[ENGLISH version] Benito Steen: Creative use of clay-lime plasters

This workshop with Benito Steen is all about plastering techniques and mixtures based on materials such as lime, clay, sand and straw, in particular so-called lime-stabilized clay mixtures ("lime-clay").

Lime-clay mixtures are promising and complex. They offer many advantages:

• Dries quickly and requires only a very small amount of lime
• More resistant to mold and water than clay
• Less lime material required than in pure lime mixtures, therefore more environmentally friendly than pure lime
• Good transition coat for lime - better adhesion of a lime coating to a clay wall
• The lime flocculates the clay, which significantly reduces shrinkage during drying.

What you can expect

You will start with rough plaster mixes, which you will shape and curve - a special feature of the canelo project. You will then apply various fillers and interior coatings, including some advanced polishing techniques that the Steens have developed over the years.

In the course you will learn everything from the basics of what you need to work with clay-lime plasters: from finding suitable material, to putting together a suitable material mix, to applying and using it. You will finish the course with confidence and understanding of how to coat walls in your own home with beautiful, creative natural finishes.

You will learn in this course:

• Mixing and applying a heavy fiber base coat that can be used to sculpt and mold walls
• Mixing and applying a middle/leveling coat that can be used as both a final and transition coat for a finish
• Fine Japanese Otsu finish plaster with high fiber content that can be smoothed or polished
• Gain confidence in working with clay-lime mixtures
• Gain a deeper understanding of the effects and benefits of aggregates and mixing ratios
• Gain specialized knowledge from the canelo project of the Steens in Arizona

SCHEDULE

Day 1

• Examination of the individual materials - lime, clay, aggregates, fibers - from the perspective of the southwestern US and Benito Steen's findings from the Canelo project

Day 2

• Producing mixtures and modeling and shaping with basecoat plaster

Day 3

• Application practice with intermediate plaster layer (midcoat), preparation of the walls for polishing

Day 4

• Application of further plastic layers

Day 5

• Polishing the last wall with Otsu plaster
• Further surface treatments for the interior
• Clay polishing

The schedule can be understood as a rough overview, which can be adapted according to the circumstances and requirements.

The course is aimed at craftspeople and interested amateurs who are interested in designing with ecological building materials and high-quality wall finishing techniques.

Benito Steen teaches in English, a translation into German is available. A basic knowledge of technical terms in English is helpful. We recommend studying the list of technical terms in English with translations such as on the DV Lehms website (German, English, French, Spanish Italian, Russian) beforehand.

To get an impression of how Benito Steen works, we recommend you take a look at his instructional videos.

Level: 2 according to DQR (German Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning)

Lecturer: Benito Steen, clay builder, Arizona (USA)

Course duration: 35 hours

Course size: 12 people

Course costs: € 1450,00 (incl. VAT) plus 210,00 € catering. Early bird discount until March 3, 2025

Registration deadline: May 19th, 2025

Accommodation: Accommodation is not included in the price. As a course participant, you will receive a 15% discount at the neighboring Wangeliner Garten. The Tourist Info Plau am See can also arrange accommodation for you.

Buchung: Die Buchung ist noch nicht freigeschaltet. Wir bitten um etwas Geduld. Wenn aktiviert, wird am rechten Rand ein orange-farbener Button "Jetzt buchen" angezeigt. 

Subsidies (for Germany):
KOMPASS: Solo self-employed persons can receive up to 90% funding through the KOMPASS program.