I realize that I have not posted anything for some time. I have been busy building fences, working on our property, repairing storm damage, repairing our car and repairing my father in-law's Bobcat. Needless to say I've been very busy. So I haven't had time to do much on my outdoor kitchen since my last post. So with that said on with the show.
I found that the layers of lime wash painted on as a protective layer works but, only lasts through one rainy season. I have had to reapply the lime wash after every rainy season. When the rain hits the lime coating it causes the it to lift and separate in sections from the outer dome layer. Then as it dries those sections crack and with some help from the wind or anything that rubs them they get pulled knocked right off. Now if you like that look of old adobe buildings you'll love the way this looks but, it's not very protective.
So I've learned through trial and error that you have to have a base first to get the lime wash to adhere well. What base am I talking about? Well after doing much research on adobe structures I found that they would apply a lime stucco consisting of slacked lime and sand. Traditionally the lime stucco was applied in three coats. The base coat was made with medium and fine sand and slacked lime in a mixture of 2:1 sand to lime or 1:1 depending on the recipe. The outer coat of adobe or cob has to be roughed up so the stucco holds well. This was traditionally done with a hatchet. The second coat of stucco, or brown coat as it's called, is mixed at 1:1 with fine sand and slacked lime. The top coat of stucco is also the mixed the same as the brown coat although some recipes called for 1/2: 1 sand to lime.
Ok so why add all this to the outside of the oven? Well it's easy to explain. The sand mixed with the lime creates an extremely strong and thicker outer shell. The lime wash can then be colored and painted on the outside as upkeep and decorations.
The painted lime wash just isn't tough enough for the weather here in the Arizona desert without that lime stucco base. This is a lesson that I learned the hard way.
So my plan is to scrape the entire oven then roughen the surface so the stucco holds well. Then stucco the entire oven with the lime stucco. After letting the stucco cure for at least a few days I'll give the oven a coat or two of the lime wash.
The additional benefits of the lime stucco are longevity and the ability to heal any cracks.
So this is going to be my next step over this summer. I might get more of the kitchen done too if everything goes well.
