Let’s insulate our homes but never our history
Thermal insulation materials, as we currently know them, do not have a history as long as that of other construction materials. Nonetheless, since many centuries we, humans, have sought to create comfortable spaces using insulating materials as mud, straw, gypsum, or moss. For a long time, these materials were the sole existing forms of thermal insulation, until in the 19th century, thanks to the processing of organic materials, the first insulated panels were produced. Insulation evolved very slowly until 1932, when the process for creating fiberglass was discovered by accident.
During the following years, the industrial production of fiberglass grew exponentially and with it the use of this material in the thermal insulation of houses in the US. Albeit considered to be a great step forward in the 1930s, the ancient techniques using this product entailed limitations and certain health risks.
Later on, in the 1940s, the appearance of plastic foam involved a new point of departure and another step forward in this area of construction. Though plastic production was well known in the 19th century, the first plastic foam was not produced until 1941.
The most significant advances in the latest 30 years are likely relative to polyurethanes. During the following years, spray foams, which were already known from the preceding decades but only after 1970 did they become an insulation solution, were technically superior and highly competitive on the market.
Nowadays, the most popular insulation materials are plastic foam and mineral wool, with only a small amount of natural materials being produced. However, regardless the material chosen to be used, any building, either a home or a mall, needs to be well insulated, and the best solution from the standpoint of cost and performance could be a combination of two or more different insulations.
In INSULATION MASTERS, we know the history of what we do, that is why we are ready for the future offering a service of excellence in the present.
Other Topics:
• History of thermal insulation
• Adequate insulation
• Wet insulation