Every person dreams of having own home. Everyone imagines the facade, interior decoration, number of rooms and furniture. But people don’t always think about insulation, but it provides comfortable living conditions. In suburban and urban construction, insulating the floor of a private house with your own hands will significantly save your budget during operation.

Why do you need floor insulation?

House heat loss diagram

It doesn’t matter whether the building is wooden or stone house– insulating the floor with your own hands is equally important. It will allow you not to worry about the safety of supporting structures and high heating costs in winter period. Insulation is especially important attic floor, since it is through it that strong heat losses occur.

If there are cold bridges in the room, the temperature decreases and condensation appears, which leads to the appearance of dangerous human body bacteria, mold and mildew. Constant exposure to moisture can significantly reduce the load-bearing capacity of structures. Thermal insulation ensures not only comfortable, but also safe living in country house.

Material selection

To insulate the floor in a private house, you need to decide on the choice of insulation for the floors. The following can be used as thermal insulation materials:

• mineral wool (more details in the article);
• polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam (you can learn more from the article);
• polyurethane foam (article);
• sawdust();
• expanded clay (“”).

Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, which you can learn more about using these materials. How to insulate the floor depends on the material of the floor structure and its location.

Insulation methods

There are three types of insulation placement: top, bottom and inside. These floor insulation options can be used for any floor, but it is worth considering that:

• Insulation of the floor of the first floor below will become more efficient;
• in the case of an attic floor, it is better to use the option from above;
• for interfloor ceilings there is no fundamental difference.
• It is most correct and convenient to insulate wooden floors from the inside. Read more in the article.

In addition, floor insulation in a private house can be done under a screed. More details on this issue can be found in the article.

Insulating the floor in a house is quite an important task that will require a serious approach and additional investments, both labor and financial. But all the effort will pay off for a long time building service and comfortable living conditions.

Types of insulated floors

Before insulating the floor in a private house, you need to find out which structures require these measures. During construction you may need:

• insulation of the floor on the ground when arranging a heated basement or basement;
• insulation of the ground floor floor in the presence of a cold basement;
• with an unheated under-roof space;
• insulation of the floor of the first floor (with a heated basement) and interfloor ceilings for additional sound insulation.

Work technology

Regardless of where the floor insulation is located in the country house or in the house, you must remember the following rules:

The work is carried out in the following order:

1. preparing the base, cleaning from dirt and dust;
2. if necessary, installation of logs;
3. laying protection against moisture (vapor barrier or waterproofing depending on the location of the insulation);
4. before starting work with polyurethane foam, it is better to moisten the surface with water from a spray bottle to ensure reliable adhesion;
5. styling thermal insulation material;
6. moisture protection layer;
7. if necessary, pour a cement screed and wait for it to gain strength ( It’s better to wait two weeks; the screed will gain full strength only after 28 days);
8. After completing all stages, you can begin installation flooring(when considering the question of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor or the attic floor above) or the ceiling (installation of material from below).

It should be remembered that measures to provide additional thermal protection can be carried out not only in a new building. Over time, old material, if any, loses its characteristics and requires updating. It is better to replace it in time than to carry out expensive repair work later. The issue is also relevant for houses of old construction.

It is better to carry out work to protect an existing building in warm weather. summer period. This will avoid inconvenience for residents and performers. In addition, some materials, such as polyurethane foam, require compliance with certain temperature conditions during the production process.

In the past, our country did not pay much attention to saving thermal resources, which led to insufficient thermal insulation of most buildings. In this case, insulation can be carried out without damaging interior decoration by choosing a convenient method.

The insulation of a house can be characterized by the well-known stable expression: It's better to prevent than to treat. The costs of thermal insulation material, vapor barrier and waterproofing will easily pay off during operation. But if you neglect them, you can spend a large amount for repair work already in the first winter. At the same time, you will still need to protect the structures, otherwise the repair process will have to be repeated many times.

At first, it will be possible to get by with only cosmetic measures, but after several years, damage to the main structures will begin, which will lead to the need for costly major repairs.

25999 0 21

Self-insulation floor in wooden house– 3 options for high-quality installation

Most houses are wooden modern people associated with comfort and warmth. And in principle this is true, because wood is a living, natural, breathing material. But many of my friends methodically step on the same rake, forgetting that insulating the floor in a wooden house is no less important than insulating the walls and roof. In this material, I will first tell you how to insulate the floor in a wooden house with the three most accessible ways, and then I’ll go through personally the use of each type of insulation specifically for wooden buildings.

Design options for floor insulation in wooden houses

Let's start with the fact that modern wooden houses can be built either on light piles or strip foundation, and on a monolithic concrete slab, respectively, the insulation scheme in all these cases will be different.

In addition, floors in wooden houses can be insulated both from below, that is, from the basement side, and from above, from the living room side. Naturally, it’s easier to do all this during the construction of a house, but not everyone is so lucky and sometimes you have to insulate the floors in an old house, which leaves its mark on the technology.

Any major types of work in wooden houses, including insulation of walls and floors, are recommended to be carried out only after the shrinkage of the structure has been completed. And this shrinkage in a house made from dry wood lasts about a year. If freshly cut timber was used for construction, then shrinkage can last up to 5 – 7 years.

Option No. 1. Arrangement of thermal insulation in a house with a low underground

Low underground is a disease of most old houses and cottages. In my experience, almost all owners who bought or somehow received a dacha built the old fashioned way back in Soviet times are faced with a serious problem of cold and often rotten floors.

I will immediately hasten to reassure you, it is not necessary to break everything, if the log house itself is still intact and strong enough, then you can insulate the floor in a wooden house with your own hands in a few days, and for this you do not at all have to be a real builder. It is enough to confidently use a hacksaw, drill and hammer.

As you probably already guessed, if a private house has a low underground floor, then the floors will have to be insulated from above. And for this we need to disassemble the entire structure completely, leaving only the load-bearing logs;

If the boards and baseboards of the finished floor are in good condition, and you are not in the mood to completely change them, then when you tear down the flooring, be sure to draw yourself a sketch of the masonry and number each board. This will significantly save your energy and time when you start putting everything back in its place.

• When you have free access to the joists, the first thing to do is to carefully examine the condition of the wood. Logs are a load-bearing structure, so they must be strong and reliable. If the number of rotten logs does not exceed 20-30%, then it is worth tinkering with their restoration;
• In general, according to the rules, the damaged beam must be completely removed and the same one installed in its place. But this work is not for an amateur; there are too many small, professional subtleties. When I first encountered the problem of partial replacement load-bearing beam, then I did it simply. -I cut out the rotten sector, and in its place inserted the same part of a healthy beam.
  I secured this sector with self-tapping screws using 4 standard metal corners 35 mm, making an overlap old beam about 50 cm. But if there are no corners at hand, you can fill an ordinary board with a thickness of about 30 mm on both sides;
• Now you can start arranging the subfloor. Opinions on how to do this correctly among builders vary. Classic technology looks something like this: on both sides of each joist, along the lower edge, a so-called load-bearing cranial beam is packed. I recommend taking a cross-section of at least 30x30 mm; if you take it thinner, it may not withstand the load or burst from a nail or screw;

• The distance between the lags often fluctuates around 50 - 70 cm. In our version, the subfloor will be assembled from planks laid on the cranial beam, perpendicular to the lags. Therefore, we will first need to cut these boards and soak them well with an antiseptic, since they are located directly above the ground.
  Not suitable for these purposes edged board about 20 - 30 mm thick. The question of what can be impregnated with can be easily resolved: the market is full of various impregnations, but I took the simplest route, dipping each board in used machine oil;
• I am often asked whether subfloor planks need to be secured to joists or to a supporting skull beam. So, as far as I have seen and done myself, these planks are simply laid on the cranial beam and that’s it.
  Moreover, when you measure and cut the strips, they need to be made 10 - 15 mm narrower than the gap between the joists. This tolerance is necessary to compensate for temperature and humidity deformations of wood;

• Further, the instructions instruct to lay a layer of hydro or vapor barrier on the subfloor. The difference is this: if the soil under the house is dry and there is no heavy spring flooding in your area, then it is necessary to install a vapor barrier membrane, and so that steam freely leaves the insulation, but in no case penetrates from the soil into the insulation.
  Waterproofing is installed in places with high level groundwater and on wet soils. Technical polyethylene or roofing felt is most often used as waterproofing. Any of these membranes is covered with a continuous layer of overlap, over the joists, so that the subfloor is completely covered, without any gaps or cracks. I usually fix such a fabric with a stapler;
• The insulation you choose is placed in the resulting improvised boxes. How it is possible, as well as the best way to insulate the floor in a wooden house, I will tell you in detail a little later, now we will not dwell on this;

• The presence or absence of a vapor barrier on top of the insulation is determined by what materials were chosen for insulation. But in any case, between finishing wooden flooring and the insulation layer should remain small ventilation gap, 20 – 30 mm.
  To do this, if possible, install the insulation slightly below the top cut of the joist. If this is not possible and the material is laid flush with the joists, then you will have to fill the wooden counter lathing perpendicular to the joists, in increments of 30 - 40 cm.
  Moreover, hydro or vapor barrier, if needed, must be under the counter lathing. Otherwise, if the finished wooden floor is not provided with proper ventilation from below, the boards will sooner or later begin to deteriorate;
• The top layer, of course, is the finishing wooden covering.

Option No. 2. Insulate the floor above the cellar

Proper insulation of the floor below in a wooden house is generally carried out according to similar technology , but believe me, doing it is much easier. After all, provided that the finishing coating is in normal condition, you do not need to disassemble it. Otherwise, the technology is the same, only all actions are performed in reverse.

• According to the rules, in order to ensure that the insulation does not “stick” to the finished floor and the necessary ventilation gap remains, it is necessary to fill a small 20-30 mm cranial block in the upper part of the joist, at the border with the finished floor. But to be honest, I never do that.
  It is much easier to secure the vapor barrier membrane with a stapler, just below the finished floor. Nobody forces you to measure everything precisely, the main thing is that there is a ventilation gap;
• I also don’t see much point in installing the cranial beam and hemming the subfloor from planks on the basement ceiling using the previous technology. After laying the insulation in the niches so that it does not fall out immediately, I put a number of small nails on the joists and stretch several strings of fishing line or wire;

• Further from below, using the same stapler, the waterproofing sheet is attached to the joists. And on top of this canvas, to strengthen the structure, an unedged board or an ordinary slab is placed. If the basement is damp and there is often water in it, then it makes sense instead unedged boards sew a galvanized profile to the ceiling under plasterboard. I usually attach it in increments of 20 - 30 cm, in any case, it is only needed so that the insulation does not fall out.

The second floor, or rather the wooden one, is being built using a similar technology. interfloor covering between the first and second floor along the logs. The only difference is that instead of a subfloor layer, most often, some kind of sheet material, such as plywood or drywall.

Option No. 3. We insulate the floor of a wooden house standing on a concrete slab

The floor in a wooden house on a solid concrete base can be insulated using two technologies: installation on joists and screeding. The choice depends on what end result you want to see and how much money you are willing to spend on it all. Most often in such houses the first option is used, according to which at the finish you get a covering made of natural floorboards.

Compared to the previous two options, concrete slab, in my opinion, it is much easier to insulate. As a rule, such a basis initially has absolutely flat plane, in addition, the weight of the insulating structure itself does not matter here.

According to the first method, you need to mount a wooden sheathing on the slab. It will replace those very load-bearing logs for us.

Only first the concrete must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. IN in this case technical polyethylene is quite sufficient. The thickness of the bars for the sheathing depends on the type of insulation.

For a full-fledged floorboard with a thickness of 40 mm or more, the step for laying the sheathing guides ranges from 50 to 70 cm. In the case where it is planned to cover the floor with thick plywood or OSB, the step is about 30 to 40 cm.

The sheathing bars are attached to the concrete slab with anchors. After that, just like when installing from above, insulation is laid in the niches, and a finishing coating is sewn on top of it.

Insulating a concrete slab under a screed is made even easier. Looking a little ahead, I will say, best insulation here is extruded polystyrene foam, better known in our country as “Penoplex”. I’ll talk about its capabilities later, but now let’s get back to the technology.

So this Penoplex is laid in a continuous layer on a flat concrete slab, attached to it and all the cracks are filled with foam. After which you can choose: either lay a metal reinforcing mesh on it and pour a screed, or arrange a flooring made of plywood, OSB or plasterboard and install a laminate on it using floating technology.

If you are interested in a workpiece for a “warm floor” system, then for both the electric and water versions, a base made of extruded polystyrene foam is perfect.

In addition to extruded polystyrene foam, such a floor can be insulated with expanded clay. Of course, you will have to tinker more, but the price of such insulation will be disproportionately less.

The technology here is about the same. Initially, the concrete is covered with a waterproofing film extending onto the walls, just above the final coating. Next, a layer of expanded clay is poured and leveled horizontally.

You can put reinforcement on the expanded clay and pour cement-sand mortar, this will wet screed. Or lay a double layer of plywood, OSB or plasterboard, this is already called a dry floating screed.

Choosing insulation

We figured out how to make the insulation itself, now it remains to find out which insulation for the floor in a wooden house is more suitable in a given situation. To make it easier for you to understand, I have conditionally divided all the materials into 2 large areas:

1. Budget, that is, not expensive;
2. And what is now called new technology, accordingly, their cost is an order of magnitude higher.

Traditional budget insulation

• Wooden sawdust is deservedly considered the patriarch in this direction. It’s not hard to guess that the price for them is a pittance; if you try really hard, you can even get them for free. But in order for this material to be used as insulation, it must be well prepared. Otherwise, after a couple of months the sawdust will simply begin to rot.

First of all, remember, sawdust must sit in a dry place for at least a year; freshly sawn material is not suitable. And in order to prevent mice from setting up a hostel in this insulation, you need to add slaked lime there.

Since we're talking about self-cooking, then I will take the liberty of giving you the 2 most popular recipes:

1. For the floor, the bulk option is best. Here, 8 parts of dry sawdust will need to be thoroughly mixed with two parts of dry slaked lime powder; in stores, such lime is called fluff. In principle, the material is ready, now it can be poured into the space between the rough and finished floors.
   Only to achieve the expected effect, in middle lane For our great homeland, this layer should be no less than 150 - 200 mm. And in the northern regions it can reach up to 300 and even 400 mm;

1. It is much easier to work with slabs. But these slabs will need to be made first. The solution contains, in addition to sawdust, the same fluff, and cement is added as a binder. The standard proportion is 8/1/1 (sawdust/lime/cement).
   Naturally, all this is abundantly moistened and mixed well. When the solution is ready, it is poured into molds and lightly compacted. In the warm season, after about a week the slabs will dry and be ready for use. It is possible to lay the wet mixture directly into the floor, but in this case you will not be able to sew up the final covering, because you will have to wait a couple of weeks until the solution is completely dry.

• Our second number is expanded clay. This material is used quite widely in our country. Expanded clay is granules of foamed and fired clay. The material is porous, lightweight, strong and durable.
  Its only drawback is its hygroscopicity; expanded clay is capable of absorbing moisture. This leads to the conclusion that expanded clay requires mandatory installation of waterproofing.
  As for the depth of insulation, it is approximately the same as that of wood sawdust. To arrange the floor in a wooden house, you should use 2 fractions of expanded clay, gravel and sand. This will make your mound more dense;

• But perhaps the most popular floor insulation in the budget sector is polystyrene foam. The material is comfortable in almost all respects. In the underground, protected from all sides, the foam will lie indefinitely. Where sawdust or expanded clay needs to be filled with a thickness of at least 150 mm, it is enough to install foam plastic with a thickness of only 50 mm.
  This insulation is absolutely indifferent to moisture and waterproofing is installed here only to protect the wood itself. To install it, you only need to cut the slab exactly to the size of the niche, insert it and fill the gaps with polyurethane foam.
  In a wooden house, the weak point of the foam embedded in the floor is rodents. They really love to build their nests in it and fight it traditional methods almost impossible;

• It would be unfair to skip such a common insulation material as mineral wool. You can’t call it completely cheap, but there are several inexpensive models in the line. In particular, glass wool and soft mineral wool mats are not expensive.

But to be honest, I don’t recommend them to you, this material cakes quickly, mice love it, and when wet it completely loses its qualities. No matter how hard you try, soft cotton wool will have to be changed approximately once every 10 years.

There are also mineral wool basalt slabs, they are more expensive, but their density and quality are much higher. I recommend that if you install wool, then use only slabs about 100 m thick.

Of all the above budget options only sawdust and polystyrene are considered flammable insulation materials. Expanded clay and cotton wool are the standard of fire safety.

New technologies

• Among newfangled insulation materials, extruded polystyrene foam is now breaking all records of popularity. It is a modern derivative of polystyrene foam, both materials are made from styrene granules, the only difference is in technology.
  Extruded polystyrene foam boards have a closed cell structure. As a result, the material does not let in not only moisture, but even steam. Essentially, we are dealing with a good waterproofing material. I already mentioned above that Penoplex can be laid in a screed, this is due to the fantastic strength of extruded polystyrene foam.
  If this material can be used to insulate airfields, roads and concrete foundations, then there is nothing to say about the strength of a small wooden house. In addition, mice are not particularly fond of it either;

• Our next number is the so-called ecowool. It consists of approximately 80% cellulose, the remaining 20% ​​is fire retardants and antiseptics. Ecowool is not very expensive to produce, because cellulose is obtained from shredded waste paper.
  I think the high price here is due to the sooner the more that the material is new. There are two ways to install such insulation. If you are interested self-installation, then the cotton wool is simply poured into the floor cells and fluffed with a construction mixer.
  But it is better to order machine blowing. In this case, the cotton wool is blown onto any surface, including vertical and overhanging surfaces, using a compressor. Ecowool has before the rest modern insulation materials there is one advantage: if you are confident in the high-quality installation of the rough and finished floor, then in old houses you can simply make a hole and blow out the entire subfloor with ecowool through it;

• Polyurethane foam is quite expensive. It is impossible to apply this material to any surface with your own hands; it requires professional equipment and specialists with appropriate qualifications.
  In terms of its characteristics, polyurethane foam is close to extruded polystyrene foam, but it will not withstand screed. The best option here is to foam the floor from below in a wet basement. The fact is that the foam will hermetically seal the tree from below, and the warranty period for such insulation starts at 30 years;

• Penoizol will cost less than polyurethane foam. But it also requires specialists to apply it. Personally, in the case of floor insulation in a wooden house, I don’t see much point in paying for such material. After all, in essence, penoizol is the same polystyrene foam, only in liquid form. Of all the advantages, the only advantages are quick installation and a sealed continuous coating;

• Lastly, I wanted to talk about the so-called isolon. To explain in a nutshell, isolon is polyethylene foam. It can be covered on one or both sides with foil, and also come without foil coating. But it is difficult to call it an independent insulation for the floor in a wooden house; most models have a thickness of up to 10 mm.
  With such a thickness, isolon can only be used as an auxiliary coating. In particular, it is used when installing electric heated floors. Or sometimes they additionally cover the cotton wool. Foil-coated isolon is a good waterproofing material and personally, I often install it instead of the top insulating layer under the final coating.

Conclusion

Insulating the floor in a wooden house with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. If you choose the right insulation and prepare well, then the floors in a medium-sized house can be installed in a maximum of a week. In the photos and videos in this article I have included additional information on the topic of insulation. If you have any questions, write them in the comments, I will try to help.

September 7, 2016

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In connection with the general trend towards reducing housing heating costs, the issue of floor insulation has become acute. Although the floor releases less heat into the atmosphere than walls, when cold it can reduce the temperature of the home and lead to excess heating costs. In a private home, cold floors can lead to frequent respiratory diseases among its inhabitants.

There are several ways to insulate floors in a private house with your own hands by removing the old floor. They vary depending on the type of existing floor covering, and the work itself has varying degrees of complexity.

Insulation without removing the old coating is relevant for those houses in which the floor has a structural function and serves as a roof for the basement.

Features of steam insulation

Wooden floors in a private home are the easiest to insulate with your own hands; it can be easily done without removing the old floor. Wood is easy to process and easy to insulate. IN wooden floors There should be the following layers of insulation:

1. Vapor barrier
2. Insulation
3. Flooring

To insulate against steam, you should use modern materials that allow air to pass through but retain moisture. Vapor barrier is one of the main components of insulation; without it, the floor quickly wears out, and the desired effect of saving energy resources is not achieved.

It is advisable to purchase vapor barrier materials from well-known companies, sold in specialized stores. This will avoid counterfeits and guarantee trouble-free operation.

Video: film for floor vapor barrier

Insulation material

After choosing a vapor barrier material, you should decide on the insulation. There are many materials on the market that have both advantages and disadvantages. Here is their list:

Polystyrene boards relatively inexpensive, have good performance and a wide variety of sizes. They can be laid in one or several layers. They are non-biodegradable, easy to install, durable and hold their shape well.

Extruded polystyrene boards It differs from the previous type in its increased density, which allows them to be laid on any surface, including ground.

Polyurethane foam boards are used only on a vapor barrier basis. They are reinforced with various substances, it can be fiberglass, aluminum, or other materials.

Mineral wool has excellent thermal insulation properties. It is very environmentally friendly, does not burn, is inexpensive and does not require additional equipment during installation. This type of cotton wool is soft material, sold in large rolls.

Insulation with expanded clay requires considerable effort, it must be compacted and filled with cement.

The choice of material for insulation depends on the financial and technical capabilities in each specific case.

Preliminary preparation

Before insulating the floors in a private house with your own hands without removing the old floor, you need to carry out preparatory work that will make the room suitable for laying thermal insulation:

• Inspect the underground space for high humidity.
• Provide basement ventilation.

If these points are ignored b, condensation will accumulate from the bottom of the floor, causing the growth of mold. It is almost impossible to get rid of mold, so it is better to prevent its occurrence from the very beginning.

The process of laying a floor on an old wooden one

In order to insulate the floors in a private house with your own hands without resorting to removing the old floor, you should collect the following building materials:

1. Plaster or polyurethane foam
2. Sand
3. Sheets of roofing felt
4. Vapor barrier material
5. Construction stapler or nails
6. Thermal insulator
7. Chipboards

Using the materials from the first point, the gaps between the boards of the old covering are covered. The floor prepared in this way is covered with roofing felt, and sand is poured on top. Its layer should be no more than 0.5 cm thick.

A vapor barrier material is laid on top of the sand. Depending on its thickness, nails or staples from a construction stapler are used for fastening.

The insulation itself is laid on top of the vapor barrier. It also needs to be fixed with nails of suitable length.

Chipboard is laid on top of the insulation layer. The external flooring will be installed on it - parquet, laminate, or other options.

This method is suitable for floors with wood covering. For buildings with a concrete base, a slightly different installation technique is used.

Installation on concrete floor

There is a simple and convenient method on how to insulate the floors of a private house with your own hands without removing the old concrete floor. First of all, you need to carry out the so-called floor screed. It is necessary to level the surface and bring all floors in the house to the same height. For a simple and inexpensive dry screed, the following materials are required:

• Gypsum-based screed boards
• Polystyrene
• PVA glue
• Self-tapping screws

A vapor barrier coating is laid on the screed slabs, it is secured with nails or a stapler. You can purchase a vapor barrier from the same manufacturer as the screed slabs.

Insulation is laid on top of the vapor barrier, it is also fixed.

After this you need to carry out the finishing screed. For it, you can use chipboard, as is the case with a wooden floor, or you can use the same screed slabs that formed the basis for the insulation.

The finishing screed with slabs should be primed. The first layer of primer is applied to the joints; it must dry well.

After the joints have dried, the primer is distributed over the entire surface of the floor. Immediately after it dries, you can lay the final floor covering.

In any living space, floor insulation reduces heat loss by 15-27%. And in order to achieve maximum results, you need to carefully approach the choice of material and follow the work technology. In this article we will describe both aspects in detail and show how to properly insulate floors with your own hands.

For convenience of consideration, we will divide all heat insulators into two fractions:

1. Mineral;
2. Polymer.

The common quality of all heat insulators is the presence of air in the body of the material itself. It is the air that is the best heat insulator(after vacuum). But the structure of the material, its physicochemical properties and biological activity have a decisive impact on the properties of the insulation as a whole.

Mineral insulation

This group includes:

• Mineral wool;
• Foam concrete;
• Expanded clay;
• Foam glass.

Mineral wool. Basalt, granite and glass wool are all materials with almost the same production process. The raw material melt is sprayed onto the cooled surface. The resulting thin threads are collected and packaged.

A similar process for producing cotton wool leads to similar pros and cons. All mineral wools have extremely low hygroscopicity, they cannot withstand any serious compressive load, and are capable of forming air suspensions of particles. That's why, to insulate the floor with cotton wool you will have to lay it between the joists in the floor, which is not always applicable for an apartment. Overall, in terms of price/quality ratio, this is an excellent option.

Expanded clay. Bulk material obtained by firing clay. Relatively high water absorption, low thermal conductivity. Environmentally friendly.

Foam concrete. Depending on the production technology, it may be:

• Structural;
• Thermal insulation (monolithic).

The difference is in compressive strength and physical characteristics. Accordingly, thermal insulating foam concrete has exceptionally good performance characteristics, but is somewhat inferior to other insulation materials in terms of thermal insulation properties.

Foam glass. An ideal material for floor insulation with unique performance characteristics and the highest price among all insulation materials.

Material\ characteristic	Foam glass	Expanded clay	Mineral wool
Water absorption	Practically zero	High	Very high
Thermal conductivity	Very low	Low	Low
Mechanical strength	High	High	Absent
Biological resistance	Absolute	High	Average
Vapor permeability	Very low	High	High

This table deliberately does not indicate numerical values, because it varies greatly among different brands of the same material. For example, for foam concrete with a density 200 kg/m 3, thermal conductivity 0.048 W/(m * K), and at a density of 1200 kg/m 3, thermal conductivity increases by almost an order of magnitude, up to 0.4 W/(m * K). Expanded clay has the same variation, only the changes depend on the fraction and feedstock. But the general conclusions are as follows:

1. All mineral wools are very hygroscopic. When wet, they lose their thermal insulation ability. Rodents love this material (basalt fiber), but fungus does not grow on it. Not used for floor insulation.
2. When wet, expanded clay increases thermal conductivity by ≈20 times. When used as insulation, high-quality waterproofing is required.

Foam concrete Very good material for floor insulation, but its drawback lies in the subtleties of its manufacture. In principle, it can be done right on the spot, but failure to adhere to technology leads to a sharp deterioration in physical performance.

Foam glass generally leads in operational characteristics in the insulation market. Rodents (unlike foam polymers) and fungus avoid it, it is almost vapor-permeable and does not absorb moisture. Chemically inert. It is quite durable and can be easily processed with carpentry tools. But it has an exceptionally high price: 1 m2 of foam glass 3 cm thick will cost ≈900 rubles.

Polymer insulation

This group includes foamed polymers. But in order not to consider the entire range of such materials, we will focus on those that are suitable for floor insulation and are widely available. For example, “Penoizol” is extremely rarely sold in sheets, and rigid “Vinipor” is mainly produced and used in China.

Expanded polystyrene. For floor insulation, most the best option extruded polystyrene foam. It is produced under the brands “TechnoNIKOL”, “”, “Technoplex”, etc. It is a fairly rigid material with low thermal conductivity and vapor permeability. Rodents pay attention to it last. But it has two serious disadvantages:

• Flammable;
• Decomposes on contact with chemical solvents.

And if they fight flammability by using it for foaming carbon dioxide, then even contact with penoplex paints should be avoided.

Cross-linked polyethylene foam. Please note that only cross-linked polyethylene foam can be used for floor insulation. In this material, after physical or chemical treatment, additional bonds between oligomers appear. They give polyethylene foam increased strength and resistance to pressure loads. Plus, this polymer is not affected by household solvents. Produced under the brands “Penolon”, “Izolon”, etc.

Additionally, we can say that mold does not grow on polystyrene foams, although rodents easily destroy them.

If you want to save money first of all, use regular polystyrene foam. However, it is not as durable and is capricious to the conditions of the floor.

How to insulate the floor in an apartment

If there is a warm floor, then all the work comes down to laying a cross-linked polyethylene foam base under the finishing coating. "Penolon" 8 mm thick, replaces 25 cm brickwork by thermal insulation ability. Immediately, on top of such a layer, you can lay linoleum or carpet, lay laminate or parquet.

And for the first floor, the process of floor insulation becomes more complicated. First, remove the floor covering. Concrete floors in the apartment are treated with a primer. A layer of cross-linked polyethylene foam 3 mm thick is laid on top. Then the logs are laid in increments of 0.6 m.

IMPORTANT: 60 cm should be between the sides of the joists, and not between the centers of the beam.

50X50 timber is used as logs in the apartment. Expanded polystyrene (or mineral wool, depending on specific conditions) is laid between the lags. In this case, extruded polystyrene foam is not required, because no load will be applied to it, and the price will be three times cheaper. Polyethylene foam is necessary to avoid the formation of cold bridges, because wood conducts heat 7 times better than polystyrene foam.

This structure should be closed in accordance with the floor covering. If you intend to use floorboard, then it is simply sewn on top. Otherwise, it is necessary to lay plywood on the joists so that form a subfloor. At the same time, instead of one layer of plywood 12 mm thick, it is better to use 6 mm plywood, but lay it in two layers, spaced apart.

The base prepared in this way is suitable for laying any floor covering. Moreover, such a design is suitable for both concrete and wooden foundations. Of course, on the subfloor you will need to lay a 2 mm thick cross-linked polyethylene foam underlay. But it will already play the role of a shock-absorbing and leveling layer, and not insulation.

If you plan to install in the apartment tiles, then instead of 6 mm plywood, use sheets 14-16 mm thick. The total thickness of the plywood must be at least 30 mm. Then the top layer is primed and the tiles are laid on it. It should be glued with special adhesives, for example “Moment Universal” or “Bustilat-M”.

In this case, the floor was insulated and covered with OSB sheets on top

Floor insulation in a private house

Insulation of the floor in a house (on the first floor) is usually carried out directly on the ground. There are no restrictions for its construction, except perhaps a house on stilts. But its organization must be approached scrupulously.

Floor pie on the ground can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part includes at least four layers:

• Sand;
• Crushed stone;
• Polyethylene;
• Skinny concrete.

Sand is poured in a layer of 10-20 cm and compacted well. The same is done with crushed stone. At the same time, a layer less than 10 cm loses its functionality, and if you pour more than 20 cm, then compact it well hand tools It won't work anymore. This has been proven empirically. And the functions of these two layers are to cut off the capillary rise of groundwater. In this case, the crushed stone must be on top. If you fill it with sand, the latter will gradually seep through the rubble. A double layer of thick polyethylene film is laid on top. It is needed to ensure that the concrete layer does not seep into the crushed stone. The film is laid overlapping, and the joints are taped.

The layer of rough screed should be 8-12 cm. Expanded clay may be used instead of crushed stone. This will increase the thermal insulation properties of the floor pie. Proportions skinny concrete the following: cement 1 hour: river sand 3 hours: expanded clay 4 hours. Dispersed reinforcement with steel fiber will have an extremely positive effect.

After two days, sprinkle the moistened surface of the rough screed with a thin layer of cement, and then rub it in using grout. Ironing of this layer significantly increases the strength. They wait another week for the concrete to gain primary strength. And only then can you proceed to the second part.

It also consists of four layers:

• Waterproofing;
• Insulation;
• Finish screed;
• Flooring.

For waterproofing, use ordinary roofing felt, laying it in two layers. Due to the fact that the rough screed has not yet matured, it is preferable to use cold laying. For this purpose, bitumen mastic is used.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to fix the roofing material on the walls with a spacing upward of 10 cm.

Thermal insulation is performed with sheet extruded polystyrene foam. Minimum thickness 50 mm. The joints between the plates are taped. It seems more preferable to use 30mm thick insulation, laid in two offset layers.

The minimum thickness of the finishing screed is 5 cm. To prepare the solution, use high-quality river sand for 3 hours and cement for 1 hour. Exceptionally good reviews are received from the use of dispersed steel fiber reinforcement ( 0.7% by volume). In this case, you can do without using reinforcing mesh. Otherwise, it is necessary to lay a mesh with a cell size of 100 mm and a wire thickness of 3 mm. The mesh is laid so that it is at a height of 2-2.5 cm from the insulation. Before pouring the screed, damper tape is glued along the walls. The maturation time for a 1 cm screed is 1 week. As a result, you will get a warm, reliable and durable concrete floor.

It is worth approaching the process of floor insulation with maximum attention, because... A well-organized “floor pie” will help you save serious money on heating in the future.

According to experts, floor insulation increases the energy efficiency of buildings and reduces family costs for public utilities. Laying insulation is especially important in the bathroom, because residents often enter this room barefoot.

Insulation of the floor structure is necessary to create a favorable microclimate in the house. Carrying out such work is especially important in an apartment on the ground floor, because the premises of such a home are not heated from below. Many property owners believe that wood flooring retains heat well, but in fact, even such products need additional insulation.

So why insulate the floor, many people wonder? The answer to this question can be quite simple. The point is that the flooring country house or apartment occupies a significant area. There may be cracks and chips on its surface, which allow heat to escape and cold air to enter the middle of the room.

If we take into account the concrete base, then this material is characterized by high performance indicators(durability and strength). Despite this, reinforced concrete slab ceiling or leveling screed made of mortar has one significant drawback - it is a high thermal conductivity coefficient. Due to this characteristic, concrete is considered cold building material. Insulating the floor structure improves efficiency heating system, helps reduce energy costs.

Laying thermal insulation is especially necessary for an apartment that is located on the first floor of the house. Living rooms usually located above a damp and damp basement, which can lead to mold on the walls. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to install insulation and waterproofing. With minimal experience and the necessary construction tools, any property owner can handle this type of work. Next, we will describe how to make floor insulation with your own hands.

Floor insulation in a wooden house

Before the process of thermal insulation of the floor covering in a private house, it is necessary to select insulation. There are a huge number of similar products on the construction market, but the most the best materials For floor insulation the following are considered:

• mineral wool;
• penofol;
• extruded polystyrene foam;
• isolon;
• ecowool;
• expanded clay;
• sawdust.

It is not difficult to understand that sawdust is considered the cheapest type of thermal insulation. This material is obtained after processing wood using special equipment. This is a secondary product that is environmentally friendly and has minimal cost. In addition, sawdust can be poured into any cracks. A floor insulated with their help will be absolutely safe for human health.

The second most accessible and popular thermal insulation materials, mineral wool, are distinguished by good heat-insulating and sound-proofing properties. Such products are available in the form of mats or rolls. They do not burn under the influence of high temperatures; in addition, fungus and mold do not appear on their surface. The main disadvantage of the material is the loss of its original properties when water penetrates the structure. In this regard, mats must be protected from moisture with high-quality thermal insulation.

Such thermal insulation material as isolon is made on the basis of mineral fibers. Such products are characterized by low thermal conductivity and resistance to chemicals and biological factors of influence. The insulation has an average cost and is resistant to mechanical stress.

And the last material, polystyrene foam, has high strength and resistance to moisture. Similar products are available in construction stores in the form of plates, they have excellent thermal insulation ability. This material is quite durable, rodents and insects do not take it.

To insulate the floor in a wooden house, many people choose mineral wool. To carry out insulating work you will need the following tool:

• hacksaw or parquet saw;
• electric drill;
• building level;
• plane;
• drills of different diameters;
• hammer;
• sharp knife;
• roulette.

The entire list of works boils down to the following:

1. Creating a subfloor from chipboards or boards, laying waterproofing.
2. Installation of wooden bars (logs).
3. Laying the selected insulation, in our case mineral wool.
4. Installation of flooring.

On initial stage work, it is necessary to remove the old coating and correct unevenness on the base. After leveling the surface, create a subfloor from waste boards coniferous species wood The croakers are fitted tightly and then treated with an antiseptic. If you do not use the specified impregnation, then the logs and wooden plank will rot after 5-7 years of use. All elements are fastened together using screws or nails.

At the next stage of work, they lay metal mesh with a small cell size. Next, this structural element is sprinkled with a thin layer of expanded clay (about 4 centimeters). This material will not only press down the mesh, but will also create the necessary ventilation gap between the insulation and the subfloor. Waterproofing, roofing felt or plastic film.

Bars or joists are laid on the waterproofing of the rough wooden floor. They are attached to the surface every 80-100 centimeters using nails or self-tapping screws. One or several rows of mineral wool are placed in the space formed between these elements. The insulation is installed with overlapping joints, so that no gaps form between the slab and the joists. Next, the waterproofing is installed, which is attached to the base using staplers.

Milled boards are used as the finishing floor covering, connected to each other using a tongue-and-groove system. These elements should have the same thickness within 4...5 centimeters, while their width ranges from 10 to 13 centimeters. A special longitudinal recess is made at the bottom of the boards for air circulation under the floor covering. Where the boards adjoin the walls, a structural gap of 1-1.5 centimeters is left. In the future, this gap will be covered with a plinth.

Floor insulation with expanded clay

Preparation for the main work consists of dismantling the old floor covering and clearing the surface of construction debris. Typically, the unnecessary structure is removed to a solid base, concrete or reinforced concrete floor slab. To clean the surface from dirt and debris, metal scrapers and a construction vacuum cleaner are used. After this, the holes and cracks in the base are sealed, using cement-sand mortar or special glue for this purpose.

Before insulating the floor with expanded clay, it is necessary to carry out waterproofing work. To do this, the pre-leveled surface of the ceiling is treated with bitumen mastic or a dense polyethylene film is laid on the base. The strips are overlapped, maintaining a gap of 10-15 centimeters. Subsequently, the joints are taped with tape.

For application bitumen mastic use a roller or paint brush. Drying of one layer of the solution in question occurs within three hours. For reliable and high-quality waterproofing, it is necessary to apply up to three layers of material to the surface. Subsequently, a special layer is laid around the perimeter of the room. damper tape, which forms a gap after the screed dries and prevents possible deformation.

Installation technology expanded clay screed similar to the process of pouring concrete, so preparatory stage it is necessary to install beacons from metal pipes. If expanded clay will be used as backfill material, then T-shaped metal profiles should serve as beacons. The first guide rail is installed near the wall, opposite the door, while maximum distance between beacons is installed within one meter.

The slats are fixed to the surface using cement-sand mortar with an increased dosage of binder. The beacons are leveled using a hydraulic or regular building level. To adjust the height of the pipe, use wooden wedges, which need to be tipped in the right direction. The height of the slats is set so that the height of the insulation screed is at least 8 centimeters.

The first layer of expanded clay can be laid as a screed or in a dry way (filling granules of baked clay into the spaces between the beacons). When using a liquid screed, pouring must be carried out in several successive stages. First of all, you need to mix expanded clay with a regular mortar in a ratio of 1 to 5. After this, begin laying the first layer of mortar; it should be 2 centimeters lower from the guide rails.

Expanded clay, which is part of a concrete floor, is considered a fairly light building material, so the granules must be embedded in the solution using a trowel. After some time, the expanded clay will remove moisture and sink into the main mass. When the first layer has hardened, begin laying the leveling concrete screed.

The thickness of the finishing layer of the solution should be at least two centimeters. Concrete mix poured in the spaces between the installed beacons, and then tightened with a rule to create a perfectly flat surface. Depending on the thickness, the setting time of expanded clay screed can range from one to four weeks. During this process, it is necessary to protect the surface from direct sunlight.

Insulation of the floor in an apartment on the first floor

In the case where the apartment on the first floor of a residential building is located above the basement, the best option Insulating the floor will involve laying thermal insulation on the cellar side. In this case, one can achieve one important advantage– the floor in the apartment does not need to be torn down and redone. In this case, the level of the floor covering will remain at the same level as before. Such work can be carried out even by inexperienced builders, since the base surface does not require finishing.

Many people choose affordable mineral wool as insulation, but installing such material requires special knowledge and the availability of construction tools. That is why most property owners use foam floor insulation.

The entire work process consists of several stages:

• Find a plan for the first floor of the house and mark out the basement in such a way that the insulation boundaries slightly exceed the dimensions of the apartment;
• We identify defective areas on the basement ceiling. We repair cracks, holes or chips on the surface using polyurethane foam or cement-sand mortar;
• We lay a vapor barrier and plastic film. This material is overlapped, the sections are glued together using ordinary tape;
• We build a frame from metal profile or wooden blocks of the required thickness;
• We lay mineral wool slabs and fix plywood sheets.

Installation of foam sheets is carried out somewhat differently. The fact is that the insulation in question does not allow moisture to pass through, so it can be fixed to the surface of the basement walls using a special adhesive solution. For final fastening of products, plastic dowels are used.

The second option, insulating the floor covering in an apartment, is characterized by increased labor intensity. Before repair work it is necessary to calculate the possibilities for maximum floor lifting. The higher this indicator, the thicker the insulation layer can be laid. In the case where insulation work will take place after the renovation of the premises, the first step will be to remove the floor covering.

After dismantling the floor structure to the base, the master checks the surface for unevenness, cracks and chips. All defective areas are sealed using cement-sand mortar. Subsequently, the dried and hardened base is treated with a fixing impregnation, a substance called silling. At the next stage, a waterproofing polyethylene film is fixed to the surface, the panels of which are secured with tape.

Next, a layer of roofing felt is laid on the base, and wooden beam, fix the logs. These elements must be securely fixed in concrete. Next, expanded clay granules are poured to the thickness of the lag. The upper part of the insulation is leveled using a cement screed. The joists are not filled to the top, but so that insulation can be laid between the rough and finished floors.

Mineral wool slabs of the required thickness, penoplex or polystyrene foam can be used as additional thermal insulation material. In addition, in the formed gap they often place liquid insulation- penoizol. Next, fix the plastic film along the joists using a stapler. At the final stage of the work, a subfloor is constructed from sheets of plywood or boards. Insulation involves laying the selected floor covering.

About the need for vapor barrier

Many people do not know why a vapor barrier is needed when installing floor coverings with insulation. The fact is that water vapor, which is released during wet cleaning or cooking, tries to seep through the walls and floors of rooms, while it negatively affects various wooden structures, such as joists. Through the temperature difference in neighboring rooms or inside and outside the building, steam turns into condensation. Subsequently, water seeps into the wood structure and causes its destruction.

Walls wooden house, as well as the roof are protected from moisture by antiseptic or waterproofing impregnation, which cannot be said about the floor elements. The lag is used to protect vapor barrier film, which protects not only wood, but also insulation, such as mineral wool, from destruction. In this case, the vapor barrier allows the building to breathe. That is, air saturated with water will freely pass through thermal insulation and wood products.