Cement Walls

No more dirt falling on us in our sleep! We decided to go ahead and cement the bedroom walls so we can sleep better. It will also put an end to the European hornets making nests in the mud packout of our walls, and of course the spider nests and other lizards and critters that seem to like to live in dirt walls.

By the way, these giant European Hornets are large and scary looking but do not bother us. I have swatted them off my face just to have them fly around confused, never once attempting to attack me. They have a voracious appetite for other insects and are probably quite beneficial to have around, I just would rather they eat their dinner somewhere other than in my walls.

Anyway, back to the walls. We used chicken wire over the dirt and tires to ensure a solid bond of the cement. Then a 1:3:1 ratio of portland cement, sand, and  water. We will do another coat of cement and then a lime plaster tinted with an admixture for color. But for now, we are just focusing on getting the first layer of cement up.

Day One (approximately 5 feet completed, approximately 700 pounds of sand and 150 pounds of cement):

Day Two (approximately 5 feet completed, approximately 700 pounds of sand and 150 pounds of cement):

Day Three (approximately 5 feet completed, approximately 700 pounds of sand and 150 pounds of cement):

Day Four (approximately 5 feet completed, approximately 700 pounds of sand and 150 pounds of cement):

Total - 4 days of work, one room completed, three rolls of chicken wire, approximately 2,800 pounds of sand and 600 pounds of portland cement.