Substitute for 13mm treetex (or 14mm?) for joining, on interior walls?

[Martin_B]

What are the alternatives to 13mm treetex? (or if it's 14mm, it's hard to tell if they have swollen or however it might be)

I have treetex on quite a few surfaces where I need to splice in with some kind of board of the same thickness to get a smooth transition from treetex to the new board.

Is treetex available for purchase today, or maybe some replacement? It would be great if it could be porous like treetex for its insulating and soundproofing qualities.

 

[thomas33]

Porous Board (TRETEX) 12x1220x2440 is available at Bromölla Trävaror and surely at more hardware stores.
http://www.bromollatravaror.se/shop/poros-board-tretex-12x1220x2440-p-64.html

 

[Decamber]

In a somewhat similar situation. Why not plasterboard?

 

[Martin_B]

Porous Board (TRETEX) 12x1220x2440 is available at Bromölla Trävaror and surely at other building supply stores as well.
[link]

Thanks for the tip! So there is Tretex available!? I have been searching and searching, haven't found it. There you go
It's just a shame that it's 12mm. The one I have seems to be about 13-14mm.

 

[Martin_B]

I'm in a similar situation. Why not drywall?

1. One of the areas where I need to seam is on a sloping ceiling, which also curves. I don't think gypsum can handle that curve without risking cracking/breaking.

2. In other areas, on regular horizontal walls, it would feel best to continue with the same material that's already there and seam with exactly the same material.

But I don't know, maybe it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like one will be knocking on the walls

But otherwise, treetex absorbs sound better. Which would lead to small differences in acoustics where gypsum is used instead of treetex. But I don’t know that either, maybe it’s not that serious?

But point 1, I'm quite sure of, that there I need to have something a bit more flexible, and preferably also a bit insulating, since it will be against the outer roof.

 

[erik_n]

1. One of the places I need to splice is on a sloped ceiling, which also curves. I don't think gypsum can handle that curve without risking cracking/breaking.

2. In other areas, on regular horizontal walls, it would feel best to continue with the same material that is already there and splice with exactly the same material.

But I don't know, maybe it doesn't really matter. It's not like you go around knocking on the walls

But otherwise, the treetex absorbs sound better, which would result in slight differences in acoustics where gypsum is instead of treetex. But I don't know about that either, maybe it's not that bad?

But point 1 I am quite sure about, that there I need something more flexible, and preferably also somewhat insulating, since it will be against the outer roof.

There are flexible gypsum boards, I believe Fredells has these.

 

[Decamber]

There must be a reason why Treetex is no longer available, and I don't quite buy your argument about acoustics. How many square meters are we talking about? What's the purpose of the soundproofing; to reduce embarrassing looks from family after a pleasant night with the wife (overhearing between rooms), or to reduce echo in a room (studio)? The latter I find hard to believe it would matter if you use porous board or drywall. The former as well, because drywall is also quite sound-absorbing.

However, I'm no expert and speak without real experience. But as I said, I'm facing similar decisions and am therefore interested.

As for bendable drywall, I had no idea about this.

 

[Ola78]

Another alternative that might be easier to get hold of is probably asfaboard, which is probably a later version of tretex. Not sure how good it is to have indoors, though.

 

[Martin_B]

How many square meters are we talking about?

Approximately 10-15 m2 spread out here and there.

What is the purpose of the soundproofing; to avoid embarrassing looks from the family after a pleasant night with the wife (sound leakage between rooms), or to reduce echo in a room (studio)?

It's definitely not about "sound leakage between rooms." We have 3" plank interior walls, which dampen sound very well. Much better than framed walls with insulation.

No, it's about the latter, "echo." The harder the material, the more it echoes. Gypsum is quite hard, tretex is not.

Well, I don't think it makes much difference in practice for the few square meters I need it for. But IF there is a replacement for treetex, it would be convenient to use it.

 

[Martin_B]

Another option that might be easier to get is asfaboard, which is a later variant of tretex. I don't know how good it is to have indoors, though.

I have read in many places that it can emit an unpleasant smell and also that it could be unhealthy. So you should probably only use asfaboard externally.

 

[Stefan N]

Another disadvantage of Tretex that one should take note of is that it is very flammable, unlike plaster. I replace it with plaster myself as I renovate.

 

[Martin_B]

Another disadvantage of Tretex that one should be aware of is that it is very flammable unlike gypsum. I replace it with gypsum whenever I renovate myself.

Well, that applies to the entire house in this case, which has a frame of 3" planks and wooden beam structures with sawdust insulation ...quite tasty for fire, so to speak.

If a fire starts anywhere, it will probably burn quite nicely anyway, regardless of gypsum, I think

One could, of course, argue that the gypsum slightly delays the fire progression, which might give you a few extra seconds to get out. But on the other hand, one might then start thinking about changing the insulation in the beams, replacing other surfaces from Tretex to gypsum, etc. etc.

It might be more well-invested money to install a proper fire alarm system.

 

[hempularen]

I think plaster can delay or completely prevent a fire quite significantly. IF a fire starts in a room where the walls and ceiling are plastered, I believe you could get at least 10 - 15 extra minutes to get out, and if there isn't too much flammable furniture in the room, I think there's a decent chance that the fire won't spread out of the room but simply burn itself out.

 

[Martin_B]

I think gypsum can delay or completely prevent a fire quite significantly. IF a fire starts in a room where the walls and ceiling are plastered with gypsum, I believe you could have at least 10 - 15 extra minutes to get out, and if there's not too much flammable furniture in the room, I think there's a decent chance the fire won't spread out of the room and will simply burn out.

Yes, you are absolutely right about this. In my case, however, it's about gypsum boards applied here and there. Some patches. And that's why I don't think it makes much of a difference in fire delay in our case. But of course, any extra time can save lives.

 

[Stefan N]

The idea was not to replace it patchily but to replace it completely. Tretex is also a nightmare to achieve a neat result on.