HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-05-02, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013. PAGE 19. Lucknow-area couple uses eco-friendly decorating
A natural finish
Blair and Jessica Morrison, from the Lucknow area, are now moved into their straw bale
house and are concentrating on the interior of the home. They have employed eco-friendly
methods for painting and finishing wood, as well as using refurbished and reclaimed furniture.
(Shawn Loughlin photo)
During the construction of their
house, Blair and Jessica Morrison
attracted a lot of media attention,
however, once the frenzy died down,
it was time to paint and decorate.
The Morrisons, from the Lucknow
area, attracted a lot of interest for
constructing a straw bale house on
their Paradise Lake Road property.
Jessica says the house attracted a lot
of positive attention, but there were
also those who didn’t know anything
about the process, so from many
people she heard all the same jokes.
Morrison has been asked if she
was worried the house was going to
be blown down by the Big Bad Wolf
(a la the classic story of The Three
Little Pigs). She has also been asked
about having mice in the walls,
which she says is not a concern of
hers, as the walls are now covered in
a thick seal.
Caring for the inside of a straw
bale house, however, for a couple
that prides themselves on
conservation and eco-friendly
practices, is no run-of-the-mill
exercise either, Morrison says.
The couple refused to use
chemical paints and finishes for a
variety of reasons, which makes for
a true natural look on the inside of
their unique house.
“We wanted to focus on natural
finish, non-toxic stains and paints,”
Morrison said.
She says it was a real do-it-
yourself project that involved a lot of
research and reaching back into the
past for ideas on how to get that
rustic feel.
Beginning with paint, Morrison
says, she began to research a lot of
old recipes for paint, not wanting to
go the conventional route. She
would eventually settle on milk
paint, which is created using all
natural ingredients, which results in
quite a different finish from
conventional paint, but one that is, in
many cases, more durable than a
conventional paint finish.
Morrison says that a simple milk
paint can be created by essentially
making curd from milk and mixing
it with a lime wash. Once the
mixture is made, it simply needs to
be watered down to suit your needs.
Morrison then added some
powdered pigments to the mix,
depending on which colour she
wanted and went to work on her
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The Citizen
Continued on page 20