Natural paints and flooring

The building is nearing completion as we apply earthen paints and the final coat of flooring.

The great thing about natural paints is that you can find the ingredients right around you. This photo was taken along the road to Chiang Mai, about 8 miles from Pun Pun.


The ingredients of earthen paint:
coloring...pigment, in this case the beautiful yellow earth from the road pictured above,
filler...sand from Pun Pun's driveway,
and glue...binder, in this case a solution of tapioca starch in water.








Pi Ben demonstrates how to mix the flooring compound. The pigment/binder is the clay and sand mix from the dirt of Pun Pun's driveway. Pi Ben is adding a mixture of natural rubber and linseed oil -- this seals the earthen floor and makes it durable. Water is added to the mix to achieve the desired consistency for spreading.




Happy interns and a handsome Pi Ben doing the finish work...