Another approach

Tedi supplying perspective

We have snow today for the second day in a row.  I’ve got the eps-crete forms moved and the paint mixed and I’m ready to put in another layer of eps-crete but . . . yeah, snow.

The picture shows one course of eps-crete in varying hues of red and white below two courses of gray.  The next two courses will be a nice celedon green.  The color is irrelevant. It’s free latex paint in the mix which is being elegantly and effectively recycled.  The wall is going to have a surface coat inside and out when it’s complete.  I plan to use lime plaster on the bedroom side and some form of exterior stucco on the sun porch side.  When I get to planning those coats I’ll start worry about color.

While I’m stuck inside I’m doing research.  I ran into this page on making lightweight concrete.  They use a mixer and the recipe results in a much soupier mix than what I make.  Theirs is pourable.  Mine isn’t.  It is common knowledge that, with concrete, the more water you add, the weaker the resulting product.  I’m not saying their recipe is bad, but the extra water would also not allow me to use the super light forms I’m built.  They pull the forms in hours, not days which I think has to do with my recipe using both latex paint and more eps in my mix.

My recipe and system works.  I like the result I’m getting with the mix I’m using.