Practical Course: Clay Plastering with Miki
Mon 24 Mar 2025 8:45 AM - Fri 28 Mar 2025 5:00 PM
Tarskavaig, Isle of Skye, IV468SA
Description
Join us for a 5-day practical course, led by our wonderful trainer Miki, where you'll be learning all the essential skills of clay plastering onto straw-bale walls. This course welcomes folks of all building abilities, and our build sites are renowned for attracting wonderful, welcoming people, so you'll feel at home on this course no matter whether you're a beginner or an experienced craftsperson.
Tarskavaig, Isle of Skye, UK
We will be plastering a 1.5 storey straw bale house with a tin roof. Our Clay plastering course covers the practical aspects of clay plastering onto straw, and by the end of the course, participants will have gained both knowledge and hands-on construction experience which includes:
- The differences between key coat, body coat and finish coat
- How to determine mixes for each type of coat
- A basic understanding of how to process fresh clay into plaster
- The differences between using products and using your own clay
- The benefits of clay plasters & how they can help to combat climate change
- Practical skills for applying key coat and dub out walls
- Use of different types of plastering tools
- Creating curvaceous reveals around windows and doors
- Practical application of body coat
- Finishing techniques
- and much more!
ABOUT THE LIVE BUILD:
Learning with us on this project will give you experience with plastering a straw bale building, with a focus on using low-impact, natural and recycled materials. Participants will receive a Clay Plastering certificate from the School of Natural Building.
Miki is a visual artist and natural builder with over 15 years' experience working on projects across Europe and North Africa. Passionate about straw, clay, and lime, she has contributed to community builds, heritage restoration, and diverse techniques such as cordwood and wattle and daub. A graduate of SNaB’s training programme, Miki also holds a postgraduate degree from Building Beyond Borders at Hasselt University, where she focused on regional environments and building traditions. She has trained in specialist lime and clay plastering with the King’s Foundation and delivers workshops for universities, youth groups, and community projects. A gifted facilitator, who encourages participants to share their knowledge, Miki also excels in crafts like basket making, coppice work, felting, and metalworking.
The School of Natural Building is a not-for-profit BenCom, set up to benefit communities, and doesn't receive external funding. However, we believe in driving representation within the construction and building industry, and price our courses as fairly as we can to ensure that they remain accessible. Our prices include tuition, all materials, tools and equipment, and daily refreshments (bring your own packed lunch).
PRICING:
We endeavour to make our courses and events affordable to all. We have a limited number of subsidised places available on every course and a rate for participants being sponsored through their work or higher earners. Subsidised places are limited and are intended for those who truly cannot afford the standard rate. We don't ask for any proof, but ask that you use your judgement when purchasing.
£350 - Sponsored / income over 30k rate
£250 - Individual rate
£150 - Subsidised rate
ACCOMMODATION:
Holiday rentals on Skye book up very quickly, so book your accommodation asap. Tarskavaig, is on the southern peninsula, known as Sleat. There are some local cottages and houses in Tarskavaig and in Sleat in general, but more in Kyle (45 minutes drive away - on the mainland just before the bridge) and Broadford (35 minutes drive away).
Here are some accommodation options gathered by the host within walking distance: Rum View in Tarskavaig; Peters Cottage; Braeside cottage; Joan's House.
And within driving distance: Flora Macdonald Hostel. This hostel should have space, please contact them directly and mention that you are part of Vinca's Group; There is camping at Broadford Campsite.
Other places you could look for accommodation are in the nearby villages of Ord, Armadale and Aird, or anywhere along the road between Broadford and Armadale Port.
TRANSPORTATION:
The School of Natural Building believes in the urgency of the climate challenge, and our work is fundamentally about supporting a low-carbon future where people live in ways which bring us closer to the earth, back into community with our ecosystem and back to ourselves. For this reason, we urge participants to travel to our course locations via public or shared transport where possible. We'll connect course participants via email in advance of the course, to facilitate ride-sharing (which might also help with aligning accommodation options).
Practical courses take place on construction sites, which often means participants will be walking on rough terrain or through spaces which pose accessibility issues. Those with reduced mobility or in wheelchairs should reach out to us for more information regarding the accessibility of the specific course site you'd like to join, and we can assess the options together.
BOOKING:
There are limited places on this course, and booking is essential. Please use the button below to pay and secure your place. Please note that for insurance reasons, all participants must be 16 or over. We look forward to meeting you on site, but if you have any questions ahead of attending, please email schoolofnaturalbuilding@gmail.com.
Location
Tarskavaig, Isle of Skye, IV468SA