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Kiko Denzer on Art



[Cob] Stabilizing soil with cement

Rodger Chenoweth rodger at nelsonbuddha.com
Wed Feb 15 19:13:39 CST 2006


Hello all,
I've got an interesting problem with which I'd appreciate any feedback.
A site to build a cob cordwood cabin has soil with about 40% coarse  
sand, and 60% coarse visible silt.  It's a coarse soil, with zero  
clay content.

Is it possible to stabilize the soil with small amounts of cement?
Would it be better to haul in clay from somewhere for making cob?

I guess the bottom line question is whether it is possible to  
stabilize coarse sandy soil such as this with a small enough amount  
of cement to make it cheaper and easier than sourcing out and getting  
clay delivered for making cob?

Many thanks:)

Cheers
Rodger