[Cob] faux leather floor ideas -longish

[Charmaine Taylor]

HI, I have seen walls done with the craft paper and ragged edge treatment.

Jocasta Innes of " Applied Artistry" fame has several small  finishing
technique 6"x6" books with great ideas.. each  is called  "Around the
House:  the  "Underfoot"   one  is exclusively floors ideas .. she
shows some amazing things to do to real wood &  plywood floors with
simple paint, lime washes, stenciling,etc.**   so your idea is in that
realm.

A cob purist will not go for anything commercial I think, but pick
your battles, a simple cheap floor that can stand up to foot traffic
for a few years is your goal.. so why not try this?   the idea of
using Bioshileld or other eco products is great.    go for it.

Many decades ago in the 1970s the fashion rage was to take a  quality
cotton fabric and  glue it down on the floor, and do 7 coats of poly,
a bedroom was done with the bedding, pillow, draperies, walls and
floor ALL the same colorful yellow fabric.  a famous dress designer
did it.. the bed disappeard in the room with everything the same!

   Floor clothes  made of  canvas or other heavy material can be done.
and  those Billboard tarps are perfect as a wall to wall floor cover,
even temporarily.  they can be painted too, then proteced with a
sealer and are easy to roll up an remove. [when I bought my 60 year
old cottage I discovered under two layers of carpet  a "carpet cloth"
it is made of   heavy old fashioned  real linoleum , and  was exactly
12'x10' the size of the bedroom. it was imprinted with a complex
embroidered carpet pattern, very pretty &  quaint by 1940s standards,
it was laid directly over the original floorboards.  I  heard you just
bought them rolled up like a real carpet, but this was  mop-able and
heavy duty and stopped drafts]


Lastly  this month in  Natural Home magazine [Jan 2009]  TX super
recycler/builder Dan Phillips is featured .
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/People-and-Places/Building-Dreams-Green-Collar-Economy.aspx

 He was made famous locally for taking Budweiser cardboard 6 pack
cartons, and similar packing and useing it to line a porch floor, the
ceiling, walls, etc.  he also used poly and glue  to seal them down.
His favorite cheap cushiony floor is  a wine cork floor. he glues them
down  just as they are, or slices them in half so the flat cut side is
glued down.

-- ** yes I have Around the HOuse: Underfoot in stock : $12.

Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
Toll Free Order: 1-888-441-1632
www.dirtcheapbuilder.com   www. papercrete.com
PO Box 375, Cutten CA 95534