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The Work of Art and The Art of Work Kiko Denzer on Art |
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[Cob] Cob CountertopAmanda Peck ap615 at hotmail.comSun Apr 3 00:11:44 CST 2005
The woman who really did have a cob bathtub that she used had continuous problems with leaking around the drain. At a guess, because metal drains expanded at a different rate from her cob. If that was the problem then maybe big globs of silicone sealant might give the pieces enough squish room to move without breaking the seal. If you experiment here, try really hot--maybe not boiling--water in your drain area. The big kitchen sink drains might be worse than the smaller bathroom sink drains. Give yourself a sink shape so that it drains really well. Not absolutely flat, certainly no depressions away from the drain. Countertops--might want to make the top coat something like a floor mix with chopped straw, give it a nice trowel finish. I think that I'd like to embed chopping boards and/or a piece of glass countertop protector into my counter to remind me that cutting on cob is a bad idea--worse than cutting on regular countertops. Slant the area that will be under a dish drainer so it won't hold water. And while I'm at it, I'd embed one of those decorative rubber mats (looks like iron!) in the earthen floor where people are going to stand in front of the sink. You might not HAVE to put concrete in the mix. One of the oils, maybe. I've had experience with a floor, not a sink. Even if the sample did set out in the rain for months in a paint roller container without significant damage. It's probably going to be heavier and thicker than your basic store-bought countertop. So what supports it is going to have to be really sturdy. I wouldn't make the whole thing solid because a) sometime you're going to want to get into your supply as well as drain plumbing. b) that area really is pretty useful storage. Might take a look at the concrete countertop book to see how they recommend supporting those. ............ Paul wrote: I am building an alternative house and I am trying to find out how to build a sink and counter top for the kitchen. I've followed the cob bathtub tread with great interest. I am skeptical about a cob sink. It's not so much that I don't think it is possible, it's more that I don't think that that I have enough time to experiment to get it right (after all, it's only after a long time that you know if it will work). I am open to adding stabilizers, like lime and cement, but I'm still nervous about using it for a sink. I'm not set on a cob sink, it's more the counter top that I'd like to use some form of cob for because it isn't straight. Does anyone have any experience that would help me find the right kind and proportion of stabilizers I should use? I would assume that I would have a better chance of getting the right mix for the counter top because moisture wouldn't be as much of a concern as a sink, however I would then be more concerned with how durable it is. Any thoughts? Paul http://www.ravenisle.com/cob _______________________________________________ Coblist mailing list Coblist at deatech.com http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
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