Polymax R2.5 | ACT Canberra | Polyester Underfloor Insulation

Timber floors can have a natural beauty when polished but they can feel quite cold in winter and unnecessarily warm in summer. This not only makes them uncomfortable, but it also causes more energy use to combat the discomfort, more heating in winter and more cooling in summer.  Even carpet and underlay only adds the tiniest amount of insulation value to wooden floors.

The answer is to insulate your floor with Polymax polyester rolls. Polymax is made by CSR Australia, especially for Australian wooden floors. 

Non-Toxic & Non-Irritant: allowing for people-friendly installation without the need for gloves, specialised equipment or glass splinters embedded in your skin

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable: made from minimum 40% recycled plastic bottles

Hydrophobic:  Not impacted by water spills.  If it gets wet, it will dry out and not need to be replaced

Fire Resistance: polyester insulation is a non-flammable material due to its self-extinguishing properties that prevent it from catching fire and it will not carry a flame

Noise Reduction: as an added bonus it will also help provide a sound barrier to reduce noise

High R Rated Insulation:  R2.5 underfloor is standard

Comes in Two Widths: Making it easier to get your project done.

Australian Made: Manufactured by Bradford CSR, and brought to you by ecoMaster, a well known Australian energy efficiency business.

AU/NZ Building Code: is compliant with Australia/NZ building insulation regulations

The best, most cost effective way to insulate your floor is to do it yourself. That's why we have produced easy-to-follow "How to" videos" for you to Do it Yourself. 

Polymax underfloor insulation comes in two different widths. To make sure you order the correct width for your project.  Be sure to check out the Specs tab.

Features: 

• 100% Polyester
• Contains up to 80% recycled component
• Non irritant, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and non-respirable.
• No itching, no glass fibres in your skin, eyes or lungs.
• Maintains its loft (thickness) for the lifetime of your home
• Can be firmly secured between the joists with staples 
• Hydrophobic, does not hold moisture
• Not affected by mold or mildew
• Rodent resistant – rats and mice don’t like it, won’t eat it, and won’t nest in it
• Non flammable – will not hold a flame
• Heat-bonded, with no binding chemicals or glues
• Formaldehyde-free
• ISO9001 Quality Certification
• ISO14001 Environmental Management System Certification
• 70 years Durability Warranty
• Manufactured in Australia
• Made for Australian wooden floors

Benefits:

• Helps make your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer
• Reduces energy costs by up to 20% while improving comfort
• Prevents draughts from coming up through your floor boards 
• Perfect for allergy sufferers as it is non toxic and non allergenic
• Improves the value of your home

Moderate

ecoMaster have made it easy for you to insulate your own wooden floors with the safest and most effective Polymax underfloor insulation.

What you will need: 

• Stapler (Electric or Cordless, Double Insulated - not a hand stapler)
• Staples (Galvanised)
• LED Headlamp or Work Light
• Gloves (Garden)
• Goggles
• Tarps (Helps keep insulation clean)
• Lead/Extension Cord (if using an electric stapler)
• Clothes that can get dirty
• An installation buddy

Insulating a Web Truss Floor can be tricky, so we have a "How To" video to make it easy:  

 Pro Tips:

• Open the packs promptly to allow the insulation to reloft before installing.
• We recommend stapling the material to the lower edge of the floor joists at 100mm intervals to ensure it is secure and will not sag over time.
• Fit the insulation ensuring that the upper surface is in direct and flat contact with the floor. Excessive bunching up of the insulation creates voids which encourages vermin access.
• Where the joist spacing is not amenable to straight going, use the turn and tear method to ensure continuous contact with the floor to exclude rodents. Neatness counts!
• For the greatest long lasting result, make sure the insulation staples that are used are galvanised staples.

Find Out More:

• Join the ecoMaster MasterClass with Technical Director Maurice to find out all about underfloor insulation and details on how to install underfloor insulation to get the greatest hassle free installation experience. 
• How to Measure Your Home's Floor Area
• How to Calculate How Much Insulation You Need

Q: What does Polymax Underfloor Insulation do?
A: Polymax underfloor insulation acts as a thermal barrier for your floors, to keep the outer temperature outside, and maintain the temperature of your home inside.  It also stops draughts, dust and pollen from coming up through your floorboards. 

Q: Can Polymax Underfloor Insulation be used in my climate zone?
A: You can use Polymax Underfloor Insulation in climate zones 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8.

Q: Should I order the 430mm or the 450mm wide Polymax? 
A: For best fit and easiest installation, the material width should be 20mm wider than the space between the joists. To order the best material for your project, it is best to measure the space between the joists of your floor. Measure a number of joist spaces as they do vary. Use the most common spacing. Typically, joists will be 410mm (common in Sydney and Brisbane) so order 430mm wide. For spaces of 430mm between the joists (common in Melbourne) use the 450mm wide Polymax. If you are unsure please give us a call on 1300 326 627.

Q: Not all my joist spacing is the same? 
A: This is normal. Every underfloor has some degree of joist spacing variation. It is inevitable that some degree of Turn and Tear installation will need to be done. Be sure to watch the installation video found under the How To tab.

Q: Is Polymax vacuum packed?
A: No it is not vacuum packed but it is squeezed tightly into a double bag (compressed). For this reason it is best to immediately open the bags when you receive them to ensure the material has time to fluff up to its natural thickness before you install.

Q: Is Polymax Underfloor Insulation easy to install?
A: The difficulty of installing underfloor insulation largely depends on your individual home. Factors like height under the floor, joist spacing, access, among other things all play a part. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about the installation, email us here, or call 1300 326 627.

Q: Do you have a recommended installer for the underfloor insulation?
A: A recommended installer is highly location dependent. To find out if we have a recommended installer in your area please email us here, or call 1300 326 627.

Q: What is the underfloor insulation made of?
A: Polymax underfloor insulation is made from 100% polyester, with up to 80% of that being recycled PET (plastic bottles). 

Q: Is it fire rated?
A: This excerpt is taken from the datasheet:

The following results were obtained when Polymax was subjected to early fire hazard testing in accordance withAustralian Standards AS 1530.3: 

* Ignitability Index: 0
* Heat Evolved Index: 0
* Spread of Flame Index: 0
* Smoke Developed Index: 0

Q: Is there a noise reduction benefit on using the bulk insulation products
A: All insulation will have an acoustic benefit due to its density, unfortunately it is difficult to say how much because underfloor insulation is designed for thermal performance.

Q: How much improvement would underfloor insulation make?
A: Without underfloor insulation, your floorboards are the same temperature as outside, this is due to the floorboards rating is R0.7.  With carpet and a great underlay, the rating is R1.0 and for many people an additional R0.3 is noticeable. When you add our underfloor insulation to your home, your floor will have a minimum rating of R3.2 with a timber floor, or R3.5 with carpeted floor.  With underfloor insulation installed, your floorboards are the same temperature as inside.

Q: Does wind affect the effectiveness of underfloor Insulation?
A: Polymax underfloor insulation has a slightly more dense face.  Ensure that is facing the ground.  Apart from being better for stapling through it also reduces wind penetration of the insulation.  Unless your underfloor is extremely windy, the wind will not penetrate the insulation.  "Wind wash" is simply a marketing term. 

Q: Can I cut the Polymax Underfloor Insulation?
A: Manipulating Polymax underfloor installation can be quite easy due to the manufacturer designing it to have a strong integrity when it is rolled out. It is quite easy to tear across the roll. It is impossible to tear along the roll. When installing underfloor the easy way to deal with non-standard joist spacing is by using the turn and tear method. If you prefer to trim the width of the roll you are able to that with a fine metal cutting blade attached to an angle grinder. Best not to do this under your floor.  Watch this video for instructions on cutting the width of a roll.

PLEASE NOTE This method may not be desirable due to the waste that will inevitably be produced and also reducing the coverage that the underfloor insulation pack will provide.

Q: Can I get a sample?
A: Yes. There is an underfloor insulation sample kit available.  The cost of the sample kit is refunded when you purchase your underfloor insulation from ecoMaster.

Q: What are the dimensions?
A: There are two different variants of Polymax underfloor insulation.  Please check the Specifications carefully.  [Learn More]

Q: Can I return the insulation if I have ordered too much?
A: As this is custom manufactured to your order, you cannot return it.  However, if you have over-ordered, please contact us and we will help you sell it via social media where the demand for polyester underfloor insulation is quite buoyant. 

Q: How will my order be delivered?
A: We will contact you to advise when your order can be manufactured and delivered to your home.  Your order will be delivered by a CSR driver. 

Q: Where can you deliver to?
A: Orders can be delivered to anywhere within Canberra and most surrounding regional areas.  However, the freight costs can become relatively high if you are in a regional or remote area. Please contact us with your location for a freight quote. 

Consider collaborating with your neighbours to share an order as the freight price is the same whether there are a few bags or the truck is filled to capacity.

Q: Can I collect my order from the Canberra Depot?  
A: No - the current ruling is that the new Depot is too busy with large B-double trucks to allow the public to bring a vehicle to the depot.  From an OH&S stand point, no collections are allowed from the Canberra Depot.  People safety takes priority over convenience. 

Q: Can I collect my order from the Sydney manufacturing plant? 
A: Yes, you can.  Indicate that you want to collect from Sydney when you place your order.  You will be advised when your order is ready. 

Q:  Can I get a return excess insulation?
A:  No.  All Polymax orders are "made to order" and cannot be returned.  If you have excess insulation, please contact us and we will help you sell it via social media.  There is a bouyant market for polyester insulation. 

Q: What is the product warranty for insulation products

A: Polymax carries a product warranty of 70 years, Greenstuff and Value Poly both carry a 50 year warranty.

However, all three brands can be highly effective for much longer than that. We have not yet seen a 'failed' polyester product.
It is incredibly robust and is not damaged by the elements that would generally damage other types of insulation such as rodents and water / storm damage. 

Q: What is the installation warranty?
A: As these are DIY products there is no warranty on installation.  

If you have any questions, contact the ecoMaster team. We are all ex-installers and have done this work thousands of times before. We are here to help you.