Article of My Feature on American Clay Over Concrete

Featured Project of February (article taken from American Clay's Blog)

Posted on February 1, 2013 by American Clay

A Stunning Transformation Using Lomalina!

A thermal mass concrete home was given a beautiful transformation with the use of Lomalina.

Selina Hoit from Creative Juices Decor 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 visitingwww.creativejuicesdecor.com. Most of my product was purchased through the American Clay company and GTS Drywall in Rathrum, Idaho.

Why was American Clay chosen?

My clients did an insane amount of research before they chose American Clay for their home. Absolutely NOTHING was going to be put in their home that didn’t live up to their highest standard of clean living.   Once they met with me and discussed it more, they were confident in the choice they had made.  

What were the steps to applying American Clay over concrete and what tips would you give?

We had a few trials, the biggest one being we had to keep the integrity of an all natural green product and take in consideration the breathability of the concrete.  The bonder base coat that was first recommended to apply the clay over the concrete was a USG bonder.  This was not an option for my client as they wanted to keep the breathability of the concrete at it’s full potential and they also didn’t want to add anything that wasn’t green or questionable. The best advice I have for others that want to keep the product as natural as possible would be to double up their binder.  We used Plaster Plus in our clay along with Sanded Primer as a base coat over the concrete.  Of course, this was after each wall was washed with a water/vinegar mix to be sure it was free of any dust or oil that would be left from the concrete forms.  If you are able to power wash your concrete walls before a lot of construction starts that is a very safe way to go about providing a better “grip” or “tooth” to the concrete. Don’t forget to fill in any divits or holes that come from the nature of poured form concrete.  If the power wash had been done first, we might have gotten away with just the plaster plus in the clay.  You can always do a large test area on any given wall (you must do the TWO coats of clay!) to see how your choice of bonder is holding up against the concrete or any substrate.  When doing a large job, my motto is better safe than sorry, so if you could do all three of my recommendations – go for it!  

How do the clients feel about the overall project?

They were thrilled with the American Clay.  They knew that what they put into their home was safe and it gave life to the home they were retiring in.  It’s been a year since I did this home and I haven’t received any phone calls regarding touch ups.  Happily there has been no issues with the clay over the concrete. 

Kitchen Before and After:

Dining Before and After:

To check out American Clay's Blog clink LINK. 

Second Contest Winner for American Clay!

Sorry I am posting this so late but thank you AGAIN for voting my walls with the most "likes" via American Clay Facebook page. 

I feel so blessed that people recognized my hard work and I once again won an American Clay Competition.

Here is the article:

Project Contest Winner!

Posted on November 4, 2011 by American Clay

The winner is….Selina Hoit of OldWorldWalls (Creative Juices Decor)


The project contest has come to close and the winner is Selina Hoit, an American Clay applicator of OldWorldWalls. Selina Hoit had the most “likes” on our Facebook page with 27 “likes” total.
We were very excited and thrilled to see such beautiful projects being done throughout the World posted on our Facebook page. American Clay would not only like to congratulate the winner of the project contest, but all of you who participated and showcased your stunning works of art.

The Winner: Selina Hoit, Old World Walls, Coeurd’Alene, Idaho

The powder room. This powder room was done by Selina Hoit of OldWorldWalls. Selina Hoit talks about the project below:


“This was a very fun project in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The homeowner had seen American Clay at a home show and immediately knew it was the product she wanted for her entire 4,000 square foot home.
We covered every square inch of her home, even the garage and mechanical room. She just couldn’t get enough of it! Almost the entire home was a custom mix of equal parts Acacia and Nantucket sand. Her powder room, the one showcased, was the only room done in a richer pigment, Amber Grain. She wanted a look closer to Venetian plaster so she chose the Porcelina clay, which we compressed to achieve a beautiful satin finish.

Before I completed this project, the texture and look of Loma was my favorite, but now that I have had a chance to do an entire home in Porcelina I think I am a convert. I can’t tell you how AMAZING her house feels with every inch covered in a buttery smooth yet full-of-depth texture. I feel fortunate to have found American Clay and every job I do is an exciting one.”

Here is a photo of the grand prize winning wall I did previously.  The winner was chosen by a board of professionals in the Albuquerque area.

More Pictures of American Clay in My Home!

Over the past 5 years of being an American Clay applicator I have collected many left over clay colors from multiple jobs.  Being that am I a free spirited designer, I thought it would be fun for my powder room to be a collection of all the left over colors!  (I wonder if tile installers ever do this with all their left over tile remnants!  I know I'd probably have an entire mosaic wall, good thing I'm not a tile installer!)

I started with the base in Guadalupe Dunes in Enjarre

Next was a skip troweled Quartzine (white) in Enjarre

Then on top of that, Amber Grain Porcelina

And last but not least, Savannah Moss in Porcelina!

Obviously, these were all troweled with areas open to the color underneath.

Since I knew I needed to compress the walls, I ended up using a damp sponge to reach all the layers. (a light misting and a trowel was not going to reach the other colors!)  Unfortunately, by using a sponge, some of the bright colors became muted by the Savannah Moss being swiped over them.

The result???  It looks like an old crumbled concrete wall from Italy.  Since I just used leftovers, I may chosen different colors if I started from scratch but I am happy to have my powder room be something different from the rest of the neutral colored house. 

It's almost a room you need to see in person.  Here it is completed.

And one more up close - Enjoy!

 (sorry, the watermark is from my other blog.....)

Starting American Clay Enjarre on my Own Home!

I am so excited because I finally get to apply American Clay in my own home.  After renting for 4 years, this interior designer is ready for some fun!

I chose to do the entire main level in the Enjarre clay because it only requires one coat (instead of two) and I was doing it myself and on a TIME CRUNCH!

I am so happy with the end result, but if time and money didn't mean anything, I would still opt for Loma or Porcelina, at least in a few rooms :-)


I choose Caltrite and Agate which used to come in pre-tinted Enjarre bags.  (From what I heard, they no longer sell the Enjarre pre- tinted, you just buy the pigment or tint separately.) 

Since I was doing just one coat, I knew I had to get creative with the clay.  I ended up mixing (on my hawk) both the colors and then came back when the clay was still wet, and skipped some of the Quartzine Enjarre on top.  I wanted LOTS of texture.  The more the merrier for me, although, a lot of my clients prefer the super smooth texture that gives off this rich buttery feel like this bathroom in clay that I did. 

And here is some AFTER shots!

If you would like to see more pictures of my own home, stop by my other blog,

CreativeJuicesDecor and enter the word HOUSE in the search box.

Acacia American Clay - Voted Best color

American Clay recently did a pole on what was the American Clay fan's favorite clay color pigment and Acacia was the winner! 

Funny thing is, that was the same color one of my favorite clients picked for her beautiful home on the lake.  One thing I liked about that color is that it was warm and yet subtle.  Acacia perfectly accented every piece in her home from art to the various wood tones. 

Here is a home done in the Acacia American Clay color:



  Courtesy of Spirit Interior Design

Isn't that gorgeous!  Not only are the walls spectacular but the room has so many interesting accents.  The RICH wood floor paired along with the grey cabinetry is perfect.  I also love how the wood beams pick up on the color of the flooring and how the fire place picks up on both the rich wood tones and the grey stone colors.  The floor to ceiling window is such a focal point along with the old wagan wheel turned light fixture. 

Here is a picture of the home I did in Acacia. 

It truly is an amazing color.  Although, there isn't any color in the American Clay family that I don't like!

~ Old World Walls ~

Old Wood Doors, Red Shutters, and Green Plants

I just love an entry that tells a story. The green bushes in woven baskets add lots of texture and character.  I love the symmetry it creates..  Enjoy!

Outdoor Dining at it's Best

I just SWOON over designs filled with rustic natural elements like rough sawn wood posts, distressed aged stone walls, flagstone floors and antiqued lumineers.  I could sit at this table forever. How about you?

 designer Kathryn Waltzer via Decorati