Cob: Too much linseed oil

[D.J. Henman]

Will,
    whatever you do, verify that the under layer is fully dry, before 
attempting anything.  Get the top crude layer off and the surface an 
interior dry.   If it has been soaking up water for years it will take a 
while to dry down to some appropriate level, I would guess that being 
about just below your rammed earth sub floor.    Trying to put a surface 
coat of a damp under layer doesn't seem like a good idea and might cause 
water blisters.

I don't like the idea of using varathane.   I don't see how a clay 
slurry will get rid of a scum, you mean just cover over it.    Again 
verify that the under flooring is sufficiently dry before you do anything.

Another option to the boiled linseed oil, is to use hemp oil.   Though I 
haven't used it myself I have heard good things about it.,

Darel

Firstbrook, Will wrote:

> Hi Charmaine,
>
> Thanks for your response, I feel a bit uncomfortable with this option. 
> However, I will try some experiments with asphalt emulsion. One of the 
> things I like about the floor is the colour and the texture. It looks 
> like a dark brown shiny rough leather, dog prints and all. I don't 
> have anymore of the original clay, maybe I can find a small amount of 
> red clay. I do have some of the original mix sitting in a garbage can. 
> I have a about 2 yards of a grey clay in my yard, as I just finished 
> my final exterior coat on  my cabin.
>
> Normally no water would sit on the floor, it's a bedroom. They grew 
> their plants in pots directly on the floor, so the floor was watered 
> each time the plants were watered. In one section they put the pots on 
> an old rug which sat for 3 months continuously wet.
>
> I was wondering if I could put coat of varathane on the floor. Maybe a 
> thin clay slurry just to remove the stickiness then a coat of varathane.
>
> Or temporarily put a vapor barrier on the floor and put in a rug or 
> carpeting and deal with it next summer.
>
> I have a person who wants to use that bed room starting in Sept. I can 
> only work on the house on weekends.
>
> Regards,
> will
>    
>