Earthen plasters provide a beautiful, soft, and an organic finishing touch to your home, whether they be a straw bale house, cob building, wood cabin, or even plain old sheetrock walls. A simple natural plaster can be mixed from ingredients straight from the earth, including sand, clay, and fibers such as straw, cattail fluff, or even cow manure.

It’s a simple process and a creative one, too: you can let your imagination shine through earthen plaster with its vast sculptability and its variety of application.

Read on to learn more about making and applying earthen plasters!

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Members of the public will have a chance to check out this latest VISION home toward the end of the International Builders’ Show and nextBUILD, set to be held Feb. 13 through 16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The home will be open to National Association of Home Builders members throughout the show, then will welcome the public on Feb. 16 and 17.

Designers of the VISION House ‘08 Orlando say the structure is a unique, high-end custom home that shows “green can be not only glamorous, but also sustainable by considering durability and life safety in an active hurricane zone.”

What makes the Orlando VISION house especially suited to a Florida environment? Features of the structure include:

A focus on water conservation, with cisterns for collecting stormwater runoff, “super-efficient” indoor fixtures and native, drought-resistant landscaping;

Spray Foam insulation, high-performance doors and windows and an energy-efficient heat and air-conditioning system for reduced cooling costs;

Zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds), natural plaster from American Clay both inside and — as a test application of a new exterior stucco product — outside the home. In addition to helping moderate temperatures and control humidity, according to the company, the natural plaster also inhibits mold, a regular concern in Florida’s hot, sticky climate;

Indoor furnishings, materials and finishes designed to minimize offgassing of VOCs.