Land Ark and Earthen Floor Finish

Yes, that’s right, you can now use Land Ark finishes on earthen floors for a beautiful natural look with rugged durability, and like all our products, without the use of toxic dryers or harmful chemicals.
WHAT TO USE: The best results come from saturating the floor with our Concentrated Finishing Oil (Earthen Floor Finish) and top coating with 2-3 thin coats of Non-Staining End Sealer/Liquid Wax. You can also add oxide pigments for a variety of rich colors. Why put yourself at risk from toxic dryers and chemical additives in hardware store variety finishes? Land Ark is the way to go.... GREEN!

Here's what one natural builder and earthen floor expert has to say:

“Earthen floors are laid as a wet mix of clay rich soil, sand and fiber. After drying, these raw floors are sealed with many layers of linseed oils mixed with thinner and then finished with a wax or resin.. The Concentrated Finishing Oil from Land Ark works great for me. It already has citrus thinner in it, which I absolutely prefer.

I apply many layers, until the floor is full and then let it dry for about a week. I then use Land Ark Non-Staining End Sealer/Liquid Wax, applying with a buffer...beautiful! I have also been playing around with the pigmented oils; they color the basic brown floor nicely. ”-Sukita Crimmel, From These Hands, LLC

More about From These Hands and Sukita:

From These Hands, LLC is a natural building company with the mission to offer design, contracting and consultation for earthen floors, plasters, walls and sculpture.

Earthen Floors have recently become our focus and with that we have done the work of finding all the best materials. Local is very important to us, as well as non toxic. After a few other attempts at different options for the oil we use to seal the floors, we have landed with Land Ark Natural Wood Finishes from Land Ark Northwest.

With the integration of earthen construction methods and materials with green building options, we are rekindling the trust and knowledge to build with the earth.

From These Hands, LLC, Sukita Crimmel:: Owner, manager, general mud enthusiast and earthen floor specialist. Phone: 503.957.6132, mudgirl@sukita.com, www.sukita.com

Stay tuned for more on this in the future....

Small Farmer's Journal Horsedrawn Auction & Swap Meet

Land Ark Northwest is heading to Madras, Oregon, April 17-19th for the Small Farmer's Journal Horsedrawn Auction & Swap Meet at the Jefferson Co. Fairgrounds. We will have a booth there, be kicking up our heels and having a great time (oh, and talking about our wood finish)! Visit this great organization's webpage at www.smallfarmersjournal.com! We hope to see you there!

Wood Finishing talk at the Timber Framer's Guild Western Conference

Coming up soon - March 28th - Autumn and Aaron Bauman will be giving a 90 minute talk and demonstration on wood finishes and wood finishing at the upcoming Timber Framer's Guild Western Conference in Sunriver, Oregon. Below is the summary that will be published in the conference proceedings. We'd love to see you there!

Wood Finishing: Traditional to Modern Finishes and Techniques

You’ve just spent months in the shop cutting on a frame, or if you’re cutting your own house frame, maybe years. The structure is finally up, the roof is going on, winter is coming soon and you need to get a finish on those timbers fast. What kind of finish do you use? How do you put it on? What are the longer term issues based on this hasty choice you just made? There are many options out there for what to finish your frame with. Some of our topics will include:

• A discussion on how many different finishes work. What are the differences between polyurethane, water-based finishes, natural oils, varnishes, etc.
• Frame prep before finishing
• What is end sealer? Do I need it? What does it do?
• We will also address your ‘Green’ finish options, what that means for your framing job, homeowner and applicator safety, and application considerations
• What are the best options for the overall look and health of your timber frame?
• Long-term care and maintenance
• Using stains and exterior pigments

We will also present a basic overview of traditional wood finishing techniques that can be used on a variety of wood projects in addition to timber framing, from furniture, windows and trim, to floors. We will split our time going from slide presentation to hands-on finishing demonstrations to keep it lively. Bring your questions, experiences (or lack thereof), finishing disasters or dramas and we’ll be sure to do our best to answer your questions or help guide your next project!

Bio: Autumn and Aaron Bauman are manufacturers of Land Ark Natural Wood Finishes and run Land Ark Northwest out of Blodgett, Oregon. They have their hands on all types of woodworking projects and in various finishes, not just their own. They purchased a rural, abandoned lumber mill site last January and in their spare time, have begun a clean up and restoration in preparation of starting the Oregon Folk School. Starring of course, architecture with lots of timber framing. Stay tuned…