Cob:Insulation & papercrete-bad idea

[crtaylor]

>I'm POSITIVE this was intended for the coblist, so I'm forwarding it.

>From: "H. Wayne" <hcrowbird at lawtonnet.net>
   Hey, what about papercrete?  You blend (chop) up
>some
>old newspapers, magazines in water, drain off most of the water, and add
>cement powder (sand?). Type 1 Portland cement that comes in 94 lb.. bags
>is
>most common, and very available.  If you place this on a stucco like
>wire
>mesh frame, walla!  You have an instant house (wall) with some strength
>that
>has many of the same characteristics as cob.
>    Sure, it is not cob in the true sense, but you could place cob over
>it,
>and have a dandy, strong wall to boot.
+++++++++++++


Well, I hate to say this but no cobber I know would want a cement based
material anywhere near cob...it ruins the purpose of earth-friendly and
recyclable for one, and cob stands very well on its own and is cheaper
without the addition of wire and cement cost.

Plus the Papercrete recipe is given incorrectly. Papercrete is made by
soaking newspapers and magazine, etc in water, adding a bag of cment and
maybe some sandy dirt , blending it all togethere then draining the excess
water.


>    Papercrete, with a high wood fiber content, does insulate a lot
>better
>than most folks might think, and it has strength if the wood fibers stay
>dry.  The concrete part seems to make that possible and the walls could
>be
>made rather thin, like in 1 inch when constructed in a ferrocement way.
>Otherwise the wood fibers are mostly a filler to give the mix some mass.
>Just some food for thought.



Insulation value of Papercrete has NOT be tested, all supposition at this
point. It probably insulates well, but  we don't know for sure.

Wayne's intentions are good...but combining two very different
material/methods especially earth and cement is not so good.  Now, actually
( and I've been harping agianst cement for a long time) PaperAdob  is being
created...no cement and earth used as a filler with sand...to my
understanding.

Charmaine R. Taylor
Taylor Publishing & Elk River Press
PO Box 6985 Eureka CA 95502  1-888-441-1632
More than 300 books for Building & Sustainable living
http://www.northcoast.com/~tms/