Wheat paste is often used in earthen plasters, floors, finishes and alis that need a little extra ‘glue’. It add stickiness and durability. It can keep  earthen plaster surfaces from dusting off. We’ve also used it for sticking bike posters to the L.A. landscape ;)
It’s super easy to make…

Wheat Paste Recipe:

2 cups of flour + 2 quarts of water or 1 gallon of water + 4 cups of flour

Add the flour to a little cold water while whisking it in. Just enough to make a soup.
Add water and flour concoction to boiling water and turn to low heat or off. Stir until the mix starts to turn clear.
You can send it through a sieve to remove lumps for fine finishes.
Store the wheat paste in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid. The paste will keep for a few weeks if refrigerated.

Application to earthen mixtures:

Add 20- 25% wheat paste to a plaster or clay paint.

These cookies are from the finish alis used on my floor and rocket stove. When ever you’ve been mixing mud, specifically a color finish, it’s a great idea to dry out the remaining mix for later use. Make mud cookies! You’ll thank yourself when you need to do a little repair. Just add water, mix and apply. No color matching = easy.

Carole Crews has published the long awaited book Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints and Preservation.  It’s now available on her site only!

Carole grew up in the Northern New Mexico culture where working with mud ( adobe, cob, or earthen building) is still very much alive.  She shares the history of the area and her experience melding art and mud with over 25 years of professional experience and experimentation.  In the true do-it-yourself spirit Carole wrote and designed the book her self. Offering  a unique wealth of knowledge and collection of photographs.

I took a little excerpt from the book, since Carole is famous for her alis finishes…

Carole’s Favorite Alis Recipe

6 qt. batch ( approx 150 sq. ft.)

Measure one gallon water into a bucket
Whisk in 5 qt powered kaolin clay
2 qt fine sand and /or ( preferably) whiting
2 qt mica ( fine flakes or powder )
1 handful of chopped straw ( optional )
1 handful of mica chips ( optional )
Slaked pigment as needed for color ( optional )
1 qt. cooked starch paste  ( wheat, rice or cornstarch ) or 1 cup casein or butter milk or a combination of binders

In August, I had a chance to sling some mud over at Kindra’s Mountain Cottage.  This beautiful, 1200 square foot, fully permitted cob house is tucked away in the mountains of Black Lake, in northern New Mexico. It’s constructed from locally harvested round wood, straw bale, cob, and adobe.  It’s a passive solar design with radiant ( earthen ) floor heating and a living roof.  The quality is magnificent, like we have come to expect from Kindra’s work.  Though the cottage is a bit of a family art project, with most of the labor provided by Kindra, her family and friends.

When I arrived, the work party was applying the exterior render to the walls.  A mix of 2 red clay, 1 lime, 3 course sand, 3 fine sand and some chopped straw.  Then washed with a color coat while still wet.

View photos »

Scraping off cracked lime plaster from a to-smooth earthen wall

Failure: the omission of expected or required action. I think this is what they call “Another F-ing learning experience”. It’s sometimes necessary to make mistakes to learn what not to do. I thought I’d share mine.

A year ago we plastered a wall with a sand and lime mix. The mix wasn’t very precise and a little thin. It was applied to a wall that had little to no key, nothing for the plaster to hold on to. I have always finished the ‘scratch’ coat with my hands in the past. I guess that left enough of a key or grip, but this was finished with a pool trowel. And huh… not scratched. Continue Reading…