Clay Plaster Recipe
Dig up red clay and mix with water to create clay gumbo
Pass gumbo through hardware cloth screen
Mix 1 part gumbo with 3 parts sand, adding water as needed as you would if making cement.
When sand and clay gumbo are thoroughly mixed, add wheat straw chopped up with a weedwhacker.
Ta da. A low carbon/high beauty plaster.
However, the plaster doesn’t jump on the wall, so next is the fun/frustrating/ meditative/….. part; finding the right trowel and technique to get the plaster to stick to the wall and not slop to the ground, slump, be uneven, or done in a way that risks future cracking or falling off.
The next level of craftsmanship involves composing the little details around windows, rafters, and foundation and smoothing out the bumps and undulations in the wall.
Next up this coming Saturday we’ll be doing the same for the inside walls. After that, we’re looking at scheduling a weekend in October to put in a rocket stove and bench. Stay tuned, and by all means, come join in if such activities are calling you!
