CoccioTerm MGN

Thermal Plaster for High Humidity Environments

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CoccioTerm MGN - Description

What is Cocciopesto?

In ancient Rome, a particular type of mortar called "cocciopesto", a mix of lime and brick dust or crushed terracotta fragments (coccio = pottery fragments; pesto = crushed) was widely used as:

A plaster to protect wall structures from moisture. It has been the plaster of choice for high-humidity environments such as Roman baths, basements and cellars.
A flooring material, both as a floor base and floor finish, due to their excellent longevity and moisture-regulating properties.
A finishing plaster to create impermeable linings for cisterns, wells and aqueducts (ancient water pipes), or today for bathroom or shower room walls.

Cocciopesto plasters are special lime plasters because they are:

Extremely breathable
Resist moisture and humidity
A warm material with high thermal mass, naturally preventing condensation even in high-humidity environments
Outstanding hygro-thermal regulators, creating a pleasant, healthy, low-humidity indoor environment

Cocciopesto plasters, given the wide accessibility of their prime materials and their wide range of application, spread rapidly to every corner of the Roman empire, and they are still widely used today.

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COCCIOTERM MGN is a thermal insulating lime plaster, combining lime, natural perlite and traditional Roman cocciopesto (brick powder) into a plaster with excellent insulating, sound-absorbing and mechanical properties. The porosity of the lime and of the crushed terracotta give the product a high vapor permeability and an exceptional ability to regulate the humidity of the masonry.

Coccioterm MGN improves the comfort of your building because:

It improves the thermal performance of the building, keeping the walls warm and dry.
Due its outstanding thermal insulation saves energy and heating costs.
Thanks to the thermal capacity and thermal inertia of the brick dust (terracotta) and natural perlite (a fluffy volcanic material) cocciopesto plasters act as an energy reservoir: evening out temperature oscillations, improving overall thermal comfort.
The natural hygroscopicity of the fired brick powder combined with the natural porosity of lime regulates the humidity of the internal environment by acting as a hygrometric buffer.
It is a highly breathable plaster that prevents the formation of mould due to moisture stagnation.

Key Features

Here are some key features of this product.

Breathable

Being a lime plaster, it's naturally vapour permeable or breathable.

Very Good Insulator

This lime plaster has extremely good insulating properties, while being breathable.

No Cement. No Chemicals

This plaster does not contain chemicals or cement - it only contains natural materials.

Suitable for Listed buildings

This plaster is suitable for historic or listed buildings and heritage renovations.

Multiple Colours

This is a coloured plaster that comes in multiple colours.

Excellent Humidity Regulator

Can effectively buffer humidity variations, maintaining low internal humidity, preventing condensation.

For Cellars, Basements

Can resist high humidity, suitable for cellars, basements.

Composition

Natural air lime: highest purity lime containing min 90% CaO, classified as CL90S according to EN-459-1 standard

Cocciopesto (ground terracotta): brick powder milled from traditional porous bricks, wood fired at low temperatures at around 600°C

Natural hydraulic lime NHL 3.5, certified according to EN-459-1 standard

Natural perlite

Natural plasticisers: of food / plant origin to improve workability

Specifications

Granulation (mm)

0-3

Vapour diffusion resistance (μ)

Declared thermal conductivity - λ (D)

0.062

Specific heat capacity (J/g.K) or
Thermal mass

2.06

Water absorption

10.5

Adhesion (N / mm²)

0.1

Compressive strength (N / mm²)

CSII

Bulk density (kg / m³)

420

Bag weight (kg)

Water intake (litre / bag)

Consumption (kg / m² / cm)

Application temperature (°C)

5-30

Fire rating

Chloride content (%)

None

Harmful substances

None

Colour

Brick

Certifications

UNI EN 998-1:2016 – Certified Thermal Insulation Plaster (T)

Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) Declaration: a “green purchase” environmental declaration, indicating that this product satisfies the environmental requirements of the Italian Government, representing the best ecological solution for a project when taking into account the entire life cycle of a product from manufacturing to disposal.

Free of Harmful Substances including formaldehyde

CE Marking: this product complies with all relevant European Union regulations, meeting all performance requirements required by the CE marking.

Completed Projects

Here are some of our projects using this plaster:

Old Kiln Waterproofing and Thermal Insulation

Farm House Conversion

Commercial

Wind Mill - Waterproofing and Thermal Insulation

Challenges and Solutions

Residential

Solutions

This material can be used in the following applications or solutions:

Lime Thermal Insulation

Breathable Insulation of Old (Solid) Walls

Replastering Flooded Walls

Flood Renovation with Lime

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Solving Condensation and Mould Problems

How to Solve It?

Photo Galleries

Here are some photos demonstrating this solution. Click on any image to open the photo gallery.

Wind Mill Project by the Sea

Here is an 18 metre tall 200 year-old listed wind mill, not very far from the sea. Wind driven rain created major problems, resulting in ongoing water leaks. The building has been sympathetically waterproofed and thermally insulated with lime plasters only, using breathable heritage-friendly materials only.

Farm House Conversion And Thermal Insulation

This old farm house has been converted to living accommodation and thermally insulated using Roman lime materials in a sympathetic way.

Similar Products

Here are some other similar products of the same category (e.g. other main coats or finishes). Depending on your application, you could use these as alternative products.

TermoRasante AeroGel

Super-Insulating Lime-Aerogel Plaster

Thermal

Termointonaco 2020

High Performance Insulating Lime Plaster

Thermal

CanapaTerm

Lime-Hemp Thermal Plaster

Thermal

Product Combinations

Although all MGN plasters can be used on their own, in many applications they perform best when certain materials are applied together as a plastering system complementing and reinforcing each other.

Here are some other plasters which are recommended to be used with this one.

Rinzaffo

Roman Salt-Resistant Waterproof Lime Plaster

Base

Waterproofing

Rasante B40

Levelling-Finishing Lime Plaster

Finishing

Rasacol

Lime Finish for Thermal Plasters

Finishing

Application

Here are some key technical points about how to apply this material correctly:

Thermal

Clean the masonry: the plaster must be applied on a cleaned and uniformly wet substrate. All crumbling and loose parts must be removed by brushing so the masonry is free of dust, salts and oils. If possible, also wash the walls with a pressure washer; this will clean and wet the walls in one go. Close larger holes with lime mortar and pieces of bricks.

Mixing: mix the material with clean tap water only without adding anything else (no other material or additive), until a homogenous, creamy-consistency mix is obtained.

Application: apply the thermal plaster in (up to) 20 mm coats in one pass, without compressing the material. Wait for the previous coat to harden (2-3 days depending on ambient conditions) before applying the next coat. The last layer must be levelled to make the application of the finishing easier.

Drying time: as porous thermal plasters take up significantly more water than denser “regular” plasters, they have proportionally longer drying times. Thus, before applying the finish, it is advisable to let the thermal insulation dry for 15-20 days.

Finishing: for better mechanical protection thermal plasters should be finished with a dedicated finish (e.g. Megastuk MGN) – these are mechanically more resilient, longer lasting than ordinary lime putty finishes.

Application conditions: ambient and wall temperatures must be between +5 to +30°C during application. Surfaces should be protected from rain and humidity until they have completely dried (approx. 3 – 10 days depending on weather conditions).