http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDT16crY6sc
In this video, David Reed of Texas Natural Builders kindly shows us his work with developing the right plaster mix for the pallet house near Pine Ridge. This is his first full-house pallet build and his first in a severe hot-and-cold-weather climate like ours. Critics of natural building often say that natural building is not a good fit for our climate, and natural builders are in some ways blazing new territory with each building project. Plaster has been used elsewhere in the area before, by previous generations, of course, but these old ways are being improved upon by the new generation of natural builders with some trial-and-error learning a given. Reed has over twenty years experience as a conventional builder, before moving to more sustainable methods.
Hey..Happy Birthday to me!! So, I’ve been really going round and round about finishes for the exterior and haven’t really seen very much confidence in what’s available. Then, a thought struck yesterday..What about “Cast Earth” as a stucco finish? I know it’s patented, but there has to be someone who’s cracked that barrier by now. I’m 63 now. when i build my house, I don’t want to have to do major repair work on the exterior when I’m 90. I’ll be too busy doing other things!!
Take a look at my Cast Earth blog post at Geopolymer Houses: http://geopolymerhouses.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/cast-earth/
Some possible materials are listed in the Comments section.
Be prepared for lots of experimenting.
How ironic. As poring over pages, I was reading on Floating Concrete Structures. As a note on that page was a reference to Mineral Paints. Looking further, Keim mineral Paints. Sounds like they are not only waterproof, but they bond with the surface AND are UV proof. Just wondering what the $$$ is going to be, but it really sounds like a fast, easy exterior finish. Did I mention it’s also breathable? JV