Styrofoam is as much a part of our everyday existence as cotton and plastics. It is extensively used in making disposable cutlery like cups and plates, CD and DVD cases, packing materials, smoke detectors, and home insulations. Styrofoam is one of the most preferred items for architects and is frequently used in concrete forms. It has air pockets that make it excellent as an insulator. Because of its durability and lightness, it is used in roofs and slabs to prevent any outward damages. Styrofoam sheets, which are mainly used in insulation, come in different shapes and sizes. There are two ways of installing a Styrofoam insulation sheet - it can be either installed outside foundation walls or attached to outside building frames. These sheets are overlapped with light blocking material, to prevent them from any damages caused by sunlight. Styrofoam indeed is a versatile element. Read on to know more about the advantages of using Styrofoam insulation.
Benefits Of Styrofoam Insulation
- Styrofoam makes for a good insulator since the polystyrene foam material contained in it hinders heat, making it resistant against high temperature. This waterproof, weightless material is effective against heat and has a unique capacity of maintaining the temperature of things as it is.
- Styrofoam has great R-value or thermal efficiency. It has a high compressive strength and unparallel resistance for water penetration. In addition, it has higher moisture resistance than any other foam plastic insulation. Thus, it provides longer and better efficiency, as compared to any other insulation.
- Styrofoam insulation has an exclusive closed-cell structure and is very resistant towards moisture and water vapors. It is not subject to decay and is resilient in case of fungi or mildew as well. It permanently retains 97% of its R-value, even if it is installed in damp environment.
- Styrofoam insulations are especially beneficial for the maintenance of your house and office. They are strong enough to be used in all insulation applications, like walls, roofs, ceilings, load-bearing areas under the slabs and wooden floors. Styrofoam insulation will not droop or slump. No other insulation material can match strength of Styrofoam insulation.
- Since Styrofoam insulation provides both vapor barrier and thermal insulation, there is no need of foil or fiberglass to be used together or separately. Styrofoam is versatile, allowing choice of wide range of construction methods for ground up. Low thermal conductivity minimizes the required thickness.
- Styrofoam insulation sheets are quite easy to handle and can be cut and stored on site without much hassle.
- Because of its capacity to resist heat, Styrofoam can be used in the form of pipe insulation, sheeted wall insulation, ground flake insulation etc.