Any suggestions on which material I should use (or if it's even worthwhile to try) to block up some draughts in my kitchen?
The draughts are coming from behind the row of built-in cabinets built all along an exterior wall. The pipework is also behind these cabinets, and I suspect that there are some big holes in the wall where these pipes go through. However I can't say this with 100% certainty because, well, the built-in cabinets (with a kitchen worktop on top) are in the way and I'm not willing to do a demolition job on them in order to see. For the same reason, I don't think it's practial to address the root cause of the problem.
The cabinets are suspended about 2-3 inches above the floor surface. Underneath it is very cool. The wooden boards at the front that cover the gap stop most of the cool air from entering the main part of the kitchen, but it still gets cold in the kitchen nonetheless. I've already applied a foam P-strip to these wooden boards to seal the gap between them and the main bulk of the cabinets.
My idea is that if I put an insulating buffer material running along the back of the cabinets, then the cold air would stay further back, making the kitchen warmer. And also, with the wooden boards in front, there should be a double-glazing type effect.
Does this sound like a good idea? If so, I was thinking of using some cheap and cheerful bubble wrap rolled up thickly enough to just snuggle into the gap. Or is some other material better suited?
I should say that the sink is also mounted on top of one of the cabinets, and there's a dishwasher and washing machine at the end of the row. Hopefully none of them will ever catastrophically leak...
The draughts are coming from behind the row of built-in cabinets built all along an exterior wall. The pipework is also behind these cabinets, and I suspect that there are some big holes in the wall where these pipes go through. However I can't say this with 100% certainty because, well, the built-in cabinets (with a kitchen worktop on top) are in the way and I'm not willing to do a demolition job on them in order to see. For the same reason, I don't think it's practial to address the root cause of the problem.
The cabinets are suspended about 2-3 inches above the floor surface. Underneath it is very cool. The wooden boards at the front that cover the gap stop most of the cool air from entering the main part of the kitchen, but it still gets cold in the kitchen nonetheless. I've already applied a foam P-strip to these wooden boards to seal the gap between them and the main bulk of the cabinets.
My idea is that if I put an insulating buffer material running along the back of the cabinets, then the cold air would stay further back, making the kitchen warmer. And also, with the wooden boards in front, there should be a double-glazing type effect.
Does this sound like a good idea? If so, I was thinking of using some cheap and cheerful bubble wrap rolled up thickly enough to just snuggle into the gap. Or is some other material better suited?
I should say that the sink is also mounted on top of one of the cabinets, and there's a dishwasher and washing machine at the end of the row. Hopefully none of them will ever catastrophically leak...
