Green Choice #1

Since we are hippies and all, of course we will want to be making some eco-friendly choices on our kitchen remodel journey. But we are also on a strict budget and trying to do it ourselves to we have to be reasonable with what we can do. Straw bale walls and solar panels will have to wait for our next house.

But when possible, we do want to think about making a greener choice, for us and the environment. When looking at insulation, we had several options. We didn't like the traditional fiberglass batting.

Craig's a big fan of Holmes so he would have liked to go with a spray foam insulation but that was out of our budget, especially since our area wouldn't have met the minimum so we would have had to pay for insulation we weren't even getting.

In terms of super eco friendly insulation, there are really neat options out there, like natural wool or recycled denim. In my dream world, I probably would have chosen one of those, but they are more expensive and not easily available.

Our final choice: Roxul. Roxul is a stone wool batt insulation. Holmes recommends it because it is non-combustible and won't burn or release toxic gases if it contacts flames. Also unlike fiberglass - it's water, mold and pest proof. It is R-15 so comparable in efficiency to fiberglass, didn't cost much more and we could get it from Lowe's (required a special order but came in just a few days). That made Craig happy.

It is still a spun batt insulation so I had to wear long sleeves/pants and a mask during insulation so I wouldn't be breathing in the fibers. Some would say it isn't any better than fiberglass in terms of healthy and safety but unlike fiberglass with its offgassing dyes and formaldehyde, Roxul doesn't have volatile components that will off gas after installation which I think is a bigger issue. And while I couldn't even walk through the kitchen without itching during the time between drywall and old fiberglass insulation removal, I worked with the Roxul all evening and didn't really feel very itchy until I was cleaning myself up at the end of the night.

And it was really easy to use. I did it myself with just a measuring tape and a old bread knife. The pieces cut easily and I was able to get a nice fit without much trouble. And the batt was thick and held in place without flopping over. Overall, I think it is a great compromise product and if we have more insulating requirements in the future, it will probably be our choice.