This is a reader-supported site. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for your support! 🙂
Why do we need a recipe for paper mache clay without flour?
A lot of people have told me that they’re concerned about the flour in my original paper mache clay recipe. This is usually because they live in places where there are a lot of mice or insects that are attracted to flour. And some people are very allergic to the gluten in flour, so they can’t use the original recipe.
We recently received a comment from Suzan Gamble, who told us that she makes her dog sculptures with paper mache clay – but she doesn’t use the flour that the original recipe calls for. She didn’t mention mice, but she did say that she’s never had any problems with mold, even when she keeps the wet clay for long periods of time.
So I gave it a try, and used it for one of my latest sculpture patterns, the giraffe. The pattern is now available (and you can make with any paper mache recipe, including this one).
Why is there flour in the original recipe?
The flour is in the original recipe to soak up extra moisture so the paper mache clay won’t be too wet.
And the extra moisture is in the original recipe because it makes the paper soft enough to fall apart when you use a cheap mixer to make your paper mache clay, like the one I own.
The flour absorbs the extra water and makes the paper mache clay stiff enough to actually use.
This week I decided to experiment. I wanted to see if I could make a paper mache clay recipe without flour that has the same thickness as the original recipe.
And it had to work without a big food processor like the one Suzan uses, because I don’t have one.
The gadget that makes this recipe work:
The new recipe requires a small, cheap food processor/chopper, like the one I bought to chop up walnuts. I think it cost about $12 when I bought it. It was $16.69 yesterday on amazon.com, but today it’s $18.95. Go figure….
I would not use an expensive food processor to chop the paper, but if you’re brave and you don’t think it will burn out the motor, go ahead and try it. (But don’t say I told you to!)
Step 1: Get the Toilet Paper Wet
This recipe starts just like the original recipe for paper mache clay – we get the toilet paper wet so we can measure it.
But then we do something very different…
But this time, because I’m going to use that little cheapo food processor, I squished all the water out.
Step 2: Squeeze Out the Water
As you can see, I’m squishing as much of the water out as I can.
Step 3: Chop up the Paper
Tear the damp paper into smaller pieces, so the blades won’t have to chop through a big hunk of paper. We don’t want to burn out the motor.
Turn on the chopper and leave it on until the paper looks like shredded coconut, as shown below.
Step 4: Add the Other Ingredients
The amounts I used for this small batch of No-Flour Paper Mache Clay:
- 1 cup shredded damp paper
- 2/3 cup of drywall joint compound
- 1/2 cup of PVA Glue (Elmer’s Glue-All or Clear)
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon baby oil/mineral oil or linseed oil. If you don’t have any, just leave it out. It won’t hurt anything.
Use the premixed joint compound, not the powdered kind that contains plaster.
And remember – don’t use DAP joint compound. When that brand is mixed with PVA glue it turns into rubber. Use Sheetrock brand, or the joint compound they sell at Walmart in the paint department – or any brand you can find that isn’t made by DAP. If you can’t find any locally, you can order it from amazon.com.
If you aren’t sure what what drywall joint compound is called in your country, some of our readers have made suggestions here.
Use any PVA glue. (I’ve tried wood glue before, and it didn’t work.) Elmer’s Glue-All and Clear are PVA glues, and they’re easy to find in the US. Most white glue is PVA glue.
Step 5: Mix
I’m using a $13 mixer. It’s plenty strong enough for paper mache clay.
Note: If you have problems with the motor on your mixer getting too hot, you might be using too much paper, or the paper hasn’t been chopped up enough. If you’re making the original recipe and the motor gets hot, you might be squeezing too much water out of the paper.
I added my paper shreds a little at a time so I could see how thick the paper mache clay was getting. Because the paper is almost dry, it will soak up the moisture in the mixture and thicken the PM clay, just like the flour does in the original recipe.
I only added one cup of paper this time, but I used more paper for the first layer on my giraffe.
Less paper makes the mixture smoother. More paper makes it thicker, and it isn’t quite as easy to get a very thin layer on your armature – but the thicker paper mache clay can be used to sculpt small details.
The texture of the mixture with more paper added:
The first layer on my giraffe – you can see the natural texture of the paper showing through. You can use a knife to make it a little smoother, but you’ll always have some texture.
The texture of the the mixture with less paper added:
Now it’s your turn …
If you try the new recipe for paper mache clay with no flour, please let us know what you think of it. Can you think of specific reasons why it would be helpful to leave out the flour? Have you been reluctant to make something with paper mache because you were concerned about the flour in the paste or paper mache clay?Share this post …
Hi everyone, my name is James. I am looking at Jonni’s recipes which are q great inspiration to me. I have a problem when i mix in the paper fiber that it always turns to rubber so i tried just glue and joint copound which dries hard enough. Any comments?
James, are you using the type of paper fiber that’s used as insulation? That product usually contains boron, for fire and mold prevention, and it creates a rubbery mess when combined with Elmer’s Glue, or with some kinds of joint compound. This recipe doesn’t contain Elmer’s, but if that’s the kind of paper you’re using, maybe something in the joint compound is causing the same problem. Have you tried using toilet paper?
I should also mention that the paper fibers act as reinforcing, so you might get more cracking if you leave them out.
Hello, First thank you for sharing all of your knowledge on recipes and creating. So amazing. Can this recipe be made ahead of time and kept in a sealed container or should it be made right before using? Have you ever done this with kids?
Thank you again
Hi Emily. You can keep the paper mache clay in the refrigerator for a few days if you cover it well, but it’s best to use it up as soon as possible. I don’t work with kids, but if your children are quite young, remember that paper mache clay is made with products made for the construction industry, and it isn’t edible. Also, really young kids have a hard time applying a really thin layer of it over their armatures with a knife, because they don’t have enough eye-hand coordination yet. Test it yourself, and you’ll be able to tell if your kids are old enough to have fun with it.
Hi, thanks for your amazing job! I’m creating great stuff I will show you!
I would love to know 3 things more..
1) How long it takes to get dry more or less, and should I use a tecnique to let it dry better or faster?
2) Can I use sand paper after that to get it perfectly smooth and a sliding surface?
3) Which kind of paint ? should I use? Acrilic? Spray?
Thanks again.
Sending greetings and hugs ?
Hi Riccardo. The amount of time it takes to dry depends on how thickly it’s applied, and the temperature and humidity in the air. For that reason, I can’t give you a time that it will take, but you should try to get it to dry as fast as you can. Putting it in front of a fan really helps speed things up. You can sand it, but it dries very hard. It’s easier to apply a very thin layer of pre-mixed drywall joint compound, let it dry, and then smooth it with a very lightly damp cloth or sponge. I use acrylic paint and spray paint, depending on the project. Any paint that works on plain paper will work with paper mache clay. I hope this helps – have fun! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your process!
Seeing a lot of recommendations for this Durham’s Water Putty product.
Home Depot’s website has the manufacturer material safety data sheet on file which contains the product ingredients, for the curious. It’s not magic. Just mostly plaster of paris.
3. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
Plaster of Paris
70-80%
Talc
5-15%
Dextrin
5-9%
Crystalline Silica- Quartz
<1%
Yellow Iron Oxide
<1%
The exact concentration is being withheld as a trade secret.
Might be worth tinkering with baby powder as a non flour based dryer?
Thanks for the info. I haven’t tried that product yet, but they do sell it at my local hardware store. I just haven’t had time to play with it. I haven’t tried baby flour instead of real flour yet, either, but it’s worth an experiment or two. 🙂
Durham’s Water putty is great stuff. Available on Amazon and should be at Home Depot and or Lowes. A dry powder that mixes with water for desired consistency. Dries slower than most epoxies, depending on thickness. I usually work with small amount mixed in little paper cups. I have never mixed it with other materials but will give it a try.
I’ve seen it in the stores, but I’ve never tried it. Do you use it for sculptures?
I’ve recently played around with some other ingredients I had some drams water putty ( I absolutely love this stuff) made it wetter and chopped up dollar store tissue paper and this stuff dried harder than paper Mache but acted like paper mache I’ve only did it once playing around (so going to try it again and actually measure what I’m using) but I liked it as I could use spray paints on it and my paint sprayer I guess what I’m asking have you ever played around with Durams water putty?
Hi Rachel – that sounds like a great idea. I don’t think they sell it at my local DIY store, but I just read an article about it, and it says the product won’t crack when it dries. Do you know if you need to work really fast, before it hardens, the way plaster does?
Well i too am playing around with other mixes, i recently mixed drywall and Pen Gear white school glue. It made a crwamy mix when blended with the mixer. It dried very hard. Have yo6 tried this? I did this because when i mix in the pape4 fibet it turns to rubber. Without paper its ok.
Try using acrylic paint thats not water soluble
Like exterior house paint.
Could you use an immersion blender on the toilet paper when it’s in lots of water rather than the food ninja on it when squeezed dry? I have seen videos where people use an immersion blender when using regular paper, not toilet paper.
I haven’t tried that, but it sounds like it would work. They do basically the same thing. If you try it, let us know if it works. 🙂
Just wanting to say Thank You for this clay instruction. I have been using it for about 5 years . It’s wonderful. My projects turn out beautiful every time. I love it.
I’m glad you’re having fun with it! 🙂
I’ve been building various “aged” vases and bowls using this basic recipe but substituting corrugated cardboard from shipping boxes for the tp. It works well and gives a courser finish consistent with “ancient” decorator items. I do have to tear the cardboard into about 6 or 7 cm, (2.5 to 3 inches,) and soak it for around twelve hours before shredding.
Hey Jonni! We are making two 5ft half spheres for a theatre show. Can I use this paper mache clay recipe directly over a balloon? Or does it need the cardboard armature to hold on to? I don’t want to slather it on a balloon and it just slide off before drying. I need the strength of the clay recipe as well as the simplicity over traditional paper mache with layers of newspaper. Thanks in advance!
Hi Holly. Almost anything will slide off a rubber balloon. Balloons also constantly change shape as you add any paper mache, because the temperature of the air inside will change, and that causes the balloon to expand and shrink. You can probably tell that I don’t like to use balloons with paper mache. I have done it a few times, but I cover the balloon (or rubber ball, which has the same problems) with a layer of plaster cloth first. You might try using paper strips and paste first, since the plaster cloth can get expensive – but you may get some cracking or ridges as the balloon changes shape during the drying process. Once you have a dried surface, you can add a thin layer of the paper mache clay.
I have used it over a ballon. First I covered it in masking tape. The first attempt caved in because I popped the ballon too soon. Got anxious. Should have done a second coat first. But in the end it was very successful
I’ve used it on a balloon too but covered the balloon in paper and masking tape first. Don’t tape to the balloon just the paper creating a kind of skin.
Hello!
I made this with the ingredients that I could find in my country, now it looks nice but it’s so sticky. Can I do anything to make it better?
I add white flour or corn starch to mine to make it less sticky. Have you tried that?
Thank you so much for all this information! I would like to build a huge dragon for Halloween. Big enough to cover my house’s roof. Is this paper machete method water proof do you think? Do you have a recommendation for how to waterproof something with this method?
Hi Sarah. That’s a very ambitious project! The paper mache clay is not waterproof. You could coat it with a rubber-type sealer, but with something that big, I think it would be best to use a material that’s waterproof and made to be used outside. The lightest option would be to create your dragon with foam, and use a waterproof epoxy foam coat over it. There are some great videos that show how it’s done, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Thank you so much for this information! I appreciate your time!
Use external house paint instead of water
Oh thank you for that suggestion! I’ll give that a try!
Use exterior house paint instead of water and don’t add flour
Flour will mold after awhile.
Maybe powdered wall patch,