Armaflex AF vs. cork

Reading time 3 minutes

Aktualisiert – June 3, 2024

Armaflex AF or cork, this is the question that arises for those who convert a van into a motorhome and want to insulate it for winter.

Below, both variants will be compared in terms of health and insulation properties, but also in terms of costs and workload.

Pro and con

Anyone who considers the alternative of cork usually primarily fears that, as we read from time to time, Armaflex emits substances that are harmful to health. This fear is justified with regard to some variants of Armaflex.
Armaflex AF, on the other hand, is closed-pored and does not emit any unpleasant odors, neither for the nose nor for your health.

Cork is a comparatively much more expensive insulation method if you want to use it to insulate a panel van all around. If you can afford it financially, cork is definitely recommended.

The insulating capacity of Armaflex AF as sheet material is 0.033 W/(m · K), while pressed cork granulate has 0.038 – 0.040 W/(m · K), i.e. it insulates slightly worse. A structure as described below should be on par with Armaflex AF insulation of 19 mm in terms of thermal technology.

Cost comparison

In total, for cork insulation using the procedure described below, you can expect a cost factor that is five times higher at a good 100 euros per square meter of area, compared to Armaflex AF at around 20 euros.
If you calculate around 600 euros for a complete L4H3 structure in full insulation with Armaflex AF, you will end up with around 3,000 euros if you use cork without exception.

If you are not so blessed with money, we recommend that you at least insulate the floor of the vehicle with cork. This offers a number of advantages in terms of weight and labor savings, at “only” about four times the cost. If you glue the cork strips and panels with special contact adhesive, the cork version is significantly more complex.

Construction with Armaflex AF and / or cork in comparison

With the Armaflex AF variant, you usually glue wooden strips to the raised profiles of the floor and line them with Armaflex AF in between. If necessary, you can build a second layer, offset by 90°, to achieve perfect floor insulation, even for regions with extreme sub-zero temperatures. The existing floor is placed on this second layer of slats and screwed together.
Depending on the rigidity of the base plate used, the spacing between the strips of the upper batten layer must be chosen to be quite narrow in order to avoid mechanical pressure on the Armaflex AF when walking on it.

With cork panels, the recesses can be filled to size without any battens, simply by cutting cork strips of around 3 mm thick, slightly increasing in width from bottom to top, and thus filling the recesses. It's a decent puzzle piece, but functional.
As soon as these recesses have all been worked flush with cork strips to form a flat surface, a layer now follows Industrial cork panels of 20 mm thickness.
For example, a final 3 mm thick carpet layer (140 x 550 cm) with a rubberized backing acts as a final layer Corcoleum.

Verarbeitung

Allgemein sind große, gerade Flächen zwar nicht im Handumdrehen, so doch in vergleichsweise geringer Zeit verlegt. Knifflig wird es bei Ausschnitten von Radkästen, Holmen und Türanschlagseiten.

Sauberes Arbeiten, Fertigen von Schablonen, etc. benötigen entsprechend Zeit und ziehen die Arbeiten in die Länge. Wer sich aber die erforderliche Zeit nimmt, wird von einem sauberen Arbeitsergebnis profitieren.

Armaflex

Armaflex sollte mit einem extrem scharfen und dünnen Messer OHNE jeden Druck mit mehreren Zügen geschnitten werden, will man Ausreißer / -fransungen vermeiden.

Ideal ist ein Cutter-Messer, da es dünner als ein herkömmliches Teppichmesser ist, Rundungen damit gut abgefahren werden können.

Für komplexere, passgenaue Formen sind Formzuschnitte aus relativ steifer, aber dünner Pappe zweckmäßig. Dünn, weil man gro zugeschnittene Formen an den Rändern der exakten Form andrücken, mit dem Daumennagel markieren und entsprechend exakt zuschneiden kann.
Steif, damit man mit dem Cutter-Messer die Form nachfahren kann, ohne zu sehr Gefahr zu laufen, gleich die Pappe mit zu zerschneiden.

Kork

Kork ist in Bezug auf dünnere Platten in gleicher Weise wie Armaflex zu schneiden.

Dickere Platten lassen sich besser mit der Stichsäge in Verbindung mit einem sehr feinen Metallsägeblatt zuschneiden.
Wichtig ist, dass das Sägeblatt selbst die Vorschub-Geschwindigkeit bestimmt. Zu schneller Vorschub führt zu ausreißendem Schnitt.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it is a question of money whether you choose exclusive Armaflex AF insulation, a combination of cork floor and Armaflex AF wall and ceiling insulation, or pure Armaflex AF insulation.

The insulation properties are basically comparable and therefore not a compelling argument for or against.

If you prefer the homely cork character but do not have the necessary financial means, you can stick the cork carpet onto the floor panel insulated with Armaflex AF. This means that the look and feel of cork is guaranteed, and solid insulation is also achieved with relatively little work.