow with only minor damages. For the garden wall I recommend potassium silicate.
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    -   Mateu Ortoneda Colomar
                Infant Paga, 3,  1
               Palma de Mallorca
                    07010-SPAIN