What Is Papercrete?By Tara Dodrill on June 27, 2014 Papercrete is the ultimate building material for preppers, homesteaders, and off grid living enthusiasts. Not only is the building material incredibly inexpensive and Earth-friendly, it is also extremely durable. Papercrete building blocs are most often made by upcycling used or discarded paper products !ith a sturdy frame of possibly rebar and metal lath added for support as !ell. "uilding prepper retreat, homestead, or an off the grid home is most commonly done on a tight budget !ith self-sufficiency in mind. Paper concrete,, or papercrete homes are not exactly a ne! concept, but one that is undergoing a rapid resurgence and expansion around the !orld. #anvas concrete style temporary structures have been used by the military for many decades. $istory of Papercrete Papercrete gets its name from the fact that most formulas use a mixture of !ater and cement !ith cellulose fiber. %he mixture has the appearance and texture of oatmeal and is poured into forms and dried in the sun, much lie the process for maing adobe. &esearch tests into papercrete have been carried out by "arry 'uller in (ri)ona and *ach &abon in %exas+ 'uller directs government-funded research on papercrete through the (ri)ona ,tate -niversity Ira (. 'ulton ,chool of Engineering. $e is also head of a subcommittee for the (merican ,ociety for %esting and .aterials, and it is his goal to set standards that !ill lead to acceptance of the product !ithin the architectural community and commerciali)ation of the product, especially for affordable housing. /via Wiipedia0 (s !ith all types of off the grid living housing alternatives, fols !ho live in areas bursting at the seams !ith permit officers, building inspectors and )oning departments, must get every step of the pro1ect approved and apply for all necessary permits in advance. Papercrete may not have the approval of the International #ode #ouncil, meaning its use !ithin municipal limits in incorporated areas in the -nited ,tates may be impossible. Preppers and homesteading advocates !ho are blessed to live in rural regions lie !here I call home, can most often 1ust gather their materials and get building !ithout all the government hoops to 1ump through. Papercrete is a building material !hich is comprised of 2re-pulped3 paper fiber !ith clay or Portland cement, or other soil added. %he material !as first patented during the 4567s and experienced a revival during the late 4587s. %he environmentally friendly nature of paper concrete is often debated. While the construction material often consists of a high percentage of recycled material, the presence of concrete also turns off some eco-building advocates. "oth .ie .c#ain and Eric Patterson have been independently been credited as inventing papercrete. %hey often referred to the building material as fibrous cement and padobe. 9ome shaped structures are very popular !ith paper concrete builders. :etting a building permit, !here it is necessary to do so, for papercrete structures that have load bearing !alls is reportedly very difficult. .any builders feel that not enough testing has been done to determine if a papercrete building alone can support the !eight of a roof. If the paper concrete structure !ill not house people, the approval process is allegedly a bit more feasible. ( post and beam approach !hen setting the foundation and starting the !alls is the preferred building method for both safety and inspection reasons. Papercrete is also highly regarded for its insulation properties. Walls of paper concrete storage buildings, barns, and homes are typically 47 to 46 inches thic. %he upcycling building material is no!n to be mold resistant and has been heralded for its 2sound-proofing3 ;ualities. -nlie adobe or concrete blocs, papercrete blocs are very light!eight, about a third of the !eight of a similar si)ed adobe bric. $o! Papercrete Is .ade Watch a video on ho! to mae it, https<==!!!.youtube.com=!atch?v>xPW5#-#t-5s In structural tests, paper concrete has reportedly tested in the 4?7-4@7 psi range. ,ome claim that the strength reaches into the 6@7 psi range. %he stiffness of papercrete is a !hole lot less than a solely concrete building of course, but it is reportedly strong enough to hold up the load of a roof on 2lo!-height3 buildings. %!o-story structures have been built !ith concrete, and are very attractive and appear to be sturdy homes. Papercrete %ips via Aiving In Paper< Papercrete may be mixed in many !ays. 9ifferent types of papercrete contain B7-87 percent !aste paperC -p to no!, there are no hard and fast rules, but recommended standards !ill undoubtedly be established in the future. %he basic constituents are !ater and nearly any ind of paper. #ardboard, glossy maga)ine stoc, advertising brochures, 1un mail or 1ust about any other type of Dmixed /lo!er0 gradeE paper is acceptable. ,ome types of paper !or better than others, but all types !or. Ne!sprint is best. Waterproofed paper and cardboard, such as butcher paper, beer cartons, etc. are harder to brea do!n in !ater. #atalogs, maga)ines and other publications are fine in and of themselves, but some have a stringy, rubbery, sticy spine, !hich is also !ater resistant. "reaing do!n this ind of material in the mixing process canEt be done very !ell. ,mall fragments and strings of these materials are almost al!ays present in the final mix. When using papercrete containing the un!anted material in a finish, such as in stucco or plaster, the un!anted fragments sometimes sho! up on the surface, but this is not a serious problem. Papercrete can be sculpted into any shape and painted. #ommon additives to the paper concrete mixes in addition to Portland cement and clay often include sand, glass, and 2fly ash.3 %he first three or so papercrete application must be either impaled or drilled into place above the rebar set in the concrete foundation. %he rebar is necessary to prevent !all movement in a hori)ontal direction. Fnce only a couple of inches of the rebar is sho!ing, lay another piece or rebar and !ire it to the vertical pieces protruding from the foundation. Papercrete builders then recommend pounding the vertical piece of rebar until it is almost level !ith the papercrete bloc. Fnce this is done, cover the emerging !all !ith your papercrete mortar of choice and start the next ro! of blocs. Wait at least several !ees after the !alls have had time to settle before installing doors and !indo!s. Gou can frame the !all and !indo! area by leaving rebar out as you build the !all in the desired spots or use a chain sa! and cut the openings out later. Papercrete .ixing .aterials Ne!spapers #ardboard food boxes ,hoe boxes Paper sacs 'ood can labels .ail envelopes 'ast food !rappers, soft drin cups, and 'rench fry holders #ardboard shipping boxes Wrapping paper %oilet and paper to!el cardboard rolls Pet food bags Huice boxes I cut open and allo!ed to dry thoroughly ,oft drin and beer cardboard cases -sed poster board, construction paper, and discarded home!or and folders -sing !ood harvested from your o!n property to support a barn, stall, or shed roof further increases the cost effective nature of papercrete building pro1ects. -nlie some commercial building materials, papercrete does not contain any potentially harmful chemicals that could negatively impact livestoc. Papercrete can be painted after stucco has been applied or the Portland cement tinted to create a more pleasing appearance if desired. When I first began maing papercrete, I started !ith a small batch in a B-gallon bucet and used a standard drill !ith a stucco bit. %he mixing instructions often found online are merely estimates, so I used the least amount of !ater to avoid ruining the batch and added more as needed. "efore embaring on mixing enough papercrete to build a barn, home, or shed, mae a do)en or so small batches and use the material to mae some hand-poured blocs. Fnce you have the mixture amounts ironed out, more onto larger batches run through the stoc-tan homemade mixer. "uilding !ith papercrete is a great cost saver. Even if you already have an off the grid home or prepper retreat constructed, outbuildings, cellars, storm shelters, and barns can be constructed from upcycled paper products in order to save funds and provide added livestoc shelter and storage for preps.