Your Best Options for Stud Wall Insulation

Looking for the best stud wall insulation can be daunting, with a wide variety of options available for internal and stud partition walls. In this guide, we’ll look through the best types of insulation for stud walls, both timber and metal. 

We’ll look through how to thermally insulate an internal stud wall and the best acoustic insulation options for internal stud walls. We’ll also cover how to install insulation within a stud wall. Whether you are looking to keep your home warm or to offer acoustic insulation between the rooms of a shared building, our guide has everything you need.

The Benefits of Stud Wall Insulation

When we talk about stud wall insulation we are in effect talking about two different things, internal stud wall insulation, and partition stud wall insulation. Internal stud wall insulation involves building a timber or metal stud wall against your exterior wall. Insulating the exterior walls of your house can help limit the 35% of heat lost through walls. This will both keep your home warm and cut down on energy bills. 

Partition stud wall insulation is more often used to offer acoustic insulation. Stud partition walls are built in modern homes, or in refurbishments of older homes, as a quick and secure way to break up floor space within a building. Acoustic insulation can give privacy, essential in shared homes. There are some benefits to installing thermal insulation in interior walls, such as keeping heat within specific rooms, but building a thermal envelope for your house will only involve insulating the exterior walls.

The Types of Internal Stud Wall Insulation

An internal stud wall is a stud wall built against the internal face of an exterior wall. They are primarily used for thermal insulation in houses without cavity walls or houses with cavity walls that are not suited for cavity wall insulation. They consist of a timber or metal stud frame built against solid walls, into which insulation can be fitted both between and on top. Stud walls are finished with a layer of plasterboard, allowing them to be decorated.

Your options for fitting internal stud wall insulation are rolls, slabs, and boards. You will be looking to install around 100mm of solid insulation board or 120mm of rolls and slabs. On the face of the wall, you can either install a basic plasterboard or a specially insulated plasterboard for added thermal insulation.

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The Best Internal Stud Wall Insulation

When looking for the best insulation for internal stud wall walls, the Knauf Earthwool Frametherm is a great choice of mineral wool insulation roll. These rolls are specifically designed for the insulation of internal walls, and friction fitting between popular stud widths. The Thermafleece Cosywool insulation rolls also offer excellent thermal performance in an internal stud wall.

For insulation slabs, the Thermafleece Ultrawool is a high-density wool insulation offering great thermal performance. They are built from a combination of sheep's wool and recycled fibres; the 'Thermafleece Ultrawool' also regulates moisture, is important for a connection to an exterior wall, and absorbs harmful airborne substances.

If you are looking for a solid insulation board the Kingspan Kooltherm K112 Board (previously called the K12) offers excellent insulation within timber or steel framed stud walls. This is a premium product, offering unrivalled performance. Traditional solid insulation boards like the Ecotherm PIR Insulation Board and the Recticel Eurothane GP Board can also be used.

There are a wide variety of insulated plasterboards available. If looking for a significant thermal upgrade, the British GypsumGyproc Thermaline Super range can bring a fantastic level of thermal insulation to your stud wall, especially when installed over rolls, slabs, or boards. If you are simply looking to add some extra insulation alongside a plasterboard finish, cheaper models like the British Gypsum Gyproc ThermaLine Basic will contribute to the thermal insulation within your stud wall.

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How to Install Internal Stud Wall Insulation

Firstly, if you need to know how to build a stud wall itself, we have a step-by-step guide on our website. The first thing to know is that handling mineral fibres or cutting through insulation products can throw up particles that you will want to avoid breathing in, so wear a mask with a particle filter while working. Insulation boards should be cut to size and fitted within the studs, with any gaps filled with flexible sealant. Insulation slabs and rolls are designed to friction fit between studs, simply cutting them to the right side and inserting them between studs can give a solid layer of insulation.

For installing insulated plasterboard to studs, you will need to cut your plasterboards so all edges land on a timber stud. They should be attached with coarse thread drywall screws inserted at least 10mm from the edge of the board, with screws every 150mm. If opting for thicker insulated plasterboard, ensure that you purchase drywall screws long enough to give a solid fixing within the timber batten. The edges between plasterboards will need to be sealed with jointing tape or scrim tape, which we have a guide for on our website. This method can also be used in metal stud walls, though you should use fine-thread drywall screws, which are better suited to metal stud walls.

The Best Partition Stud Wall Insulation

There is a range of plasterboards designed to offer acoustic insulation for stud partition walls, such as the Karma Acoustiwall, offering cost-effective acoustic improvements to stud walls. Acoustic insulation can also be installed within a stud partition wall, with slabs, rolls, and sheets available. The Rockwool Flexi Acoustic Slab offers both thermal and acoustic insulation, designed to fit snugly between timber or metal stud wall frames.

A great choice for a thermal insulation roll would be the Isover AcousticPartition Roll, which provides a high level of acoustic insulation and some thermal insulation. The JCW Acoustic Quilt offers an average of 22 decibels of sound reduction and is suitable for installation within a partition wall, making it a solid choice of acoustic insulation sheet.

Many of the thermal insulations discussed earlier can be used within stud partition walls if looking for thermal insulation within a house. While plenty of acoustic insulation options provide some level of thermal insulation, your stud partition walls can be filled with thermal slabs and topped with insulated plasterboard.