Straw bale stucco question

[Prismseed]

I have heard that a major component in straw bale construction (amazing insulation properties as I hear) is stucco. Now Stucco is functional in drier climates, but I live in a very damp area and any home builder worth his salt around here says stucco doesn't work in our high humidity zone. So I ask is there any moisture/green friendly alternatives to stucco in straw bale construction?

[mortarsprayer]

Originally Posted by Prismseed

I have heard that a major component in straw bale construction (amazing insulation properties as I hear) is stucco. Now Stucco is functional in drier climates, but I live in a very damp area and any home builder worth his salt around here says stucco doesn't work in our high humidity zone. So I ask is there any moisture/green friendly alternatives to stucco in straw bale construction?

Hello Prismseed,
You have asked a very good question that many people struggle with while building with straw bales. Many people use our stucco sprayers for bales. From them, there is no solid consensus on which path is best (we have passionate customers for each of these). It breaks down to four choices:
Traditional cement stucco
Natural lime plaster
Earthen mixes
Papercrete stucco

I suggest designing your structure and choosing your plastering system specifically for your climate. You mention damp. This tells me that you want to design with extra overhangs to protect the walls.

Please look to other local straw builders to see what the current state of the art is in your area. Once you decide on a likely path that fits your situation, let me know and I will let introduce you to others that have completed something similar.

Some people to watch for good advice are:
Charmaine Taylor for Lime plasters and earthen mixes and Robert Merrill for papercrete stucco.


For regular portland cement stucco, we have had good luck with the stickiness of Parex 210 stucco concentrate. I do caution, that some people have very well reasoned arguments for never using Portland cement stucco on bales. Still we have had many other customers happy with the results. I hope i have helped instead of just making the decision more muddy.

If you would like to see our stucco sprayer or I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to contact me. I can probably point you towards someone that can help once I have more specifics.

Best regards,
Nolan

[mortarsprayer]

Hello Primseed,
It is getting closer to Spring and we have had several contacts from people building with Straw bales up in Canada. The common thread that keeps coming back, is that all are using extra long eaves and over hangs to keep water away from the bales as much as possible.

I hope you are enjoying Spring. Good luck with your project,
Nolan

[LivingGreen]

I'd really love to know how this went/goes! I wasn't aware that people were trying to use straw bale as insulation - what a great idea! Please update when you get a chance.