When you’re insulating a building, it is important to ensure you have the best materials for the job. Fibreglass and mineral wool are two of the more popular types of insulation for this kind of project, and both will provide you with individual benefits depending on your requirements.
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We’ve packed this handy guide with useful information for you so that you’re fully informed of some of the important factors to consider when deciding if fibreglass or mineral wool is the go-to for you.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Table of contents:
- Glass wool insulation
- Mineral wool insulation
- R-value
- Sustainability
- Sound insulation
- Ease of installation
- Moisture resistance
- Fire resistance
- Cost
- Final thoughts
Glass wool insulation
Glass wool insulation, also known as fibreglass, is made from glass fibres. Glass is heated to very high temperatures until it melts, and is then spun quickly to create fibres. These fibres are then bound together to be used as insulation.
The glass fibres create pockets of air which act as barriers to prevent heat loss because air is a poor conductor of heat. Glass wool can be found in batts and rolls, loose-fill insulation and also within insulation boards.
Mineral wool insulation
Mineral wool, also known as ROCKWOOL or stone wool, is made from a selection of raw materials, such as stone and glass. These raw materials are treated in a similar way to glass, in that they are melted at high temperatures until they melt, and then they are spun to form fibres, similar to wool. This wool is then packaged up into batts, rolls or slabs.
R-value
When comparing ROCKWOOL and fibreglass batt wall insulation, they have a roughly similar R-value of around 0.57 per inch of thickness. Because they have the same thermal conductivity – for instance, 0.044 W/mK for both Knauf Loft Roll Earthwool Insulation and ROCKWOOL Twin Roll Insulation – they will provide equal performance in this department.
Sustainability
If you’re looking at the most sustainable option, glass wool is generally made up of up to 86% recycled materials, whereas mineral wool in comparison consists of up to 70% recycled materials. As environmental impact and sustainability are becoming more of a focus, this is becoming more of an important factor when choosing the right insulation material.
Sound insulation
In terms of sound insulation, mineral wool is often the preferred choice for noisy areas. This is because it is much denser than glass wool, so much less sound travels through the insulation.
Ease of installation
If you’re considering installing the insulation yourself, mineral wool is considered much easier to handle. Although heavier than glass wool, mineral wool is much easier to cut, move and fit into place. Glass wool on the other hand is limper, which makes it hard to fit into the spaces required.
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Moisture resistance
If you’re looking for a moisture-resistant form of insulation, mineral wool is the clear winner. Mineral wool is resistant to water, so it doesn’t get damp and provides good growing conditions for fungi, mould, mildew or other bacterial growth.
Glass wool, on the other hand, can get damp, as well as promote the growth of fungi, mildew and rot, causing its insulating properties to be severely reduced.
Fire resistance
Although both mineral wool and glass wool are non-combustible, mineral wool has far better fire-resistant qualities, so much so that it can be used as a fire stop. So, this is something to consider if where you’re installing insulation is going to be at risk of fire, and to what extent.
Cost
If you’re conscious of a limited budget, then glass wool may be the choice of insulation for you. It can cost around 10% less than mineral wool and still is effective at insulating your home to reduce heat loss and energy bills.
Final thoughts
Glass wool and mineral wool are both types of insulation materials commonly used in construction.
While both offer excellent thermal insulation properties, mineral wool tends to have superior fire resistance and moisture resistance compared to glass wool, making it suitable for applications where these properties are crucial, such as in high-temperature environments or areas prone to moisture exposure.
Additionally, mineral wool is denser and heavier than glass wool, providing better sound insulation capabilities.
Now that you know how these two insulation options compare, you can easily choose the right one for your specific needs.
Whichever form of insulation you choose, insulating your home is a great way to keep your home warm, prevent heat loss and reduce energy bills. Call our team of experts today for any queries or advice on 692 206.
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I think.
Insulation is made from stone/rock. A natural substance heated until molten and sprayed in fine threads to form the fluffy fine wool type substance of different densities.
Asbestos is a natural rock which is crushed to form whatever it was made into. But it is super fine and sticks in lungs and tissue.
All dust from anything is dangerous if you inhale enough of it. Even flour or household dust. All kinds of dusts from everything are everywhere and you breathe them in daily.
Other alternatives to rockwool are sheeps wool types of insulation or hemp and even cotton toweling. If you could make these dusty then they too would be not great for your health and also these types could have molds growing on them over time. Also not great to inhale.
Studios by their nature are almost sealed. People breathe out lots of water and then this 'can' be trapped in the studio. On organic substances like sheeps wool or cotton, this could start molds growing.
So what is best to use? Rockwool/mineral wool is in most houses and buildings. It is in roofs and walls mostly out of our environment. But a percentage of this dust is still around. In your studio it is behind walls and inside panels which have a covering. Also this type of rockwool is bound together. You could use a very tight woven covering on your panels and even double it.
Watch out for the bus as you leave the studio.
Wear a good mask, gloves and long sleeves when you are working with the material, and use as tight of a fabric covering as you can find that still "breathes" (literally, test breathing through it). Anything inorganic that l
odges in your lungs is going to be unhealthy in the long run, but you are not working with it on a daily basis, and unless you are jiggling and moving the panels around all the time, it's not going to be degrading by itself and spewing out into the room, at least IMO. (Your body's respiratory system is designed to move that kind stuff out of your nasal passages and trachea *before* it gets to the lungs, and is pretty efficient at doing that, given the chance, so keep those parts healthy!)
My little music room is the most dust-free area in the house, and it's got 24 of the batts stuffed into panels, covered (but not tight against the wall) on both sides. It's not going to be what kills me, if it's bothering me at all.
It might be somewhere here that it was noted that you can even cover it in very thin plastic, maybe the thinnest dropcloth stuff you can buy, if you want, without seriously degrading its [sonic] absorption, but I don't know the physics of that. And then, of course, you'd have the microplastics to worry about, because that stuff *will* break down...
Once you have installed rock wool, after you have some experience off installing fibreglass insulation in roof spaces or walls etc, you will love rock wool and hate fibreglass. My builder is currently stuffing fibreglass into a toilet cavity and he has a mask on and a disposable suit, because those fibres irritate as the little bits of glass stick in your skin, and get onto your clothes. When you work with studios and rock wool, even sawing it gives very little loose fibres in the air, and they sink into little fluffy residue. It doesn't irritate and tends to be much larger particles. rock wool doesn't concern me at all - and if you are the concerned sort, then a mask is a double protection. Rockwool does NOT contain any glass I have ever been aware of - just rock. Fabric covered rock wool has been in use for a very long time, and asbestos has been identified as bad, while fibreglass, loose in your house insulation is not considered bad. rock wool is even less of an irritant and , while a few people have issues with fibreglass, I've never found anyone who has a problem in a studio?
I wish people would learn to read safety data sheets, and understand that these guidelines are for industrial use, ie someone manufacturing the material or doing installations daily for a living for many years.
The only time that you will encounter any "hazard" is when you are cutting the material. Use a mask to keep from breathing the dust. Stone wool fibers are not even classifiable as OSHA irritants. The stonewool is
not classed as carcinogenic like asbestos. Once cut and placed inside the frame and covered, there will be NO migration of fibers to cause the slightest health hazard. You won't encounter any more of an issue than walking across a concrete floor. (hey, that concrete can have asbestos in it!) Rockwool is actually considered safe enough to be used in places like schools and hospital.
As for outgassing. again, there is NO gas release. SafeNSound contains about 3% binder, part of which is phenol formaldehyde resin (aka phenolic resin). If this frightens you, stay away from plywood, anything bakelite, guitars with Richlite fingerboards, printed magazines and about half of the items in your house. Phenolic resins are used EVERYWHERE! It's really useful stuff.
It's probably one of the safest things you can use, plus it's fireproof to boot!
I know polyester and spun recycled plastic is formed into bats/ panels which is touted as acoustic insulation. There's no irritant at all from these. Martini Absorb...there's some flow resistivity data etc here:
Martini Absorb is a thermally-bonded polyester fibre insulation designed to provide high-performance sound absorption across a broad range of frequencies.
From what I can tell it's only available in Australia. Looks interesting, but also quite expensive.
Looks like you'd need 3-4" thickness to match the materials we typically head to around here, i.e., Safe'n'Sound, or, for folks with good commercial ties, OC703.
Absorb HD 75 or
HD 100 have numbers in the LF area that are comparable to those products. Specs several pages down here:
From what I can tell it's only available in Australia. Looks interesting, but also quite expensive.
Looks like you'd need 3-4" thickness to match the materials we typically head to around here, i.e., Safe'n'Sound, or, for folks with good commercial ties, OC703. Absorb HD 75 or HD 100 have numbers in the LF area that are comparable to those products. Specs several pages down here:
Yeah...and I'm not sure how effective the polyester stuff is below 100/150hz. I got some a while ago...wasn't that expensive as I recall. Prices may be weird these days.
I'd like to get 703 or something like it here in Australia. But it's proven to be a real bear trying to get to the bottom of which stuff to go with. There's glasswool, earthwool, rockwool, fluffy pink stuff, semi rigid pink stuff, fluffy earthwool...and on it goes.
They all have umpteen data descriptions and labels and terms and stats.
When it comes to small rooms like mine...11.8x8.8x8.5ft...the diminishing returns on required thickness would probably mean that I'd have no room to swing a guitar once all the treatment is in place.
It'd be more like a padded cell.
Which, funnily enough, might be exactly what I need after my adventures with room treatment, mix translation, room nulls, room peaks, standing waves etc etc etc.
Either that or I return back to the good old days where I thought that if I recorded it and it successfully played back on my speakers...it was good!
When you realize how amateur things are, you go down a labyrinthian rabbit hole in search of solutions that you might never escape from.
If you are sticking a mic on the grill cloth of your amp, honestly, the room is probably not as important, but when you try to record vocals or acoustic instruments, or monitor your mix on speakers, then the room will make a difference. I just found that treatment (and a bunch in my 11'x11' "cubicle") just saves me a lot of time because I can sit almost anywhere and put a mic in front of the acoustic and get a track, or record some vocal and I know it's not the room that's making it sound bad . And, I very rarely have to fuss with a mix that doesn't translate. (Part of that could just be getting more experience, or maybe I don't care as much as I head down the chute...)
I've just been to see my friend from the band in the hospice. His lung cancer spread to his brain, so now his sight is starting to fade too. We were laughing about old things, and he reminded me of the time when I went mad when I saw him drilling through wall panels to thread cables through and they were asbestos. We found this really funny when his lung cancer was actually caused by his arthritis and nothing he'd breathed in over the years. The irony was felt by both of us!