Introducing…Lomalina!

As everyone knows, experimentation often leads to the discovery of great combinations and marvelous creations.  Some of the most famous and important outcomes of such experimentation include the invention of Penicillin, the Pacemaker, and X-ray machines.  Others may not be as life changing, but are highly recognizable in American culture, such as Silly Putty, the Slinky, and Kellogg’s Cornflakes.  Well, we feel that our ingenious blend of Loma™ and Porcelina™ is both important and life-improving!  With the application ease of Loma™ and the silky smooth finish of Porcelina™, Lomalina is a truly desirable finish.  It will come in a fifty pound bag and the application instructions will be the same as Porcelina™, with the thickness measurement closer to that of Loma™, compressible with either a metal or a plastic trowel.  Rick Kantor of Terrasanti, an American Clay distributor located in Penngrove, California, says, “It is by far, my favorite product.” He also calls it, “The Cherry Coke” of American Clay!  Here’s to a new American Clay Icon!

Please see the featured project of February for some photos and details about Lomalina and feel free to call American Clay for more information and pricing.

A Stunning Transformation Using Lomalina!

A thermal mass concrete home was given a beautiful transformation with the use of Lomalina.

Selina Hoit from Creative Juices Decor gives us insight into this healthy home.

Tell us a little about the project and clients?

This was a beautiful home of a retired couple nestled away on 20 acres up in the country.  They built their home out of concrete and only used building materials that were natural, non-toxic and green.  Their goal was to create a thermal mass home made without any questionable materials.  The decision to use American Clay fit right into that plan.  

Who were the applicators and dealers?

The application was done by my company, Old World Walls.  You can see more photos of the American Clay projects I have done by visiting www.creativejuicesdecor.com. Most of my product was purchased through the American Clay company and GTS Drywall in Rathrum, Idaho.

Why was American Clay chosen?

My clients did an insane amount of research before they chose American Clay for their home. Absolutely NOTHING was going to be put in their home that didn’t live up to their highest standard of clean living.   Once they met with me and discussed it more, they were confident in the choice they had made.  

What were the steps to applying American Clay over concrete and what tips would you give?

We had a few trials, the biggest one being we had to keep the integrity of an all natural green product and take in consideration the breathability of the concrete.  The bonder base coat that was first recommended to apply the clay over the concrete was a USG bonder.  This was not an option for my client as they wanted to keep the breathability of the concrete at it’s full potential and they also didn’t want to add anything that wasn’t green or questionable. The best advice I have for others that want to keep the product as natural as possible would be to double up their binder.  We used Plaster Plus in our clay along with Sanded Primer as a base coat over the concrete.  Of course, this was after each wall was washed with a water/vinegar mix to be sure it was free of any dust or oil that would be left from the concrete forms.  If you are able to power wash your concrete walls before a lot of construction starts that is a very safe way to go about providing a better “grip” or “tooth” to the concrete. Don’t forget to fill in any divits or holes that come from the nature of poured form concrete.  If the power wash had been done first, we might have gotten away with just the plaster plus in the clay.  You can always do a large test area on any given wall (you must do the TWO coats of clay!) to see how your choice of bonder is holding up against the concrete or any substrate.  When doing a large job, my motto is better safe than sorry, so if you could do all three of my recommendations – go for it!  

How do the clients feel about the overall project?

They were thrilled with the American Clay.  They knew that what they put into their home was safe and it gave life to the home they were retiring in.  It’s been a year since I did this home and I haven’t received any phone calls regarding touch ups.  Happily there has been no issues with the clay over the concrete. 

Kitchen Before and After:

Dining Before and After:

INSIGHTS INTO THE EUROPEAN PLASTER CLASS MARATHON

And what a marathon it was!!  Master plasterers and teachers from all over converged on American Clay for two weeks of fun and learning.  American and Canadian plasterers, and even our distributor from Thailand, Narong, showed up.  The energy level was over the top and everyone had an extraordinary time.  Those who came to the “Come Early Party” froze because of our deep freeze that week, but worked so hard that they soon had their jackets off and only their hands were cold.  The hard work everyone put in was totally amazing!!  I must say American Clay has the best network of plasterers and Gurus!  It was very sad when everyone was gone after two weeks.  Barbara Streisand has a wonderful line in a song that says “What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget”.  So hopefully everyone will remember all the good food, fun and awesome learning and not the cold!!!

The walls that were erected were of pressed earth blocks donated by our friend John Jordan of Paverde, LLC.  Once these blocks were covered, you could not tell what was under the plaster.  I saw some amazing workmanship during those two weeks.  I am including pictures, but they do not really do justice to the work and care that was put into those walls.  The learning was incredible!!  You had to be here to experience the energy and passion I experienced for two weeks.  I truly hope that those experienced applicators who read this will consider coming to the next class we put on.  I guarantee you that it will be an experience of a lifetime. 

To everyone that came to the class, it was an experience of a lifetime for me!!  I saw people I have not seen in a long time, and met a few people that I had only talked to on the phone for years.  I miss you all now that everyone is gone.  I hope to see you all again soon!  Some special thanks go to the following people:

To Patrick, my special thanks for making my job so very easy.  You are a wonderful teacher and a great person.  Not only are you kind and generous, but you are also funny.  Thanks for a wonderful two weeks! 

To Rob Wozniak, what a store house on preservation materials and techniques you have in your brain!!  It was a great pleasure having you here and finally getting to meet you after all this time.  Please come visit again!! 

To our Fearless Leader and Master Chef Extraordinaire, Croft, you are fantastic!!!  There is no way I could have done what I did without your help.  You always make life easy for me.

To Errol Tower, it was so great finally meeting you after all these years.  Thank you so much for the VERY tasty gift.  It is much appreciated.

To Scott Nelson, my everlasting and humble thanks for my beautiful fresco in American Clay.  It is every bit as beautiful as the original you did over 7 years ago!!

To Ryan Chivers, I heard you were a Tadelakt Guru, and now I believe it!  It was an honor having you come and teach the class.  You may come and visit American Clay anytime!!!

Last, but certainly not least, to my friend Heith, thank you for the dinners, breakfasts, and playing tourist with me!!  Next time it will be your turn to entertain me!!

To each of you that I did not mention by name, please know I am grateful to each one of you for your participation in American Clay.  It is because of you that we are what we are!!  The memories of those two weeks will live in my heart forever!  I would love to have the participants give me some feedback on their experiences of those classes.  We will include those in a future newsletter.  YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone; and as always, happy plastering to all!

Ilene

I have not done this before, but so many questions once again have come up on putting clay on wood and other substrates, that I thought I would re-run my last one on that subject.  If anyone has any questions please feel free to call me any time.

I have been asked if clay can be applied over wood.  The answer is no, because if any water gets into the wood, when it dries out, the clay will crack.  Paneling also is not a recommended substrate.  The seams on paneling are generally flexible, and this can cause cracking.  Since American Clay is a veneer plaster, the clay is only as stable as the substrate.  Therefore, when putting American Clay over an existing wall, you need to make sure that the wall is sound and that paint is secure.  Our application instructions will explain this in detail.

Wallpaper is another no-no.  Because of the weight of the clay, if anything loosens the wallpaper, the clay will fail.  All wallpaper and glue will need to be removed.  Popcorn ceilings need to be removed also.  Just remember to check your substrate, and make sure it will support the weight of the clay.  If any of you have any questions, please give me a call.

Well, here we are in 2013!!  Another year and I have lived through yet ANOTHER “end of the world”!!   I certainly hope that is the last one.  I hope your holidays were happy and safe.  Now it is time to get to work on that prosperous New Year!!  Now everyone ROW, ROW, ROW!!!  Until next month, Happy Claying!

Ilene

A new year is here and now is the time to make changes that will impact you and your baby in a positive way.

In an article by Arteriors, Paint Finishes for Interior Design, American Clay is the first choice for a baby nursery.  Start the year off right, with the healthier wall choice for your nursery.

So why is American Clay the first choice for baby nurseries?

• Clay is quiet because of the cellular structure that absorbs sound waves.
• It smells clean because the organic qualities of clay will control moisture, either humidity or dry air and prevent mold or mildew from growing in the room.
• It feels calm because it produces negative ions and therefore balances out the positive ions created from electronics.

Every ingredient in American Clay is 100% non-toxic, environmentally friendly and natural, including the plant and mineral derived pigments that create the 110 plus colors available. Babies will not be breathing in the VOC’s or toxins found in 99% of the commercial paint brands on the market.

To read the full article by Arteriors, click here.

Achieving a Keva Fireplace

A detailed and hard troweled fireplace based on unique client taste.

Tom Stephens explains his company, bio, and journey to using American Clay in this client’s home.

“The Stephens Company LLC was formed in 2011 and is located in Tucson, Arizona. Our specialty is custom design and remodels using natural materials with a minimalist approach to design. Our approach is to understand the customers vision and create a space that reflects their own unique tastes and compliments any design and architecture. My background is in masonry, concrete, stucco, and plastering. I spent a majority of my career in the Chicago land area building my skills in all aspects of masonry and home construction. I relocated to the Tucson area and have embraced the architecture with fresh eyes.  The southwest influence is visible in my designs but with a hint of my northern roots. American clay is one of those products that adds to that uniqueness that I like to incorporate into projects.

On the projects in the photos I added UP&EZ to the first application of Loma and hand trowelled it onto the natural stucco fireplace. I followed it up with another application of Loma plaster tinted with the dry color pack. Hard trowel method was used and once the finish was cured I followed it up by misting the fireplace with a spray bottle filled with water and hard trowelling again to create a burnished antique effect.

I first learned about American Clay products via the internet in my research for healthy finishes and green products. The supplier I purchased the product from is called “Originate” which is located here in Tucson. The reason this product was chosen is because the client wanted to retain the natural keva look on part of the fireplace so I suggested the American Clay for its ability to do just that and also give a more dimensional variety of color and depth than paint could ever do to stucco. The lower hearth was given a natural stone and the hearth stone a custom fabricated one piece sandstone that I cut from a 3″ thick slab. The other photos I sent is of a parlor room in the same home. I used the American clay and applied it to the walls to compliment the beamed ceiling, authentic stone fireplace and wood plank floors that were also part of the remodel.

The American clay products have all the things that matter in a quality product for today’s healthy environment and also look great too! I plan to use the product in many future designs and look forward to many more satisfied clients because of it.”

A First Experience with American Clay Earth Plasters

An article written by a fan of ours, explains his first experience with American Clay.  As with many customers, each finds whole new experience with American Clay Earth Plasters.  As this customer explains, a metamorphosis occurs during the process of application.  We love this story of someone taking time to tell people about the use of American Clay.  We wanted to share this story in our December newsletter, not only because we love the experience and stories from first application of our plasters, but showing support for those using healthy alternatives in their homes.  We hope you find a similar experience when using our plasters for the first time.

The Clay Plaster Option- Brush On Coatings

http://brushoncoatings.com/the-clay-plaster-option/

By: Kevin

“Last year I had the opportunity to use a newer method for wall coatings. It was especially exciting  to use this unique product . American Clay ® is a great way to produce truly beautiful organic texture & color to any wall surface.

The great thing about working with this product was the metamorphosis taking place as the process evolved. The process starts with preparing the wall surface with a primer-sealer to provide a surface coating that the clay plaster will bond to This is applied to the wall and can be mixed with sand additive to give a better surface bond for the plaster applications.

American Clay® is a clay & sand base and can be mixed using many beautiful colors . Once mixed it can be applied to the wall with a paint rolling method .After the plaster is rolled on  the next step is to use a trowel to “compress” the plaster , basically “pushing the plaster” evenly across the surface of the wall so that it is bonding properly and compressing the sand and clay to a uniform thickness . This insures that the plaster is successfully bonded to the wall. The last step is creating the texture you want by either using a sponge to bring more sand to the surface via certain sponging motions or to use a trowel to create a smooth and hard finish look

I was positively satisfied with the final look! It brought a whole new dimension to the room atmosphere. Also the product is very green in makeup and contributes greatly to creating a healthier living environment in your home .I am choosing not to go into great detail in this post on American Clay ® because it would be presumptive of me to have anyone who reads this rely soley on my guidelines for actual instructions. With that said , I am simply in awe of the possibilities of using this product and for anyone that incorporates this into their next room remodel or redecorating project. For a more complete source of information you should go to  http://www.american clay.wix.com/ .

Another resource for inspiration on alternative wall treatment options is a book with interesting methods to consider using in your home.”

I have been asked if clay can be applied over wood.  The answer is no, because if any water gets into the wood, when it dries out, the clay will crack.  Paneling also is not a recommended substrate.  The seams on paneling are generally flexible, and this can cause cracking.  Since American Clay is a veneer plaster, the clay is only as stable as the substrate.  Therefore, when putting American Clay over an existing wall, you need to make sure that the wall is sound and that paint is secure.  Our application instructions will explain this in detail.

Wallpaper is another no-no.  Because of the weight of the clay, if anything loosens the wallpaper, the clay will fail.  All wallpaper and glue will need to be removed.  Popcorn ceilings need to be removed also.  Just remember to check your substrate, and make sure it will support the weight of the clay.  If any of you have any questions, please give me a call.

Once again, Christmas is just a couple of blinks away!  May Peace, Joy and Love abound for all of you this Holiday Season!!  Spend time with those that you love, and let them know you love them.  Until next year, Happy Claying!!

Ilene

A Manufacturing Facility Striving for LEED Platinum Certification

This project of the month is a sustainable manufacturing facility in Hood River, OR.  The large facility is reaching LEED Platinum Certification!  Read the summary of the project below and take a look at these great pictures!

Reception Area

Turtle Island Foods is one of the leading manufacturers of tempeh and soy products and is most famously known for their Tofurky label.  The company recently constructed a 33,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Hood River, Oregon in which they are aiming to achieve LEED Platinum certification.  For our part we were responsible for creating the healthiest interior space possible, using all no or low VOC interior finishes throughout.  American Clay was one of the first products requested by the owner and we were happy to oblige.  We chose Savannah Moss to adorn the main reception and entrance space as well as the conference room.  For the topcoat we used Loma with a skip trowel texture and then compressed the clay to complete the look.  Both spaces look north out toward a spectacular view of the Columbia River Gorge and the clay provides a beautiful backdrop to frame the view.  The clay was applied by Dan Drahota in conjunction with Heith England and was provided by Sustain Eco-Interiors.

Exterior View

I have had a lot of color questions lately, so I will expound on those this month.  I have been asked if the color can be changed slightly by adding a small amount of another color.

Of course it can!!  However, say you decide to add a small amount of Jasper to our new blended color Champaign, you need to measure with a gram scale how much you add, so any further additions or batches will be accurate.  Any time you do anything different with our colors than add one color pack per 50 pounds of product, you need to use a gram scale.  With our colors there are endless possibilities.  Always keep a record of how you “tweaked” that color.  Not only is that important for the original project, but for any repairs you may need to do later on.  Because our pigments are mineral and earthen based, you can use them to color other products as well.  We just cannot tell exactly what color you will get.

Speaking of repairs, I always suggest that you keep plenty of left over product for repairs.  It is better to have too much than not enough.  I had one lady say they had kept a lot of left over material and was very glad they had, because when they had some extensive water damage, they had enough to do the repairs.  Another man had gotten tired of the leftovers in the garage and had tossed them!!  At that point, because it had been five or six years since the original project, he had to either recoat the walls or have a custom color made to match the old color.

Please keep in mind, because our clays and the pigments we use are all natural, there will inevitably be shifts in the color of those pigments and clays over the years.  Please ALWAYS measure, and call with any questions.  I am always happy to answer questions!!  Better 100 questions than 1 OOOPS!!!

Here we are starting November again.  I wish each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  May we all focus on what we have to be thankful for rather than the negatives.  I am ever thankful for American Clay and the beautiful people I talk to on the phone each day.  As always until next month Happy Claying!!

Ilene