Re: environmental homes in La M

Posted by diane armstrong on September 7, 2009, 2:29 pm, in reply to "environmental homes in La M"
69.19.14.31

you can lower the interior house temperature by 20´F if you use a white cal paint. ordinary white paint converts a lot of the light that falls on it into heat; cal (builders´lime) paint converts almost none to heat. that is why, when it is clean, cal paint is so dazzling white. how to make cal paint: in a good sized pail (5 or 6 L) mix about a L of water half-and-half with store-bought white paint, cactus juice, or P-50 glue. Now add cal to the consistency that you like, keeping in mind that the thicker it is, the better. let this cal paint sit for at least 20 minutes before using and before trying to get all the lumps out. If you are going to paint a lot, you want to make ¨lime putty¨, which you put aside to age, the older the better. I have two big pailsfull that are over a year old. PUTTY: fill a pail about 3/4 full of water. add cal to almost fill the pail. Be careful with the water that slops out as it can kill plants. that´s it. you´ve now made lime putty. the putty needs to be kept covered by about 5 cm of water and closed with a good, tight lid. if the putty dries out, it is usless. when you want to make paint, carefully dip out the putty, then you have to beat the hell out of it as you mix it with the water-glue-paint-whatever liquid. DO NOT use the putty´s covering water. you can add colours to cal paint. Use coloured soil, well washed, or rock powders, even coloured comex paint. you can get whiole-house solar fans from RealGoods or Planet Natural. they don´t work unless you have an attic.

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