Janine Bjornson is a natural builder, practitioner and educator. She began her career in natural building when she trained with The Cob Cottage in 1996. Since then, she has taught over 50 workshops in Canada and the United States, from east to west. Her passion for building with natural materials bloomed out of her love for the earth, in conjunction with her concern for diminishing ecological resources and toxic buildings. As a result of this, Janine has devoted the last decade to immersing herself in the world of natural materials and the knowledge of how we can shape dwellings that are healthy, healing, inspiring, and beautiful. She has developed a penchant for natural paints, and plasters and loves the concept of “naturalizing” any kind of home. She loves to share this knowledge with others and this is evident in her enthusiastic teaching style. Janine has assisted in organizing 2 Natural Building Colloquia and she has presented at 3 of them. She teaches the natural building component of New College of California's EcoDwelling program. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Q: I'm looking for natural materials to make paint for painting natural clay figures.

A: You can make natural paints using a number ingredients. To create any kind of paint you will need a binder (something that acts a vehicle for the pigment and prevents the paint from flaking and dusting), pigment, and an extender (optional). There are many different kinds of binders (see Artist's handbooks and the like). In Natural Building, we use flour paste as a binder quite often, this is simply wall paper paste that you can make on your own or buy as a powder. We use this as a binder and add clays, pigments, chalks etc., as needed or desired. Clay also acts as a binder and often has the pigment in with it. Milk paint also known as Casein is another natural option. I would suggest Artist's manuals, or The Natural Plaster Book, by Guelberth and Chiras (see section on Alis paints, and Casein paints) for more detailed information. Don't be afraid to experiment on your own and do a lot of tests!

Q: I've been unable to find information on natural, non-toxic bathroom materials.

A: I would suggest using wall finishes such as gypsum plaster or milk paint. Either of these should be fine. Whenever I use something less than a slick easy to scrub surface render such as glossy paint, I make sure that the plaster is not in key areas, such as a place where water could get sprayed frequently. For instance, behind a sink, I would have a backsplash area of tile or the like. In this way you can have your plasters without worry. It is important to consider these things in the design phase. Milk paint can be used in bathrooms. You should know that although it feels dry to the touch really fast, that it doesn't cure fully for a couple of weeks. With that in mind, you should not be introducing water vapor into the bathroom for a couple of weeks for best results. I would suggest lime casein (lime milk paint) over borax casein as it is much stronger. the Olde Fashioned Milk Paint Company sells it in powder with the lime and pigment already added. See: www.milkpaint.com

There are many different types of gypsum plaster, I suggest you contact a plaster person in your area for information on this topic relative to your specific conditions. The milk paint company should be able to answer any of your specific questions about their product if you choose to use it. Some people make their own, and there are other milk paints on the market you may want to check into. With either of these options, I would make sure that there is good ventilation/fans to allow for moisture to be removed from the bathroom.

Q: I am looking for as many natural/local finishing products as possible. Perhaps you can advise on the following: -clear oil for interior log/timber walls -natural exterior log/timber finish.

A: There are many oil products on the market for wood finishing. I can have used several of the "natural" oil products, however, I have used them in other applications other than finishing wood (poured adobe floors for example). In interior applications, I have most commonly used linseed oil for it economics and ease. Of course the cheapest variety is the Boiled Linseed Oil, but this has drying agents that are less than "natural". As I understand it, Petroleum distillates are in the boiled linseed oil, and are obnoxious to many. And you need to be very careful about how you manage or dispose of your rags due to combustion.

Q: I am in the process of building an addition to house in Northern New Mexico. I will be using vigas and will peel most them myself. My question is how do I maintain that natural look? What material can I or should I apply before and after installation?

A: You may want to try-bioshield hardening oil #9, apply 2 coats. This will bring out the red/yellow tones. It helps to protect the wood. Bioshield is a local company based in
Santa Fe, New Mexico. www.bioshieldpaints.com

A: (Kelly) What I have done with exposed vigas is give them a good coat or two of linseed oil to preserve them and brighten the color. It is easy to do this again later if desired.

Q: I have a question re linseed oil applied to cob for weather-proofing of exposed construction: "boiled" linseed oil sounds very toxic and raw slow-drying. What would be the solution and how would you recommend applying it.

A: (Kelly) I have used boiled linseed oil for many applications, from sealing rock and adobe floors to sealing woodwork. It is a hardening oil, that once it comes into contact with air will harden considerably. It can be either wiped on with a rag, or brushed on. For deeper penetration, it can be mixed with mineral spirits, but this stuff has some nasty VOC's. Allow the oil to penetrate for maybe half an hour, and then wipe off any excess to avoid a gummy film. It can be applied as often as necessary to penetrate sufficiently, or to renew the finish. It has a distinctive smell, but I doubt that it would be considered very toxic...many "natural" folks use it.

Q: I thought it would be cool to make my own clay paint from clay on our property. Do you have any "recipes" for this?

A: You can make your own clay paint but you will need to do some tests to find a recipe that works for your clay. There are also different basic recipes for making your own paints. Each clay has its own specific characteristics. Clays may be extremely expansive and contractive, or the opposite. If you have an expansive clay it is likely to crack if you put it on too thick. Therefore, you may need to thin it down or add a fine aggregate to prevent cracking. I often use Mica or a very fine sand. If the clay is not sticky enough you will need to add another binder to help prevent dusting, hold it in tact, and help it to stick to the wall. In this case I use a mixture of flour and water to make a paste. Essentially it is wall paper paste, or postering paste. See recipe below. I have harvested wild clays, sieved them through a screen, mixed them with water (by hand or in a blender) and rubbed them on a wall to create lovely antiqued finishes. That is the most basic application. You may also add additional pigments, mica for sparkles and the like. You can sponge them, brush them, or roll them. In the southwest the traditional clay paint is called and "ALIS". This is traditionally applied with a sheepskin. For more information on "Alis" refer to the resources below.

The Natural Plaster Book, Cedar Rose Guelberth and Dan Chiras New Society Publishers

Earth Plasters and Aliz, by Carole Crews, in The Art of Natural Building, Kennedy, Smith, and Wanek, New Society Press

Gourmet Adobe HC78 box 9811, Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557 seacrewsATtaosnet.com

FLOUR PASTE RECIPE
Flour Paste is used as a binder for earthen plasters and Alis. You may know it as wall paper paste. It is very sticky, easy to make, use, and it is inexpensive.

You will need:
White flour (not whole wheat)
Large pot (should hold 6 quarts of liquid for this recipe)
Smaller bowl, bucket, or pot (to hold 3 quarts)
Water
Whisk
Measuring container
Something to heat your water

Place 4 quarts of water in a large pot on the stove and leave there until it comes to a boil. While you are waiting, place 2 quarts cold water into a bowl and slowly whisk in 1 quart of high gluten flour. Whisk this until it is lump free. When the water on the stove has come to a roiling boil, slowly add the cold flour and water mixture into the pot with the hot water. Stir this together. The mixture should become translucent and thicken. If it does not feel thick enough let it remain on the heat, but be careful not to burn the mixture. If you burn it, it may turn brown and smell (you do not want to use a burned mix in your plaster or clay paint). Remove it from the heat and let it stand to cool. If your mix ended up lumpy for some reason, simply run it through a screen before adding it to your plaster or paint. Flour paste will last for a few days in moderate temperatures, and longer if refrigerated. Make sure to clean all your tools directly after making this, as it will dry hard like glue.

Q: What did you paint or apply to the exterior surface of your house?  It seems to be looking nice.

A: (kelly) The color coat on our house in Crestone is a stabilized lime wash. I learned how to make this in Mexico last year, as it is very common down there...and cheap! To make about 5 gallons, you put maybe 4 gallons of water in a bucket, add as much hydrolyzed lime the water will absorb (maybe a couple of gallons) and stir like the dickens. In fact you have to stir the mix quite frequently when you apply the paint to keep all of the lime suspended. In Mexico, I was able to purchase separately the pigment, which is used for color coats of stucco (like El Rey Colors), and what they call "resina" (which I figured out is the same as liquid latex). So in the US I couldn't easily find these components, so I tried mixing a heavily pigmented exterior latex paint (2 quarts) with the lime mix, and that is what I used on our house. I paid the paint store extra to put in about 10 times the amount of pigment than what the recipe calls for to get the color I wanted. I found that for any sort of rough surface the easiest kind of brush is not a paint brush but more like a scrub brush. So that's it...experiment!

Q & A (Kelly): We've found that organic pigments are normally degraded or destroyed by the high pH of lime wash. What color did you use for your lime wash pigmented with latex paint?

It was a light peachy color.

I wonder if it was an inorganic oxide as opposed to an organic polymer?

The pigments were the standard ones used in paint stores to pigment latex paint...I think they were oxides, but I am not sure. I had them pigment the latex paint with about ten times the amount of pigment normally used for the color that I wanted.

When asked about pigmenting lime wash, we recommend earth pigments. The easiest way to find these is to go to a masonry supply or building supply store that sells oxide pigments to be used in masonry mortar. These are compatible with lime wash.

I first found out about colored lime washes in Mexico where their use is very common.  I obtained the pigments separately from the latex, which I then mixed with the lime. In the US, it was much harder to find those pigments, or the pure latex, so I resorted to the use of paint pigment and latex paint, which so far seems to be holding up OK.

Q: My husband and I had a discussion about indoor latex versus enamel (oil) paint for wood trim. Is one better than the other for wearability? Which is better in relation to the environment?

A (Kelly): Enamel paint is the more durable, but latex has fewer VOC's, so it would be more environmentally benign.

Q: My boyfriend is a carver and I am a painter, we were recently looking into homemade paints. We found the information and the elements/plants that we needed for them, but we do not know how to go about making them so they will work for his wood and my canvas. Could you please explain to us what we need to do after we have found the plants?

A: There are many different kinds of homemade paints: lime paints, casein paints, clay paints, etc., All paints need a 'binder'. This is the medium which will hold the ingredients together and make it stable, like the pigment. It seems that you have located the pigment, but could use instructions on the other parts necessary to make the paint. The kind you make will depend on many factors. I will list a few: -What kind of materials you have access to. -What kind of 'finish' you are trying to achieve -What kind of 'wear and tear' they will receive. -What degree of difficulty you are prepared to work with in the preparation of the paint.

I would suggest getting a book on Natural Paints from the library or the art store. These books have many variations of paints. They usually have a number of photographs so you can see the paint finish, and they give you step by step instructions. I have one book that I like titled: The Natural Paint Book: A complete guide to natural paints, recipes, and finishes Lynn Edwards and Julia Lawless

Here are a few other resources on the topic: Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments Delamare and Guineau Harry N. Abrahams; The Artist’s Handbook Ralph Mayer, Viking Press; Applied Artistry: A complete guide for decorative finishes for your home Jocasta Innes Little, Brown and Company; Paint Alchemy Annie Sloan Collings and Brown; Natural Home Magazine July/August 1999 1 800 340 5486 www.naturalhomemagazine.com; The Materials and Techniques of Painting Kurt Wehlte Kremer (available via Sinopia, or Kremer)

I would like to say something about pigments since you have located some sources for them. Pigments may be natural, BUT that does not mean that they are non-toxic. I like to encourage people to learn how to harvest and process their own materials, but only with adequate knowledge. If you are harvesting materials from nature (like mineral pigments) make sure you know how to handle and process them safely. Some pigments you may choose not to work with due to their heavy metal content. There are companies that you can purchase pigments from that have knowledgeable staff and appropriate warning labels on their materials. So if you need more information, you may want to contact one of these shops in your area.

Q: I would like to make a homemade, eco-friendly wood sealer that would buff out as a low lustre finish. Is this possible, or am I dreaming?

A: I haven't personally made any wood sealers from scratch. Generally, I just use oil on its own.
However, I finally found a friend that had positive experiences with some recipes found in: "The Natural Paint Book, a complete guide to natural paints, recipes, and finishes," written by Lynn Edwards and Julia Lawless. Try their recipe for 'Transparent Oil glaze' followed by the recipe for 'Floor and Furniture wax" (put the wax on top of the oil glaze). Apparently, this should buff out to a low lustre finish for you. In the 'transparent oil glaze' you can omit the 'whiting' and just use the oil and thinner (and pigment if you wish). I would suggest using citrus thinners over turpentine. Bioshield sells a citrus thinner you can order online. www.bioshieldpaint.com

Q: I was just wondering if you have ever made white wash for exterior use? I found one site which recommended adding one white PC-ten lime for use outside. I think I remember that you used white wash for your interiors. correct? Would you consider telling me how it was mixed?

A: (Kelly) Yes, I have had some experience with both white wash and lime plaster. The inside of my large elliptical dome was plastered with a mix of lime, white silica sand, and a tad of white Portland cement (to get it to set up a little faster). This plaster was about 1/4" thick and troweled over the roughly textured papercrete. Then over the years I have retouched this with a bit of white wash, which is basically hydrated lime mixed with water to the consistency of very watery paint. You have to keep mixing the lime into the suspension with a stick for best results.

I have also experimented with pigmented "white wash", which is basically the same as the above, but with addition of mineral concrete or stucco pigments. This is very commonly used in Mexico on exteriors, but they also have a secret ingredient that makes it much more durable. They call this "resina", which I am pretty sure is the same as liquid latex. I couldn't find resina in the US like it is available down here (I am living in Mexico now), so I experimented with adding some (maybe 5%) exterior latex paint to the white wash, and this seems to be holding up pretty well. I "painted" my entire dome house in Crestone with this stuff before we sold it.

Q: Which brands of paint have been best tolerated by chemically sensitive and allergic people? I have read about AFM Safecoat, ECOS ELF (info. is at www.ecospaints.com ) and American Pride SafePaint. They have a list of common ingredients they each say they do not include in their paints. I need to paint the entire interior of our 1200 square foot house so I would like to buy something basic that wouldn't make me sick.

A: I really cannot answer your question directly. People who suffer from chemical sensitivities each have their own particular allergies and levels of how reactive they are. Therefore, it would be folly for me to try and answer your question precisely. I can say that most of the VOC free paints that I have used still off-gas ingredients and therefore, I find them irritating. I do not have chemical sensitivities either.

I suggest using something slightly different, like a milk paint or a clay paint. The Old Milk Paint company sells milk paint and they say that it is completely safe for people with multiple chemical sensitivities. You can view their MSDS (material safety data sheet) sheets on their website: http://www.milkpaint.com   Bioshield (http://www.bioshieldpaint.com) also sells milk paints and clay paints. Bioshield clay paint ingredients: Water, Clay, Porcelain Clay, Chalk,Alcohol Ester (as a binder), Cellulose, Preservative, and with Clay White #12-00, Titanium Dioxide. Bioshield milk paint ingredients: Casein Milk Solids, Lime, Clay, Cellulose, Asbestos-Free Talcum, Salt (Sodium Phosphate), BioShield Pigments. Product comes in a water-soluble powder form and does not contain solvents (zero V.O.C.-no Volatile Organic Compounds). Green Planet Paints is a newer company that is getting a lot of attention. They sell clay paints as well. They use soy resin in their ingredients, therefore, you would need to know if you react to it. You can also view their MSDS sheets on-line.
http://www.greenplanetpaints.com The last option for you, is to make your own. I make my own Alis paint. It is a clay based paint that comes  traditionally from the southwest. You can learn how to make your own Alis from " The Natural Plaster Book" .

Q: Hello, in my straw bale house I have a straw bale bathroom which has a tub, great sculpturing around the tub, this area gets some splashing and stains from kids grubby feet. What paint would you recommend that is water repellent, breathable, and I can paint over the current stucco. The interior is a pigment coloured cement stucco; the outside and inside walls are the same.

A: There are a number of factors to consider in terms of deciding which kind of paint to use to spruce up your bathroom. It is somewhat difficult for me to direct you without knowing the wall construction details and the user habits of the bathroom. I will give you some points to think about that could help you find the right solution for your bathroom.

You mentioned that your wall has staining. Is this staining from dirt or from water? Before painting over your wall, I would want to make sure the there isn't any water infiltration into the bales, occurring from the splashing around the tub. If the stains are from water, make sure they are only surface stains. If the water has infiltrated into the bales, you want to repair this area of the wall first. That means, removing the stucco, digging out any wet straw and filling and patching the area before any new painting is done.

Providing the stains are surface stains and you have an adequate ventilation system in your bathroom, you should be able to simply repaint as it is just cosmetic.

The recipe for the stucco mix that your bales were plastered with could inform your decision.  If you have a stucco mix that has the addition of lime, the vapour permeability of your wall system will be increased compared to  a mix that is straight cement, and sand for example. Therefore, you would want to maintain this breath-ability.

Now, if you find that the stains are due to water infiltrating into the wall, it may be in your best interest to paint this area with something that will be water repellent to prevent water from penetrating into your bales. This means you will be forfeiting the vapour permeability in this area but this may be preferable than allowing water to enter into your wall system which could cause greater problems in the cavity of the wall.

To maintain the 'breath-ability' of your wall system I would recommend consulting  Bioshield and asking one of their professionals which of their products would offer you the breath-ability you are after, along with the water resistance. (800) 621-2591 www.bioshield.com

In the area of walls that are stick framed, you may use any kind of paint you want as the vapour permeability is no longer a factor. If you are planning on using Eco-friendly paint, I would recommend something with a higher gloss than a matte finish, like clay paints or plasters (unless you choose to seal them) as they are more likely to stain and will not repel water.

Q: Do you have any tried-and-true recipes for homemade whitewash? Our humidity levels are very high all year round, as we have only 2 seasons--wet and dry (both humid though).

A: (Kelly) I have made my own with hydrated lime, water, and a bit of latex (you can use commercial latex paint) to help stabilize it. Mix these to a consistency of thin paint, and then you can add cement colorants for tints if you want. The resulting paint has a wonderfully variegated and subtle pastel appearance. Just keep adding the lime to the water until it doesn't seem to dissolve any more. Five gallons of this can be mixed for less than ten dollars. When you first apply it, it looks transparent, but then as it dries it becomes opaque. It may require several coats to cover. You need to occasionally stir the mixture to keep the lime suspended.