I just want to share my experience using Sempatap. Before I start I need to point out that neither my partner or me had any experience in hanging wallpaper.
We have a 1936, solid wall, 3 up, 3 down house with the pebble dash that goes with it. It is an end of terrace.
One room, where the kids sleep, is always very cold and we started to have problems of mould behind some furniture. The front door below is also recessed by a metre so the floor tends to be cold. After trying to deal with by it washing it away with bleach, we decided to use Sempatap. I give energy advice to people and suggest using it, so this was also a good test to see how it works.
I have to admit that just before starting, we got cold feet so I called the supplier (Mould Growth Consultants (MGC)) in Surrey) to ask if they know of somebody professional who would be able to do it for us. The only contact details they were able to give me was for somebody in North London (I live about 2 miles from Mould Growth Consultants). I tried to get a quote but never got a call back, so my partner and I decided to give it a go.
First, after lifting the carpet, I pulled up the floor boards and fitted insulation. I also insulated the heating pipes running under the floor boards.
And then came the wall paper. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by the instructions. One of these documents had SEMPATAP THERMAL in capital letters all over the document (almost every 3rd word) which makes it hard to read. Reminds you of Microsoft. (Message to the supplier: I know it is SEMPATAP THERMAL and I don’t care if there is a copy right on the name etc, I bought it from you, the only thing I want to do is hang it on my walls!!! And by the way, the Dutch version of the instructions is full of spelling mistakes).

The instructions say that you have to return a short section on the adjoining wall to prevent thermal bridging. With hind sight, we shouldn’t have done that. As this was our very first sheet we ever hung, we ended up with sort of a dent about half way which we couldn’t correct. I have to say that the other sheets went up in a breeze, except maintaining a 1mm – 2mm gap between the sheets, but that didn’t bother us. A note: the instructions say that you have to unroll half a metre a time. But the 2 guys on the pictures seem to have unrolled the whole sheet in one go. These guys also seem to work from the floor up. We unrolled in one go and worked from the top down as unrolling half a metre a go didn’t work for us.

The other thing is that you definitely need personal protection: the fibre glass ‘paper’ is not completely fixed and both my partner and I were complaining from itchy skin and covered with ‘splinters’ (silly me, wearing shorts...). Lots of disposable latex gloves come very handy, besides a good (long) pair of scissors and a good cutter knife.
Because of the dent, we decided to ask a professional painter decorator to hang paper wall paper on top of it to give it a smooth finish. There are no specific instructions on wall paper to use so he used the paper he is familiar with.
And then we entered in a stressful period: the wallpaper just ‘blistered’ after painting it. This sorted itself out once the glue was dry but the seams where 2 bands of wall paper meet were awful. The decorator had to put 2 extra layers cross-layered of normal wall paper on top to try to hide these seams. This off course cost us more money and the result is still not perfect.
Does it work: I would say yes. But it is difficult to say to what extent as I also fitted floor insulation. Would I do it again? Not sure, I probably would have to drylined one wall with Kingspan (35mm-60mm) and not bothered with the wall that has a window in it. It would have been cheaper and the finish would have been better.
Would I recommend it: in certain cases yes, but maybe try to get a professional to fit it. Or don’t try to return a short section on the adjoining wall. It will be easier to find a builder to dryline (or do it yourself!).
I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed. Radmate radiator panels come with a DVD that explains in detail how to fit the panels. MGC could easily have done the same or posted it on the web. They could have a discussion forum managed by MGC. MGC could also train professionals how to fit. It is a bit worrying to live very close to MGC and the only professional available living the other side of London. I’m sure there are a lot of (unemployed) decorators who would be interested in a free course by MGC. These could then suggest it to customers and fit it while they decorate the room anyway.

It is possible Sempatap is toxic when it burns. But the issue of toxic fumes is only a theoretical one: by the time the flames would reach the Sempatap, we’re long gone. That is either by getting out (I hope) or by begin dead (I hope not).

But to answer your question:
The Loss Prevention Council, Fire Propagation B.S. 476 Part 6 – Fire Rating Class 1
The Loss Prevention Council, Spread of Flame B.S. 476 Part 7 – Fire Rating Class 1
SME Centre de Recherche du Bouchet – Fire Rating Class M1 (French rating).

But according to me, the only really environmentally sound solution to the problem external insulation using green materials. And not paint I’m afraid.

sorry to be annoying, but I think I have a reason to be dismissive. Not because it is something I need to defend otherwise I wouldn't have written this in the first place and after all I don't have any interest in Sempatap or alternative products. The wall paper is on the first floor in a room above the front door/ stairs. A front bedroom in a typical 3 up/ 3 down. You may well be right about the toxic fumes and your explanation sounds very credible. But for the matter of the record, you may want to add a reference of an independent study that proves toxic flames are released from Sempatap. I think it is only correct that we provide evidence when we claim ' a known problem'. But by the time the flames reach the Sempatap to cause toxic fumes, we'll be dead anyway, just by the position of the room where the Sempatap has been used. That is either by inhaling toxic fumes coming from other stuff burning (the Sempatap will only add a marginal amount), lack of oxygen or we would be toast by the flames. But we do have a whole range of smoke and fire alarms!

Alarming stuff...seems like a good case for widespread MHRV as everyone is being encouraged to seal up their houses.

As far as I'm aware Sempatap is based on a fire retardant Latex foam.
Judging by the certification and by physical demonstration it self extinguishes well within the 60 seconds required in the BS?
Sempatap was originally designed as an acoustic foam not a thermal insulant as is clearly evident in its K value and therefore not manufactured incorporating the constituents of the thermal insulation foams as alluded to by PaulT

Recently contacted Energy Savings Trust for advice on external wall insulation. All they sent in the post were two leaflets about Sempatap!!

The EST have been promoting sempatap for ages. It's very unfortunate because IMHO it's a pretty crappy solution and makes you wonder what commercial tie-up is involved. The EST generall do lots of really good work, and I don't know why they spoil it with this sempatap obsession. It has been discussed before on this board.

Almost any other insulation you might pick would be better (except PaulT's paint, which I assume, in the absence of evidence is even more useless). Sematap has a poor U-value and is only 12mm thick. It may be sufficient to prevent condensation problems under some circumstances, but people really ought to be putting proper insulation up, which normally means PUR if insualting internally.

But 10mm is far too thin for products like that

Every time we take it off ther are nasty patches of black mould behind it

It also makes the wall finish way too easy to damage

In Germany they use 200mm

I've got to say, I was pretty well impressed and excited by the apparent remarkable abilities of Spacetherm Aspen Aerogel. In particular as I am * desperately * seeking to find an ultra thin, ultra reliable product to use on the formidably damp,cold, peeling walls in the small rooms of my old Welsh cottage. Regardless of the expense of nanotech Aerogel Which, I endeavour to say, I have not looked into yet,( though i have no doubt it would not be a very cheap option ).
Nonetheless I thought that it might well be worth the extra outlay in the long run. Vastly reducing heating costs, reliability factor etc......... However, I have had a niggly, sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind for quite a while now, that this product might possibly be one of those " Too good to be true " inventions

Y'know, the kind of thing with the " What's the catch " attached !


So chance would have it, that, just today, I should come across the article, ( link below ), regards the possible hazards associated with this new type of technology,. Any comments ?


http://business.scotsman.com/biotechnology/Health-fears-as-hitech-science.2772193.jp

Thank you, Saint, No vested interest by any chance ? I don't know, I must confess I am not particularly scientifically adroit, however, somehow, I am still not convinced. I would love to have confidence in the health safty
factor of this product, as of many others... Yet , to date, there is little that I can think of, that man has
created within his laboratory that has not impacted with disasterous result. Either upon the environment and thus indirectly, or directly, upon people's immune systems, nervous systems, etc. It seems to me, no matter, how refined the composition of the product, there HAS to be some form of particulate / off gassing, and, that in the long run, one simply cannot beat, * Natural * materials to act in harmony throughout all levels of the environmental and human system.

Any independant, non vested, scientific studies ?
I don't know about the production method of Spacetherm Aerogel, nor the exact structure of this material. Silica derived or otherwise. However, what I DO tend to be aware of , is that whenever I hear the words, " a technological breakthrough " or " " "scientifically advanced achievement " My knees start to tremble a bit, I start worrying about the fishes in the rivers, or the status of the air, or how many more people are going to be rushed into hospital with some mysterious, all pervasive illlness which they have contracted.... from somewhere.


I'm kind of old fashioned, that way. Guess I just cannot get used to the idea of living in a polluted, unnatural environment.... silly me !

I have extracted the words below from an article I found earlier today on the internet :

" ....Another consideration is that silica aerogels tend to flake and release micro-particles into the air. I’m not sure if these would be more dangerous than the micro-particles produced by fiberglass, but it is a potential safety concern. Aerogel also has a strong dessication effect, absorbing moisture strongly enough to cause “burns” on human skin after prolonged contact..... "

I was at a conference with an EST technical person last week (HEAT10 in cambridge - excellent) so I questioned him about the sempatap thing. He rolled his eyes and said that the EST does not promote sempatap, and never has done. It did mention it once in a report some years back and ever since the people who sell it have been putting huge 'EST' signs and logos on their stands and literature and mentioning this report and generally letting people get the impression that it is 'EST recommended'.

The EST have tried to stop them, but found that they aren't actually breaking any laws so not much can be done. They are thoroughly fed up with the sempatap people ('mould growth consultants').

This does explain why an otherwise excellent organisation seemed to be doing so badly on this one point.

Hmm. OK. Not sure what to make of that. This fellow (Simon Harris) hadn't been working there very long (joined this year IIRC), so I guess that limits his personal exposure to the actual history of it, and he's reporting what he's been told.

That recommended wall insulation list doesn't include kingspan, celotex, knauf, NBT or ecotherm products, which just seems bonkers. One wonders if the way you get on the list is to pay them? That would be a very sad state of affairs.

I guess we should all ask them awkward questions about it (preferably publically) whenever we get that chance. Next ecobuild is probably a useful opportunity.