Comments on: THE NEW BUILDING IS COMING OUT EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php Use recycled paper to build an energy efficient papercrete house. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:32:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Judith http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php/comment-page-1#comment-469 Judith Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:04:06 +0000 http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/?p=135#comment-469 Johan, I am sorry it has taken so long to reply. I am very excite that you are considering papercrete for the wonderful work you are doing. Your trellis idea is very good and in fact some people are doing a similar thing with papercrete. What I have seen is a framework or some sort with wire stretched across it (or some have used things like old carpeting - anything free is great). They then spray papercrete with some sort of device. I am not into devices so have not tried it. But anyway, you could easily make the papercrete in a large batch, drain it briefly (this can be done by simply dumping it out on the ground or a tarp), and smear it on as you do with the soil. Here is the thing about papercrete. It is not so much a masonry product as a wood product. The strength comes for the small amount of cement dissolved in water actually getting into the paper fibers. Barry Fuller at http:/www.livinginpaper.com has a nice little picture of this. So even if only a small amount of cement is added to the mix it is still very strong when it cures. Imagine if you took a quart of water an added about a quarter cup of cement and poured it on your hair. If you let that set up I bet you would have a very hard time getting a brush through it. OK that is a silly example. I would not want to tamp this because the loft provided by the trapped air is what makes it such a good insulator. There are some who are making compressed blocks with machines and they say the R factor is the same or better as untamped blocks but I find that hard to believe. I like to keep things simple. I added latex paint to the first 2 courses and the only difference in appearance comes from the color of the paint. This mix also seems to harden up more but takes longer. I would be happy to donate a dvd if you will send me a mailing address. I will warn you that it is old, done before I started slip forming, but it does have a good representation of the mixing process. I also have a few videos on youtube. Just type in my name in the search box. There are a lot of videos of all different papercrete methods including (I think) a demo of spraying in on wire. Thanks for your encouraging message. Please keep in touch. Johan, I am sorry it has taken so long to reply. I am very excite that you are considering papercrete for the wonderful work you are doing. Your trellis idea is very good and in fact some people are doing a similar thing with papercrete. What I have seen is a framework or some sort with wire stretched across it (or some have used things like old carpeting – anything free is great). They then spray papercrete with some sort of device. I am not into devices so have not tried it. But anyway, you could easily make the papercrete in a large batch, drain it briefly (this can be done by simply dumping it out on the ground or a tarp), and smear it on as you do with the soil.
Here is the thing about papercrete. It is not so much a masonry product as a wood product. The strength comes for the small amount of cement dissolved in water actually getting into the paper fibers. Barry Fuller at http:/www.livinginpaper.com has a nice little picture of this. So even if only a small amount of cement is added to the mix it is still very strong when it cures. Imagine if you took a quart of water an added about a quarter cup of cement and poured it on your hair. If you let that set up I bet you would have a very hard time getting a brush through it. OK that is a silly example.
I would not want to tamp this because the loft provided by the trapped air is what makes it such a good insulator. There are some who are making compressed blocks with machines and they say the R factor is the same or better as untamped blocks but I find that hard to believe. I like to keep things simple.
I added latex paint to the first 2 courses and the only difference in appearance comes from the color of the paint. This mix also seems to harden up more but takes longer.
I would be happy to donate a dvd if you will send me a mailing address. I will warn you that it is old, done before I started slip forming, but it does have a good representation of the mixing process. I also have a few videos on youtube. Just type in my name in the search box. There are a lot of videos of all different papercrete methods including (I think) a demo of spraying in on wire.
Thanks for your encouraging message. Please keep in touch.

]]> By: Robert http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php/comment-page-1#comment-116 Robert Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:43:45 +0000 http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/?p=135#comment-116 Thanks for the quick answer! Yes, I can imagine how you do it. That means rather than slipping forms up, you just leave them to compensate for the shrinkage problem? Wouldn't that create a bonding problem between the first pour and the second pour (and possible third, forth pours)? I realize you are only doing a one story building but still, I would be nervous about the strengths of those walls. Perhaps you compensate by over dimensioning the load bearing elements such as wall timber? Yes, I am from Sweden and my old office is in the same block as Stieg Larsson's old office! I don't know if I ever saw him around though. I can see how all the names of places and people must be confusing for non-Swedes (I think Hollywood and US TV and literature works hard to keep names to a minimum). Apparently there's a map you can buy that gives all the locations in central Stockholm. You should def. write more and add plenty of pictures! Blogs like this are a gold mine for alternative builders/makers all around the world! I have read so many papercrete building blogs that just refuses to work with slipform walls, I was quite surprised to see yours! Personally it won't help me much, but a discussion on the climate, rain and soil/ground characteristics would be very interesting as well! Thanks for the quick answer! Yes, I can imagine how you do it. That means rather than slipping forms up, you just leave them to compensate for the shrinkage problem? Wouldn’t that create a bonding problem between the first pour and the second pour (and possible third, forth pours)? I realize you are only doing a one story building but still, I would be nervous about the strengths of those walls. Perhaps you compensate by over dimensioning the load bearing elements such as wall timber?

Yes, I am from Sweden and my old office is in the same block as Stieg Larsson’s old office! I don’t know if I ever saw him around though. I can see how all the names of places and people must be confusing for non-Swedes (I think Hollywood and US TV and literature works hard to keep names to a minimum).

Apparently there’s a map you can buy that gives all the locations in central Stockholm.

You should def. write more and add plenty of pictures! Blogs like this are a gold mine for alternative builders/makers all around the world! I have read so many papercrete building blogs that just refuses to work with slipform walls, I was quite surprised to see yours! Personally it won’t help me much, but a discussion on the climate, rain and soil/ground characteristics would be very interesting as well!

]]> By: Judith http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php/comment-page-1#comment-115 Judith Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:22:40 +0000 http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/?p=135#comment-115 You're right that shrinkage is a problem. I had an especially hard time with it on this project because the pumice I normally use has been unavailable. What happens is that the slurry that is poured into the forms shrinks away from the sides of the forms leaving a gap at the bottom of the form. The next batch flows down and around the previous one filling in the gap. If it is a thin batch it falls right through so I have to be careful to have the right consistancy. I think this does bond the courses together. I have noticed that the small building I did last fall is settling and some cracks have appeared at the top corner of the door. I am just going to let it continue to cure and settle and then patch it before I do the plaster. The building I am working on now is a lot better quality that the first one so I don't think I will have much of a problem. I will say that I am much happier with the slip form/block method than with the straight block method. It is easier and faster and the end result looks a great deal better. Also, I am so happy to have a note from someone in Sweden. I dog sat for a friend this weekend and she had one of Steig Larsson's books there so I started reading it. WOW, I couldn't put it down. I do need a map of Stockholm though. There are so many references to streets and areas of the city. Thanks so much for the lovely email. I'm glad to know someone is getting something out of the blog. I know I should write more and notes like this motivate me. You’re right that shrinkage is a problem. I had an especially hard time with it on this project because the pumice I normally use has been unavailable. What happens is that the slurry that is poured into the forms shrinks away from the sides of the forms leaving a gap at the bottom of the form. The next batch flows down and around the previous one filling in the gap. If it is a thin batch it falls right through so I have to be careful to have the right consistancy. I think this does bond the courses together.

I have noticed that the small building I did last fall is settling and some cracks have appeared at the top corner of the door. I am just going to let it continue to cure and settle and then patch it before I do the plaster. The building I am working on now is a lot better quality that the first one so I don’t think I will have much of a problem.

I will say that I am much happier with the slip form/block method than with the straight block method. It is easier and faster and the end result looks a great deal better.

Also, I am so happy to have a note from someone in Sweden. I dog sat for a friend this weekend and she had one of Steig Larsson’s books there so I started reading it. WOW, I couldn’t put it down. I do need a map of Stockholm though. There are so many references to streets and areas of the city.

Thanks so much for the lovely email. I’m glad to know someone is getting something out of the blog. I know I should write more and notes like this motivate me.

]]> By: Robert http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php/comment-page-1#comment-114 Robert Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:55:54 +0000 http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/?p=135#comment-114 Hi! Nice blog and great project! I haven't really seen much use of the poured wall method in papercrete building, and as I read your blog a big question mark keep popping up in my head: What about shrinkage? I know papercrete blocks suffer from some shrinkage (depending on the water content in the slurry) but in the case of blocks this would not cause a major problem. However, if you are slipforming walls, wouldn't shrinkage cause stability problems? Or do you solve this by keeping the slipforms on the lower courses and just have the slurry fill up the cavities formed by the shrinkage, thus bonding the two course together? I'm at a loss when it comes to how you deal with shrinkage, please enlighten me! Your method seems so much easier than making blocks and then then having to deal with the masonry part. Best regards, a Swedish fan of your blog. Hi! Nice blog and great project! I haven’t really seen much use of the poured wall method in papercrete building, and as I read your blog a big question mark keep popping up in my head: What about shrinkage? I know papercrete blocks suffer from some shrinkage (depending on the water content in the slurry) but in the case of blocks this would not cause a major problem. However, if you are slipforming walls, wouldn’t shrinkage cause stability problems? Or do you solve this by keeping the slipforms on the lower courses and just have the slurry fill up the cavities formed by the shrinkage, thus bonding the two course together?

I’m at a loss when it comes to how you deal with shrinkage, please enlighten me! Your method seems so much easier than making blocks and then then having to deal with the masonry part.

Best regards, a Swedish fan of your blog.

]]> By: F. Michael LaRosa http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/uncategorized/the-new-building-is-coming-out-even-better-than-the-last-one.php/comment-page-1#comment-100 F. Michael LaRosa Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:04:11 +0000 http://www.papercretebyjudith.com/blog/?p=135#comment-100 Glad to see you up and running with this big, inspirational project at last. It looks good, too. Can't wait for your next post. Michael Glad to see you up and running with this big, inspirational project at last.
It looks good, too.
Can’t wait for your next post.
Michael

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