Cob: RE: breathing cob walls

[W]

I'm really not sure, but I do believe the intention was to put the tile directly on the cob.  I wasn't around for that part, just building cob walls.  You might want to contact Patrick (who was more or less "in charge" of that project), Elke, or Tracy at
http://www.cobworks.com/
I believe they saw the house through to completion.
---
PeaceLoveLightLifeBeautyTruth
W.

On Tue, 16 May 2000 13:05:25   Sarah Kopp wrote:
>What? what?  hold on - tile right onto the cob wall...we are so terrified of
>what the water in the shower/bath area could do to the thick adobe plaster
>in our strawbale houses - actually what it could do to the straw
>underneath - that we are taking outrageous steps to waterproof that
>wall....I had wanted to just tile it over with a good grout.
>
>How do the cob walls hold up in a shower/bath?
>
>Sarah
>Tsfat, Israel
>-----Original Message-----
>From: W <uwu at angelfire.com>
>To: 'Bob' <owl at steadi.org>; coblist at deatech.com <coblist at deatech.com>;
>Kelly, Sean <SKelly at PinpointTech.com>
>Date: iem yliyi 16 n`i 2000 14:18
>Subject: Re: Cob: RE: breathing cob walls
>
>
>>good question.
>>
>>I helped to build a cob hom in BC and I wondered the same thing (though for
>some reason not out loud...) as I built cob walls to be tiled in the form of
>a shower...
>>
>>anyone else?
>>---
>>PeaceLoveLightLifeBeautyTruth
>>W.
>>
>>On Mon, 15 May 2000 12:37:42   Kelly, Sean wrote:
>>>In the same vein, how does applying tile to a cob wall work?  I mean, say
>I
>>>wanted to put up tiles in a bathing area, wouldn't putting up glazed tiles
>>>with mortar seal the wall, and wouldn't that be bad?  Or could you just
>>>embed the tiles in the cob?  I also had a friend who was thinking of using
>>>tile to mosaic the outside of a cob building...  Would this cause
>breathing
>>>problems?
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Bob [mailto:owl at steadi.org]
>>>Sent: Friday, May 12, 2000 11:57 PM
>>>To: coblist at deatech.com
>>>Subject: Cob: breathing cob walls
>>>
>>>
>>>I'm glad someone brought up the need for cob walls to breathe.  In New
>>>Mexico the restorers had the bright idea of coating the outside of a very
>>>old adobe church with mortar to protect it from the weather etc.  It
>almost
>>>destroyed it, however.  Moisture that is in most all air entered the wall
>>>from the inside and got trapped just under the mortar. Over the years it
>>>softened the clay in the raw (unfired)  bricks.  Watertight sealants will
>>>gradually soften the clay under them.  It may not show in a year but it
>will
>>>over time.
>>> This church was in a quite dry climate near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  If you
>>>would like more details I will look up the recent Smithsonian article and
>>>put the page and issue on this net.
>>>
>>>IT IS DANGEROUS TO TRY TO SEAL AN ADOBE OR COB WALL.  THEY NEED TO
>BREATHE.
>>>
>>>Potassium silicate, I believe is a sealants that can cause this gradual
>>>deterioration of unfired clay walls.    You may be undermining your
>>>building.  Just what potassium silicate would do to garden walls is
>another
>>>question.  Perhaps they would make the wall last longer than an
>unprotected
>>>rain drenched wall.  Much better are the ideas of putting a roof on the
>wall
>>>with an overhang and putting stones in it that stick out.  Even terracotta
>>>(cooked earth) tiles that are not glazed, just low fired, would be good
>>>protection even though they are a little porous.  Most of the rain would
>run
>>>off.  If the wall breathed the little moisture that went through into the
>>>wall would likely work its way to the sides and evaporate.
>>>
>>>What is important to remember is that even inanimate things are dynamic,
>>>changing slowly or fast depending on the climate.  In the Egyptian desert
>>>they can last for thousands of years but there are few places  that dry in
>>>the world.  Even the ancient hieroglyphics thousands of years old, when
>>>inclosed and viewed by too many  tourists can be destroyed by the moisture
>>>evaporating from their bodies.  So we have to bend with the weather and
>the
>>>impacts of changing climates and recognize that every move we make impacts
>>>the world of future generations.  Acid rain, thanks to our  blind use of
>>>technology, is decaying even stone monuments that lasted thousands of
>years.
>>>The automobiles in Athens are destroying the ancient Athenian buildings,
>for
>>>example.
>>>
>>>Americans look for quick fixes.  When they are efforts to short cut
>natural
>>>processes they always backfire.  Cob is great because it is mostly a
>product
>>>of nature and when properly used and cared for can last for ages.  Tune
>into
>>>it and it will give you a singing house.  Try to defeat the natural
>process
>>>and they will let you down, or let the roof down on your heads.
>>>
>>>Bob
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com
>>
>
>


Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com