American Clay Earth
Plaster, the award-winning, all-natural finish for interior walls and ceilings,
is excited to announce its new MUD GLUE™ at the annual National Green Building
Conference, Booth #302, from March 25-27 in St. Louis, MO (www.nahb.org).
In the works for over a year, Mud Glue™ is a zero-VOC dry powder binder
that American Clay has created as a natural, cost-effective alternative to their
soy-resin acrylic Add Mix or Sanded Primer that is normally added to the Dos
Manos Classic and Professional application systems. Through green chemistry
that provides a green chemical reaction to produce Mud Glue's™ great binding
attributes, the company has formulated a product that continues their commitment
to providing a healthy approach to building products, and helps customers lower
the material cost of the application by at least 10 cents per square foot.
"We are so pleased to have made this giant leap forward in the application
of our clay plasters," states Croft Elsaesser, CEO and co-Founder of American
Clay. "We no longer have to rely on petroleum based acrylics or environmentally
questionable products to have the most durable, creative wall plaster possible."
Mud Glue™ has all the qualities the company and its distributors have
been hoping for to uphold American Clay Earth Plaster as the premier plaster
finish:
- It helps bind American Clay's Earth Plasters to nearly everything, including
high gloss latex paint, dry wall, gypsum finishes (and seams!), portland cement
products, lime plaster and even some mystery finishes.
- It helps inhibits mold growth. The documented lab results from two universally-accepted
tests for mold growth on the plaster, ASTM 3273-00 and ASTM G21-96, showed
either no signs of mold growth or a 'zero' test score with Mud Glue™
mixed in, meaning no traces of any fungal growth were observed.
- It reduces the amount of water required for mixing, and yet, increases workability
and durability over acrylic additives.
- It adds impact resistance to the application when used in the top coat,
as in Dos Manos Pro.
- As a dry binder, it is cheaper to ship because it weighs 10 pounds less
than our Sanded Primer which was hydrated; it also takes up less storage space.
Soft-released in December, American Clay distributors have been getting their
hands dirty and providing extraordinary feedback. "I think it is great,"
states Jeremy Mistretta of New Age Artisans in Montana. "The fact that
you don't have to prime gypsum saves time and more importantly, saves money
on projects. It is just as easy as the original Dos Manos, but the overall product
is twice as nice. When compressing, half the effort is needed due to the protein
in the solution. It all rises to the top and compresses and actually burnishes
beautifully. My clients couldn't be happier with the product."
Mud Glue™ will be the only product additive recommended in the future
for the Dos Manos systems and was created to eliminate the need for applying
Sanded Primer to the substrate, thereby saving time and money. (The Sanded Primer
will still be available for those who wish to use.)
American Clay - recommended for restorations as well as new construction -gives
additional masonry mass in rooms, absorbs sound, provides humidity buffering,
and is easily repairable. There is no off-gassing or inherent waste on-site.