Rock-Wool Insulation: What It Is and Where to Use It?

The importance of a well-insulated home can’t be overstated: Appropriately sized and also mounted insulation can lower energy use, keep you warmer in the winter season, and also cooler in the summer season, and also conserve you cash with reduced power bills.

For property owners and also home builders alike, fiberglass insulation has actually been the insulation of options for lots of decades. While fiberglass continues to be preferred, there's a reasonably brand-new kind of insulation that's progressing-- and headlines-- in the insulation market. It's called Rock Wool Insulation.

What Is Rock Wool Insulation?

Rock wool, which is likewise called mineral woolen, comes in easy-to-install batts, similar to fiberglass. Yet rather than being made up of fluffy glass fibers, rock woolen is made of-- you presumed it-- rocks, which does not even appear possible. Here's a short explanation of the manufacturing procedure.

All-natural rock is heated in a furnace to about 3,000 degrees until it merges a fluid. The magma-like fluid is revealed to a high-pressure jet of air or steam and then rotated at super-high speed into long fiber strands. (Belief: cotton candy device full of liquid rock.) The strands are captured and pressed right into thick, dense mats, which are then cut into convenient-sized batts of insulation.

The one-of-a-kind composition of rock woolen generates high-performing insulation with the complying with functions:

Made from natural, sustainable product

Commonly contains as much as 75 percent recycled content

Retains warm well and also catches air, which slows the transfer of heat

Non-combustible as well as fire immune to about 1,400 degrees

Very water repellent

Excellent sound-deadening buildings

Greater insulating value than fiberglass

Long-term performance-- rock woolen does not weaken in time

Permits dampness to run away (which deters mold as well as mold).

Thick, firm batts are friction-fit into the area; no stapling needed.

Custom Insulation Rock Wool

Where to Make Use of Insulation Rock Wool?

Custom insulation Rock wool can be installed anywhere you 'd install fiberglass or any other type of insulation, consisting of wall surfaces, floorings, ceilings, attics, and crawlspaces. Nevertheless, it's especially fit for spaces along the chilly northern side of the house and for interior areas looking for audio deadening, such as media rooms or song workshops.

Since rock wool is very fire immune, it's suitable-- as well as commonly code-required-- for usage as a firestop between floors of a house. (During redesigning or brand-new construction, ask the neighborhood structure examiner to determine details areas that call for rock wool firestops.).

Rock woolen is also easy to work with: The firm batts can be cut with a serrated blade or handsaw to fit comfortably right into place. If it gets wet, water grains up as well as rolls off without soaking into the fibers. The rock-wool fibers are compressed so securely together that there's no chance of the insulation changing out of setting or dropping down, which would drastically reduce its insulating worth.

Keep in mind that rock-wool insulation just comes un-faced, meaning there's no kraft-paper or aluminum foil barrier. Depending on the situation, you may need to install an independent permeable membrane to serve as a vapor barrier.