Mark Schuneman's Boulder Straw Bale HomeMark is pretty much the man - former Colorado Straw Bale Association executive director, straw bale home owner/builder and all around nice guy trying to spread the knowledge and make a difference. Here are the plaster recipes he used on his own home -
Scratch Coat/Body Coat (First layer to be applied directly to strawbales over initial clay slip.)
3:1 (of whatever quantity you use) some records say 9:1 of the listed ingredients
3 tan breeze (unsifted)
1 clay
8 inch straw mixed in quite thickly
Brown Coat (second layer: mostly to create a more even and distilled surface over body coat.
4 sifted or screened breeze (lath screen)
2 sand (masonry is perfect because of its variegated particles)
½ bucket clay
1 medium sized can of ready made wet wheat paste (24 ounces)
2 buckets of packed chopped straw
*Notes; mix is best on the wetter side versus the dryer side. Also, medium sized bucket was used to measure quantity for this batch. 2 ½ gallons is the size quessed.
Box Beam Mix
2 breeze
1 Clay
Lots of straw
Straw Clay
Same as above; but wetter
Drizzle mix over 8 inch ~ 9 inch size straw ( cut bale in half)
til the yellow has mellowed
Palate Stuffing Material
Cut bale in half
3 breeze
1 clay
Mix to watery consistency
Drizzle over 8~9 inch straw til yellow color is coated with mixture
Adobe Block
3 breeze
1 ½ clay
2 sand
lots of 8 ~ 9 inch chopped straw
Adobe Block Sponge Float Mix
4 1/8 inch screened breeze
1 silica #50
1 silica #90 200 ml #641 Davis Pigment 10 cups water
1 ½ Kaolin
½ carnation
Adobe Mortar Mix
8 breeze
4 sand
1 clay
½ carnation
Exterior Brown (color) Coat
2 water
3 breeze
300 ml #160 Davis Pigment
1 straw
1 Bugler can cooked wheat paste
1 sand (masonry- no sifting)
3 breeze (structural fill ~ pioneer sand = 6 total)
2 fine chopped straw
Exterior sponge float color coat (Final finish)
Screen above mix (Ext. Brown Color Coat)through metal lath
Interior Finish Plasters
Main Floor Living Room (104 G)
3.75 l Silica #50
3.75 l Silica #90
6.75 l Kaolin
500ml dry wheat paste
500 - 750 ml carnation
500 ml #40310 pigment
250 ml #40040 pigment
62.5 ml #641 Davis
62.5 ml # 5447 Davis
62.5 ml #5844 Davis
5 liters water + season to taste
Kitchen (Laura’s Recipe)
4 liters water
2 liters #17050 (Kremer Pigment)
250 ml cayenne
500 ml yellow ochre (Mile Hi)
7 liters kaolin
500 ml dry wheat paste
3.75 liters silica #50
3.75 liters silica #90
Stairwell (use main floor living room mix for color: see above)
3.75 liters silica #90
3.75 liters silica #50
6.75 liters Kaolin
4 ounces dry wheat paste
¾ carnation
1 liter main floor mix color
Base Breeze Mix (closets)
10 liters breeze
500 ml casein
5 liters kaolin
5 ml borax
5 liters #50 silica
350 ml wet wheat paste
5 liters #90 silica
Mater Bedroom (#152)
4 liters silica #50
4 liters silica #90
7 liters kaolin
500 ml dry wheat paste
500 ml carnation
1 liter #5447 pigment
500 ml #40040 Kremer pigment
750 ml #641 Davis
5 liters water
North Media Wall & Laundry
Same mix as #142
Same sand, kaolin, wp, carnation but color is 1 liter of mix 142
West Bedroom (#132)
3.75 liters silica #50
3.75 liters silica #90
6.75 liters kaolin
500 ml dry wheat paste
500 ml carnation
1 liter #5447 Davis pigment
750 ml #40040 Kremer
250 ml #641 Davis
5.5 liters water
East Bedroom (#152)
3.75 liters silica #50
3.75 liters silica #90
6.75 liters kaolin
500 ml dry wheat paste
500 ml carnation
1 liter #5447 Davis pigment
750 ml #40040 Kremer
750ml #641 Davis
5.5 liters water
Powder Room (#201)
3.75 liters silica #50
3.75 liters silica #90
7 liters kaolin
500 ml dry wheat paste
500 ml carnation
1.5 liters Bioshield #201 or Kremmer # 17050
500 ml 40040 Kremmer
250 ml cayenne
500 ml yellow ochre (Mile Hi Ceramics)
5 + liters water
Upstairs Bathroom
4 liters silica #50
200 ml Dry wheat paste
500 ml #40310 Kremmer
4 liters silica #90
500 ml carnation
200 ml cayenne
5 + liters water
7 liters kaolin
1 liter #40040 Kremmer
500 ml #5447 Davis
