[Cob] Cob Countertop

[Amanda Peck]

The woman who really did have a cob bathtub that she used had continuous 
problems with leaking around the drain.  At a guess, because metal drains 
expanded at a different rate from her cob.  If that was the problem then 
maybe big globs of silicone sealant might give the pieces enough squish room 
to move without breaking the seal.  If you experiment here, try really 
hot--maybe not boiling--water in your drain area.  The big kitchen sink 
drains might be worse than the smaller bathroom sink drains.

Give yourself a sink shape so that it drains really well.  Not absolutely 
flat, certainly no depressions away from the drain.

Countertops--might want to make the top coat something like a floor mix with 
chopped straw, give it a nice trowel finish.

I think that I'd like to embed chopping boards and/or a piece of glass 
countertop protector into my counter to remind me that cutting on cob is a 
bad idea--worse than cutting on regular countertops. Slant the area that 
will be under a dish drainer so it won't hold water.

And while I'm at it, I'd embed one of those decorative rubber mats (looks 
like iron!) in the earthen floor where people are going to stand in front of 
the sink.

You might not HAVE to put concrete in the mix.  One of the oils, maybe.

I've had experience with a floor, not a sink.  Even if the sample did set 
out in the rain for months in a paint roller container without significant 
damage.

It's probably going to be heavier and thicker than your basic store-bought 
countertop.  So what supports it is going to have to be really sturdy.  I 
wouldn't make the whole thing solid because

a) sometime you're going to want to get into your supply as well as drain 
plumbing.

b) that area really is pretty useful storage.

Might take a look at the concrete countertop book to see how they recommend 
supporting those.
............
Paul wrote:

I am building an alternative house and I am trying to find out how to build 
a sink and counter top for the kitchen.  I've followed the cob bathtub tread 
with great interest.  I am skeptical about a cob sink.  It's not so much 
that I don't think it is possible, it's more that I don't think that that I 
have enough time to experiment to get it right (after all, it's only after a 
long time that you know if it will work).  I am open to adding stabilizers, 
like lime and cement, but I'm still nervous about using it for a sink.  I'm 
not set on a cob sink, it's more the counter top that I'd like to use some 
form of cob for because it isn't straight.

Does anyone have any experience that would help me find the right kind and 
proportion of stabilizers I should use?  I would assume that I would have a 
better chance of getting the right mix for the counter top because moisture 
wouldn't be as much of a concern as a sink, however I would then be more 
concerned with how durable it is.

Any thoughts?

Paul
http://www.ravenisle.com/cob



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