[Cob] Just a note about earth floors and oil....

[Hey Lee]

Take it for what its worth:

I have an Indian friend (from India, not Native American) at work and when she was growing up she told me how they built houses with mud and straw and manure.  Every spring they would use mud and manure and recoat the exterior, interior, and floor.  I asked her what type of oil they used on the floor.

"Oil?" she asked. "Why would we put oil on the floor?"
"Ummm...," I replied. "Cuz thats what people on the mailing list say to do? To keep it water resistant and pretty?"
She laughed.  "Why have it resist water?  If water spills it just soaks into the floor.  We never need to mop.  We just sweep."

Course they also used dirt and rainwater to wash their hair and dirt to scrub their dishes, rainwater to rinse them.  Very interesting lady to talk to.

So tell me again the reasons for using oil on the floor.  I would think a harder surface and something to keep your feet from getting "dirty" after your shower.  But what do I know... not on that stage of construction yet :-)

Peace
heylee