[Cob] cob walls for stables

[Bernhard Masterson]

Hi Andy,
  Cob walls will be completely adequate for a stable without added lime.  A horses kick will damage the plaster but will not have any impact on the structure of the wall.  I would be more concerned about the horse injuring itself.  I would recommend an earthen plaster for the interior of stalls because it is so easy to repair.

- Bernhard 


____________________________________bernhard_masterson at hotmail.com

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From: Andy Dunn - Luibh <andy at luibh.ie>
Subject: [Cob] cob walls for stables
 
Hi there,
 
We're planning on building a few stables hopefully over the next few  
months, and are going to use cob in some form. One of the questions we  
have is whether cob on its own (with lime plaster), would be strong  
enough to withstand horses kicks, or if we should include some  
powdered lime to the mix to make it even stronger.
 
There is a great tradition of building with cob in this local area, as  
many of the old cottages are built from the grey/yellow 'daub' in the  
ground, which unfortunately makes bad quality land for farming but  
great for building.
 
Im quite a purist and would ideally just use clay/sand/straw but my  
wife is concerned that wouldn't be enough to withstand a full kick  
from a large horse.
 
Any advice much appreciated.
 
--
Andy Dunn
 
www.luibh.ie
andy at luibh.ie
00 353 86 0230879