Papercrete

I ran across something called papercrete.

It is a different way to make things out of paper and cement.

It is more environmentally friendly too.

It is supposed to be shapeable, natural, lighter, etc.

It also has  a better R-Value than regular concrete or clay bricks.

https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/how-to-make-papercrete/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papercrete

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=papercrete&t=hj&ia=web

I have played around with the idea of using paper crete in place of fiberglass insulation in a renovation. I have thus far talked myself out of it every time due to the potential problems with the humidity we have here. You might also be interested in hypertufa. I don't know how to put links here, but you could look it up. There are some really cool projects and applications for this stuff. Nether would be entirely sustainable, of course. I do worry about the toxins that may be in the inks, etc. in the papercrete, but I suppose it is better to lock them up in something beneficial instead of burying it in a landfill. Let us know if you try any projects! I'd love to hear about it!

I think I might have found a use for Papercrete.

If it has an R factor of 2 per inch of depth, that makes it equivalent to spray-insulation. I am currently living in an old Tiny House that has a stone foundation, and so the cold comes through that rock, and then makes the floor under our feet cold. A person cannot put insulation under the floor joists though because it does not really stop the cold infiltration. The only real way to deal with the cold is to put spray insulation on the rock walls in the basement. This stops the cold transfer, but allows the "heat" from the basement floor to rise. That is because being deeper than 4 feet, that soil is always 57 degrees. It is not exactly warm, but warmer then the frozen soil along the walls.

I was going to spray-insulate my rock foundation this fall, as this would keep the cold from coming in from the rock, but allow the warm air from the floor to rise, effectively making my floors 57 degrees instead of 31. It also keeps my pipes from freezing in my basement.

But Papercrete is almost ideal. It is mold-proof, highly insulative, and hopefully cheap to produce. If I can mix it in my cement mixer to break down the paper fiber, and mix up the papercrete itself, it might work well for me.

Travis Johnson wrote:I think I might have found a use for Papercrete.

"It is mold-proof, highly insulative, and hopefully cheap to produce. If I can mix it in my cement mixer to break down the paper fiber, and mix up the papercrete itself, it might work well for me.

I don't know if it is mold proof. This is the huge part of what is holding my back. I would love to hear your results! Please don't use off gassing, spray in, humanicidal insulations. Slip-and-chip might be another option for you. In oder to break down the paper, some have modified lawn mowers. you might also use a wood chipper/sheader, but paul might disown you for having such a contraption.