Described is an adhesive coating that can be applied, for example, to a surface of the insulation product. The adhesive coating includes between about 15-40% by weight of the adhesive coating of at least one of polystyrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) and polyacrylic acid (PAA), between about 15 and 50% by weight of the adhesive coating of a polyvinyl alcohol, between about 0.05% and 1.0% by weight of a homogenizer, and between about 20 and 40% by weight of the adhesive coating of a starch paste. The adhesive is activated with the application of liquid water.