Can i use Polystrene Packaging as insulation

budgetdiyer

I've recently opened up a doorway in my house that opens onto our porch. ie. the doorway / wall was once an external wall.

So before i make good and plaster / decorate where the door was, i wonder if its worth insulating this wall, and wondered if i should seal the cavity in anyway, will certainly stop draughts etc.

Whilst i know polystrene sheets are cheap enough to purchase i have aload of polystrene packaging in the garage awating a trip to the local tip and wondered if it would be worth reusing that...

Plasterer

budgetdiyer wrote: »

I've recently opened up a doorway in my house that opens onto our porch. ie. the doorway / wall was once an external wall.

So before i make good and plaster / decorate where the door was, i wonder if its worth insulating this wall, and wondered if i should seal the cavity in anyway, will certainly stop draughts etc.

Whilst i know polystrene sheets are cheap enough to purchase i have aload of polystrene packaging in the garage awating a trip to the local tip and wondered if it would be worth reusing that...

Wow, never heard of that one, I have one major concern (amongst a few others) and that is that it may be flammable

vaio

you should certainly close the cavity but I’d stick to the traditional methods of cavity wall insulation.

You’ll almost certainly get the whole house done professionally for under £200

Plasterer

Buy a roll or slab pack of rockwool less than £20 also use poly backed board (firerated), know your probably trying to do your bit for the environment but what would you do if the polystyrene somehow set on fire? I gaurantee your insurance company won't pay out.

PS Welcome to the forum

vaio

Plasterer,

Insulating the little bit of wall you are talking about is fairly pointless as it’s effectively an internal wall between indoors and porch.

Whole house cavity insulation is grant aided and costs £99/£150/£199 depending on the size of the house according to the ads in our local paper.

budgetdiyer

Well they sell polystrene insulation in wickes, b&q etc Perhaps that is treated to be fire retardent?

The other option is i'll seal the cavity with expanding foam then board over to allow me to decorate it properly.

iamcornholio

Get a tube of expanding foam, and run it around the reveals to close the cavity.

You are wasting your time trying to insulate the cavity around this opening if the rest of the property is not already insulated

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Some of the products under the polystyrene commercial banner gives off cyanide when burnt.

Do you really want it in your house?

ormus

im pretty sure the two polystyrenes, packaging and insulation, are not the quite same thing.
for the sake of 20 quid ish, id be using the proper stuff.

Plasterer

vaio wrote: »

Plasterer,

Insulating the little bit of wall you are talking about is fairly pointless as it’s effectively an internal wall between indoors and porch.

Whole house cavity insulation is grant aided and costs £99/£150/£199 depending on the size of the house according to the ads in our local paper.

Don't think so Vaio, hes taken a door frame out and replacing it with plasterboard - rest of the house has 2 skins of brick with a cavity in between then either wet rendered or dot and dabbed then skimmed. The apature he is closing of will have just board in front of it?!? if he pushs rockwall in ( 3 -4 foot if he wants! then boards it, it will take it back to how the house would have origionally have been with regards to insulation. Sorry I didn't read in his thread that he had problems with insulation anywhere else in the house?

Plasterer

budgetdiyer wrote: »

Well they sell polystrene insulation in wickes, b&q etc Perhaps that is treated to be fire retardent?

The other option is i'll seal the cavity with expanding foam then board over to allow me to decorate it properly.

It is firerated