![]() ![]() Instead, whip up a simple flour-and-water plaster of Paris and fill in those holes and cracks the same way, just a swipe or two with the putty knife. There’s no need to rush out and buy a product that will come in a plastic container and likely sit on the shelf mostly unused until the next clean-out. Homemade plaster of Paris just seems to make perfect sense for the able-bodied home repair person. Clay plasters have very low embodied energy (footprint) and, with a little evolution, could make even conventionally built homes more environmentally friendly. It also has a lot of thermal mass, something that helps to regulate temperature in homes and that maintains heat in pizza ovens. The reason clay plaster works well in these situations is that it shapes easily and “breathes” well, allowing humidity to escape. Where/When One Might Use Natural PlasterĬlay plasters are very well suited to natural buildings, such as straw bale or cob (a mixture of clay, sand, and straw) homes or DIY projects, like cob pizza ovens, which are fun to have and relatively simple to make. The mixture, like glue, hardens and works great for filling holes and cracks in drywall or making craft molds. It can be made with regular white flour, salt, and water. ![]() However, homemade plaster of Paris is much simpler and likely very familiar to those who have played with paper mache. Store-bought versions of plaster of Paris are actually sourced naturally, created from gypsum, a soft, white stone formed when sulfuric acid (from volcanoes) react with limestone. More applicable to most homeowners, plaster of Paris has many uses for repairs in the typical home. The downside to clay is that it is weaker than other plasters and doesn’t hold up well in weather. Because clay absorbs water well, it is very malleable and can be shaped readily, and because it is available in such abundance, it is the right choice for covering entire walls or big items. Soil tests are very easy to do with nothing more than a shovel and a mason jar. Let’s look at two types of DIY plaster, clay, and plaster of Paris.Ĭlay can be sourced literally from digging into the subsoil in your backyard and discovering earth that is at least 30 percent clay in content. It’s usually a lack of motivation or information that’s the problem.įor those who are getting into DIY and natural building, knowing a bit about natural plasters can be a real asset, so keep on reading. We can become wiser, help preserve the planet, and have a lot of fun in the process. Making our own materials means that we can potentially save a lot of money and increase our skillsets for sustainable, self-reliant living. Why bother? Well, using natural materials means that we can be sure about what we are exposing ourselves to in our own homes. But, the simple fact is that we - with very little effort or skill - have the capacity to make our own natural building supplies. Many people don’t consider using natural products because, store-bought, they are often more expensive and harder to find. ![]() Natural building methods are, hopefully, the way forward, and they are certainly a means of enabling ourselves to avoid harmful chemicals and petroleum-based products.
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