The growing number of residential and industrial photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage systems as well as new building legislation, has resulted in an increased demand for fireproof and energy-efficient building materials. Pratliperl from Pratley can provide both exceptional fire resistance as well as thermal insulation making it the ideal product for any modern building project.  “Walls plastered with a 30 mm layer of correctly mixed Pratliperl plaster, have a two-hour fire rating”, highlights Eldon Kruger, Marketing Manager, Pratley. A 2-hour fire-rated wall is a type of wall that can prevent the spread of fire for at least two hours. This makes the product ideal for use in applications such as battery rooms. A Pratliperl plaster can also significantly help insulate your home or office. With just a 16 mm plaster applied to both the interior and exterior of a wall, you can essentially double the thermal insulation of that wall.

The hard bead structure of Pratliperl makes it a good aggregate for cement mixtures as it maintains its integrity and adds to the lightweight, energy-efficient characteristics of the material,” explains Kruger.

For thermal insulation, Pratliperl screeds are also used inside buildings to increase the thermal insulation properties of flooring, for example. “In a typical house you can feel the difference between floors screeded with Pratliperl and those without. The tiles are much colder where the product was not applied.”

Pratliperl is also suitable for industrial applications, especially for concrete roofs. It is ideal to for creating a screed to falls, allowing water to run off, and increasing the R-value, which is a measure of thermal resistance. This provides both insulation and a offers lightweight solution, as opposed to normal sand and cement screeds which add extra weight.

Furthermore, in industrial buildings where flat concrete roofs are common, Pratliperl concrete can support heavy equipment like air-conditioning units due to its compressive strength of 10 MPa to 15 MPa, (depending on the mixing ratio) even though it is not meant for structural applications.

“For internal screeds, we recommend using a hard-wearing surface like tiles over the screed for durability,” adds Kruger.

Pratley also focuses on educating contractors and architects about the benefits of Pratliperl over ordinary and outdated solutions like polystyrene. For example, unlike polystyrene, Pratliperl does not emit toxic fumes in the event of a fire. Additionally, unlike ordinary concrete, it also does not spall when cooled down with water after the event of a fire.

“Being a non-toxic and “green” product, Pratliperl has gained much popularity and is being specified by architects both locally and internationally. We are also a member of the Green Building Council in South Africa, which helps with the Green Star rating of projects,” concludes Kruger.