[Cob] Mike .. Dome home

[Tys Sniffen]

Mike,

 

I haven't seen any positive info on adding cement to earth plaster, and I
would strongly advise you to get actual, real input from someone who's done
it - more than 5 years ago - and thinks it's a good idea.  

 

My thought (and notice, only thought, as I'm in a dry climate where the rain
generally comes straight down) is that you go with a lime plaster.   We did
that indoors in the kitchen and bath, and it's certainly not that hard to
work with .

 

I have more experienced input on your floors question, but still not exactly
what you're looking for: 

 

We put 1" rigid (white) insulation around the edge of our interiors, maybe
18" in from the walls, on top of the 1" base gravel, below a road base/clay
mix, which then had a fine sand clay finish on top of it.  After 2 years of
living in it, I can't see ANY difference in the resulting floor from where
has insulation and where it doesn't.  that is, I don't think a vapor barrier
below the floor hurts.  Remember though, I don't have a continuous one, and
I live in a place where it's dry 8 months of the year.  (and of course, we
did extensive site drainage work before foundation)

 

Also I did 6 (!) coats of linseed oil, some over 6 days, some all on one
day, and I'm not really happy with the result.   It's not hard enough.  4
legged chairs make dents in it.  maybe I did it wrong, but maybe linseed
doesn't harden clay floors up as much as one would like. 

 

Tys