Paper Bag Floors & Other Rags to Riches Repurposing with Bags (recycling, toxic)

[Mad Hatter 10/6]

I saw this video about a lady recycling brown paper bags to replace the covering of her floor by tearing and crumpling grocery bags and glueing them down. So I was intrigued about the idea. Doing a search on YouTube I found a couple using brown paper rolls to create a similar effect. Has anyone had experience with this repurposing of paper bags? Any other creative ideas about remodeling or DIY projects with paper bags? I really thought this would make for interesting conversation. Any suggestions are welcome, no matter how bizarre. I never realized that you could do such posh home improvements with shopping bags. It gives an all new meaning to brown bagging it!

Paper Bag Flooring Tips, Tools and Supplies For Concrete Subfloors


DIY Paper Bag Floor Installation

[Sarahsez]

NOPE!

The paper bag/tissue paper wallpaper treatment was a thing about 20 years ago. Trading Spaces did it and everyone copied. We bought a house where someone had done it and I hated it. I ended up having to strip that off of the walls to repaint. I wasn't a fan and I think it would be a horrible mess to clean on the floors. I'm not sure if you could seal it well enough to keep water out when you mopped.

[KaraG]

I can't think of any place that gives out brown paper bags anymore.

[guidoLaMoto]

The paper bags are just the under-layment, providing a texture/design. The polyurethane is the real floor covering that you walk on. Why not use old jeans, T-shirts or candy wrappers?

Paper is 100% re-cyclable naturally, so no real need to "recycle" it. Polyurethanes are toxic when applied or burned and will eventually wind up in the landfill ...Not so sure we have an environmentally friendly process here.

In Chicagoland where I came from and now here in WI, grocery stores always give the choice "Paper or plastic?" at the check out line....Walmart only offers plastic-- they're such a PITA when unloading the car, spilling cans cuz they don't stand up and searching for the tangled handles.

[Nov3]

The 'penny coin' flooring.(how tedious that must of been)

A man used his beer cans to make a hunting cabin.

The 'wine cork' wall.

A neighbor used a rusted iron fence as a divider for their game room. Actually turned out nice. Hung his billard items on it. Rather clever.

[silibran]

If I had a concrete floor, I would paint or stain it. I’d do that before I’d put paper bags over it and poly it down. What a mess removing it at a later date! But probably, I’d prefer to cover it with some sort of carpet, because standing on concrete is miserable.

But there is a paint or stain for practically everything.

[Sarahsez]

Google 'bottle house'. There are some cool stained glass structures made with glass bottles. I wouldn't want that for a house, but it would make a really fun she-shed.

[Mad Hatter 10/6]

Originally Posted by KaraG

I can't think of any place that gives out brown paper bags anymore.

Ours cost 5¢ in our county, the 2 adjacent counties, no charge. If we take them back to the store and reuse them we get a 6¢ credit. I've still managed to save a bunch of them though.

I forgot to mention that we can't reuse our bags during the pandemic.

[Mad Hatter 10/6]

Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto

choice "Paper or plastic?" at the check out line....Walmart only offers plastic-- they're such a PITA when unloading the car, spilling cans cuz they don't stand up and searching for the tangled handles.

The bags, which ever, paper or plastic, the materials have been getting thinner and the paper has been reprocessing to the point the fibers are broken down, and the bags rip easily.

[Mad Hatter 10/6]

[quote=guidoLaMoto;58751294]Polyurethanes are toxic when applied or burned and will eventually wind up in the landfill ...Not so sure we have an environmentally friendly process here.
/QUOTE]



Polyurethane takes something like 200 years to decompose. Plastics are everywhere and in everything. Like processed sugar, hard to avoid.