I was asked to put a vapor barrier down on all my projects foundation.
I have been using contractor garbage bags and folding them until they
are 16 mil thick. The bags are not only placed above the foundation of
my domes, but also a few inches high on the sides.
As far as pre-draining I don't see the point. If you have wire on one
or both sides of where you are insulating with papercrete it will
drain quickly. I just pumped several feet of papercrete a day with no
pause for drying because the water would leave the structure so fast.
The real risk when building up papertcrete is constantly resoaking the
previous layers. Bucketing or shoveling by hand could lead to mold
because of the constant moisture from new additions.
On Feb 17, 2008, at 7:34 AM, "ElfNori" <elf@elfnori.com> wrote:
> I'm thinking we may want to come up with 4 different plans, one for
> the
> bottom of each wall on the chicken house. That will give us a long
> term
> test for here in the wet Northwest. As the chicken house is a small
> structure, it isn't going to cost a lot to build AND it's not going
> to tweak
> anyone's nose if we use it as a test bed. What I don't want to do
> is leave
> one wall untreated. That's not an option. And I won't leave a wall
> without
> some sort of waterproof step to keep the absorbable papercrete up
> off the
> floor. Chickens poop and rain falls. The papercrete in contact
> with the
> floor either has to be treated or has to be separated from the floor
> by an
> imprevious layer.
>
> So what are our best ideas for treating the lowest layer? I'll make
> a 2"
> stemwall on one side, painting the top with something to create an
> impervious layer, then putting plain papercrete on the top of that
> wall.
> What are the preferences for the mix for the first layers of the other
> walls?
>
> ElfN
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "slurryguy" <slurryguy@yahoo.com>
>
>> The idea of using a more moisture resistant mix as a first course has
>> been discussed several times on the list. I don't recall latex
>> specifically being proposed, but I can see exactly what you are
>> thinking. I do not know that anyone has actually done it yet.
>>
>> My first thought is that 2"-4" may be overkill. 1" seems plenty to
>> me. What do I base this opinion on? uhhhhhhh.... Which way is the
>> wind blowing today? hehehe.
>>
>> My second thought is that guessing like that makes me really
>> uncomfortable. I suggest mixing a couple small batches and making a
>> few test samples using the exact mix you plan on using. Pour some of
>> your latex rich mix into a tiny makeshift test form. Make a couple
>> samples at different thicknesses. Then pour some regular papercrete
>> over the top. It also would be a good idea to make one sample that
>> doesn't use a latex enriched bottom layer at all. It would give you
>> a baseline for comparison.
>>
>> Guessing is how we come up with ideas, but testing them is how we
>> find out if the ideas are any good. Once the samples are fully cured
>> and dried, you could set the bottom layer of each one into a shallow
>> (1/4"??) puddle. Let them sit there for a few days. Saw them in
>> half and measure how far up water has wicked into each sample.
>>
>> I also recommend using a mix that has extra cement for that first
>> inch or two.
>>
>> I'll be very interested in what you learn. I like the concept.
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
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