The benefits of SprayCork for retrofitting UK social housing

Today’s homes are built to a set of standards, but that wasn’t aways the case with older homes. And as the UK has one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe it means that many houses don’t perform at their best. This could be due to poor insulation leading to drafts. Or it could be that solid walls are cold, leading to damp and black spot mould. Another reason could be a build-up of moisture caused by poor ventilation. Moisture is always present in the air – typically from everyday activities such as cooking and breathing – and without suitable ventilation it is attracted to the colder walls, providing a perfect environment for mould spores to grow.

Many of the issues that affect today’s housing can cause harm to inhabitants by seriously affecting their health, putting them at risk of physical harm or injury, or causing distress at unsightly and dangerous mould growth or rotting materials.

Landlords, housing associations and social housing providers have a duty of care to the tenants and are therefore responsible to rectify any issues raised. It isn’t something that can be left to the tenant to fix; it is the legal requirement of the landlord to make sure their properties are fit to live in.
With damp and mould impacting indoor air quality, and increasing or aggravating the risk of allergic reactions, respiratory problems and immune issues that come with mould, finding a solution that prevents these in the first place is crucial.

It is possible to retrofit these properties with a sustainable, long-term solution.

SprayCork, from CorkSol UK, is a sustainable and eco-friendly sprayed cork coating for walls and ceilings that can eliminate penetrating damp and condensation forming on surfaces. It is an extremely thin coating, which also increases the energy efficiency of the property, providing tenants a healthy and safe space to live, and peace of mind to the landlord.

Thanks to its unique cell structure, cork has many benefits to improve unhealthy properties:

• Prevent mould forming - this can be a proactive or reactive approach on voids or lived in properties

• Reduce heat loss by up to 30% to maintain a constant temperature

• Prevent moisture build up behind the insulation - cork is vapour open so can allow moisture to pass through it while still giving a tight air seal

• Improve air quality – mould reduction will improve health but SprayCork has extremely low VOC’s compared to paints or other petrochemical products

• Maintain room size - total system is 4-6mm thick with 2mm of plaster on top

• Keep existing features – there is no need to remove or change skirting board, electrical sockets and light fittings, architraves or coving

• Get into all those tricky places - window reveals, corners and even into the edges of light switches and sockets (sockets can even be unscrewed so cork can be applied inside to stop any cold spots or air gaps)

• Prevent air gaps behind the insulation - sheet materials or products butted together run the risk of air pockets forming behind them but SprayCork eliminates this by providing a continuous and even coating across the property

• Help the environment - cork is an amazing building material that is truly sustainable as the cork tree is not felled during harvest and once removed, absorbs much more CO₂ to aid its regrowth

• Maintain a healthy workforce – the product is lightweight, easy to apply, and contains no hazardous chemicals

• Solve problems quickly – it is possible to transform a 3 bed house in 1 week

www.corksoluk.com

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