# Siporex



## magneto (Aug 16, 2015)

Hi. 
Does anybody have any experience with using siporex in background construction and other decorations for enclosures? Someone asked me if I knew of any alternatives to insulation foam as building material for this. And I remember working with siporex in an art class a decade or so ago. I remember it to be easy to carve and sand and therefore, while requiring a bit more work than the foam, sounds ideal for this task.

Is there any immediate downside to this material that people know of? I can't really imagine there being any dangerous toxins in it but you never know.


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## The Snark (Aug 16, 2015)

Just watch out for cheap imitations. Buy from a reputable source. The construction industry here is flooded with imitation stuff, often containing asbestos and, I suspect, a way to get rid of hazardous industrial waste by encasing it in inert material.
There's an unfinished series of apartments near here where the workers got sick and quit the job. A year down the road I walked through the place and could still smell an odd plastic odor coming from the blocks reminiscent of formaldehydes and gads knows what else. I could get a picture of the place if you want.
India and China are both cranking the stuff out by the millions of tons right now.


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## magneto (Aug 16, 2015)

Apreciate the tip. I had not thought of that factor. Luckily I work a a hardware store so getting information anout the products and aquiring the right stuff won't be hard.


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## The Snark (Aug 16, 2015)

I'm going to double and triple down here. My other just mentioned a building materials outlet near here that was in business for a few months then suddenly vanished overnight. Their storage/sales area was left reeking of chemicals. A recycling company rented the place recently for ultra cheap as nobody else wanted the place. Among other things they were selling name brand Siporex blocks from unknown sources.


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## magneto (Aug 16, 2015)

Thanks.
The siporex I can order comes directly from the manufacturer's factory floor and are guaranteed to be their product. And the rules and regulations of the construction trade here in Norway are, by US standards, ridiculously strict. So a situation like you described is very unlikely here. No one would be allowed to sell a product that was that was in that condition, and frequent quality testing helps to avvoid it.

So unless I buy it from some guy on our equivilent of craigs list, I'm as certain as It is possible to get that the product is safe. And barring taking it to a lab myself to get it tested, that's all I can do.


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## The Snark (Aug 16, 2015)

The wifey just mentioned her airhead husband had thought about buying those blocks to build a wall in a carport.

It seems Siporex is based in India, the company started in the 1970's.

Reactions: Like 1


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