Learn how to recycle styrofoam into light weight usable bricks. Great project for co-ops, start a small business and help clean up the environment at the same time!
Some advice from a man who was a brick layer for 20 years. Add some sand, perhaps; 5 styro, 1 cement and 1 sand. This will give your bricks more strength and make the finish smoother. As has been mentioned already, a better mould (form work) will make a better job, I suggest a metal box, maybe 1.2 millimeter steel (1/8th inch American) with a base of the same material. Your big mistake is removing the bricks from the form work too soon (Far too soon) If you coat (paint) the inside of your form work with old cooking oil, then leave the bricks to dry till the next day, you can just bang them out upside down. Lastly, you will not be able to build occupation rated buildings. (ie: places where people will live or sleep) Building bricks must have by law a 2 hour fire rating. They must withstand a fire for 2 hours minimum before they disintegrate. Your bricks will not only burn quickly, they will intensify the fire and release poisonous fumes. But, garden planters, garden beds, garden borders etc, I think you have a great idea for any non fireproof building...
Makes no difference, a brick chimney (not the actual fireplace) could be surrounded by drywall or render or whatever you like, the bricks (and that's each individual brick) must sustain 2 hours of fire. (Fireplace bricks are made from a different material ie: fire clay) This construction ruling is for Australia however, so I would check with your local 'officials' if your not here in the Great Southern Land....
Toob247 - You can't safely pack your hollow walls with this ordinary white Expanded Polystyrene EPS, as insulation. Blue "Styrofoam" (brand name), Closed Cell Extruded Polystyrene XPS, is used, and it is safe and fire rated. Only in the USA and Canada do they call both of these products by the same name Styrofoam, they are totally different products. Note that one is Expanded and the other is Extruded. I see in another post that you are filling your walls with this White Polystyrene and Pour in Foam. This compromises your electrical wiring in that your wire size and current carrying capacity is designed around the assumption that the wiring is not totally enclosed. At high loads the wiring may overheat and set fire to the walls. Unless your pour in foam is sold for pouring into walls, it is also potentially unsafe to your general health. For example many of the industrial pour in foams contain toxic gases such as formaldehyde in the bubbles which slowly release over time. I suggest that you talk to your insurance company asap. In most western countries it is actually against the law to use EPS as house insulation. This video is poorly named in that it is about making bricks from Expanded Polystyrene EPS, and not Styrofoam XPS.
Agreed. We did have (25 years ago) here in Australia such 'styro' (pour-in-place) insulation but it was banned, even with added Borax it was still too 'inappropriate'. As I mentioned, such 'styro' bricks maybe ok for garden walls and such. Cheers...
Yours is a great idea that should hold up over time.I built a small post and beam shop in the woods behind my house in 1984. I used plastic packing beads, vermiculite, sand and Portland Cement as a light weight concrete to in fill the space between the timbers. This material has held up very well through all kinds of weather, rain, snow, and many freeze-thaw cycles with no signs of wear in all that time.
One thing to consider, if you haven't already, is to build your forms using a better grade of material. If you use a smooth material, such as Melamine surfaced plywood, the forms will come off much easier and you won't get the broken corners like I saw in your video. Melamine came to mind but there are plenty of other choices. Perhaps lining your forms with plastic sheet or left over Formica sheets. By the way, I think the idea of styrofoam bricks is a good one.
moved your mixing tub at 1:15 into the catch position at the shredder. I saw you bag the fuzz, scoop the fuzz into buckets, then drop the buckets into the tub. That us a lot of work, instead of just dropping fuzz directly into the mix tub. To measure volume, do it systemically. Either weigh the foam pre chop, or Mark a line in the tub. Your volume will be uniform, and your work system reduces work activity, while producing uniform results.
“We used to have a bicycle but the kids complained, the motor doesn’t complain” love it. Im currently using a cheese grater as don’t have the know how to make that contraption. But its okay, my project is much smaller. Thoroughly enjoyed this video
I was thinking to encase the styrofoam brick in a separate pure cement to have a neater, heavier, more robust brick that would hold up better to the elements and animals and such. Cool and informative indeed. Cheers.
I would guess that it would need about a 5/8" thick coating of cementitious material to give it ~1hr fire resistance, but there are a few companies out there providing concrete+styro building products that dont have any coating. bautex is one that come to mind.
Bloody brilliant!!! Absolutely BRILLIANT! Clear...concise instructions! THANK YOU! Thank you & in case I didn’t say it enough...THANK YOU! Gail Plymouth uk
Few Suggestion. If there was a way to increase the size of styrofoam pieces to say 1/2" and adding of sand and more effort on mold can give good result. At the time of laying, if each brick is dipped in cement slurry with URP added, the resultant wall will be more safe for health.
some videos ago I saw a russian guy skipping the bricks part and poured the mix directly on some kind of rammed-earth molds to create directly the wall
50% silica type sand can help in binding and I have used this with a 5 (Styrofoam 2cm-)-4 (vermiculite 2cm-) --1(mortar-sand lime cement) for a trowel on mortar mix thick stucco (4" or 10cm) with a 9 gauge steel galvanized 10cm square backing panel, tin backside the maximum slump level was about 18" (40cm) with an open face. It sets well in a day and cures in 3. this mic can also be used to patch holes in formed concrete that has a roughed surface. over 86*F (34*C) I would recommend a plastic cover for a day. Probably could make bricks from this also, but the cure time would be a day before removal from the form.
These look like they'd crumble pretty easily with that much Styrofoam. It would probably help to add some chopped fiberglass strands, or even a small wire mesh insert in each block. Also, as already pointed out, cement needs some silicate material (sand) to form a strong cured material, and better molds with smooth sides would keep the blocks from getting torn up so much when you release them from the mold. I definitely like the idea of finding alternative uses for used Styrofoam though, it's one of the most wasteful items on the planet after it's served it's original purpose. Even just inserting a solid Styrofoam core inside the block might be a worthwhile experiment.
I love this concept for flotation. I would think you could coat a pontoon-sized section with something to keep it from disintegration in water and leaving a trail of pollution. Thanks for sharing!
During WW2 we made boats out of concrete. See "ferro-cement boats." I think it's better to have a very strong shell with hollow interior rather than a solid foam concrete, which would end up quite a bit heavier.
Cool! It would be interesting to test the physical properties and experiment with mix ratios and additives such as fine aggregate (sand) and different kinds of natural or recycled fiber tensile reinforcement.
So many people commenting just from speculation would love to hear from people who has some knowledge on this subject, seen a couple of videos on styrofoam+cement and haven’t seen one that would melt from fire. Seems fire-resistant. Just worried about off gas but again many conventional-houses are full of harmful chemicals.
Just wondering, what if you added a bit of sand to the mixture? I imagine it would help the cement bond better and help the brick be quite a bit stronger. Also, it may help in the form making.
Great idea. I guessed wrong before watching. I figured it would be styrofoam glue made by dissolving styrofoam in gasoline and then gluing pea gravel together.
Another idea is to buy cases of toilet paper rolls on sale. Dip each roll in a concrete solution then stack them up by sliding over a vertical anchored rebar rod. You can fill the gap around the rebar by squirting in some urethane foam as you stack.
I am a fan of Rastra for bldg & these are like minatures. Great idea for diy's. Melamine framed molds would be slicker & flatter for more uniformity. With the rastra, you can cut to size with a saw. Glad to get formula to make them. Think I'll try making larger ones as a skirt to my trailer.
Since it is a lightweight material, perhaps it could be cast into larger flat panels, with some reinforcement like old fencing wire cast into it, to cast into whole wall or roof sections that can stand up and be placed into position after curing ??. Adding a layer of regular stucco to both sides should protect it from catching fire as well as give it much added strength.
So the problem is that new companies seeing this are not about to go collect waste material and replace old buildings. They go out and get raw resources and expand out on new land. The pivot and focus point and legalities of such things should be that they are made from waste and collected scrap materials and applied to old structure to upgrade.
Some people are so afraid that thing will catch fire, but they forgot that there are many things inside the house that can catch fire, eg window curtain, foam bed, pillow, clothing, papers, cooking gas, and so on. There are many wooden house.
First off, you'll never get a building inspector to sign off on something like this. No testing, certification, etc... And yes, in the event of a fire the polystyrene in these things will give off lots of really bad smoke/fumes. However, if it is covered in drywall, it would be just as safe as any other foam insulation.
Have always wanted to make my own tow behind papercrete shredder/mixer and thought that this styro scrap material would be an excellent addition ingredient to papercrete mixes.
I wonder if you might not get a better, denser, more uniform product by using a Sinva rammed earth brick press? The thought occurs that this material might make good external insulation if applied like shotcrete to the outside of a shipping container. I understand that it is very trowelable and can be made into curved shapes. How would it go in s potplant form - to make large planters? Fill large diameter PVC pontoon tubes, giving them (yeah a little extra weight) but permanent boyancy. Fishing punt, shanty boat anyone?
Thats actually a really good idea. Not sure how well they would stick together if your just using Portland cement powder, If I was doing this I would like to add some other binders such as sand and possibly a little bit of pea gravel. Will have to give this a try sometime.
Those bricks are more or less the same as LightConcret / ThermoConcret / LigthBeton / ThermoBeton. I have thermobeton M:~ 100 kg/m3 (very light version made of coated EPS beads, water and cement. Cement is the only dry additiv) in my house between 1st and 2nd plano. I have tried to fire-test the product with a tar-roof burner. It is impossible for the dried EPS-concret to catch on fire. ua-cam.com/video/o2Dms6KpscA/v-deo.html
It looks to me like this would be a good base layer under a concrete floor. Just pour the floor and skip the brick making part and then give it a top dressing later with standard cement. I have a lot of styrofoam around though so this looks like a good project to me
Although the intentions behind this are noble, this is not a good idea. Styrofoam should never be grinded into it's dust form. Styrofoam is too friable and a lot of what you grinded blew away into the wind and into the environment. Even a little Styrofoam dust escaping into the environment is bad because this is plastic dust. Secondly, depending on what you use the bricks for, what is going to happen is someone later on is going to demolish those bricks by smashing them with a hammer, thereby further releasing all that plastic/microplastic dust into the environment. If not, these bricks will eventually weather away naturally. So the end result is that instead of containing the initial Styrofoam garbage, you actually 100% released all of the Styrofoam plastic dust into the environment. Had you not grinded up the Styrofoam and created these bricks, all that Styrofoam would have been somewhat contained from escaping into the environment. The only way to have prevented the Styrofoam from leaking into the environment would have been to contain it in it's solid fused block form, or melt it into condensed solid polystyrene.
I like the idea, but I feel like it needs a little more cement and some sand to make it strong enough for structural use of any kind. I could be wrong, but then again I'm not a pro.
Once mixed, these will be pretty much impossible to separate. Will it cause problem in the future when the bricks are old or when the building needs to be remodeled?
are they fireproof? i saw a video once of somebody that had made themand was testing them with a gar burner but i cant find the video anymore. i was considering making some to go around my stove pipe so they need to be fireproof
Yes you could build with it as insulation not load bearing walls. Icf's are pure eps products used as insulation on both sides of the walls and concrete cast in the middle to build insulated basement and above walls. People don't know because the North American system builds mostly wooden houses without good insulation. Custom high quality home built with this now.
Polystyrene is classified according to DIN4102 as a "B3" product, meaning highly flammable or "Easily Ignited." If you are not aware of the risks of EPS (a polystyrene product already being used in construction) you should probably acquaint yourself, and do some testing with this as a viable building material before using it for any major project.
did you use it on the pond build? I am considering the same thing.....thinking of using old carpet, but this is a better solution & insulating as well. LMK if you found any issues or drawbacks. Thanks !
Hi Guys. Polystyrene obviously has problems associated with it because when it burns, it continues to burn and gives off monomers which are toxic and carcinogenic. Polystyrene is a difficult product to recycle as there are no good ways to put it to secondary use. Once upon a time, gardeners put polystyrene beads into their soil until they realised that there were problems with this. One alternative which uses a natural product that is not toxic, inflammable but has a high insulative property is Perlite - fuzed volcanic rock. This would mix well in a concrete batch. It would be interesting if this could be properly assessed for building processes and a bit of science added to the argument. In the meanwhile, I continue to put my polystyrene in land-fill. My bad.
Good idea to make a cool house, keeping out the sun heat. Is it as strong as a normal brick? If you have to buy that styrofoam beads, what is the cost compared to normal earth brick? Which is cheaper, at how much percent? Styrofoam pieces can be put on the ceiling to prevent heat from the sun.
to speed up your process, you could glue larger sheets together and use a similar sized paint cutter to cut out the shape...then you only have to grind and cement excess styrofoam...all the big manufactures do it...
...i would suggest using a heated cutter too...(I've heard of hot-wire-cutter before) but an improvisation to test, could use an old cloths iron with thin metal sheets attached to the hot metal bit...
Ground corn cobs are sometimes used in concrete to lighten it or make it more soundproof. We used to pour a 1 1/2 inch floor of concrete/corn cob mix between floors on multi story buildings.
Seems like a really odd and inefficient method; Why not use perlite instead? Also, is there a chance that this was done in some place like Nebraska that's had tons of cornfields?
It is really quite easy. We used a double lower plate framing the second story walls, and filled and troweled the floor smooth, and even with the top of the first (lower) 2 x 4 plate, for a 1 1/2 inch soundproof concrete layer on top of the normal subfloor. The ground corn cob came in large bags, and we mixed it into the concrete in the hopper of the concrete pump. Ground corn cob is very cheap and is readily available. It is used as animal bedding in laboratories. It was done in Tampa, Florida, and mainly for soundproofing.
Hi, this is amazing! So when you say 'fluff' - us it complete powdered EPS or granular? Like pellets? If I want to make light weight planters, should I add any additional fibres to strengthen the mixture? Thank you!
If you contour your brick mold right, you could stack your bricks without mortar and still have some wind resistance. Making a half brick form would help. Think, LEGO bricks. How do they hold up to weight being applied to them? Have you tried forming other shapes like stock watering tanks or cisterns? Is this material suitable for that use?
I like where your heads at, Bravo! I am playing with air-crete as well, but if those foam bricks got even more porous, would the t. strength, or all the strength be lowered. Just my 1.5 cents, by know means a scientist, just picturing those bricks with even more spaces....but then again, perhaps adding some reinforcement, fibers, cloth, metal strips, etc. wow am I over thinking this, hahaha I attempt to make some art/sculptures/yard art, so strength is not as important, let alone fireproofing. Some pieces should be torched, hahaha
BeReal Relentless I just but a manual pump for Aircrete but I'm wondering if you add the foam to the eps mix it would increase the fluidity of it so you could then pump the eps mix. Make oversized molds to compensate for the foam and as the foam bubbles break down with a weight on top you could compact the to a final density.
@@HergerTheJoyous & BeReal Relentless~ I am interested in air crete & this method for an insulated pool/pond base. What have your guys thoughts on air crete been so far? I am in the pacific northwest & worried about rain/mold. Also wondering about using it underground for bunker/structural support. Do you guys still use your air crete generator? I may be interested in buying it if you are open to selling it, or building one that you found worked well.
@@joeywantstoplay I sell two types through my store at Etsy one powered with a pump and an air compressor and one that uses just the air compressor. There are only three stores on Etsy including mine. I'm the least expensive one. As for an underground structure I think you would need to do alot of excavation. You could build a dome structure underground but it would be necessary to seal it to prevent water from getting in. But I do have to say it sounds like a cool idea!
is that the name of your etsy shop? littlepig? Thank you for your thoughtful & prompt reply! I sure appreciate it greatly! I'm thinking of using pond liner on top of the aircrete as a water barrier/seal before I back-fill the soil on top of the hobbit hole. Thank you. Where are you located if I may ask? @@HergerTheJoyous
That's what we thought in 2008...' Upcycling and not Down-cycling'..Perfect to build in the 21st Century! If you are interested in more ...www.lightandcoolwallsystem.com ...Enjoy
Some advice from a man who was a brick layer for 20 years. Add some sand, perhaps; 5 styro, 1 cement and 1 sand. This will give your bricks more strength and make the finish smoother. As has been mentioned already, a better mould (form work) will make a better job, I suggest a metal box, maybe 1.2 millimeter steel (1/8th inch American) with a base of the same material. Your big mistake is removing the bricks from the form work too soon (Far too soon) If you coat (paint) the inside of your form work with old cooking oil, then leave the bricks to dry till the next day, you can just bang them out upside down. Lastly, you will not be able to build occupation rated buildings. (ie: places where people will live or sleep) Building bricks must have by law a 2 hour fire rating. They must withstand a fire for 2 hours minimum before they disintegrate. Your bricks will not only burn quickly, they will intensify the fire and release poisonous fumes. But, garden planters, garden beds, garden borders etc, I think you have a great idea for any non fireproof building...
What if you added a layer of drywall on the inside and maybe something like cement board on the outside?
Makes no difference, a brick chimney (not the actual fireplace) could be surrounded by drywall or render or whatever you like, the bricks (and that's each individual brick) must sustain 2 hours of fire. (Fireplace bricks are made from a different material ie: fire clay) This construction ruling is for Australia however, so I would check with your local 'officials' if your not here in the Great Southern Land....
Toob247 - You can't safely pack your hollow walls with this ordinary white Expanded Polystyrene EPS, as insulation. Blue "Styrofoam" (brand name), Closed Cell Extruded Polystyrene XPS, is used, and it is safe and fire rated. Only in the USA and Canada do they call both of these products by the same name Styrofoam, they are totally different products. Note that one is Expanded and the other is Extruded. I see in another post that you are filling your walls with this White Polystyrene and Pour in Foam. This compromises your electrical wiring in that your wire size and current carrying capacity is designed around the assumption that the wiring is not totally enclosed. At high loads the wiring may overheat and set fire to the walls. Unless your pour in foam is sold for pouring into walls, it is also potentially unsafe to your general health. For example many of the industrial pour in foams contain toxic gases such as formaldehyde in the bubbles which slowly release over time. I suggest that you talk to your insurance company asap. In most western countries it is actually against the law to use EPS as house insulation. This video is poorly named in that it is about making bricks from Expanded Polystyrene EPS, and not Styrofoam XPS.
Agreed. We did have (25 years ago) here in Australia such 'styro' (pour-in-place) insulation but it was banned, even with added Borax it was still too 'inappropriate'. As I mentioned, such 'styro' bricks maybe ok for garden walls and such. Cheers...
Perhaps, there is still the toxic fumes issue if using it as an insulation. Here in Australia we banned such insulation at least 25-30 years ago.
“The kids complain, the motor doesn’t” lol you’re classic, my friend.
DX eee
Yours is a great idea that should hold up over time.I built a small post and beam shop in the woods behind my house in 1984. I used plastic packing beads, vermiculite, sand and Portland Cement as a light weight concrete to in fill the space between the timbers. This material has held up very well through all kinds of weather, rain, snow, and many freeze-thaw cycles with no signs of wear in all that time.
rfrossjr hi ... thanks 4 that report. i am considering 2 use this idea & i need 2 learn from others experience
rfrossjr
- I would like to know the amount of each material, if possible, used at that time. Grateful for the attention.
One thing to consider, if you haven't already, is to build your forms using a better grade of material. If you use a smooth material, such as Melamine surfaced plywood, the forms will come off much easier and you won't get the broken corners like I saw in your video. Melamine came to mind but there are plenty of other choices. Perhaps lining your forms with plastic sheet or left over Formica sheets. By the way, I think the idea of styrofoam bricks is a good one.
This guy's forms are so old, you're taking too a train conductor that's left years ago .. lol
moved your mixing tub at 1:15 into the catch position at the shredder. I saw you bag the fuzz, scoop the fuzz into buckets, then drop the buckets into the tub.
That us a lot of work, instead of just dropping fuzz directly into the mix tub.
To measure volume, do it systemically. Either weigh the foam pre chop, or Mark a line in the tub. Your volume will be uniform, and your work system reduces work activity, while producing uniform results.
“We used to have a bicycle but the kids complained, the motor doesn’t complain” love it. Im currently using a cheese grater as don’t have the know how to make that contraption. But its okay, my project is much smaller. Thoroughly enjoyed this video
I agree. A 4 hand job is way better than a 2 hand job. You said it sir
...and "ready to Goo"
James kellar Your mom sure loves to give them handies 👌🏻
I just can't believe nobody catch on the super hight piece of technology :) Nice video and useful to make a wall less heavy, thanks.
Lol right
I was thinking to encase the styrofoam brick in a separate pure cement to have a neater, heavier, more robust brick that would hold up better to the elements and animals and such. Cool and informative indeed. Cheers.
I would guess that it would need about a 5/8" thick coating of cementitious material to give it ~1hr fire resistance, but there are a few companies out there providing concrete+styro building products that dont have any coating. bautex is one that come to mind.
Another great idea, thanks .
@@jberringer1720 ICCF, "perfect block" is another
Bloody brilliant!!! Absolutely BRILLIANT! Clear...concise instructions! THANK YOU! Thank you & in case I didn’t say it enough...THANK YOU! Gail Plymouth uk
I think the idea is a great basis for a more solid and lighter prefab wall. Thanks
Few Suggestion. If there was a way to increase the size of styrofoam pieces to say 1/2" and adding of sand and more effort on mold can give good result.
At the time of laying, if each brick is dipped in cement slurry with URP added, the resultant wall will be more safe for health.
Great idea for decorative elements, blocks, bricks, small pots...
some videos ago I saw a russian guy skipping the bricks part and poured the mix directly on some kind of rammed-earth molds to create directly the wall
Wooowww! How Smart!
50% silica type sand can help in binding and I have used this with a 5 (Styrofoam 2cm-)-4 (vermiculite 2cm-) --1(mortar-sand lime cement) for a trowel on mortar mix thick stucco (4" or 10cm) with a 9 gauge steel galvanized 10cm square backing panel, tin backside the maximum slump level was about 18" (40cm) with an open face. It sets well in a day and cures in 3. this mic can also be used to patch holes in formed concrete that has a roughed surface. over 86*F (34*C) I would recommend a plastic cover for a day. Probably could make bricks from this also, but the cure time would be a day before removal from the form.
I need to make bricks that I can use for movie props and this is exactly what I need! thank you!
These look like they'd crumble pretty easily with that much Styrofoam. It would probably help to add some chopped fiberglass strands, or even a small wire mesh insert in each block. Also, as already pointed out, cement needs some silicate material (sand) to form a strong cured material, and better molds with smooth sides would keep the blocks from getting torn up so much when you release them from the mold. I definitely like the idea of finding alternative uses for used Styrofoam though, it's one of the most wasteful items on the planet after it's served it's original purpose. Even just inserting a solid Styrofoam core inside the block might be a worthwhile experiment.
I love this concept for flotation. I would think you could coat a pontoon-sized section with something to keep it from disintegration in water and leaving a trail of pollution. Thanks for sharing!
During WW2 we made boats out of concrete. See "ferro-cement boats." I think it's better to have a very strong shell with hollow interior rather than a solid foam concrete, which would end up quite a bit heavier.
Waste not, want not . . . Great idea, top video.
"The kids complained; the motor doesn't" lmao 😂🤣🤣🤣
Cool! It would be interesting to test the physical properties and experiment with mix ratios and additives such as fine aggregate (sand) and different kinds of natural or recycled fiber tensile reinforcement.
So many people commenting just from speculation would love to hear from people who has some knowledge on this subject, seen a couple of videos on styrofoam+cement and haven’t seen one that would melt from fire. Seems fire-resistant. Just worried about off gas but again many conventional-houses are full of harmful chemicals.
Just wondering, what if you added a bit of sand to the mixture? I imagine it would help the cement bond better and help the brick be quite a bit stronger. Also, it may help in the form making.
Thank you for sharing this great recycle ideas. I am going to try for my cement pot!
Make a mold that forms them like Lego blocks for eBay assembly.
Great idea. I guessed wrong before watching. I figured it would be styrofoam glue made by dissolving styrofoam in gasoline and then gluing pea gravel together.
Interesting idea. Do you know if it works?
Another idea is to buy cases of toilet paper rolls on sale. Dip each roll in a concrete solution then stack them up by sliding over a vertical anchored rebar rod. You can fill the gap around the rebar by squirting in some urethane foam as you stack.
Thanks for sharing this solution. I loved the grinder you made.
Thank you. I will attempt to use this in a building and insulation at the same time.
very creative. great idea how to get rid of styrofoam.productive way.
I am a fan of Rastra for bldg & these are like minatures. Great idea for diy's. Melamine framed molds would be slicker & flatter for more uniformity. With the rastra, you can cut to size with a saw. Glad to get formula to make them. Think I'll try making larger ones as a skirt to my trailer.
I definitely prefer the 4 hand job to the 2 hand job myself.
When it comes to hand jobs, the more the merrier!
Since it is a lightweight material, perhaps it could be cast into larger flat panels, with some reinforcement like old fencing wire cast into it, to cast into whole wall or roof sections that can stand up and be placed into position after curing ??. Adding a layer of regular stucco to both sides should protect it from catching fire as well as give it much added strength.
So the problem is that new companies seeing this are not about to go collect waste material and replace old buildings. They go out and get raw resources and expand out on new land.
The pivot and focus point and legalities of such things should be that they are made from waste and collected scrap materials and applied to old structure to upgrade.
Some people are so afraid that thing will catch fire, but they forgot that there are many things inside the house that can catch fire, eg window curtain, foam bed, pillow, clothing, papers, cooking gas, and so on. There are many wooden house.
First off, you'll never get a building inspector to sign off on something like this. No testing, certification, etc... And yes, in the event of a fire the polystyrene in these things will give off lots of really bad smoke/fumes.
However, if it is covered in drywall, it would be just as safe as any other foam insulation.
This stuff would light up a lot faster and a lot more dangerously than wood framing
Have always wanted to make my own tow behind papercrete shredder/mixer and thought that this styro scrap material would be an excellent addition ingredient to papercrete mixes.
old bean bags would be a great source for 'fuzz'! I'm interested in making bricks that float.
I wonder if you might not get a better, denser, more uniform product by using a Sinva rammed earth brick press? The thought occurs that this material might make good external insulation if applied like shotcrete to the outside of a shipping container. I understand that it is very trowelable and can be made into curved shapes. How would it go in s potplant form - to make large planters? Fill large diameter PVC pontoon tubes, giving them (yeah a little extra weight) but permanent boyancy. Fishing punt, shanty boat anyone?
Why aren't people making buildings out of Styrofoam? If they're such good insulators what the heck. You solve 2 problems in one with this I love it
Thats actually a really good idea. Not sure how well they would stick together if your just using Portland cement powder, If I was doing this I would like to add some other binders such as sand and possibly a little bit of pea gravel. Will have to give this a try sometime.
This commentary is 10/10
how flammable is the finished brick?
is there enough cement to prevent creating a fire hazard?
Is it possible to surround the styro cement brick with regular sand cement combo on all six sides so that fire is kept out of reach for fire
Those bricks are more or less the same as LightConcret / ThermoConcret / LigthBeton / ThermoBeton. I have thermobeton M:~ 100 kg/m3 (very light version made of coated EPS beads, water and cement. Cement is the only dry additiv) in my house between 1st and 2nd plano. I have tried to fire-test the product with a tar-roof burner. It is impossible for the dried EPS-concret to catch on fire. ua-cam.com/video/o2Dms6KpscA/v-deo.html
Read other replies. No, plus toxic fumes. Garden bricks.
For making garden bricks, use old baking tins as a form. Saves throwing them away.
A major consideration is that Portland cement should not dry. It should cure. If it dries out too quickly, it is weak.
Excellent instruction: would this mixture make a bigger stepping stone - like 3'x3' x 3 in thck?
I advise on the organization of production of expanded polystyrene concrete.
add a cup of pool calcium to your mix and it will harden in minutes :)
Would regular calcium or Cal we call it here in Texas, work? Nice job sir
I have a new job making prefab panels for homes. Truck loads full of free styrofoam. Going to make some projects.
It looks to me like this would be a good base layer under a concrete floor. Just pour the floor and skip the brick making part and then give it a top dressing later with standard cement. I have a lot of styrofoam around though so this looks like a good project to me
Sir you just keep having your little projects and have fun but don't put it on structural components! Nor near open flames, Great job🤜
Would you recommend using these bricks for building greenhouses in hot climate places to isolate external heat..? Will it be suitable..?
Super high tecnology😂😂😂. You funny bro
Although the intentions behind this are noble, this is not a good idea. Styrofoam should never be grinded into it's dust form. Styrofoam is too friable and a lot of what you grinded blew away into the wind and into the environment. Even a little Styrofoam dust escaping into the environment is bad because this is plastic dust. Secondly, depending on what you use the bricks for, what is going to happen is someone later on is going to demolish those bricks by smashing them with a hammer, thereby further releasing all that plastic/microplastic dust into the environment. If not, these bricks will eventually weather away naturally. So the end result is that instead of containing the initial Styrofoam garbage, you actually 100% released all of the Styrofoam plastic dust into the environment. Had you not grinded up the Styrofoam and created these bricks, all that Styrofoam would have been somewhat contained from escaping into the environment. The only way to have prevented the Styrofoam from leaking into the environment would have been to contain it in it's solid fused block form, or melt it into condensed solid polystyrene.
Inventive creative great upward thinker and action person
I like the idea, but I feel like it needs a little more cement and some sand to make it strong enough for structural use of any kind. I could be wrong, but then again I'm not a pro.
very useful idea to save on cement (for example) or produce lighter loads for carrying. I am curious as to how these would hold up in a fire, however?
Once mixed, these will be pretty much impossible to separate. Will it cause problem in the future when the bricks are old or when the building needs to be remodeled?
are they fireproof? i saw a video once of somebody that had made themand was testing them with a gar burner but i cant find the video anymore. i was considering making some to go around my stove pipe so they need to be fireproof
NOT FOR BUILDING STRUCTURES. Perfectly suitable for art projects or insulating out buildings like pump houses. Use your imagination and your brain.
With a plaster on top of it, you could get a good fire barrier
Yes you could build with it as insulation not load bearing walls. Icf's are pure eps products used as insulation on both sides of the walls and concrete cast in the middle to build insulated basement and above walls. People don't know because the North American system builds mostly wooden houses without good insulation. Custom high quality home built with this now.
This is a great idea, there must be a million + resources for your idea...
@3:03 it needs 4 hands job instead of two hands job.
Thats alot of hands job.
Polystyrene is classified according to DIN4102 as a "B3" product, meaning highly flammable or "Easily Ignited." If you are not aware of the risks of EPS (a polystyrene product already being used in construction) you should probably acquaint yourself, and do some testing with this as a viable building material before using it for any major project.
I have a cunning plan !
Styrofoam
Portland
Fly ash
Sodium silicate
FOAM CREATE !!!
How resistant is the brick towards fire, and how stable is it in acidic conditions?
Very good, thank u, this has many other uses
Excellent Tutorial !!!
Wow! Just wow! I have to try this.
Great idea for all mankind, thank you sir.
Great idea! I wonder if I could use it to insulate a raised-pond build?
did you use it on the pond build? I am considering the same thing.....thinking of using old carpet, but this is a better solution & insulating as well. LMK if you found any issues or drawbacks. Thanks !
Hi Guys. Polystyrene obviously has problems associated with it because when it burns, it continues to burn and gives off monomers which are toxic and carcinogenic. Polystyrene is a difficult product to recycle as there are no good ways to put it to secondary use. Once upon a time, gardeners put polystyrene beads into their soil until they realised that there were problems with this. One alternative which uses a natural product that is not toxic, inflammable but has a high insulative property is Perlite - fuzed volcanic rock. This would mix well in a concrete batch. It would be interesting if this could be properly assessed for building processes and a bit of science added to the argument. In the meanwhile, I continue to put my polystyrene in land-fill. My bad.
Good idea to make a cool house, keeping out the sun heat. Is it as strong as a normal brick? If you have to buy that styrofoam beads, what is the cost compared to normal earth brick? Which is cheaper, at how much percent?
Styrofoam pieces can be put on the ceiling to prevent heat from the sun.
to speed up your process, you could glue larger sheets together and use a similar sized paint cutter to cut out the shape...then you only have to grind and cement excess styrofoam...all the big manufactures do it...
...i would suggest using a heated cutter too...(I've heard of hot-wire-cutter before) but an improvisation to test, could use an old cloths iron with thin metal sheets attached to the hot metal bit...
faltou a maquina para vibrar e retirar o ar entre a massa deixando assim o bloco mais solido
Ok I'll be the person to ask. What are the corn cobs doing on top of all the bricks??????
Dude! My thoughts exactly. I haven't the slightest idea
Ground corn cobs are sometimes used in concrete to lighten it or make it more soundproof. We used to pour a 1 1/2 inch floor of concrete/corn cob mix between floors on multi story buildings.
Seems like a really odd and inefficient method; Why not use perlite instead? Also, is there a chance that this was done in some place like Nebraska that's had tons of cornfields?
It is really quite easy. We used a double lower plate framing the second story walls, and filled and troweled the floor smooth, and even with the top of the first (lower) 2 x 4 plate, for a 1 1/2 inch soundproof concrete layer on top of the normal subfloor.
The ground corn cob came in large bags, and we mixed it into the concrete in the hopper of the concrete pump. Ground corn cob is very cheap and is readily available. It is used as animal bedding in laboratories. It was done in Tampa, Florida, and mainly for soundproofing.
Interesting stuff man, thanks for the information!
Love this idea. How do they hold up in a fire? I'm really interested in this and want to make concrete bricks like this... the only concern is fire.
Also want to know
Read your answer in the other comments.
Would they be flammable??
Some Styrofoam can burn and melt really fast! Are the bricks fireproof?
Good.but use smoother forms and add half bucket of sand.make much bigger bricks and it will be isier to work with them.thanks for video
what are the old dried up corn cobs for ?
It seems awsome . No sand or bonding chemical?!
Hi, this is amazing! So when you say 'fluff' - us it complete powdered EPS or granular? Like pellets?
If I want to make light weight planters, should I add any additional fibres to strengthen the mixture?
Thank you!
Can you share a “how to build the shredder” instruction? Thank you!
Add more potland and fiberglass chop strand for stength
Thanks for sharing. Great recyclyling idea! Is it waterproof? if not, how could you make it so? Thanks
Great idea to build a indoor garden
Also a good insulator on a green house or bedding plant enclosures
5 parts loose styrofoam 1 part cement Little Water until mix resembles grey scrambled egg.
If you contour your brick mold right, you could stack your bricks without mortar and still have some wind resistance. Making a half brick form would help. Think, LEGO bricks. How do they hold up to weight being applied to them? Have you tried forming other shapes like stock watering tanks or cisterns? Is this material suitable for that use?
Just eth soundproofing quality would be nice. I don't like hearing so much road noise.
How we gone split it
I built a foam generator for Air-Crete and am experimenting adding paper pulp. I wonder what you would get buy aerating these bricks?
I like where your heads at, Bravo! I am playing with air-crete as well, but if those foam bricks got even more porous, would the t. strength, or all the strength be lowered. Just my 1.5 cents, by know means a scientist, just picturing those bricks with even more spaces....but then again, perhaps adding some reinforcement, fibers, cloth, metal strips, etc. wow am I over thinking this, hahaha I attempt to make some art/sculptures/yard art, so strength is not as important, let alone fireproofing. Some pieces should be torched, hahaha
BeReal Relentless I just but a manual pump for Aircrete but I'm wondering if you add the foam to the eps mix it would increase the fluidity of it so you could then pump the eps mix. Make oversized molds to compensate for the foam and as the foam bubbles break down with a weight on top you could compact the to a final density.
@@HergerTheJoyous & BeReal Relentless~ I am interested in air crete & this method for an insulated pool/pond base. What have your guys thoughts on air crete been so far? I am in the pacific northwest & worried about rain/mold. Also wondering about using it underground for bunker/structural support. Do you guys still use your air crete generator? I may be interested in buying it if you are open to selling it, or building one that you found worked well.
@@joeywantstoplay I sell two types through my store at Etsy one powered with a pump and an air compressor and one that uses just the air compressor. There are only three stores on Etsy including mine. I'm the least expensive one. As for an underground structure I think you would need to do alot of excavation. You could build a dome structure underground but it would be necessary to seal it to prevent water from getting in. But I do have to say it sounds like a cool idea!
is that the name of your etsy shop? littlepig? Thank you for your thoughtful & prompt reply! I sure appreciate it greatly! I'm thinking of using pond liner on top of the aircrete as a water barrier/seal before I back-fill the soil on top of the hobbit hole. Thank you. Where are you located if I may ask? @@HergerTheJoyous
at 1000 kg/m3, I think it load 7- 8 mpa
Would be great material to make a boat.
Maybe make your forms similar to adobe blocks
A little wider at the bottom
Your "cement" looks more like ready-mix mortar or sand mix.. There is a difference. Cement is portland cement without sand.
Lmao, "the kids complain"
Five 🌟
Awesome Recycle!
That's what we thought in 2008...' Upcycling and not Down-cycling'..Perfect to build in the 21st Century! If you are interested in more ...www.lightandcoolwallsystem.com ...Enjoy
Thankyou!
el poliestireno se activa hirivendolo a 200°, el cemento esta por demas.
hi can i use a few seconds of your video in a video ? (including your watermark)
So before you go building a skyscraper with these, how structurally sound are they, what weight will they bear?