Wallrock Thermal Liner is the most popular member of the Wallrock Thermally Efficient Wallpaper range. It has been listed by the Energy Saving Trust because of it thermal efficiency and energy saving properties. Being 450gsm (2-3mm in thickness) it offers worthwhile energy savings, for example 15% on typical solid brick external walls (see BBA certificate). All Wallrock Thermally Efficient Wallpapers work to save energy from the moment the heating is turned on, by slowing down the rate at which a cold walls soak up heat energy - and allowing the room to warm up considerably faster, in some cases more than halving warm up times, creating a comfortable room environment with less energy. This effect is valuable in any home with solid walls and even those with external or cavity insulation - especially where the heating is regularly turned on and off. Once the room is warmed up and comfortable, Wallrock Thermal Liner goes on working, producing steady energy savings.

Furthermore Wallrock Thermal Liner has excellent capability to cover and reinforce poor plaster and other surfaces such as plasterboard, blockwork and wood panelling.

Wallrock Thermal Liner also helps reduce condensation problems and in many cases eliminates them - as more room warmth is retained at the wall surface at an earlier stage in the warm up phase there is far less opportunity for condensation to form on a cold wall and consequently a reduced risk of unhealthy mould growth.

The surface of Wallrock Thermal Liner is longlasting, durable and suitable for painting directly, although for a perfect finish we recommend cross lining with Wallrock FibreLiner Original, Wallrock Fibreliner Smooth or Wallrock Fireliner (avoid the use lof standard linings) which allows not only painting but also the application of decorative wallpaper.

This product is suitable as a localised ‘problem solver’ for cold external walls and is not recommended for use in fire escape routes inside your home unless the surface is further treated with a fire retardant covering. This product is class E fire rated and should not be used for projects such as new builds and extensions where Building regulations are applicable.

To see the product label, please click here

To see the product data sheet, please click here

To see the fire certificate, please click here

To further increase the fire protection, we have devised a system to achieve a Class 1 rating - see the performance report here

For more information of fire ratings, see our guide by clicking here

Calculating Thermal Effect

1. Lambda, this measures the efficiency of an actual material. So, the more efficient the material the less you need of it to feel warm and cosy. the units used are Watts/Metre x Kelvin. 

2. Thermal Resistance or R, this is an actual measurement of a product and takes into account both the material and how thick it is to give a number that says how it resists transmitting heat. The bigger the number the better, units used are Metres ² x Kelvin/Watts

3. Thermal Transmittance or U, this is another actual measurement of a product taking into account the material and how thick it is to give a number that says how easily it transmits heat. In other words, it is the exact opposite of 'R' above so the lower the number, the better, units used are Watts/Metres ² x Kelvin.

Looking at Thermal Liner;

Using the above we can work out what sort of energy savings thermal liner will give once a room is up to working temperature, (steady state) - but please remember the thermal liner will help a room get to working temperature much quicker than it otherwise would so in real life the savings will be greater, exactly how much, depending on the wall construction, outside temperature and how many times the heating is turned on and off...

* The typical U value of a solid brick wall with plaster is 2.1 W/m²K,

* The R value is therefore, 1 / 2.1 = 0.476  m² K/W

* The BBA certificate for Thermal liner states an R value of 0.0821 m² K/W

* Therefore, by adding the R values above we arrive at a total R value for the wall with thermal liner, 0.476 + 0.0821 = 0.5581m² K/W

* This can be converted back to a U value; 1/ 0.5581 = 1.79 W/m²K

* Therefore, applying Wallrock Thermal Liner to solid walls will reduce the U value from 2.1 to 1.79 W/m²K

Conclusion; The standing heat loss through a solid wall would therefore be reduced by 15% following the application of Wallrock Thermal Liner.

Important Safety Information

 
Compliance with Building Regulations;
This product should not be used in isolation for projects such as new builds and extensions where Building Regulations are applicable. If used as part of a system that both adds to the insulation value and protects the surface from fire it may be compliant but expert advice should be sought.
 
Fire Safety
When used in isolation this product is suitable as a localised ‘problem solver’ for cold external walls and is not recommended for use in fire escape routes or on ceilings.
Fire resistance can also be improved significantly by cross lining the surface with Wallrock Fireliner applied with Wallrock Thermal FR Adhesive.
 
Preparation
Surfaces painted prior to 1960 may contain lead pigments and special precautions should be taken when preparing such surfaces.

Wallrock Thermal Liner FAQs

Q. I like the product, where in the house can I use it to best effect?
A. Wallrock Thermal Liner is certainly most effective as an energy saver on outside walls and especially so if the walls are of solid construction (without cavities). However other key benefits of the product include covering over textured surfaces to produce a flat surface.

Q. What do you mean by ‘outside wall’?
A. Any wall inside the building which is exposed to the elements on the other side.

Q. How much energy will Thermal Liner save me?
A. This very much depends on the type of walls you have and just how cold the external temperature is. Please click on the link to the Erfurt Energy Saving Calculator to get a good indication, http://www.erfurt.com/cms/en/products/diy/klimatec-thermovlies/energy-savings-calculator.html

Q. I have some really bad textured walls in my house and Thermal Liner will be a good way to get back to flat walls as well as making the room more comfortable plus save energy in the longer term. Do I need to take special precautions when applying Thermal Liner over such poor surfaces?
A. Not really, just make sure the walls are clean, dry and solid. If the texture is very deep as with some decorative plaster effects it is advisable to sand down the high points and use extra adhesive to help level the surface. Before sanding or scraping any textured finishes ensure they do not contain asbestos or any other harmful substances. Stand back and take a good look after hanging the first drop to make sure the result is satisfactory.

Q. What area does one roll of Thermal Liner cover?
A. The roll are extra wide so each roll will cover 7.5 m2 or 121 ft2. Please use the link below to calculate the square meterage you may require, you will need to select Klimatec Thermovlies on the scroll menu. http://www.erfurt.com/cms/en/advisor/advisormain/calculation.html

Q. I remember those old polystyrene insulation tiles that were a real fire hazard, so I have worries in this regard about Thermal Liner?
A.Thermal liner is classified as "E" according to DIN EN 13501-1 in relation to its reaction to fire behavior, which corresponds to "B2"(normally inflammable) according to the standard DIN 4102-1

Q. It is OK saying I will save money but will I physically notice any difference?
A. Yes you will do, especially when the heating is first turned on as room warm up time is reduced dramatically and the air currents that make you feel cold whilst a room warms up are also reduced. This is of course in addition to all the other benefits such as a reduction in noise entering through the treated wall.

Q. Tell me again, how do I hang Thermal Liner?
A. It is very straightforward. First of all we recommend you use the Thermal Liner Adhesive which is nice and thick whilst you can still apply it with a roller straight from the tub. Always apply the paste to the wall and do an area just a little greater in width than for the first length. Position the Thermal Liner directly onto the pasted area, smooth down and trim to suit. We recommend that you never apply the adhesive to the Thermal Liner as this makes it heavy and difficult to handle. For trimming, either carefully mark the Thermal Liner, peel back a little and trim with scissors or use a very sharp knife to trim directly in position.

Q. Why do you recommend lining over the top of the Thermal Liner?
A. Two main reasons, 1) It makes it much easier to achieve a nice neat finish with minimal filling and sanding 2) It helps protect your investment from damage creating a good base for paint or decorative wallpaper at the same time.

Q. I like the product however I’m worried about how it will look around light switches and skirting boards for example.
A. Thermal Liner is less than 4mm thick and a neat finish is therefore possible in most applications, skirting, coving or light switches for example do not appear to be ‘sunk’ below the wall surface. Don’t forget Thermal Liner works best on outside walls, significant benefits can be achieved without the need to apply it to every internal surface.

Testimonials

“An extremely easy product to hang making an unbelievable difference!”

We used Wallrock Thermal Liner in my daughter’s bedroom which is part of an extension over the garage and with a flat roof. For years the room has been cold and slow to heat up and the north facing wall has suffered with mould due to condensation. We hung the Wallrock Thermal Liner horizontally and got the hang of the adhesive quantity required for the wall very quickly. Not easy to cut around windows for a DIY customer, a very sharp pair of scissors is needed, but the finished result was great. We then hung a wallpaper over one wall and Wallrock Thermal Liner over the others and painted the room which looks great. The difference to the temperature of the room was immediately and surprisingly noticeable, we are delighted with the results.

Kind regards.
Maureen Sullivan (Grimsby)

My old country house has solid stone walls and boy do they feel cold inside. Not being able to have the cavity insulated -'cos there ain't no cavity - for years I've been seeking a solution to this.

Additionally, in one ground-floor room bad mould had formed on the wallpaper, attributed by experts as moist air contacting the cold wall surface. (The fix for one wall would have cost £3,000). I have an electronic temperature sensor (from an earlier life), and using this in February 2009 I'd found that the surface temperature of the walls was over 5 degrees F colder than the room air. This has the effect of “sucking” heat from the house as well as encouraging mould. It also means that if you try to heat a room for use just in the evening, as we do, it's nearly bedtime before the room reaches a comfortable temperature.

I came across Wallrock Thermal Liner accidentally when I called Retford looking for a tough ceiling paper to cover cracks and other imperfections. Wallrock paper was suggested and I asked whether it had any thermal insulating properties. “Not particularly, but we have a new product about to be launched that has.” That's how I “discovered” the Thermal Liner.

After examining a sample and getting, through Retford, the thermal insulating properties from the German manufacturer, I was sure that in principle it was the answer to my problem. Next I had to decide whether I, an ordinary DIYer, could fix it satisfactorily, because at 3.6mm (just under 3/16 of an inch) thick it's a lot different from ordinary wallpaper.

Advice from Retford and some “thinking cap” activity convinced me that I could, so I ordered sufficient for two rooms plus a landing and stairway.

I've now applied Wallrock Thermal Liner to walls in one of the ground floor rooms. I didn't do the ceiling because the loft is very well insulated. Even in summer, it gets pretty chilly in the evenings high up on the Wiltshire downs. Both my wife and I notice that the room definitely has a very much cosier feel to it, most noticeable in early mornings and in the evenings, without the central heating on, whereas before discovering Thermal Liner it had a distinctly chilly feel. My temperature measuring device does not show any difference between the temperature of the room air and the Thermal Liner surface. I think there must be a difference, but it's too small to register. I emulsioned rather than papered over the Thermal Liner, to save on money, without problems.

Thermal Lining my other areas will be done after other work (CH radiators) is completed.

The Thermal Liner System Adhesive has a very long “open” time – important for me because I'm a slow worker, particularly around the complicated shapes. The first room Thermal Lined has three arched recesses, two rectangular and one semi-circular. I tidied external corners using strips of Retford's Wallrock Ceiling paper, finished off with ready-mixed plaster skim. For gaps in internal corners, caused by wall irregularities in this old house, I filled with caulk.

Thermal Liner is a very tough material that doesn't tear. I found the best way to cut it was good quality scissors. Where I had to make holes in the Thermal Liner to align with existing screw plugs (for curtains etc) I found it easiest to stick a nail in the plug, push the Thermal Liner over the nail, then remove the nail, so leaving a witness mark.

I applied the System Adhesive to walls using a medium pile roller, using a brush around skirting and ceiling where the roller wouldn't “reach”, making sure there was plenty of adhesive on the wall where I used the brush – i.e. I didn't brush it out.

Derek Savage Wiltshire