Cordwood masonry is an historic constructing approach whereby partitions are constructed from “log ends” laid transversely within the wall. It’s simple, economical, esthetically placing, energy-efficient and environmentally-sound. Cordwood Constructing: The State of the Artwork (New Society Publishers, 2003),edited by Rob Roy, is a key useful resource on cordwood constructing, bringing collectively the knowledge of 25 of the world’s finest practitioners. The next excerpt is a chapter on paper-enhanced mortar, or PEM, additionally referred to as “papercrete.”
Sure, the writing is within the wall. It’s winter 2002. I’ve simply completed my first yr’s work constructing a cordwood dwelling in southeast Minnesota, utilizing newspaper together with sand and Sort N masonry cement. I name this combination “paper-enhanced mortar” or “PEM” — a extra correct time period, I believe, than the time period “papercrete,” used somewhat casually with any cement and paper combination.
Though the idea of utilizing paper by-products in a cordwood mortar combine remains to be in its infancy, it’s my opinion (somewhat than reality) that my present combine is “buildworthy.” My experiment is being carried out in a cordwood wall that has a put up and beam body. My home is a two-story, 16-sided kind made together with the Double Wall Method. With load-bearing cordwood partitions, I might be reluctant to make use of this mortar as a consequence of its decrease power.
I began my first wall, following within the footsteps of Jim Juczak — effectively, form of. I’ve by no means seen Jim’s sneakers, and sadly, I’m not near a paper mill to get any free paper sludge. (Are you able to inform I’m jealous?) So as an alternative, I used to be in a position to work out a cope with the county’s recycling heart for 75-pound (34-kilogram) bales of shredded newspaper. The primary bales additionally contained workplace paper waste, which was laborious to slurry. However after some “case of beer negotiations,” the blokes on the recycling heart have been completely satisfied to produce me with “pure” newspaper.
My first combine was a mixture of two elements slurried newspaper to 1 half masonry cement. No sand. I’d tried this combine on a take a look at wall with success, so it appeared okay to make use of on the home. The combination was very moist and laborious to level; it had a slight cottage cheese texture to it. After I accomplished the primary 8-foot sq. (2.4-meter sq.) panel of our dwelling, I left it to dry for a few weeks … then a pair extra weeks … after which a pair extra weeks.
Whereas drying, the mortar shade modified from darkish grey to mild grey, then to mild inexperienced, and at last to a delightful white. After six weeks, the PEM was just about dry. This wall was on the north facet of the home, so the mortar most likely would have dried sooner elsewhere. Nonetheless, it was a gradual course of.
About one-third of the combo was kind N masonry cement; the remaining was slurried paper, made by soaking the bales of shredded paper for twenty-four hours in a 55-gallon (210-liter) drum.
The mortar had no cracks in it, however I observed a widening hole between the body and the cordwood masonry. There have been no gaps round particular person log-ends, however your entire cordwood wall gave the impression to be shrinking.
Due to the shrinkage, I made a decision to attempt a extra conventional cordwood combine, utilizing sand with the paper and kind N masonry cement. All subsequent partitions have now been constructed utilizing the next system (by quantity):
• 2 elements sand – 2 elements slurried paper – 1 half kind N masonry cement
I really like this combine. It has a really good puttylike really feel to it, dries in a few weeks, and appears nice. Like Jim Juczak, I’ve been brush-finishing the mortar with a small foam portray brush, and when it dries you can not detect any curing strains between batches. After I constructed my take a look at wall, I didn’t lay cordwood within a body like I did on the home. Had I finished so, I might have found the shrinkage downside forward of time and tried different mixes earlier than constructing the true factor. The hole within the first panel, the one with no sand within the mortar, is now a couple of half-inch, and I can see daylight between the 6-by-6-inch put up and beam body and the wall. The 8-inch (20-centimeter) cordwood wall remains to be strong, as it’s tied to the body with frequent timber screws projecting two inches (5 centimeters) into the strong mortar joint. Nonetheless, I’ll most likely rebuild the non-sand panel this spring (2002). I’d really feel rather a lot higher with a sand and paper mortar there.
Professionals and Cons of Paper-Enhanced Mortar
Professionals of PEM
• What an effective way to make use of recycled newspaper! There’s a lot waste on the earth — why not use it in an Earth pleasant method?
• Paper doesn’t need to price you a penny. In case you can’t get it without cost at a recycling heart, simply ask your pals, household, and neighbors to reserve it for you.
• The most recent combine retards the set sufficient to remove most, if not all, mortar cracks however doesn’t take eternally to dry. All panels for the reason that first have turned out high-quality.
• I don’t actually know the R-value of the PEM, however with its 40 p.c paper content material, I might assume that it’s increased than extra commonplace mortars.
• The PEM is visually interesting. You’d by no means know there’s paper within the wall, and the mortar is a uniform, mild grey shade.
Cons of PEM
• Having to slurry the paper provides one other step to the method. (In case you are as fortunate as Jim Juczak and have a pleasant paper mill close by, this further step is eradicated.)
• I’m undecided how excessive up on a wall you might go in someday with out the masonry compressing on itself a bit. If two persons are laying, it could be sensible to work on separate partitions.
• PEM just isn’t time examined but. Solely many years will inform how effectively the combo will maintain up. I’m inspired, nonetheless, by a go to to a cordwood shed constructed by Paul Reavis of Brodhead, Wisconsin, in 1988. Paul’s recipe began with the usual mason’s mixture of three elements sand to 1 half masonry cement. He bulked out the combo with unslurried paper, in order that the ultimate product was about 60 p.c paper. As a result of the paper was not slurried, it didn’t turn into as integral part of the combo. However, the integrity of Paul’s mortar remains to be good after 14 years.
One other PEM Components by Tom Huber
Total, my PEM expertise has been just like that of Alan’s and Jim Juczak’s, however my PEM recipe is just a little completely different. I used varied containers to measure out components. Right here it’s by quantity proportion. The entire numbers in parentheses are an in depth approximation of the combo when it comes to proportion.
• 67 p.c (17) shredded and soaked white workplace paper
• 21 p.c (5) Sort S “Mortar cement”
• 8 p.c (2) mortar sand
• 4 p.c (1) hydrated lime
The paper comes free from the school the place I work. Sort S Mortar cement is a masonry cement — not a “mortar combine” — which is masonry cement blended with sand. Since I already had the lime to deal with the sawdust insulation, I added a small quantity to whiten the combo and provides it just a little extra plasticity.
I initially “soften” the white shredded workplace paper by soaking it for a number of days in a 55-gallon (210-liter) drum. I wring out the surplus water from the paper after which combine it along with the dry components in a wheelbarrow. I’ve used this combine M-I-M fashion — a 16-inch (40-centimeter) wall with cedar sawdust insulation — and as a strong mortar matrix laid transversely proper via the wall.
We used PEM on the again wall of our “lodge” constructing. The one proof of mortar shrinkage is a slight hole alongside a few posts, which I’ve caulked. I imagine this hole was attributable to the wicking motion of the dry, rough-sawn pine posts, which pulls the moisture out of the PEM fairly rapidly. I’ve additionally observed a number of skinny tears or rips within the mortar after it utterly dried within the M-I-M constructed wall. Once more, the smaller quantity of mortar within the M-I-M half most likely dried sooner. In common cordwood mortar, such perforations might need manifested themselves as steady cracks from log-end to log-end, however the reinforcing high quality of the paper appears to cease steady cracking.
I surmise that PEM concoctions of assorted varieties have good non-shrink traits, as a consequence of their moisture absorbent, slow-drying qualities. PEM has good “squishability” — extra like bread dough than common mortar — which makes it simple and pleasing to work with. It does take extra time to combine, although.
Paper-Enhanced Mortar: Observations from Rob Roy
My solely expertise with PEM got here from placing down a number of globs of the stuff at Jim Juczak’s home throughout building of his second panel. Jaki and I found that the stuff was fairly pointable, and I believe Jaki shamed Jim considerably into pointing the following panels by exhibiting how enticing it could possibly be. Within the first panel, Jim simply smoothened the PEM in a tough form of method together with his rubber gloves.
For this ebook, I’ve tried to maintain to the “cutting-edge” subtitle by giving the newest PEM outcomes from the brand new pioneers: Jim, Alan, and Tom. We’re additionally inspired by the success of partitions constructed by Paul Reavis in 1988. None of us claims to be an knowledgeable on this system, which should be thought of to be nonetheless in its infancy.
Finding out the writings submitted and private interviews with the three major PEM researchers have led me to the next observations:
• The first distinction between the three “new pioneer” mixes is the sand content material, which diverse from none (Jim) to little (Tom) to a good quantity (Alan). Sand, clearly, makes the mortar more durable and stronger but additionally denser. Sand will increase thermal mass. The non-sand or low-sand mixes dry extra slowly and would seem to have higher insulation worth.
• The query of insulation worth remains to be out with the jury. Clearly, PEM has a better R-value than does common cordwood mortar. How a lot increased is unknown, and the reply is one all of us hope to have in time for the following cordwood convention. A associated query is whether or not or to not go together with a “strong” mortar joint via the wall or to make use of the peculiar M-I-M fashion used with cordwood masonry. The efficiency of Jim’s home via its first full north nation winter in 2003 will go a great distance towards answering that query.
• Does PEM save time? Relies upon. With Jim’s ready-mixed paper pulp and 45-second mixing time with a high-speed paddle drill, sure, mixing PEM is quicker than mixing common cordwood mortar. However each Alan and Tom report longer mixing instances — Alan due to the additional time making ready the paper slurry, Tom as a result of he hand mixes it like cob. Time spent on any mortar is essentially a perform of availability of supplies.
• Paper-enhanced mortar makes use of a waste materials and exhibits promise as an insulative mortar that can be utilized in cordwood panels inside a put up and beam body.
It’s too early to say whether or not or not PEM is appropriate the place the cordwood masonry is load-bearing. A take a look at panel is suggested with any new cordwood mission, however is especially suggested within the case of PEM. And the take a look at — or checks: attempt completely different mixes — ought to be carried out a full month earlier than you wish to begin the precise mission, as a result of slower curing time.
Reprinted with permission from Cordwood Constructing: The State of the Artwork edited by Rob Roy and printed by New Society Publishers, 2003. Purchase this ebook from our retailer: Cordwood Building: The State of the Art by Rob Roy.
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