Sparks of 2026: #14 BreathaPlasta - Thermal

It Works - Thermal Plaster

You know that feeling when everyone else is talking about a movie, and you just haven't seen it? That's the feeling you get when they find out about the latest product in the Adaptavate Breathaplasta line. Breathaplasta Thermal, is shockingly good. Like weirdly useful.

There's a couple of reasons why.

1. Setting time - It works like they say on the tin (except it's not, it's in a bag). This stuff genuinely sets really really fast. It's setting time is 2 hours after application.
2. You can spray it.
3. It makes an amazing undercoat. Mould hates it.

So that means on a retrofit project you can drastically cut project timelines as the plaster works super fast. But the cherry on the top is the the thermal performance.

Thermal Performance Matters

We can't speak for the thermal performance yet at Refurb and Retrofit HQ but the figures it came with made us pay the extra price for our bags. Here's what they tell us we're gonna get;

A measured K-value of 0.127 W/mK.

An improvement in U-Value of up to 60% (with 50mm application)

It might not be improving the value in our building that much but the glow from our smugness might be helping.

Endorsement From The Big Names - Jewson Got Thermal

There's not a better sign, apart from the fact every plasterer we talk to in a retrofit names it - that Breathaplasta Thermal has arrived.

When a name like Jewson bites the Adaptavate pie - you know it's delicious. Yes, that's right.

In July 2025 they introduced the line into their stores. The old favourites where there but the thermal plaster - front and centre.

Adaptavate partners with Jewson to bring Breathaplasta to builders nationwide - Made in Britain

Made in BritainMade in Britain

What Does Breathaplasta Thermal Offer Builders?

Speed, first and foremost. Two hour set time changes sequencing on site. You are not waiting days before moving on to the next trade. That matters on lived in retrofits, tight programmes, and projects where disruption is the biggest enemy.

Flexibility comes next. Spray application opens the door to faster coverage on larger areas. Hand application still behaves predictably. And because it doubles as a high quality undercoat, you are not stacking multiple products to get to a finished surface. Fewer materials. Fewer steps. Less faff.

Then there is compatibility with how retrofit actually works. Breathaplasta Thermal is vapour open. That means it plays nicely with older buildings, solid walls, and moisture management strategies that do not involve trapping damp and hoping for the best.

Builders working on heritage, conservation areas, or just awkward British housing stock (like ours - Taylor Wimpey No Fines - no rules) get a product that aligns with good building physics rather than fighting it.

Cost wise, yes, it is not the cheapest bag on the shelf. But the maths is not just about material price. Faster turnaround, reduced labour time, and the ability to deliver a measurable thermal uplift without full system overhauls all stack up. On many jobs, that gap closes very quickly.

And finally, confidence. Builders like products that do what they say they will do. Plasterers talk to each other.

Retrofitters are a suspicious bunch by default. The fact this product keeps coming up in conversations, and is now sitting front and centre at a merchant like Jewson, tells you it has crossed the line from niche curiosity to serious tool.

This is not a silver bullet. It will not turn a cold house into a passive house overnight.

But as part of a wider retrofit strategy, especially where internal insulation options are limited or disruption needs to be kept low, Breathaplasta Thermal feels like one of those quietly important products.

The kind you wish you had known about earlier.

Dammit, so in a kind of annoying, wish we'd paid attention to this earlier, this one is no #14 for 2026. It's going to take off.