Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] RE: concrete and mortar respect

20 December 2012

Re: [DIY] RE: concrete and mortar respect

That is a bit like the horse hair that used to be added to plaster for strength. I wonder if using the salvaged fibers from discarded nylon rope might also work and be less subject to rotting over time than would be hemp. As I seem to recall you live near the coast and it used to be that you could get discarded mooring lines for the hauling. They have concrete that has fiber glass in the mix, but it is the pits to work around as those tiny protruding bits of fiber really can tear you up.

Dale in the Flatlands.

Dave Uebele wrote:

I'm also hoping at some point to explore something they have been
using in the UK: hempcrete, using the plant fibers, not drug use.
It looks like it has some promising characteristics.

dave
On 12/19/2012 07:21 AM, Jan Flood wrote:
> I've always used the words concrete and cement interchangeably - but
> last night learned the correct term is concrete. Cement is an
> ingredient in concrete. Never too late for old dogs........ Think
> I'll look up the terminology and components of mortar & grout, I know
> what they're used for just never thought about what the mix is. And
> Carmen is right, the amount of "cement" is a vital element in any of
> these mixtures - depending on what you're doing. I still like plaster
> for a lot of things but it's hard to store in this climate. Years ago
> water troughs for livestock were carved from Tufa rock. At some point
> someone worked out a formula -- and as peat moss was readily available
> -- it is "the" ingredient for Hypertufa. Although the mix is the same,
> shredded paper is "the" ingredient for Papercrete - and makes a lighter
> product. There is a forum just for Papercreters and what they do is
> amazing. You can see the "green" homes they are building using this
> material. I'm not familiar with using hypertufa for this but entirely
> possible. The versatility is endless, from planters, sculptures,
> retaining walls & homes! Google Papercrete Homes and you'll be
> surprised by what is being done.

--
Dave Uebele (daveu@sptddog.com)