Thermal Insulation Materials: 4 categories

Mineral Wools: Effective and Inexpensive Thermal Insulation Materials

Mineral wools are the first major family of insulation materials used in the building industry.

It is inexpensive and has the advantage of being both thermally and acoustically efficient. For all these reasons, it is often selected for building or renovating a property.

However, it has some disadvantages: it is sensitive to humidity and contributes to increased indoor pollution. Besides, it is not very compatible with ecological criteria...

Three categories of mineral wools can be identified:

• Glass wool is the most common. It is made from sand and recycled glass. It is generally presented in the form of a roll or a mattress made up of interlocking fibres.
• Rock wool is made from a volcanic rock, basalt. It is very versatile and can be found in the form of panels, rolls or flakes.
• Cellular glass is made from sand and recycled glass in the form of foam (iron oxide or sodium sulphate has been added to these basic elements before baking). The end result is an insulation with a closed cell structure (hermetically sealed glass cells). It is possible to find it in panels, sheets or blocks.

Vegetal Wools: For Environmentally Friendly Winters

The second major family of insulating materials is vegetal wools, which provide fully bio-based thermal insulation.

They offer much greater ecological and sustainable advantages than mineral wools, with varying costs depending on the material (straw, for example, is very cheap, but requires more available space).

Some examples of vegetal wools ideal for insulation:

• Cork has long been chosen for its natural sound insulation properties. If it is agglomerated or expanded cork, which has therefore been processed, it can also be an interesting thermal insulator.
• Wood fibre, in the form of panels, felt sheets or flakes, is easier to use than glass or rock wool, for similar thermal performance.
• Less well known, wood wool obtained from wood chips mixed with a binding agent is also interesting.
• Cotton wool, flax wool and cellulose wadding, combined with synthetic materials, can also be good alternatives.
• Finally, for those who want to play the ecological card, straw, obviously dried and compacted, has entered the field of thermal insulation materials.

Animal Wools Mixed with Synthetic Materials

The third major family is made up of animal wool-based insulation materials.

Animal wool is not easily inflammable and is interesting because it regulates humidity. However, sheep or goat wool, which can be found in rolls or panels, must first be treated with fungicides, insecticides and fire retardants before being used.

This is the case with sheep wool, which can then be found in rolls or panels.

Thin and Synthetic Insulating Materials for Additional Insulation

To conclude this overview, we should mention “thin” insulation, composed of layers of aluminium foil interspersed with layers of felt. These are called “back-up” insulations, as their quality varies according to thickness. You might as well choose a high-performance insulator from the outset...

Finally, there is synthetic insulation in the form of rigid panels, such as polystyrene. Again, this is preferable for adjustment or reinforcement work.

In short, you get the picture, finding the right thermal insulation material for your building project will depend primarily on your objectives, needs and budget. For example, for high technical performance and low cost, mineral wools are the best choice. However, if you prefer to avoid irritating materials, choose animal wool (which is generally more expensive). If ecology is important to you, you should consider vegetal wools (whose price varies greatly depending on the material). Finally, for fitting work, go for thin and synthetic insulation!