How to Build a Green House With Papercrete
Our planet is priceless and we, as her caretakers, need to be aware of the ecological ramifications our actions have. Whether you are completely living "green," or you are simply searching for an earth-friendly way to complete your building project, Papercrete offers a versatile alternative to commercial building materials. Papercrete is 60 percent recycled paper mixed with 20 percent sand and 20 percent cement. This earth-friendly material is perfect for building a "green" house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer milled or recycled paper
- 2 5-gallon (20-liter) buckets
- Water
- Screen
- Corrugated metal
- Heavy duty drill
- “X” shaped stucco blade
- Masonry Sand
- Portland cement
- Pallets
- Sheathing coat
Instructions
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Make Batches of Wet Paper Pulp
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Purchase hammer-milled paper. This is paper that has been run through a hammer mill to rip it into smaller pieces. This milled paper is an ideal medium for mixing your own Papercrete because additives can easily be mixed into it when it is wet.
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Collect and use paper of just about any kind if you can't get hammer-milled paper. You can use paper from a whole variety of sources, including the nearest waste bin that's filled with junk mail, newspapers, office papers, cardboard boxes, old books and magazines.
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Fill 1/3 of your 5-gallon bucket with water. Add an equal amount of paper and stir to submerge and completely wet it. Leave it to soak overnight.
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Place the corrugated metal on the ground and place the screen over it. Pour the bucket of soaked paper onto the screen. Let most of the water drain. Collect the wet pulp and put it back into the pail.
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Repeat the process to make as many batches of wet pulp as you need for your building project.
Mix Batches of Papercrete
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Measure out the wet pulp, sand and concrete in ratios of 60 percent recycled paper, 20 percent Masonry sand and 20 percent Portland cement. Put the wet pulp into a bucket.
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Adapt a heavy-duty drill and “X” shaped stucco blade for use as a Papercrete mixer. You can purchase these at your local home improvement store or lumberyard. Attach the stucco blade to the drill and immerse it in the wet pulp.
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Power on the drill and use it to blend the paper. The water and paper will gradually form a slurry with the consistency of cottage cheese.
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Add the sand and cement and mix to combine thoroughly. The sand adds mass to your final building block and reduces shrinkage and flammability. The cement serves as a bonding agent.
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Pour the Papercrete into the brick form molds. These special molds are available from masonry suppliers and online at masonry sites. Leave the Papercrete overnight to set into brick forms.
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Remove the Papercrete blocks from the molds and place them on pallets to allow the bottoms to dry.
Build Your "Green" House
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Make your own mortar by blending the same combination of paper, sand and cement in the same proportion (60:20:20).
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Follow the instructions and specifications of your building plans to build your "green" house with the Papercrete brick and mortar.
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Build the flooring from the Papercrete as well. When you mix Papercrete for the flooring, you will double the proportion of cement that you use so that it can hold the weight of furniture and people.
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Finish your Papercrete walls with a sheathing coat to strengthen them even further. You can purchase sheathing from a building supply store.
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Tips & Warnings
A heavy duty drill provides the necessary power that you need to tear your paper material apart. Although they spin slowly, heavy-duty drills not only provide sufficient low-end force and power, but also operate for long periods without overheating.
