Clayworks (naturally coloured clay plasters)

Clayworks is a company founded by a married couple who wrote the cob building book above. Their clay plasters are naturally coloured, so you can paint and plaster eco homes in no time. The site has full information on how to use, and where to find decorators who are trained in using these plasters.

Use with eco-friendly decorating tools.

Clay plasters are not suitable for wet rooms (like bathrooms) or sustained exposure to water, but good for indoor walls and ceilings.

Made mostly from lime and clay, natural plasters let walls breathe and form a seal that is less likely to off-gas toxic chemicals. They don’t trap damp, salt and condensation (which can lead to peeling paint, brown plaster and a cold stale feel indoors). They also repair well, and look lovely!

Clay plaster (for bedrooms and living rooms) has a warm matte look and earthy finish, and hardens as moisture leaves the wall, so is easier to rework and patch later on. It’s also more affordable.

Drying times can stretch in England’s cool damp weather, so they will take longer to dry in winter, poorly-heated houses or north-facing rooms. But still dry quicker than lime.

Lime plaster (for bathrooms and utility rooms) is made from lime, sand and water, and can cope well with movement in older walls. It’s good for English period homes like brick, stone and historic masonry, as it lets moisture vapour pass through, to let walls dry naturally.

Keeping safe with house paint

Most house paints contain volatile organic compounds (which release gases to cause headaches and illness). No paint can be 100% green, as it needs preservatives (even washing clay causes VOCs). But look for brands that are zero or virtually zero VOC (low VOCs is just greenwash).

• Paint preservative can be fatal in inhaled (true of all paint), so keep children, pets and pregnant/nursing women out of painted rooms, until dry and aired. Titanium (also found in cosmetics and sunscreen) is also pet-toxic, so keep away from wet walls or use titanium-dioxide-free paints.
• Lime-based paints can help to prevent mould and mildew (good to help prevent crib death (along with other factors) but all good green paints should let walls breathe anyway. 
• For older homes buy a lead paint test kit, as this element can harm. It’s best to have professionals remove it, as you need PPE and special methods to avoid dust/fumes. 

Building with Cob (more suitable than adobe in England)

Building with Cob is an illustrated guide to building homes with England’s answer to adobe, a mix of clay and other materials, for affordable eco-friendly homes (popular in Cornwall). Includes 300 colour photos, 85 diagrams and tips on restoring old cob buildings.

Adobe is a popular form of building abroad, which uses sun-dried earth blocks. But  in England we don’t get as much sun! Cob is easier in England as it does not rely on premade sun-dried blocks, and still offers thick earth walls and a hand-made feel. It’s also good to make outbuildings as well as standalone homes.