Rethink Your Life!
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The Work of Art and The Art of Work
Kiko Denzer on Art



Cob: Water resistsnt plasters

W uwu at angelfire.com
Mon Jan 22 15:23:08 CST 2001


Hola comrade cobbers!
One thing it seems to me that would work would be the Linseed oil/beeswax method described for the poured adobe floor in The Cobber's Companion.  Would work for a garden bench, anyway?  just a suggestion.

Something I've been wanting to try is a poured adobe floor for an outdoor patio approx. 100 sq ft +.  (given the price of brick here)  Some of it would be partially covered, but most of where it would go is fully exposed to the weather.  I'm thinking of digging down far enough to hit the tailings (great drainage here in gold country!), filling in with sand, and then pouring the whole thing in one layer about 8-10 inches, like concrete.  I was thinking a thinnish, high sand mix with short fibers, probably straw.  It won't have to be as nice as an indoor floor, and not quite level for drainage.  Thinking also of setting in brick/tiles/nice stones for the decorative effect.  Anyway, I was thinking the linseed/beeswax would be the best bet in this situation  (mebbe 7-12 coats?).  Or maybe adobe-style bricks then treated with the linseed/beeswax, and then grouted in with more cob, then treated again.  rambling.
Anyway, is anyone here aware of such an attempt?
I'm thinking, too, if the sealent doesn't really last too long (I'm into low/no maintenance), rather than recoating it every coupla years or so, maybe it would sort of erode into a packed earth type of surface, which would be ok too.  I don't imagine anything would have much luck growing in it!
Also does anyone have a recipe for "roman cement"?  that might be a better idea...
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PeaceLoveLightLifeBeautyTruth
W.

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