Rigid Insulation Boards - PIR Insulation Boards

by Mark Row

Properties, types and use of PIR boards

PIR (polyisocyanurate) insulation boards are a kind of rigid insulation boards and yet another way of properly protecting your home, it’s roof, walls or floors.  PIR insulation boards, due to it’s insulation performances, have become a very efficient and cost effective solution, especially bearing in mind it’s environmental impact when compared to other means of insulation.

PIR Boards Definition

Polyisocyanurate, or PIR is derived from high proportion of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, used in reaction with a polyester-derived polyol, at high temperatures. The product of such reaction is a strong and stiff structure, thermally and chemically stabile and thus more difficult to break, which is especially important when this material is used in insulation, where thermal performances are of great value.

There are many advantages of PIR insulation boards, most of them derived from the very manufacturing process, which, as mentioned above, enables their strength and stability and thus great thermal performances. PIR insulation boards are highly applicable since the market today offers a very wide set of products in different sizes and thicknesses which makes them applicable to almost every type of building insulation. Since PIR is produced at very high temperatures, it won’t melt when exposed to high temperatures, which makes it fire-resistant. On the other hand, PIR insulation boards are also moisture-resistant, since their structure does not allow them to absorb water, unlike some other insulation materials, which enables them to preserve their integrity and thermal insulation properties over time. However, in spite of their substantially strong and stabile structure, PIR boards are also very light which makes them very easy to transport, handle and install. Since protecting the environment by, among other things, using materials that are less harmful, it is good to know that this type of insulation material is classified as a material of lower environmental impact, unlike some other insulation products. Finally, all the advantages of PIR insulation boards insulation given here, when combined, make PIR boards very long lasting, with no additional maintenance required.

PIR insulation board have multiple uses, so they can effectively be used for flat and pitched roofs, floors, walls or cavity insulation.

Product Classification

Here at InsulationLondon you can find a various types and sizes of PIR insulation boards, produced by leading manufacturers of this type of insulation products, such as Celotex, Kingspan, Recticel and Xtratherm.

Celotex

Celotex, being the one of the UK brand leader of PIR thermal insulation offers you a wide set of products, including:

Three types of PIR Insulation Boards available in different thicknesses, 12mm-45mm, 50mm-100mm and 110-150mm, all especially designed to eliminate thermal bridges, very easy to cut and shape and energy-efficient. They are highly applicable and can be used for pitched and flat roofs, solid masonry walls, timber  and steel framed systems and floors.

PIR insulation bonded to plasterboard, (25mm-60mm), which can be installed relatively quickly, it is suitable for both direct bonding and mechanically fixed installation techniques, can be used for both new construction projects as well as refurbishment projects or upgrading to applicable regulation standards. It can be applied to the “underneath” layer of insulation in between and under rafter and joist applications, solid masonry walls or timber frame lining applications.

PIR Insulation Board (90mm-135mm) is used with PVC and EDPM membranes, designed for use in single-ply membrane applications, it achieves U-values with minimum thickness, strong and durable and ideal for fast construction schedules.

Celotex also offers PIR insulation boards for specific uses in insulation, such as PIR Cavity Insulation board, (25mm-100mm), which is very easy to fit between wall ties and has superb dimensional stability; Underflooor Heating Board (50 mm-125mm), which prevents heat loss into structure, is  easy to cut and fit into most spaces and uses the foam structure to ensure better pipe clip retention; Flat Roof Insulation Board with Plywood (96mm-125mm), used in light traffic flat roof applications, it provides deck, vapor control layer and insulation, it is  easy to install and weatherproofed and accepts a wide variety of weathering systems or Flat Roof Board (50mm-150mm), highly applicable, strong, durable and rot proof, dimensionally stable and unaffected by temperature cycles and Flat Roof Board-Torch On  (50mm-150 mm), suitable for use in hot applied bituminous systems and mastic asphalting and torch-on systems, it removes the issues of double layer systems, working with sandy facers and  installing the  board the wrong way up, strong and durable and  easy to cut and shape; External Wall Insulation Board (50mm-100 mm), it is compliant with Building Regulations, particularly suited for refurbishment projects it provides a highly efficient insulation solution without impacting on internal living space.

Kingspan

Kingspan is yet another top manufacturer of various products for construction industry, including insulating products, such as:

Thermawall Insulation Board, (20mm-120mm), used for insulated sheathing on timber frame, insulated sheathing on steel frame, insulation between studs on timber frame wall, external masonry with timber frame or ventilated cladding with timber frame, unaffected by air infiltration, resistant to the passage of water vapor , easy to handle and install and ideal for new build or refurbishment.

Thermaroof PIR Bonded To Plywood (96mm-126mm), used for insulation of timber deck flat roofs, it has high performance rigid thermoset insulation, vapor control layer and decking in one board, with proven reputation as a quality composite roof deck and a non–deleterious material.

Pitched Roof Warm Insulation Board (25mm-140mm), specified for a variety of pitched roof applications, its use creates 15% more usable warm roof space on average, insulation of pipes and tanks is unnecessary, there is no condensation risk, it is unaffected by air movement and resistant to the passage of water vapor.

20 mm External Wall Insulation Board, used for solid brick and blockwork walls, suitable for use behind both traditional and lightweight polymer modified renders, unaffected by air infiltration and manufactured with blowing agent that has zero ODP and low GWP.

Recticel

High quality insulation products, manufactures by Recticel are also available right here, such as:

Eurothane PIR Insulation Boards, (25mm-150mm), used in pitched roofing, flooring and framed wall applications, rot-proof, durable and maintenance free, lightweight yet tough and resilient.

Xtratherm

Xtratherm’s eco-friendly and long term insulation products can be found right here, including:

PIR Rigid Insulation Board (20mm-150mm), used for floors, walls and roofs. Their thermal conductivity is among the lowest for commonly available insulation boards, they are made to strict dimensional tolerances, which reduces air leakage and associated heat losses and due to their excellent thickness, less material is required to achieve the best performance levels asked for in the new building regulations.

Partial Fill Cavity Insulation Board (40mm-50mm), offers robust tongued and grooved jointing, clear cavity maintained with no exposure restrictions.

PIR with OSB Board (59mm-126mm), used in thermal insulation and decking in one operation for new and refurbishment flat roof applications, it does not readily absorb water, making it suitable for use in damp environment while low thermal conductivity of the insulation minimizes the board thickness, and the composite board offers rapid coverage and straightforward installation, it is durable and will perform for the service life of the building, light, robust and easy to handle.

Xtratherm also offers Flat Roof Board (50mm-150mm), suitable for roof decks that are subject to maintenance traffic and below most single ply fully adhered and mechanically fixed roof membrane  systems or loose laid ballasted roofing systems and

Flat Roof Insulation Boards (50mm-150mm) used in most bitumen based water proofing systems and on roof decks that are subject to limited maintenance foot traffic, both with many advantages and high thermal performance

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