Dirt Floors

In keeping with the "green" theme this week, the NY Times takes eco-friendly flooring to the next step, or shall I say below the step. Dirt floors were installed by this couple in their El Cerritos, CA home and they love it. The dirt is mixed with lime and sand to harden and after two weeks is sealed with linseed oil and beeswax. These floors can be cleaned with soap and water or shined with another coat of oil. Sounds easy but finding the right folks to help you get the proper mixture and installation right can prove to be difficult.

Dirt floors are at the forefront of the movement towards "natural building" which is defined by using materials that have had the least amount of processing. Similar to the way millions of people live around the world.

  February 9, 2007 | Comments ()