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Plastering American Clay That Looks Like Concrete for Fireplace Surrounds

Hello Design Friends, Today I have a very exciting post.  Most of you know my absolute love for American Clay and lately, I've been specializing in plastering clay fireplace surrounds.  Most of my clients have asked for an industrial hand troweled concrete/cement look but I can produce any artistic style you've envisioned..  My favorite part about the clay is that it's REAL and NATURAL.  This is not a faux paint product or something synthetic trying to mimic a natural product. Concrete has clay in it.....so in part, I feel like you can't use a better product to produce a look similar to a cement or concrete fireplace surround.   What I have found from most of my clients who are looking for a concrete fireplace surround is they aren't excited about astronomical  bid they get! What they get from me is a work of art (hand troweled and artistic) for a fraction of the cost. Over the next few weeks I am going to showcase the MANY fireplace surrounds
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Concrete Trend for Fireplace Surrounds

  What makes my job exciting is turning the focal point of a room into a work of art! This last house asked for an artistic clay finish on their new fireplace surround.   I used Iroquois American Clay and washed the top with a dark pigment to achieve the aged concrete look.  Since clay IS an ingredient in actual cement it feels amazing and makes such a statement. There are so many artistic directions you can take the clay.  It can be modern OR old world style, it just depends on my technique and the color choices a client chooses.   The up close picture below is when the clay is wet - I love showing the DEPTH of the product and all the artistic divots and character each fireplace has. The fireplace is starting to lighten up as it's drying . I don't always receive a final, fully decorated AFTER picture but I did with these clients.   Blueplank Builders in Coeur d'Alene was the builder of this beautiful  home.     Give me a call to bid your own fireplace!  It's such a un

Review for The Clay Trowel - Rustic Kitchen in Enjarre American Clay

Hello Friends! I just finished a LOVELY home project way out in the Coeur d'Alene forest :-) My team applied a very rustic, one coat Enjarre finish to their kitchen.  I always feel honored to turn a client's home into a work of art.  I appreciated her "glowing" review. BEFORE AFTER Their little girls room was done up in clay also.   My client even made that fairy art piece out of the clay! She was inspired by this piece I did. Best of Houzz 2017 - Client Satisfaction ~ Selina

Showcase Gallery of American Clay Before and After

Since I just finished a large American Clay job, I thought it would be fun to do a post on some of my past clay projects.  A little Before and After Showcase. :-) Before ENTRY with Colorado Red Clay - skip troweled After Tuscan Gold clay over concrete walls (this was an all green thermal mass home). After (such a pretty glowing color) One of my favorite clay projects was this guest room.  She wanted me to "age" the fireplace hood and then paint a true fresco of an antler.  It was HUGE (or else I just have a tiny head) :-) but it turned out great and was a lot of fun.   Before (aging process) After (complete with fresco using earth pigments) This project was a client in California.  This is the exact same wall in both pictures.  I also helped with re-arranging and decorating the entire room.   Acacia American Clay Before   And the AFTER!   This series below is a photog

American Clay Over Concrete on a Thermal Mass Home

Featured Project of February (article taken from American Clay's Blog) A Stunning Transformation Using Lomalina American Clay! A thermal mass concrete home was given a beautiful transformation with the use of Lomalina. Selina Hoit from  Creative Juices Decor  (aka The Clay Trowel) gives us insight into this healthy home. Tell us a little about the project and clients? This was a beautiful home of a retired couple nestled away on 20 acres up in the country.  They built their home out of concrete and only used building materials that were natural, non-toxic and green.  Their goal was to create a thermal mass home made without any questionable materials.  The decision to use American Clay fit right into that plan.   Who were the applicators and dealers? The application   was done by my company, Old World Walls.  You can see more photos of the American Clay projects I have done by visiting  www.creativejuicesdecor.com . Most of my product w

American Clay Bathroom Benefits

This bathroom was so inspiring!  Adding American Clay to the walls was just icing on the cake.  My client chose the American Clay product, Porcelina . " Porcelina is often compared to the Venetian plasters of Italy.  It is truly closest to quality of "porcelain" ceramics for which it was named.  Satin smooth, easily blended for marble-like surfaces, Porcelina casts a spell of beauty…with an edge of contemporary, crisp lustre.which is the smoothest of all the clay products and closest to the look of Venetian plaster".  (from A.C. website) For those that are thinking about doing American Clay in their bathroom GOOD CHOICE! The clay has so many amazing benefits like the fact that it naturally absorbs water vapor and it is mold resistant. Click on the link below on how water/steam is absorbed into the clay instead of running down your walls!  You'll be blown away.   The American Clay Humidity Demonstration. The color was one of my favorites: Amber Grain. 

Step by Step - Pictures of a Dramatic American Clay Wall

American Clay is a wonderful way to add value and character to your home.  This post is a simple DIY American Clay Tutorial. I am an interior designer by degree and an American Clay applicator.  I absolutely can't say enough wonderful things about this product.   This project I'm showing you wasn't my typical clay wall.   This wall's purposes was to be used as a photography backdrop instead of having to put up canvases in this professional photographers family room.  I had to view this project as more of an art piece than "just doing a wall"   Believe it or not the hardest part for me is the "getting ready" part.  Mixing up all the clay (80 lb bag of clay!) and getting all the pigments right with the binder is always time consuming.  This project consisted of 3 colors - Bryce Canyon, Palomino Valley, and Acacia.  This was the first time I used American Clay's newer product Enjarre and Up and EZ binder .  Enjarre is their on