Container House Renovation Materials

Commonly used materials for container house renovation mainly include five categories: structural reinforcement materials, thermal insulation materials, decorative materials, door and window materials, and auxiliary functional materials. Details are as follows:

Structural Reinforcement Materials

Container houses are based on high-strength steel. Structural reinforcement is required to ensure stability. Commonly used materials include welding steel (such as low-alloy high-strength steels like Q235 and Q345) and anti-corrosion coatings (such as epoxy zinc-rich primers and polyurethane topcoats). The steel must meet welding performance requirements, and the anti-corrosion coatings should have salt spray and UV resistance to extend the service life of the container to more than 20 years. For example, steel containers are the mainstream choice due to their high weldability and good water tightness; aluminum alloy containers, although lighter in weight, have poor weldability and are mostly used in scenarios with high anti-corrosion requirements.

Thermal Insulation Materials

The metal of containers has high thermal conductivity, so a thermal insulation layer is needed to achieve warmth in winter and coolness in summer. Commonly used materials include polyurethane foam boards (with low thermal conductivity and excellent fire resistance), rock wool boards (Class A fire resistance, sound absorption and noise reduction), and extruded polystyrene boards (with high compressive strength and good moisture resistance). For example, a 15-square-meter forest container home installed solar panels on the roof and wrapped the top with composite insulation boards, effectively blocking direct sunlight and reducing indoor heat accumulation.

Decorative Materials

The interior decoration should balance aesthetics and practicality. For walls, anti-corrosion wood veneers (such as Scots pine and carbonized wood) or light steel keel gypsum boards are commonly used. For floors, wood floors or PVC floors are often adopted, and integrated ceilings are mainly used for the ceiling. For example, in a second-hand container renovation project at Rizhao Port, the original iron door was replaced with a tempered glass sliding door, wood floors were laid on the ground, and custom-made sofas and wall beds were installed to achieve a balance between functionality and appearance.

Door and Window Materials

Doors and windows need to meet requirements for sound insulation, thermal insulation, and safety. Commonly used are broken-bridge aluminum alloy doors and windows (with insulated glass and a K-value ≤ 2.0 W/(㎡·K)) or plastic-steel doors and windows. Some projects use electric skylights (such as those connected to the roof with four-corner lifting rods) to enhance ventilation and lighting. For example, a container tea room introduced sunlight through large glass windows, combined with a dark green exterior wall and original wood door frames, creating a healing atmosphere.

Auxiliary Functional Materials

These include waterproof membranes (such as SBS modified bitumen membranes), fire-resistant materials (such as fire-resistant coatings and fire-resistant boards), and solar panels (monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon). For example, a forest container home used fire-resistant and burn-resistant black special materials in the kitchen and bedroom areas and installed solar panels to solve the electricity problem.