“Owen, are you familiar with silicate mineral paint? Awesome stuff but very expensive. It’s 77 perms so very breathable and waterproof to boot. It would work well on an earthbag house but I doubt is financially viable. I just thought I would share a link with you: Keim.com
I got introduced to it years ago by accident when I was in Vienna, Austria. There were all these huge old 100+ year old buildings in the city that looked perfect — often with bright colors — so I asked how they did it. I was told silicate mineral paint which seemed to be common knowledge over there. Environmentally friendly isn’t so new after all. lol.”
Thanks to Cliff for this tip. (Cliff has a fascinating building idea using waste materials in his area. I look forward to the results of his experiments.) Please send us your tips, suggestions and info on your projects. Our email addresses are at the top of the page under About Us.
Owen can you give me a description of this stuff using laymens terms? I am drawing a complete blank trying to figure this stuff out. Beautiful colors but, I’m not up on the chemical world that this exist in. Thanks
It’s paint made with different materials. Price it out and see if you think it’s worth it. That’s the basics.
Keim has a minimum lifespan of 15 years which isn’t too bad for a paint.
When applied onto previously unpainted surfaces, Keim Mineral paints will normally give 20 to 30 years satisfactory performance before redecoration is required.
In Europe there are buildings painted with Keim after 100 years still in excellent condition.
Hopefully some Austrian from Keim will comment on the subject first hand.
That’s very good, thanks. Could anyone find the price?
I am the Cliff Owen mentioned. We have all head the phrase “One man’s junk is another mans treasure”, Well it’s true everywhere and goes hand in hand with use what you have local. For example in Nevada they have huge amounts of old tailings piles all over the place which is the used crushed up rock from mining. In Tennessee you don’t have tailing piles but tons of trees for lumber or a wood burning stove. In upstate NEW York you have many old closed factories and mills. The thing is you often have so much of something you don’t see its value because it may often be seen as junk or refuse to the locals. You need to look and see if you can re-purpoee these things for use in building a home. It is simple, what do you have in your local area that is virtually free for the asking. Then evaluate how you can best use that material in a home. You have all read on Owens website people using everything from plastic pet bottles to straw bales to build a home. Some places have clay others have none, some have grain silos and others have none. It is not what you don’t have but what do you have. You don’t have to duplicate what someone has done but use it as a example or model of what you can do in your area. Use that thing between you ears and think, what do I have in my local area in large quantities that no one wants and how I use that material to build a home. It might be you can’t build a complete home from it but maybe a part like only the roof, floor, or walls.
Don’t build what you want or can but what you need. Two very different things. Owen has taught and shown me many things, not just what is possible but how to think as well. Many thanks to Owen for sharing his vast knowledge over the years. The man is a true gem and the world is a better place because of him.
Thanks, Cliff. Have you started any experiments? I think people will be very surprised with what you’ve come up with. I think it’s safe to say it’s an original idea.
Interesting information. Thanks.
Make your own. It doesn’t seem difficult. Here’s more info on the subject.
http://www.keimpaints.co.uk/about_us/comparison_of_keim_mineral_paints_and_limewash/
It says however that the KEIM paint only has a lifespan of 15 years? I didn’t see mention of lifespan on KEIM’s site.
Cliff — do you happen to know the lifespan of Keim paint?