coblist-digest V1 #6 (fwd)

[Shannon C. Dealy]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 13:13:56 -0800
From: Kat Morrow <firststraw at igc.apc.org>
To: dealy at deatech.com
Subject: Re: coblist-digest V1 #6

> >.Seal it with what????
> >Linseed oil?
>    I think linseed oil will work, but I'm not sure.  Maybe somebody else
> knows how this works.
>
>It should work since there isn't much difference between earthen plasters
>and cob floors which are sealed with linseed oil.  My main concern is that
>it will seal the wall where this is done, killing the breathability.  I
>hadn't heard about clay dust being hazardous, anyone have more info?
>It may be that the problem is not the clay so much as the fact that it's
>dust, I read an article a few years back indicating that the real
>health hazzard from smog in L.A. appeared to be due to the levels of
>particulates in the air, not the various gases associated with the smog.
>It might be better to just use a natural paint over the wall to control
>the dust problem while still leaving the wall breathable.

If you finish a wall with a fine finsh plaster, and 'hard' trowel (or
polish) it, the surface will be virtually dust free (this does take some
skill, which I have yet to attain!).  You can also apply an alis, casein
paint or a variety of other natural finishes that will seal the surface and
still allow the wall to  breath.