RE: [papercreters] Curing Papercrete Blocks

It has never mattered to me how fast the blocks dry. There's something about the chemistry of cement that makes the slow drying necessary but papercrete is more of a wood product than a masonry one.

Try curing your blocks in the garage and see what happens. The worst would be that they would dry slowly but they would eventually harden up.

It's a funny thing about papercrete. The paper is highly hydrophilic so it will soak up water very easily, but cement is not affected by water. It will cure even if submerged. So the blocks will cure if kept out of standing water. It just may take longer for the paper to completely dry out.



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To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
From: trendlinesystems@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2011 13:20:58 +0000
Subject: [papercreters] Curing Papercrete Blocks

 

In many of papercrete videos, papercrete blocks are poured into the forms and then sun-dried, usually in a couple of days if it's hot, dry, and sunny.

However, in some paracrete publications (mix of portland, EPS, and PE fibers) they're cure the poured mix slowly, one to two weeks, even keeping it moist like regular poured concrete.

Question #1: Since both mixes use Portland cement, is the issue of fast or slow curing important or just a technique?

Question #2: I live in a cold climate and it's going into winter, can I pour papercrete blocks outside and then allow them to cure in my garage where it stays just above freezing?

Thanks

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