This is one in a series of blog posts about the materials we’ve chosen to build our Zero House project…

What is ReWall EssentialBoard? ReWall is a sheathing board made from recycled, compressed drinking cartons. It can be used for interior and/or exterior sheathing over frame walls.

Where is ReWall used in Zero House? All of our prefabricated wall and roof panels use ReWall EssentialBoard as the interior sheathing.

How does ReWall help achieve the Zero House goals?

• Zero carbon footprint – ReWall is made from 100% recycled paper fibers, and that paper fiber is about 50% carbon by weight. Rather than returning to the atmosphere when the paper is burned or decomposes, it is now captured for long-term storage in the walls of our building.
• Zero net energy use – ReWall has an R-value of 1 for a 1/2-inch thick sheet, much better than other sheathing options like drywall or plywood.
• Zero toxins – ReWall is made from 100% recycled drinking cartons, with no added glues or binders. Only food-grade materials go into the product, and there is no off gassing. EssentialBoard also scores a 10/10 on mold resistance.

Other reasons for using ReWall EssentialBoard:

• Affordability – ReWall costs the same as conventional drywall and OSB sheathing, and much less than plywood, so we get all the sustainability benefits without paying more.
• Code Compliance – ReWall products have good testing data available to support their use as structural sheathing.
• Workability – ReWall can be cut with standard job site tools and fastened with conventional screws or nails.
• Waste – ReWall can be fully recycled (though not all recycling centres will accept the material).

Any drawbacks to using EssentialBoard?

• No local distribution means that shipments must be arranged direct from the factory in the US.
• The sheets are “bendy” when being handled, so it can require two people to manage a sheet.
• It was a bit difficult to make trim cuts close to the edge of the sheet as the saw would fray the material rather than making a clean cut.
• There was a slight variation in thickness between sheets, which didn’t matter for our application but could present some difficulties if we were trying to use EssentialBoard as the finished sheathing and were mudding and taping the joints.

ReWall EssentialBoard is a material that will definitely be used on further projects at Endeavour Centre. Hopefully the product will start to receive wider distribution and will become available in more regions.