STRAW WALLS

Michael Holigan: Artist Stacy Robinson came up with an inventive Johnson Grass application for a kitchen wall. All it takes is a little wall board joint compound from your local home center, the Johnson Grass, and you're in business. How long does it take to do a major project like this?

Stacy Robinson: Well, it depends on the techniques that you use. With this particular seed that we're using on the walls, I'm placing them as opposed to pretty much randomly tossing them on there, so it's taking me a little longer to do this.

M.H.: How long do we need the plaster to set up before we start putting materials on?

S.R.: Not long, we can go for it now.

M.H.: Okay.

S.R.: Just pretty much set that in there.

M.H.: You don't have to worry about applying the Johnson Grass in any particular pattern or design. And the joint compound can be tinted any color to match the decor of your room. Stacy, this doesn't seem too difficult. Can people do this themselves?

S.R.: Oh, absolutely. We're using Johnson Grass, which is this.

M.H.: Yeah, Why is that? Why would you use this? Most people call that a weed.

S.R.: Yeah, and it is, but I thought it's beautiful. I've seen it as I'm driving down the road. It's in every bar ditch in America. It's plentiful, so that makes it very inexpensive.

M.H.: Did you have to let it dry out?

S.R.: No, actually it almost gets too dry if it's left more than a day. I selected very green, new seed and as it matures it gets dark and almost has a purple cast to it.

M.H.: Yeah, I've seen some with some purple shades in it right through here.

S.R.: Makes it interesting. I think it has a real natural look, almost looks like herbs. And, you know, that's another suggestion. You could put anything in here. Dry flowers out of the garden or fern leaves.

M.H.: Can you use straw or hay?

S.R.: Absolutely.

M.H.: So once we're done, what do we do?

S.R.: Well, it needs to be sealed. That will also seat down any of these loose pieces, because it's sticky.

M.H.: Okay.

S.R.: You want to use a water based polyurethane so it doesn't yellow, but that will seal things up and...

M.H.: Forever, or for awhile?

S.R.: No, you'll have a finish on there.

M.H.: Stacey, how long does it have to dry before we put on the sealant?

S.R.: It's usually dry in 24 hours.

M.H.: Is there any problem if we wait a little longer than that before we seal it?

S.R.: No, no. It can be sealed at any time, but you do want to have a sealant on there to...especially with it being in a kitchen, it will be a little more durable. You don't want to, you know, brush up against the wall and have it fall off.

M.H.: What kind of cost can we expect? You have plaster and you mixed in a little color with it, and you had to go to a bar ditch and cut some Johnson Grass. What are we going to be out on a project like this?

S.R.: Well, just really the cost of the colorant for the sheetrock joint compound. Which I think was about $7. The colorant was $4. So not a lot of money. Now if you put in dry flowers that you bought at a hobby store or floral shop, that could be a lot of money. I think it's great to do something that's native to where you live.

M.H.: Well, Johnson Grass is native everywhere. So that's not a problem.

S.R.: That's true.

M.H.: Whatever natural materials you choose, you can easily do a project like this in one weekend, and add a unique look to your walls in the kitchen or any room in the house.

Episode 35 1996 - 97 Season

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