When choosing to install external wall insulation, a lot of people want more than just the standard thermal benefits that these type of systems offer. Our Mineral Wool insulation systems come in to change all that. Acoustic insulation is one of the major fantastic benefits that Mineral Wool provides.
Rockwool Mineral Wool is one insulation material with a multitude of high-performance characteristics; not only does Mineral Wool have a low thermal conductivity, but it’s also breathable, non-combustible and it has acoustic insulation capabilities. Therefore, when you’re choosing to install our Mineral Wool system, you are getting more than your average EWI system.
Noisy neighbours, road traffic and harsh weather conditions can be a frustrating source of noise pollution for many homeowners. Being able to control the temperature and sound within our home environment goes hand-in-hand with our wellbeing; acoustic insulation is, therefore, a necessity to ensure comfort.
In today’s blog post we’re going to be discussing how you can achieve acoustic insulation and thermal benefits with Rockwool.
How does Rockwool Mineral Wool insulation work?
Rockwool is made from molten volcanic rocks. The material is produced by heating the volcanic rock within a large furnace, then spinning it into fibrous strands and compressing it into boards. Because stone wool is a dense material with a fibrous structure, it inhibits sound waves and produces a muffling effect. Rockwool insulation therefore absorbs and dampens sound waves; including noise pollution from airborne sound (noisy neighbours and cars) but also from impact sound (strong winds, heavy rains).
Our Mineral Wool external wall insulation systems create an envelope around the entirety of the property. Because the system is completely seamless and without gaps, meaning your home is protected against heat loss and sound.
The Rockwool variant is dual density, which contributes to the effectiveness of both the thermal and acoustic insulation.
Acoustic insulation with a decorative finish
Our Mineral Wool insulation systems are installed using adhesive and mechanical fixings to the external walls of a building. A basecoat is then installed to the external facings of the board to create a smooth surface before a decorative render is applied to a) seal the system in against the weather and b) create an attractive finish.
We offer a range of solutions to achieve a decorative finish with our Mineral Wool insulation systems. Our thin coat, silicone-based renders are the topcoat of choice for homeowners. Silicone renders offer self-cleaning capabilities, which means that your external wall insulation system is fully equipped with thermal performance, acoustic performance, breathability, non-combustibility and self-cleaning capabilities.
Any other benefits?
The thermal and acoustic insulation properties of Rockwool are well documented. However, the feature that separates the product from the competition is the fire rating. Thermal cladding on properties, particularly high rise ones, would greatly benefit from Mineral Wool as it is A1 fire rated and able to withstand temperatures in excess of 1000°C.
If you require any more information, give our sales team a call or have a read of our other blogs!
5 thoughts on “Mineral Wool and Acoustic Insulation”
Can I use mineral wool and EPS together? Thinking of putting it on my house but wanted to make sure they’d still work and if its the same with the acoustics?
You can use both; they do offer very similar thermal performance but you’re losing the fire retardant properties when you add EPS to a system. One of our customers has used both mineral wool and EPS which you can read about here How To Install Our Mineral Wool System – A Case Study
EPS does offer very slight acoustic insulation but it’ll definitely lessen the impact of the whole system on reducing noise. Is there a reason you want to add EPS to the system?
It was mainly because of the cost, but we’re still deciding if we should do both or just one. Thanks! Might be back in contact to source someone to do it once we’ve decided in the new year
How much sound does Rockwool actually block out?
Hi Jeff. Pretty much all of it! Sound absorption is measured by two metrics. NRC measures how well materials stop sound from reflecting (absorb sound), rated from 0 to 1. A higher NRC value denotes better sound absorption. Rockwool typically has an NRC rating ranging from 0.7 to 1.0, depending on the specific product, meaning it can absorb 70% to 100% of the sound energy striking it. STC is a measurement of how well a material prevents sound from traveling through it, useful for quantifying the sound insulation between rooms. Higher STC values denote better sound insulation. Rockwool panels often have STC ratings between 45 and 80, depending on thickness, density, and installation details.