Cornish restoration specialists 'Hayle' multiboard's broad benefits

A trio of experienced, multi-skilled tradesmen are currently employing three different thicknesses of

Marmox Multiboard to tackle not just damp issues, but generally poor energy performance within a

stone-built cottage located in the town of Hayle, Cornwall.

Andrew Bourne of ‘Bourne to Build’, and Mike Chellew of Southwest Renovations, have worked

together since the early 2000s. Peter Adams joined them five years ago, adding his talent for bespoke

carpentry to his partners’ prowess at stonework, roofing, building services and other trades.

In the case of the Hayle project, they are renovating a 150-year-old home built from the local shale

type rock which, along with some later blockwork walls, are being lined with 40mm-thick Marmox

Multiboard. The 10mm version of the product is being used to upgrade the window reveals without

encroaching on the actual frames. In addition, 60mm-thick Multiboards have been used to cover a

concrete floor; radically improving the insulation performance and providing a substrate for a hydronic

underfloor heating system.

Peter says: “The owner was seeking to significantly improve the thermal performance of what had

been quite a cold house, which had also suffered from damp problems. Here, we are installing

Multiboard across the inner face of all the external walls.

“As well as installing a new damp-proof course, we have laid new joisted timber floors across much of

the ground floor, but were confronted with a 60mm drop in level in one place. To build up the existing

slab we bedded the 60mm Multiboard into the adhesive. For the wall areas, in addition to the dot-and-

dab plasterboard adhesive, we are using the Marmox washers fixed in place with drywall screws or

standard screws where there are any timber studs. A massive bonus to using Multiboard instead of

standard plasterboard is the difference in the sound quality – you don’t get that hollow sound when

you tap it: the walls feel more substantial.”

Marmox Multiboards are manufactured from extruded polystyrene or XPS encapsulated in reinforced

polymer concrete, produced in a range of thicknesses up to 60mm. They are light to handle and easy

to cut, while still being able to sustain substantial loadings if required.

www.marmox.co.uk