How to Make Concrete From Drywall

For small patching projects, you can make your own concrete and even add colors during the mixing process. It's not a widely done practice, but it can be economical. The concrete that you make with drywall will be every bit as strong and resilient as regular concrete, and you should be able to do this at a much better price. Granted, there is a bit of elbow grease involved to do this job, but perhaps the versatility alone, coupled with the fact that you only have to make as much as you need, may make this a very attractive project.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Piece of drywall
• Portland cement
• 5 gallon bucket
• Garden trowel
• Water
• Baker's rolling pin

1. Prepare the drywall. Break off a hand-sized piece of drywall. Peel off the paper on both sides of the drywall piece.

2. Grind up the drywall. Place your piece on a table, and using your rolling pin, literally grind it down until it is a relatively fine powder. Remember, for every cup of Portland cement you use, you will need a cup of powdered drywall.

3. Mix up your concrete. Pour a cup of Portland cement into your 5 gallon bucket. Pour a cup of powdered drywall into your 5 gallon bucket. Use your garden trowel as a mixer, and slowly begin pouring water into the bucket. This is a variable step because, the more water you add, the weaker the concrete will get. Therefore, you want this mixture to be the consistency of dense paste that won't quite pour and needs to be troweled out and put in place. Generally you will use the ratio 1 cup cement to 1 cup drywall powder, and add water to make a paste.

Tips & Warnings

• Generally this concrete takes 24 hours to dry. The weaker it is, the longer it will take.

References

• Information about drywall and how it works.