Introducing a wood fibre insulation board specifically designed for uneven surfaces

Find out more about how we approach this building scenario.

How does UdiRECO compare to Polystyrene or PIR boards?

The 80mm UdiRECO board has an overall conductivity of 0.044 W/m2K so would be equivalent to 60mm of grey EPS or around 40mm of PIR.

However, neither of the other two are able to manage moisture and I would never recommend that they be used internally. They are very likely to allow the accumulation of moisture within the wall construction which in turn is likely to allow the decay of the joist ends or lintels in your wall.

Wood fibre manages this extremely well and will, with the right wall preparation, prevent this accumulation occurring.

How does UdiRECO compare to insulating plaster?

Compared to Baumit DP85 insulating plaster, the UdiRECO system provides a faster, drier way to insulate the walls of your building.

The normal build-ups of the systems would be as follows:-

• Baumit DP85 (layers of min. 30mm, max. 50mm up to 100mm overall)
• 12mm Baumit RK38, incorporating Baumit StarTex mesh
• 2mm Baumit Kalkin Glatt finishing plaster
• U-value with 100mm – 0.48 W/m2K
• Approx. cost (based on 220m2)= £44/m2 + VAT, carriage and waste.

Whilst this is simpler to install as it can simply be spray applied, it will take quite a while to dry.

For the UdiRECO system I would suggest the following:-

• 80/100mm UdiRECO wood fibre insulation boards
• 4mm UdiMULTIGRUND Vapour regulating plaster
• 1-2mm Baumit Kalkin Glatt finishing plaster

• U-value with 100mm – 0.34 W/m2K
• Approximate cost (based on 220m2) = £46.70/m2 + VAT, carriage and waste.

Although the installation of the wood fibre system is slower than spray applying the insulating render, it is dry and there is no waiting time for it to dry.

However, this system does rely on reasonable stonework and will only accommodate 20mm variation in the surface. If you can point the stonework so that the variation is within this amount then the system could be viable.

One final point to make about the walls is that when you insulate them you reduce their ability to dry. This is because one side is covered and less able to dry plus you are reducing the amount of heat passing through the stonework to dry it out.

I would therefore recommend that either a render or water repellent cream are applied to the exterior to reduce any water ingress from rain.

Are their warranties/certification with UdiRECO?

As with all insulation systems, there is a manufacturers guarantee for the materials and the installer (you) would guarantee your labour/application. In terms of warranties, you can purchase a warranty from an insurance company or from the manufacturer but this is generally only of any use if you or Unger cease trading and is obviously an additional cost. 

The system comes with it’s own render system which includes a lime based base coat render (with mesh) and a silicone polymer finish render (1.5mm). This is designed for use with wood fibre and is required for the manufacturer’s guarantee.