0333 5771139
Online Quote
Cork is a natural insulator and it's the main component in CorkSol's spray-on wall coating – SprayCork. By helping to stop heat escaping, this innovative product can benefit homeowners who are struggling to keep on top of the rising cost of fuel.
In this blog, we look at how you could benefit from this sustainable insulator.
SprayCork is a wall coating that contains concentrated particles of cork. It is sprayed on in even layers to form a thin, protective, breathable, and waterproof barrier on interior walls.
The final coating is no more than 6mm thick, and it can be plastered over almost straight away. Once the plaster is painted, there is no trace of the coating, but you’ll almost certainly notice how much warmer your house feels.
CorkSol has done its own research and found that SprayCork can prevent more than 30% of the heat you're paying for being lost through the walls of your house.
According to the government, making energy efficient home improvements like installing insulation is one of the best ways of tackling the rise in fuel costs. CorkSol predicts that by using its products, you could save up to 30% on your energy bill.
SprayCork can be applied to most surfaces, which for interior walls includes:
● plaster (gypsum and lime)
● plasterboard
● Artex
● wood
● concrete (in-situ and pre-cast)
● brick and stone
Once the coating is dry, it can be plastered over with gypsum or lime plaster, then painted. The final coating is only between 4 and 6mm thick, so you don't need to worry about moving sockets or light switches, because everything should fit exactly as it did.
The unique composition of cork makes it a great insulator, but it's also waterproof and breathable, so it's resistant to mould and condensation. In properties where this is a problem, SprayCork can be used to form a protective barrier on your interior walls.
Only approved applicators that have undergone specialist training, like Total Trades, are authorised to use CorkSol’s spray-on wall coating.
We have all the right equipment and the skills to achieve a high-quality finish.
To prove just how effective SprayCork is, CorkSol carried out their own test. Using an old house between tenancies, they took measurements before and after applying SprayCork and found that it reduced heat loss by over 30%.
The house, an 1890s stone-built cottage in West Yorkshire, had no existing insulation and its small boiler struggled to cope in winter. There was also evidence of mould and damp on the walls, particularly around the French doors and the windows.
The team at CorkSol measured the U-Value of the wall before applying SprayCork.
A U-Value is a way of expressing thermal resistance i.e., how much heat is transferred through layers that combine to make a building element (in this case, a wall).
They applied two layers of the coating directly to the plasterboard on one internal wall and around the window reveals, then skimmed it with 2mm of standard plaster. When they re-tested the wall's resistance to heat transfer, they found a significant difference.
● U-Value before SprayCork was applied – 1.58W/m2K
● U-Value after it was applied to the wall – 1.10W/m2K
That's a reduction of 30% in heat loss, which represents not only a cost saving, but the increase in the wall’s temperature can help improve condensation and mould control.
SprayCork is a thin insulator which is ideal for use in these types of spaces.
● Small rooms and spaces where thick insulation would take up valuable space.
● Properties with historic internal architectural details that need to be conserved carefully and shouldn't be hidden behind thick layers of insulation.
● Where there is a tight budget, and the property owners cannot afford the extra cost, time, and hassle of repositioning things like electrical points, radiators etc.
Almost all homes built before 1930 have solid walls that were designed to breathe, and the open nature of SprayCork makes it an ideal insulator for this type of property.
Whatever the age of your property, anything that can improve the energy efficiency of your home offers a welcome reduction in fuel costs at a time when prices are rising so rapidly.
Cork is taken from the bark of the cork oak tree – no trees are felled, and the bark grows back, making this a truly sustainable material. What's remarkable though is that this process actually releases oxygen into the environment, affirming its eco-credentials.
Channel 4 presenter and the face of Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud, has described cork insulation as filling a much-needed gap in the conservation and eco-building market.
SprayCork qualifies as a 'green' home improvement under the government's new initiative to scrap VAT on things like solar panels, insulation, and heat pumps. For the next five years (until April 2027), you can buy SprayCork without paying any VAT.
There's never been a better time to invest in insulating your home with Total Trades.
We're an approved applicator of CorkSol's products, but we're also experienced in other types of rendering, and we've spent long enough working in the building trade to know when something truly innovative comes along. We believe that SprayCork is a worthwhile investment and we're happy to put our name against this product.
Quality and care are words we live by, and our customers consistently rate us highly for these things. We understand that it can be difficult to hand over money to someone you don't know – how can you trust them? How do you know they'll do a good job?
We work with complete transparency, so you can rest assured that when it comes to your quote you know exactly what you're getting for your money. Contact our friendly team today to discuss the next steps towards insulating your home with a CorkSol product.
