[Cob] floors- cob-lime

[Jill Hogan]

I have natural floors, 200mm of stone compacted, then 100mm of cob, and 
then 1/2 inch lime plaster screed onto the floor and scratched for a for 
then second layer of lime render, if your cob is dry, you can walk on 
the render next day. We usually leave it for about a week and then put 
the final scree of lime render on. Can walk onb this in about 5 days to 
a week. I then leave it as long as possible  to dry, some times only 
weeks some places months, then we seal it with linseed oil and bees wax 
and my floors are beautiful and long lasting. The lime render is 1 lime, 
3 a good building sand(what you might call a river sand with a 1 - 10 
varient of particles) and a half earth. If it has a high contect of clay 
use less if the earth has a high content of sand use more earth with 
clay. Do teat patches, if it cracks too much clay if it is sand too much 
sand.
Enjoy your floors
JIll

On 2011/02/19 12:37 AM, Charmaine Taylor wrote:
> Has anyone done a cob floor with lime plaster as a finish? Seems to
> me it would be better than beeswax and linseed oil
>
> +++++++++++++
> Damon- one of the most amazing floors ever is 2,000 years old in  the Middle
> East.. a 1/2"  thick polished lime floor. But under it is prolly  stone or
> marble, not just dirt.
>
> Your  lime floor would need  many MONTHS or a year+  to cure before putting
> weight on it, esp. feet of chairs, etc.  this is because the lime KEEPS
> curing over decades getting harder all the time til it is stone again.  the
> PSI is very low for years.
> SO you can't   look at  thick lime - just  1/2"  or less   because you can't
> cure lime  several inches or even 1.5 inches thick in short time.. it needs
> air to harden back to limestone.
>
> So it would not be practical.  But  begin NOW  and you could pre-cast  floor
> squares, and CURE them all before laying down, with   wet cob/lime  as
> mortar'
>
> if you live in your house for years, why not plan a  floor that can be  put
> in later as part of design/maintenance?
>
> I made several test floor squares pouring a 2" thick clay-lime- sawdust mix
>   using a  cardboard lid as a form  then laid in a thick slate, let cure 2
> months. and set out  in the yard as a step stone as a test.
> It lasted  4 years before the slate only  lifted off of the base, it needed
> a lime mortar to grip it again. it had lain on a thin layer of gravel  over
> dirt in our rainy PNW, and it lasted!
>
>
> if you use the pre-cast squares you could lay the floor whenever you want, a
> room or space at a time and just pour the  wall edges where it curves,  you
> might even design the floor with areas that can have 'lift out' squares as
> they wear from use
>
> or 'easiest'-- why not get dark or colorful ceramic tiles (scrap/free?)  and
> let the cob or lime be the grout between them.
>
>


-- 
*Jill Hogan*
McGregor Alternative Technology Centre "MAT"
PO Box 365
McGregor
6708

www.mat.org.za <http://www.mat.org.za>
Phone: 023 625 1533

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