We want to construct a stuctural strawbale garage. I am very curious about the different plasters to apply on strawbale. I saw one website where they built a earthbag house and stucco'd it in papercrete. It worked well because it breathed and absorbed moisture but released the moisture before it got deep enuf to really penetrate the earth bags. I was wondering if papercrete would make a good stucco for strawbales.

What do you know? Would we need to put anything over the papercrete or would that be sufficient?

We love cob and the idea of building with earth, but papercrete for a stucco seems so much easier than an earthen plaster. And - the stuccos or plasters for strawbale needs to breathe, because if the exterior is waterproof and water gets into the inside of the wall and cannot escape - the walls will deteriorate. Papercrete seems great for this, but I can't find info on it.

Also how would you color papercrete? Could you add a colored clay to the papercrete? Are there any breatheable paints out there?

Thanks for any info and input you may have.

-- andrea smith (a-smith@mindspring.com), January 28, 2001

Answers

I don't think that you would want ot use papercrete for stucco. From what I've read, papercrete has to be stuccoed to keep moisture out. I once read about a papercrete structure that collapsed because it had not been stuccoed or otherwise waterproofed.

Aren't latex paints considered breathable?

http://www.zianet.com/papercrete/index.html I've never attempted a hot link, so I suggest that you copy and paste until I use directions and practice with one.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), January 28, 2001.

Papercrete can be used for stucco as a major component of it is concrete. My guru at work in these matters advises using gypsum with papercrete and then thompsons waterseal.He finds it an appealing fact that with a little boric acid in the mix, you have a virtually fireproof structure. One drawback to using papercrete is that many areas do not allow its use in their building codes and variences must be obtained.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 28, 2001.

Jay,

Why would you want to put Thompson's Waterseal on the papercrete. It is my understanding that you do not want it waterproof - that it needs to breathe, because if water gets in thru a crack and can't get back out, the wall then will deteriorate. Or is this waterseal simply water resistant?

-- andrea smith (a-smith@mindspring.com), January 28, 2001.

Although a little late, the exterior should be waterproof and the interior breathable to allow any moisture to escape.

Bill

-- Bill Berggren (ad109@lafn.org), August 14, 2001.