Mark has been working on the balustrade again today, adding the uprights to about half the balustrade so far. It’s looking more and more finished.
On the picture below you can see before on the right and after on the left.
We are back working on the house this weekend and have discovered a faster and easier method to lay down the recycled wooden floor board. In particular we have found a great method to push the boards hard against each other to leave as small a gap as possible, We are so excited about this and how it is speeding up the installation of the hardwood floorboards that we have decided to make the short vidoe below.
This weekend we have started putting the floor boards down in the Rosalba’s sewing room. The recycled hard wood floor boards are incredibly hard and no matter how I tried most nails bent had to be pulled out again. So we have decided to investigate nail guns to fix the floors. Any recommendations?
Kind regards
Mark S Burgunder
We found an easy to follow recipe on the Internet on how to make your own paint. Rosalba tried it today with great success. The paint recipe is really easy to follow. Check it out yourself:
“Buy Hydrated Lime powder (I bought 1.5kg from Bunnings for about $5) and your choice of colour oxide (250 gms costs between about $7 to $16 depending on colour – will last for ages as you only use small amounts) from the SAME section of the store. DON’T go to the paint department, as they won’t be able to help you. Make sure the Lime powder you buy is HYDRATED and not the quick drying Lime. Also, the colour oxide needs to be Lime tolerant (so buy the product used to colour concrete, mortar, etc. to ensure you’ve got the right stuff).
1. CAREFULLY place Hydrated Lime powder into a plastic bucket/container – not metal (you’ll need to wear a face mask, avoid unnecessary risks) and CAREFULLY mix in enough water to make a cream-like consistency.
2. Then mix in a small measure of the colour oxide. I started with a 1/4 teaspoon at first and added more (a little at a time) until I got the colour I wanted. Make sure the oxide is properly mixed in; the best way is by using a paint mixing attachment on an electric drill.
3. Paint away! You’ll need to leave the first coat for 24 – 36 hours before applying the second coat. The first coat will be powdery when dry, but the second coat is fine. If you want to paint under the eaves or walls or fences, add to the Limewash paint ingredients 1% part Pale Boiled Linseed Oil to make it water resistant.
I have saved literally HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS by making my own paint and would recommend this to anyone! Also, the Limewash paint you make is so easy to clean up. If it gets on your clothes it just washes out with cold water. If it spills on carpet, let it dry and simply vacuum it up! Spills also wipe off really easily from any surface. After making my own paint, I’m no longer interested in using conventional paints as this is also a much healthier option – a lot less chemicals!”
(Credit to Lilian, Marmion)
In the pictures below you can see the paint Rosalba mixed up in the bucket and the second pictures is of the first coat being applied. The pale green is the paint colour.
Mark and Rosalba are building a strawbale house!
We are both interested in sustainable living, alternative energy. We are also in the middle of starting a small organic farm growing fruit, veggies, and chestnuts as we both believe that organically grown produce is healthier and have bought organic products for the quite a while now.
