Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
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Visit some good friends of Blue Rock Station...
Finishing an
interior tire wall...
The tire wall is the "heart and soul" of the Earthship structure. This feature, probably more than anything else, gives the home its unique look and feel. When you tell folks about the home, this is the thing they have the hardest time visualizing. So let's take a look at what you do to finish off the interior wall.
You begin, of course with the pounded tire wall. Notice the electrical lines are mounted on the exterior (we will talk a bit about that in electrical systems page).
Slowly fill in the cavities between the tires with a mud/sand/straw mixture, pressing in empty cans to fill in the bigger spaces.
You don't have to be dainty at this stage, and can sling as much mud as will stick (sounds like a Louisiana politician). Anyway, the goal here is to build the entire section out so that you have a relatively flat surface.
Next comes the "rough" coat. Without getting too bogged down in details, the various coats require a slightly different mix of the Mud... this coat just gives you a uniform coated surface. You scratch up the surface while the mud is still wet, so the following coat will adhere well.
There are probably as many techniques used to mud a wall as there are people, and you will no doubt find your own. After you let the surface dry, wet the wall with water, then apply the next layer to the wet area. I found it most comfortable to use a spray bottle and a mortar board with pointed trowel - but some of the guys found it easier to just use a bucket of mud and spread it with their hands (until the final coat, anyway).
As you build out the wall, you will incorporate the wiring as well as the outlets and switches. Below you can see an outlet box (the mud wall will be built out to level... and we will clean off all the mud, don't worry) as well as a switch (where the wall has already been built out).
interior tire wall...
The tire wall is the "heart and soul" of the Earthship structure. This feature, probably more than anything else, gives the home its unique look and feel. When you tell folks about the home, this is the thing they have the hardest time visualizing. So let's take a look at what you do to finish off the interior wall.
You begin, of course with the pounded tire wall. Notice the electrical lines are mounted on the exterior (we will talk a bit about that in electrical systems page).
Slowly fill in the cavities between the tires with a mud/sand/straw mixture, pressing in empty cans to fill in the bigger spaces.
You don't have to be dainty at this stage, and can sling as much mud as will stick (sounds like a Louisiana politician). Anyway, the goal here is to build the entire section out so that you have a relatively flat surface.
Next comes the "rough" coat. Without getting too bogged down in details, the various coats require a slightly different mix of the Mud... this coat just gives you a uniform coated surface. You scratch up the surface while the mud is still wet, so the following coat will adhere well.
There are probably as many techniques used to mud a wall as there are people, and you will no doubt find your own. After you let the surface dry, wet the wall with water, then apply the next layer to the wet area. I found it most comfortable to use a spray bottle and a mortar board with pointed trowel -
As you build out the wall, you will incorporate the wiring as well as the outlets and switches. Below you can see an outlet box (the mud wall will be built out to level... and we will clean off all the mud, don't worry) as well as a switch (where the wall has already been built out).
Other web sites that will give you a bit more about this...
