Mike Potts from Marquette, MI did his neighborhood a favor when he chose to save a local historical building from demolition. Instead of seeing it fall into disuse, he’s pulling out all the stops to renovate it into “a model for recycling, reuse and green renovation,” reads the Mining Journal’s article featuring the project. With American Clay as the elected wall-covering, Potts plans to create a green flower shop downstairs and an apartment above.

To read the full article visit The Mining Journal’s website here or watch a video featuring the project here.

American Clay recently took part in plastering a traditional hogan on the Ramah Navajo Reservation in Pine Hill, NM.

Recently rewarded with a grant to build a straw bale hogan using locally harvested Ponderosa Pine, the project is an attempt to bring the Navajo elders and young children together in a traditional setting to exchange stories and Navajo culture. The Ramah Continuing Education Department, along with The Navajo Weavers Guild, plan to use the hogan as a meeting area and classroom, offering traditional classes in language, weaving and Navajo culture.

In traditional Navajo culture the hogan is the center of life. Inside, the design and layout of the space mimics their traditional religion. The door faces east to welcome the new day and the fireplace is located in the middle.

The straw bales were covered with a site-based clay plaster. This base clay plaster was not very smooth, but high spots to low spots did not vary more that 1/16″. By using the Enjarre-Quartzite product in the window wells, more natural light is pulled into the building with only one coat. The rest of the walls were finished with a blend of Loma and Marittimo.

In Navajo mythology, the “white shell” plays a pivotal role, acting as an instrument for creation in the story of White Shell Woman. Because of this intimate connection, the elders in the Weavers Guild wanted the shell-which is the sand in the Marittimo product-incorporated into the plaster. The Loma-Marittimo blend allowed us to incorporate the shell into the plaster and created an amazing finish. Easy to work with, we were able to do one coat of the blend over the base clay plaster.
Tim White
Product Development
American Clay Enterprises, LLC

Sprig.com, a website dedicated to promoting the “glamour in green”, recently gave their video office a greenover. The first step? An American Clay accent wall done by Bettencourt Green Building Supplies. Watch the transformation transpire in their 2-minute video documenting the event by clicking here.

Meghan Simone and Dave Eiermann will be opening their doors to all those interested in seeing and learning about their completely non-toxic home in Bartlett, NH.

Featured as American Clay’s Project of the Month in April, the house is composed of an array of environmentally friendly building products, including over 4,800 square feet of applied American Clay.

If you plan on being in the area, don’t pass up the opportunity to see such a magnificent home and an excellent example of sustainable building.

Sunday, June 22
12-5 PM
53 Ridge Road, Bartlett NH

Directions: Rt 16/302 in Bartlett to Town Hall Road. 2.5 miles bear right onto Towle Road and Ridge Road. Look for signs.
Call 603.986.6234 for more detailed directions or visit their website, http://19ridgeroad.blogspot.com.

All photos provided by Meghan Simone

Back in October ‘07, our Project of the Month featured the cliff-face inspired accent wall in one of the new, ultra-modern Museum Residences in Denver, CO.

Local designer John Ronnberg and Hall’s Walls‘ Deborah Hall developed an original technique in order to create subtle striations in the top coat of Sugar Loaf Porcelina, giving the 30′ x 22′ wall a look echoing that of a sheer rock face.

With residents all moved in, modern furnishings attractively juxtapose the wall’s visually delicate striations. Also complimented by the oppositely situated bay of full-wall windows, the American Clay application is provided with an ample amount of natural light, beautifully displaying its unique texture.

To read the October article, click here.

As you may already know, American Clay was used in the Albuquerque home featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired April 27th on ABC.

Rebuilding pastor Gerald Martinez’s home, the show’s crew was able to build a new home, renovate the Martinez family’s previous home and build an additional set of duplexes aimed to provide affordable, safe housing for those in need, all in one week.

Since they moved there, the Martinez family has dedicated their lives to improving the Trumbull Village, formally known as the “war zone”. Without a doubt, their devotion to revamping the neighborhood has brought about positive changes.

Throughout the six days of building, American Clay provided 43 buckets of precolored/premixed plaster and 20 applicators to this outstanding project.

All of us here at American Clay feel extremely honored to have provided a great product for an extraordinary family and to have been part of a significant opportunity that truly made a difference.

To watch the episode online, click on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC’s Full Episode Player.

Also, check out Paige Hemmis’ visit to American Clay on her YouTube blog.

To read more about American Clay on ABC’s website, click here.

Located between the small Texas towns of Ennis and Kaufman, and near the ghost town of Peeltown, you will find Becky and Phil Provan putting the finishing touches on their self-built, Rastra home.

Architect Marley Porter from Living Architecture in Austin designed the house. After an unsuccessful search for a builder experienced with Rastra construction, the Provans elected to build it themselves.

In its sixth–and hopefully last–year of building, the 1,600 square foot home has American Clay in every room. After learning how to apply the clay, Becky Provan took on the task of applying clay to the entire home, ceilings and all.

Using all Porcelina with a hard-troweled finish, nearly every room displays a different color. An array of reds, pinks and grays shapes the home’s color scheme, creating a warm, sunset-like feel. From Dakota Red, Bryce Canyon and Cimarron, to Austin Blush and Borrego Tan, to Wild Horse Smoke and Guadalupe Dunes, each color adds to the overall allure of the home.