Insulation: wool, XPS, EPS

About this section: Insulation: wool, XPS, EPS

Mineral wool, stone wool and basalt wool are one family of slabs made from molten rock; they differ only in density and application. The catalogue below lists all the mineral wool in stock at our Tbilisi warehouse, priced per m² and per pack.

Extruded polystyrene (XPS) is often sold under the brand name Penoplex; here it comes as 3–5 cm boards for plinths, floors and blind areas.

Facade insulation in Tbilisi is chosen on three parameters: density, thickness and where it will go. A wet facade under render needs stone wool of 120 kg/m³ or more (90–110 kg/m³ only for low-rise houses up to 10 m); otherwise the slab will be crushed under the adhesive and mesh. For a ventilated facade, where the wool sits between the guides under no load, 70–80 kg/m³ is enough. For roofs and floors under a screed take 140–190 kg/m³, because people walk on it and loads are set on it.

Thickness is worked out from the climate and the wall. In Tbilisi 80–100 mm is usual on a brick or block wall, and 100–120 mm on a thin monolithic one. Boards of 50 mm more often go on balconies, loggias and partitions, where every centimetre counts. Stone wool does not burn, lets vapour through and keeps its shape for decades, so it is used on residential and public buildings with no height restriction.

XPS, extruded polystyrene, covers the jobs where wool does not work: plinths, foundations, blind areas, floors on the ground, inverted roofs and any damp place. It hardly absorbs water and withstands the load of a screed and of soil; for floors on the ground and for roofs take higher-strength boards — the manager will advise the grade. EPS, ordinary 20 kg/m³ polystyrene, is the most affordable option for a facade when the budget is limited and there are no fire-safety requirements.

Boards priced per m² are sold in whole packs: the pack area is in the item name, and the basket rounds the quantity up to whole packs on its own. 50 mm wool is built up in layers (100 mm is two layers, 150 mm three), while EPS is taken in the thickness you need, from 20 to 100 mm. The insulation calculator works out consumption from the facade area, allowing for cutting, and shows the cost straight away. The manager confirms stock when the order is placed, and delivery in Tbilisi is calculated by address and volume.