MakePapercrete.com

Where you can learn to make Papercrete,
the incredibly versatile building material,
made from recycled paper and cement.
Contact: info@MakePapercrete.com

What is Papercrete?

Papercrete

What is it?

Why Make it?

What Can I Make With It?

How Can I Make It?

The Tow-Mixer

Other Mixers

Contact

Get the FREE DVD

Gallery

What is Papercrete?
Papercrete is a type of fibrous cement, or cement with fibers of some kind in it. These fibers can be just about anything, from paper (wood fibers) and cotton to hemp, jute, flax, woll and so on. These fibers add strength to the cement, just as glass fibers add strength to fiberglas. In the case of papercrete, these fibers can actually make up the bulk of the mix, resulting in a product that is both lightweight and strong.

The ingredients in papercrete vary widely, depending on what it will be used for. For example, to make blocks for building a wall of a house, there really isn't any need to add anything to the basic formula of paper and cement. For load-bearing walls, some sand will add compressive strength to the mix. There is no need to add rocks or gravel, and doing so may damage the mixer blade.

If the papercrete mix will be used as mortar, as in building a wall from papercrete blocks, the addition of more cement will make the mortar stickier, and it will bond better with the blocks. If using the mix as a plaster to cover a papercrete wall, more cement will help here as well, so that the plaster sticks well to the wall and can be trowelled smooth. Adding cement makes the mix creamier and easier to use.

Qualities of Papercrete
Since Papercrete looks similar to concrete and is often used instead of it, let's compare them. Papercrete is far lighter in weight and has remarkable insulating qualities, unlike concrete, which is relatively heavy and often feels cold to the touch. Although Papercrete does not have the compressive strength of concrete, unless one is building something that requires the hardness of stone, like a five-story building, the hardness of Papercrete is often sufficient. You can hold a gas torch to Papercrete and it will not ignite or burn, so a house made from it is safer than one made from wood. It is easy to shape when cured and dry. It can be cut with an ordinary wood saw. Try that with concrete.