[Cob] Question from a list newbie

[Quinn]

Bonnie, don't put dirt/ mud/ cob on top of a wood subfloor.  Its... its just kind of the antithesis of what cob is supposed to be.  Cob is a connection / re-connection to the earth.  A sub-floor is removed, raised from the earth.  Its just wrong.

When doing anything, the most important aspect is the prep.  You can't put a cob floor into an existing crappy house and then someday put cob walls around.  Well, you could but its a recipe for disaster.  Where's the foundation?  What keeps it together?

Do it right and start the cob building nearby with the proper preparation.  If you must replace the floor in your existing home in the meantime, use some cheap OSB or whatever for the time being.

Take your time and do it right, it'll be worth it.
Quinn


Even if 
> it's in good condition, it's still a lot of weight, and a lot of slow-drying 
> water that could mess up plywood (bad enough) or particle board (the worst 
> case, and depending on year the most likely) or OSB floor below.
> 
> Bonnie asks (snipped):
> 
> I'm wondering whether I can put an earthen floor into an existing house.  I
> was thinking that I could rip up the crummy old carpet and put
> down...maybe...1 or 1 1/2 inches of tamped cob, with 1/4 or 1/2 inches of
> poured adobe over that.
> 
> Will I ruin the subfloor if I do that?  Will that much thermal mass be
> enough to help keep my house cooler on hot summer days?  Am I completely off
> my rocker?
>