Papercrete - An Amazing DIY Material
Papercrete is a type of fibrous cement, made by shredding paper (old newspspers...) into pulp in water and adding Portland cement. The thick mix can then be poured into molds and cast like concrete, creating blocks, panels and innumerable other shapes. When cured and dried (above right), papercrete is strong, lightweight, insulating and has many properties which make it an ideal building material. More about Papercrete here. A movie on it here. See also the FAQ.

How is Papercrete Made?
Papercrete and other fibrous cement materials cannot be mixed like concrete in a rotating mixer, because huge amounts of paper must be shredded into pulp. What is needed is a large food processor with a spinning blade - a Papercrete Mixer. More about making Papercrete here. Watch a movie about making papercrete using a Tow-mixer here.

Where Can I Find a Papercrete Mixer?
You probably can't, but you can make one easily from inexpensive, locally-available parts in a single day. To see how to make a Tow-mixer and how to use it to make Papercrete, watch the movie. The DVD for sale on this web site takes you step by step through the construction of a Papercrete Tow-mixer in a narrated video. More about the DVD here.

What Can I Make With Papercrete?
The short answer is "whatever you can imagine". The two most common building shapes are blocks and panels, but, like concrete, Papercrete and similar materials can be cast in countless shapes, even furniture, pots and planters. They can also be 'puddled' to make freeform shapes and structures.

Blocks can be stacked into walls, using papercrete as mortar, to create closed shapes, like rooms of a house. Panels can be attached to metal or wood structures to cover them, then 'mortar' can be used as plaster to cover the panels, making a hard, smooth finish. More about building with Papercrete here. Photos of shelters made from Papercrete and fibrous adobe are here.

More information on using Papercrete and fibrous adobe in the FAQ.