House insulation

Environmentally friendly fibreboard for thermal and sound insulation of houses

There is a lot of discussion about insulating the facades of houses, about the advantages and disadvantages of such insulation, about how quickly the costs pay for themselves thanks to lower energy bills. A hotly debated topic is polystyrene boards, which are not always the best solution. The low fire resistance and the fact that it does not allow the home to exchange moisture with the environment, increasing the risk of condensation and mould I am sure you have heard all sorts of debates. As an alternative, among the solutions on the market we have found one that will catch your attention. A natural and environmentally friendly optionfor thermal and sound insulation of houses.These are fibreboards (wood fibre boards) for insulating houses.

fibrolematous plaques

In Romania, fibreboards for insulation distributeNaturalpaint. Knowing the company's preference for natural and environmentally friendly products, as well as their commitment to environmentally friendly technologies, it's no surprise that they have such products. In addition to natural paints and oils for floor covering or awood used outdoorsI also found information about these wood fibre boards, produced in Germany using environmentally friendly technologies.

The plates are produced by the company Gutex Holzfaserplattenwerk. The company is based in Waldshut-Tiengen in the Black Forest mountains, 20 km from the source of the Danube. Since 1932, the company has been producing fibreboard here using pine and spruce wood waste from local wood processing factories.

fibrolematous plaques

The same source of raw material is still used today. The boards are environmentally friendly because only untreated wood is used and the manufacturing processes are as 'clean' as possible, with very few additives added. Apart from the wood fibre, the boards have only 4% polyurethane adhesive to form the board and 2% paraffin to make the board water resistant.

Using wood fibre boards to insulate wooden or brick buildings has a number of advantages:

  • Reduces energy consumption in winter. Wood has a high heat storage and retention capacity. In fact, it is the building material with the highest heat storage capacity. For this reason, homes insulated with such materials will keep the heat inside for longer in winter, lowering heating costs.
  • Maintains a cool environment during hot summer periods. Wood is a good thermal insulator, so it stores heat without distributing it. Heat from the outside will be stored in the walls, but not distributed inside the house, and the atmosphere remains cool. In short, it will be warm in winter and cool in summer.
  • Allows moisture exchange with the environment. As the fibres are obtained from wood, they retain its property of exchanging moisture with the environment. This means that your home will not be insulated like a plastic bag, but will be able to 'breathe', avoiding condensation and mould.
  • Soundproofs the home. Wood is a good sound insulator and passes on this property to the boards. Used to insulate walls and roofs, it will help reduce noise levels in the home.

fibrolematous plaques

Gutex Thermowall eco-friendly fibreboard distributed by Naturalpaint can be used for both exterior and interior insulation. On the outside they are used to insulate facades and roofs, and on the inside for attic insulation (areas between the rafters), sound insulation between levels or insulation under floors.

fibrolematous plaques

The thicknesses of the tiles vary depending on the type of use, the largest being 240 mm. If needed, they can be stacked to achieve the desired thickness. Installation is simple, as the boards are factory-built so that they can be joined nut and groove (tongue and groove).

fibrolematous plaques
Gutex wood fibre boards for building insulation

Of course, some materials are still needed to mount the tiles, but you don't have to worry, as the whole mounting system, with adhesives and dowel system, comes with the tiles. After mounting, the tiles can be plastered directly with mineral facade plaster.

fibrolematous plaques
Fibreboard for external insulation of houses

Fibreboard is used for both new buildings and for insulating old ones. They are perfectly usable in construction with all the necessary certificates and comply with all EC requirements for building safety, environmental protection and fire protection. We also witnessed a Comparative fire resistance test between expanded polystyrene, basaltic mineral wool, Gutex wood fibre panels. There you will also find a video which we believe will emphasise what we are saying.

fibrolematous plaques

In addition to all these certificates, the producers also boast something else. The fact that the wood they use comes from sustainable forests, where cultivation and harvesting is done according to the principles of sustainable forest management according to PEFC and FSC standards.

 

We all want to live in beautiful, comfortable and above all safe homes where we feel protected, so I thought it would be useful to know about this environmentally friendly option for insulating homes using fibreboard.

About the author

Mihaela Radu

Mihaela Radu is a chemical engineer but has a great passion for wood. She has been working in the field for more than 20 years, wood finishing being what defined her during this period. She gained experience working in a research institute, in her own company, as well as in a multinational. She wants to continuously share her experience with those who have the same passion - and more.

11 comments

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  • to buy pressed sawdust from the Germans and to export the log (log called by European bodies, commodity, not resource) to the Austrians is the night of the mind! The question arises: so... on the whole, are the post-decembrist Romanians more incompetent than Ceausescu who was an illiterate shoemaker?

    In other words: I hope to ***!
    This comment has been moderated because it contained vulgar or offensive language

    • Hello,
      You can find out here more about fibreboard types, characteristics and fire resistance. You can also ask the importer on this site if fireproofing treatments are available in the country.
      All the best!

  • Ms Mihaela I appreciate your work on this magazine and the information you provide.
    I've read many nice articles, but sometimes we seem to "copy-paste" some that contain a lot of "commercial poetry".
    I have felt this in other articles, advertising has its role in the system, but in this article you seem to have reproduced it too much on the fly.
    Please re-read a little "Wood has a great capacity to store and retain heat. In fact, it is the building material with the highest heat storage capacity." As a technically trained person how does that sound to you! How does wood store heat?
    Are you sure about what you say in the paragraph in quotes? And we can extend to other statements...
    I like wood and I don't dispute its qualities, but suddenly some boards (from "waste") if made in Germany, had a little more and they would solve our cold season guttural.
    Yes polystyrene has many drawbacks, but perhaps it would be fair to at least mention the price differences.
    Not to mention the prices at which they "buy" us the log compared to the prices at which they sell us any "leftover, deseu" wonder. As Adrian said in his comment above.
    Compare how much sheep's wool is purchased (if at all) and how much wool insulation material is sold to us, etc.
    I apologize if my post is disturbing. I don't want to upset anyone. But it seems like everything "outside" is a miracle and we Romanians have nothing but "shit".
    This people has lived for hundreds of years in houses of wood and earth and now foreigners come to teach us how and what to make them out of...
    I apologize again and wish you success in all you do.

    • PS:
      In this article you state that wood is a good sound insulator, and in the next article, the one about wooden houses, you state exactly the opposite.
      God help us and good times.

  • Ahhh, I'm like a dog chasing its tail: I walk around on I don't know how many websites, which refer to each other (this being the "king"), but none of them show clearly: what format the product is, where to buy it and HOW MUCH IT COSTS!!!
    ("Like crazy"...)

    • Hello!
      We are just a magazine for wood enthusiasts and woodworkers. Information about the price of the products in the article can be found at Naturalpaint. Find here contact details of Naturalpaint distributors in Romania and here Naturalpaint Facebook page to contact them directly.
      All the best!

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