Cork Insulation?

[Dreams At Sea]

Hi all, new here, but we’re doing a renovation and looking into insulation -ceiling, sides, everything (it’s currently just bare fiberglass). Preferably, I’d like something that can stand alone and not require ceiling panels. (Am I dreaming here? Is that possible?) I’ve done some looking into Armaflex closed cell and like that idea, but cork pops up every now and then in forums and I’m curious if anyone has used this and if it could be stand alone. I like the idea of looking up at a cork ceiling rather than just suffocating darkness, but that’s my ever so slightly claustrophobic current land dwelling self talking. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dreams'.

Cork is a pretty decent insulator, with a thermal resistance of R-3.6 to R-4.2 per inch. The thermal conductivity of cork is 0.036-0.38 W/mk.
Its heavy, with a density of 7.0 to 7.5 pounds per cubic foot [versus only 2lb/ft3 for XPS and polyisocyanurate foam insulations].

Generally, in buildings, cork is installed on the outer [exterior] side of the wall/roof sheathing, so that seams run horizontally.

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Dreams At Sea

Hi all, new here, but we’re doing a renovation and looking into insulation -ceiling, sides, everything (it’s currently just bare fiberglass). Preferably, I’d like something that can stand alone and not require ceiling panels. (Am I dreaming here? Is that possible?) I’ve done some looking into Armaflex closed cell and like that idea, but cork pops up every now and then in forums and I’m curious if anyone has used this and if it could be stand alone. I like the idea of looking up at a cork ceiling rather than just suffocating darkness, but that’s my ever so slightly claustrophobic current land dwelling self talking. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

It has potential, hard to burn and if it does start to burn, the smoke is allegedly non toxic. I was aboard the largest refrigerated cargo ship in the world , ( Runic) and her holds were insulated with granulated cork about 2 feet thick so its a fairly good insulation material. I originally thought that cork was fireproof but the”Runic” was eventually burned out.

[nuku34]

If you are thinking of just gluing the cork to the inside of your hull, cabin sides and ceiling, with no covering over the cork, you are looking at a lot of work to make it look nice (lots of seams) and a lot of glue. It does have good insulation qualities and doesn't easily burn, but would be difficult to keep clean and its usually a tan colour.; not great if you want a light airy feeling down below.

[Dreams At Sea]

Thanks for the input! The fire resistance was another factor. Glad to hear about the refrigerated cargo ship, though I don’t think we can sacrifice 2 feet all the way around haha! I was thinking of just glueing, but I didn’t seem about the board seams - might reconsider. As far as the airiness, the saloon is wrap around windows, so I don’t think having tan would darken thinks up too much. As for the vbirth, we’ve got some siding up that’s cream and some cream colored carpet, so the cork would go behind those, maybe be visible in a few spots, but would mostly just be the ceiling. Might rethink the cork by itself after taking a look at the final outcome.

[JeffBurright]

I used cork to line my hanging locker when living aboard in Seattle and later cruising, and it prevented moisture and mildew in that area nicely.

When our 21' sailboat was stuck on the lake surrounded by a wildfire a few years back, and the smoke-damaged interior had to be torn out and replaced, I went with cork as a replacement due more to its moisture control properties than its thermal insulation. I found a ~$60 roll online and used tubes of FuzeIt from the hardware store to stick it to the walls, then I eventually painted it white because after one winter there was a little discoloration of the cork from a chainplate leak.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, and it's easy to scrape off and replace if need be, but beware that if your glue coverage has gaps or your ceiling has a lot of curves or voids, moisture might create sagging pockets especially in an overhead application. You might want to consider trying a brush on adhesive that has more area coverage than zig-zag lines of tube adhesive.

[boatpoker]

Cork comes in many different varieties, styles and colours. We have used it as flooring on our boats. As full time liveaboard cruisers we have found it to be super tough and long lasting.
https://www.corkstore.com/?gad_sourc...UaAu9cEALw_wcB

[Tupaia]

What about homogeneous wall carpet, not the ribbed stuff. It can be beaten into shape around curves, comes in various colors and can be scrubbed clean if required.