--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "operationschief77"
<operationschief77@...> wrote:
>
> Good Day!
>
> I have no real experience with papercrete but I do have experience
> with stucco and construction in general. Having perused the web I
> have come to the conclusion that either most papercrete creations
> are in dry climates or the people posting info are.
Not sure how "dry" you would consider me, I am in Central Florida.
However, most of my stuff at the moment is going directly on the
ground as weeb barrier. =) Fencing project will probably begin as
soon as I am done refitting the mortar mixer I just bought.
> As well it seems that most papercrete building is 'new home'
> construction rather than applying these techniques to existing
> homes. With that said I am hoping that I am not alone in my
> desire to find some good advice here on how to move forward with
> incorporating papercrete into an existing home.
We have several folks who have done this. Browse around in the
photos section. I think it was Bob that was spraying PC using
commercial carpet backing as a backer.
> There is an exisitng concrete basement that is eight feet deep.
> This basement does not have any insulation nor does it have a
> concrete floor.
What is it made of? Clay? Packed dirt? Is it reasonably level and a
good solid foundation?
> What I intend to do is 'pour' a papercrete slab to approximately
> 4" depth, run an in floor heating line above that and then top it
> off with clay flooring.
Sounds good. If clay is common for you, you can also include it in
your PC mix as a supplement or replacement for the concrete. You
might even consider using a high clay PC mix for the topper, then
you can pour the whole thing. If drying time is a concern, which I
suspect it will be, I would pour no more than a couple inches at a
time and if possible get some air moving down there to help with the
drying. Perhaps even a dehumidifer.
> As for the walls I have a couple of possibilities in mind. Due to
> the insulative nature of papercrete I could spray progressive
> layers of high paper, papercrete directly onto the exisitng
> concrete walls. Another technique I am thinking about using
> is 'harling' the mixture on the wall until I have the desired
> thickness. These 2 techniques have the advantage of trapping air
> in the mixture as it is being applied therefore adding to the
> insulting effect. The other method would be to simply trowel the
> mixture on in a couple of brown coats until the right thickness is
> achieved.
Any of those methods should work. Spraying will be fastest, I think.
There are plans out on the net for building your own sprayer, or you
can buy one of the Tirolessa models.
> My questions are simple ones, firstly anyone try this before?
Dunno, but I am sure someone else will pipe in. I know folks have
done similar stuff to the floor, and PC has definetly been sprayed
and harled before.
> Two, how does papercrete bond to existing concrete?
It will stick to sheet metal with the right mix, I see no problems
at all with concrete, aside from the water wicking effects. I would
probably mist the walls before I started.
> I know with stucco spalling can occur so for that reason I usually
> add some Elmer's glue and extra lime, very sticky and haven't lost
> a parging yet. Mikey Sklar has suggested a couple of cups of old
> latex paint. The most pressing question is to what thickness can
> one go when attaching papercrete to existing concrete?
Charmaine uses PC with lime and clay as a plaster all the time with
good effect. I would check out her site or post questions directed
to her here. She is a busy woman, but manages to answer stuff
usually. =)
> My concern here is the papercrete not having the necesary
> structral integrity to support its own weight and will then come
> off in chunks. A few ideas have been to attach chicken wire to
> the concrete much as you would in applying stucco to a wall. Or
> perhaps run nails into the wall and then weave willow branches
> through them to form a kind of rebar structure. We are motivated
> by trying to use all locally available resources.
I don't see that happening once it is dried. If you applied it thick
enough and wet enough I could see it slumping off while still wet
but otherwise that would not be a big concern for me.
> Ultimately I think I am going to try them all and see which
> works.
Usually the best approach.
> If can prove an effective method for binding papercrete to
> concrete I can then add this to my available options for my
> customers who are looking for more 'green' building techniques.
I would be interested to hear about that. You can also direct them
here once you are done, if they are the DIY types.
> Next time I will describe how I intend to turn an old hot tub into
> a papercrete mixer. Thanks for any input you may have.
>
> James
We'll be looking forward to hearing from you, fresh faces and new
ideas are a treat.
- Ernie
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