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No more searching for the right joint compound for paper mache clay!
This new recipe for paper mache clay doesn’t use PVA glue, so you can use any brand of pre-mixed drywall joint compound.
The original idea for using “home-made glue” in paper mache clay came from Rich, “The Ghoulish Cop.” Thanks, Rich!
I simplified Rich’s recipe so it’s now much easier. It only takes a few minutes to make in your kitchen, and it uses inexpensive ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Why bother to make your own glue?
It’s starting to get really hard to find drywall joint compound brands that will work with the PVA glue that’s used in my original paper mache clay recipe. I’m really excited about this new recipe – I like it even better than the original recipe that I’ve been using for years. If you try it, please let us know what you think of it in the comment section below.
No-Glue Recipe for Paper Mache Clay
For the DIY glue/paste:
In a small saucepan, mix:
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons white flour
Whisk together thoroughly to remove any lumps. Then add:
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 capful (about a teaspoon) of white vinegar.
Whisk again until well mixed. Put the pan on a burner set to Medium to Medium-High heat, and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Then stir another minute until you start to see bubbles and the mixture comes together.
Put the mixture into a heat-proof container and allow to cool.
For the paper mache clay:
In a medium size bowl, mix:
- 1/2 cup wet toilet paper (24 grams dry, 110 grams wet – see video above)
- 1/2 cup pre-mixed drywall joint compound, any brand
- All of the ‘glue’ you made previously
When the paper has mixed in completely and there are no lumps, add:
- 1/2 cup corn starch, divided
Put about half of the corn starch into the bowl, and mix well. Then add the rest. If the paper mache clay starts to get too stiff for the motor on your mixer, or if it tries to ride up the beaters, you can finish mixing by hand with a spoon.
To make the paper mache clay the consistency you like, add:
- More corn starch, a little at a time.
When the mixture is too stiff to mix with a spoon, turn it onto a work table and knead by hand. When it’s very close to the way you want it, add:
- 1 capful (about 1 teaspoon) of mineral oil, baby oil, or linseed oil
Knead the clay some more to mix in the oil. Add more corn starch if needed.
Your new paper mache clay is now ready to use. Keep it in a plastic bag to keep it from drying out. If you can’t use it within a few days, store it in the refrigerator. You can use your new paper mache clay for almost any pattern or project on this site.
If you try this new recipe, be sure to let us know what you think of it. 🙂
Bonjour Jonni, Merci beaucoup pour votre générosité, j’ai regardé pratiquement tous vos vidéos !
J’ai une question toutefois, j’ai tenté d’avoir la réponse sur votre site mais je n’ai pas trouvé l’info. Peut-être que je n’ai pas tout lu…
Est-ce que votre colle maison ”No-Glue Recipe”peut-être utilisée dans n’importe quelle de vos recettes pour remplacer la Elmer’s glue ? Présentement j’utilise the Weatherproof paper mache clay recipe with drywall joint compound.
Je n’ai essayé la colle DIY dans aucune autre recette. Mais cela devrait fonctionner. Essayez un petit lot et faites-nous savoir ce que vous avez appris. 🙂
I see on your main recipe page you noted you can use DAP brand joint compound, but must use gorilla wood glue. Is that no longer valid?
Thank you
That’s still true if you’re using the original recipe, with Elmer’s glue. This recipe doesn’t use any Elmer’s so it will work with DAP.
Hello, can you make Jewelry in molds with this clay? And is it safe to wear? Thank you
I’ve never done it, but we have a guest post by someone who has used a similar recipe in small molds. You can see it here. You would need to seal any jewelry made with this recipe, because it will absorb moisture from the skin. I don’t know what kind of sealer you would use, because this isn’t something I have ever done myself.
I make the recipes by hand without a mixer, just a blender. I use paper that I soak in small pieces in plenty of water overnight/day. Then I blend it with the hand blender, after which it is placed in an old pillowcase and I turn the water out. I keep less water in the paper pulp than in the original recipe, a total of 50 gr/ 25 gr dry paper. With my hands I loosen the paper pulp until it becomes crumbs. Then the glue goes through and I leave it at the end so that the paper fibers come loose. Then I add ready-made wall filler, baby oil and only then do I add cornstarch to the desired consistency.
Great tips – thanks!
I used the recipe for paper mache clay where you cook the glue. I was making a lot of animals and quadrupled the recipe, twice! It was a bit labor intensive mixing it all, but worth it. Some of the animals were large and I did the heads first, let it dry overnight and then did the bodies. I did have to go back and fill in the gaps between the two when both had dried, there was some shrinkage, but when finished and lightly sanded you could not see any seams. I did use gesso, and acrylic paints to finish them and I am very happy with the results.
Thanks, Laura – that’s really helpful! 🙂
Hi Jonni,
Did I miss it, or did you tell us what you use to seal the finished dried project with?
I didn’t mention it on this post. I usually use an acrylic gesso before painting, but not always. After painting, I protect the paint with an acrylic varnish or clear spray.
Adding a few drops of formaldehyde to the mix will inhibit mould growth.
That’s an interesting idea – I don’t know anyone who has formaldehyde in the house, though. I find that the best way to keep paper mache from getting moldy is to get it dry as fast as possible. Fungi can’t grow without water.
Hey Jonni! I found a recipe online that can replace drywall joint compound. It mixes 4tbsp flour, 1/3 tbsp salt, and paint or primer. Is it possible to make paper mache clay with this substitute?
Thanks!
I don’t know. You might want to ask the person who provided the recipe. I’ve never seen anyone make paper mache paste with paint, so I’m not sure how it works. There is a formula for something called “monster mud‘ that’s used for a lot of Halloween props. It uses joint compound and paint, but it isn’t a paste or clay. You dip fabric into it to make it stiff.
Oh sorry, what I meant was that I found that you could make a substitute for the joint compound, and use that for the paper mache clay recipe.
Oh, I see. They’re just making something that they can cover nail holes or small cracks. The only think I’ve found that will replace the joint compound to make paper mache is clay plaster of Paris. But you can make the traditional paper pulp with any form of glue, and the flour and paint might work for that. I just haven’t tried it.
I recently have transitioned into a full time artist, making commissions of halloween decor, puppets and magickal tools using your papier mache clay recipe. This has been my dream ever since childhood, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your constant inspiration, Jonni! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That’s wonderful, Dylan! I hope your new venture is a huge success. 🙂
I’m an art teacher and a busy mom. Any thoughts on how long this new recipe can be stored in the refrigerator? Or even in the freezer.
It would be great to mix in advance and have extra for my students without worrying about mixing new batches each night or running out in the middle of class. On the flip side I also don’t want to store it and find that it won’t work or has gone moldy.
Hi Sara. I haven’t had a chance to try leaving this particular recipe for a long time. If you want to do an experiment, I suggest using the DAP brand, because it doesn’t seem to grow mold in the bucket like the Sheetrock brand does. Then put your paper mache clay the fridge, where it should last at least several weeks. It should last for much longer in the freezer. Let us know how it goes if you try saving some for a long time. And I hope you and your students have fun with it! 🙂
Unfortunately I don’t have joint compound, so I used wetted limestone powder instead, but it is very very sticky. I added more powder and corn starch and it’s still very sticky, but goes smooth with a palette knife! Anything to add to reduce stickiness?
You might try adding some white flour. I haven’t tried your version of the recipe, so you’ll need to experiment to get it to work. But I do need to ask – why don’t you want it to be sticky? Is it hard to spread because it sticks to the knife?
It’s sticky when I try to make fine details with my hands. The consistency is like frosting! I don’t know what is put in normal joint compound as a thickener. I will try adding flour and/or mixing with salt dough later on when I can. Adding oil did reduce the stickiness for a time. It seems to get stickier the more I work with it, and where I live the weather is now extremely hot even indoors so that could be a factor.
That does sound totally different from the way my clay turned out. You might want to find some pre-mixed joint compound, and do at least one batch the way I did in the video. Then, when you do your experiments, you might be able to get a similar result. I’ve never used your wetted limestone, and I don’t even know what it is – so I can’t really make any useful suggestions for making it work better.
It’s just powdered marble/calcium carbonate in water to make it like pre-mixed joint compound, but that didn’t work well.
I hope you discovered a solution. I do all sorts of artsy farts things and I’ve been baking sourdough bread lately. I normally bake regular loaves I’ve learned that dipping my hands in flour (or in your case – maybe cornstarch might help it not stick. However wet hands seem to stick less to wet sticky sourdough. The opposite of what I began learning. Also oiled hands stick less to pizza dough. But I don’t think you want to introduce oil to your Papier mache. I do put lotion all over my hands and arms before painting and crafts – makes it easier to clean me up.
I’m hoping you’ll find wet hands (try warm water and try cold- it’s different with food – meatballs will stick to cold water hands but not hot water rinsed hands ).
At 61 I see everything flows into the next. Knowledge can transcend you medium , keep the channels open.
Great tip, Dorcas. I always dip my knife in water when I spread the paper mache clay onto an armature. I never use my hands to spread it or sculpt with it, because a knife is so much easier. But if one really feels a need to get their hands in it, making them wet first would probably help. Thanks for the idea! 🙂
Hi Jonni, do you think that might be prone to mould growth ?
Hi Denise. Yes, any form of paper mache can get moldy if it isn’t kept dry. So we need to use thin layers of the paper mache clay, get it dry as fast as possible, and then seal it so it doesn’t absorb moisture from the air. Mold can’t grow without water.
I looked through a great deal of comments but didn’t see this simple tip. A simple way to cut down on mold or fungus is off the shelf “20 mule team borax”. You don’t want the kind that has additives. The original with only borax in it.
What also works is boric acid. It’s used kill ants. This stuff is not toxic to humans. The MSDS(material data safety sheet) says it’s the same as table salt. Boric acid is also used as a fire retardant, or used to be, in children pajamas.
https://moldblogger.com/how-borax-kills-mold/
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-publications/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/bits-and-pieces-newsletter/2022-04-01-aircraft-fabric-fireproofing
I put a small handful of this stuff in every wash to kill off fungus and mold.
I don’t know the exact amount, throwing a number out there, a teaspoon per quart?? It might also make the mix smoother, as it’s a sort of soap.
Another good use for 20 mule team borax is to kill insects and ants. Every year, a couple times a year when it gets cold, ants find a way in the house and make a huge track. Mix 50-50, 20 mule team borax and sugar. Put a pile around their track. They will take this stuff back to the nest and after a few days it kills them off. The borax interferes with their digestion ad they cease to be able to digest food.
Another tip is where to get the paper. Most people can come up with plenty of paper but to get a consistent product you can go to big hardware stores and get “Cellulose Blown-In Insulation or Spray Applied Insulation”. This runs about $20 or less for 25 lbs. I believe that it will already have the fire retardant boric acid or borax in it, but I’m not positive. I would expect so because of fire risk. This stuff is a lot cheaper than toilet paper. One difference is it has no clay in it and some toilet paper does, so you might have to fool with the recipes a little.
Great ideas, Sam. Just one note, though, for people who might want to use the Borax with the paper mache clay recipes that use PVA glue. It will turn your pm clay into a rubbery mess. It should be fine with this new home-made glue recipe, though.
That’s also true for the cellulose insulation. The bag I purchased did contain boron or boric acid. That meant it couldn’t be used with the recipes that use PVA glue. But this recipe with the home-made glue is now my favorite. so I hope everyone tries it. 🙂
Try adding salt…??????
I know a lot of people use salt in paper mache paste, but I do a lot of baking. Bread always has salt, and it doesn’t keep the bread from getting mold. I’m going to do an experiment soon to see if there’s a brand of drywall joint compound we can use to reduce the chance of mold, in areas where it’s difficult to get the paper mache dry fast enough. But I still think it’s really important to get any form of paper mache dry as fast as possible, and then seal it to keep it from absorbing moisture from the air. Fungi can’t live without water.
Wouldn’t the sugar tend to attract bugs?
We haven’t had enough time to test it to know for sure. In some environments, bugs will eat almost anything. I happen to live in an area with very cold winters, so that kind of bug doesn’t live here. I hope a lot of people will test the recipe, and let us know.
Olá….boa noite. Obrigada por responder meu comentário.
Eu já utilizei sim, vários tipos de vernizes..mas os bichinhos voltam a atacar.
Consegui salvar apenas as peças feitas com massa básica sem aditivos de alimentos.
Ainda assim agradeço sua sugestão, e parabéns pelos seus lindos trabalhos.
Um grande abraço e mais uma vez te agradeço.
Joni, I just tested your new recipe tonight, and it trowled on beautifully. I spread it over a gourd and foam ball, and it stuck on and blended seamlessly with water. I’m allowing it to dry overnight and will report on hardness then, but so far, I really like it. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us; I think this will be my go-to as well.
That’s great! I’m anxious to find out if it cracks over the gourd when it dries. It will shrink a little, and the gourd won’t – but if it does crack, it would be easy to repair it with a bit more of the new paper mache clay. I can’t wait to hear back from you. 🙂
Reporting Back: it’s been 24 hours, and the clay feels mostly dry, and so far, NO CRACKS! I was skeptical, too, as shrinkage and cracks have been an issue for me with other paper clays. Let’s give it a few more days to ensure all moisture has evaporated. But very promising.
I am really curious about the role of the sugar in this clay. I don’t want to make something that could get sticky in high humidity. I wonder if I seal it if it would be okay or if it would have some other effect. I also wonder if it would be just as good without the sugar. Maybe some weekend experimenting is in order.
Several people commented on YouTube that the sugar acts as a binder. I’m sure they’re right, because the mixture has a strange congealed consistency that it wouldn’t have if I just made a paste using flour and cornstarch. But I don’t know if the paper mache clay would work just as well without it. I have a lump of the new clay sitting on my desk. It has been slowly drying, because it’s over an inch thick. The parts that are dry are very hard. It’s quite humid here today, but the dried clay is not at all sticky. Of course, it doesn’t get as humid here as it does in some parts of the South, or the tropics, so those weekend experiments are probably a good idea. After you do them, please come back and let us know what you find out! 🙂
olá… boa noite…li sua receita de papel machê mas fiquei preocupada.
aqui no Brasil, devido ao clima um tanto quente, se usamos a farinha e amido misturada à cola ou de alguma forma ao papel machê, com o tempo a peça feita fica cheia de furinhos…pois dentro da peça criam carunchos, ou besouros minúsculos que trituram toda a peça por dentro, deixando cheia de furos como um queijo. Jamais recomendo o uso de qualquer alimento. No inicio, perdi muitas esculturas por causa disso. Depois que passei a fazer a massa simples…nunca mais perdi peças . Mas mesmo assim admiro seu maravilhoso trabalho e te sigo nas redes sociais há muitos anos. Um grande abraço.
Thanks, Dora. It sounds like you have different bugs than we do. Every environment is different. Have you tried sealing your sculptures with several layers of varnish?
Didn’t you forget to list the glue in the paper mache recipe?
Oops! Thanks for reminding me. I added it with the first ingredients – and I edited both the post and the PDF so it now makes more sense. 🙂
Will definitely try this,like the idea of being able to produce fine detail
I hope you let us know what you think of it. 🙂
When do you use the glue?
I added it with the first ingredients when mixing the new paper mache clay. Thanks for letting me know that I forgot to mention that in the post! I fixed it. 🙂
Thank you x will try soon
Great – I hope you like it! 🙂