Looking Back at Our 2024 Hands-On Straw Bale Workshops: A Year of Meaningful Growth
We find ourselves looking back on a journey filled with achievement, insight, and beautiful connections. We’re grateful not only for the tangible results but also for the meaningful experiences shared with each of you along the way.
The Importance of Protecting Natural Plaster During Installation
The importance of protecting natural plaster while curing can't be over stated. It's not the same as conventional stucco. Here's the why and how-to for your projects!
Exterior Lime Finish Plaster Color Refresh
A demonstration of using a tile sponge to freshen up a color coat on a finished lime plaster wall of a straw bale house.
3 Key Takeaways to Building Your Plastering Skills
Learn 3 key takeaways to support your ventures into natural plastering and straw bale home construction straight from the experts.
Lime Plasters For Straw Bale Building
There are a LOT of options to choose from in selecting the plaster to use for your straw bale building. Learn more about lime plaster options here.
Avoiding Plaster Burn Marks
Avoiding plaster burn marks when building a straw bale house is easy to accomplish if you know what causes them. Here’s what to do about them.
Plaster Tip: Applying American Clay Over Natural Hydraulic Lime
In this article we review using American Clay plaster over a Natural Hydraulic Lime plaster, making sure that cure times are accounted for.
Finish Plaster Texture Options
There are many of finish plaster texture options available for your straw bale home and knowing which one is best for you can be difficult. The best decisions are based on understanding the combination of application-technical difficulty, personal aesthetics, durability, crack hiding ability, and material availability.
Plastering Overhead in a Straw Bale House
Plastering straw bale window and door wells can be challenging, but the end result is beautiful. Learn some important tips on how to do it in this article.
Properly Wet Your Plaster on a Straw Bale Wall
There is far more water used in the preparation and curing process than in the mix itself. If you have a limited water supply, be sure to account for this extra water requirement. Follow these steps to make sure you have the best plaster job available. Be sure to protect your walls from wind, rain, and direct sun by hanging tarps.
Spray or Hand Plaster Application: Which is Better?
There are many details to a quality plaster job and many places to make mistakes. The real question may not be whether to spray or to apply by hand, but rather, what steps need to be taken, no matter which application method is chosen, such that the plaster job will be successful.
The Importance of the Right Sand in Your Plaster
A hard lesson about the importance of finding the right sand for your plaster mix.