How To Make Cob Floor

The most tedious part of making the cob floor mix was making the chopped straw.

How to make cob floor.

Earthen floors are muddy work. If you d like to watch the full version. The base then needs to be dampened. After finishing the first layer of earthen floor we need to wait for it to dry before starting on the finishing layer.

How to make cob the tarp method. I ve read that others have chosen to actually sprinkle it. Make sure you knit the new cob you ve just applied to the wall to the cob around it. I used a weed whacker in a barrel to chop the straw in small quantities at a time and then i sifted the straw through either a 1 4 or 1 8 screen.

Make sure the base for your cob floor is as clean as possible. The timber acts as a guide to keep the floor level as you go. After removing the timber you fill in the gab with earthen floor mix which is exactly the same mix as cob minus the straw. This will fill any areas that might be uneven and provide a nice flat surface.

This method can be done by yourself or with one other person. For a big floor start in the morning so you ll have the whole day to put it down if you need it. There are many ways to make cob. One of the most common and regularly practiced techniques in north america is called the tarp method of cob mixing.

Cob floor surface. You will need a large tarp and 4 or 5 five gallon buckets. Once the building site is compressed cover the area with a layer of sand. A one piece cob floor is the longest lasting type of earth floor.

Compress the land using a roller device and make sure you don t have soft areas that can sink in later. I decided to add the straw directly into the mix. The floor surface sits on top of whatever you ve decided to use for the base layer. You do this by sticking your thumbs into the mixture all over it.

You can make a floor with one 3 4 inch layer or two 1 2 to 3 4 inch layers of your cob floor mix with optional additives thinned down to a consistency that can be troweled on.