Expanded polystyrene for coated heated floors. Installation of foam plastic for the floor under the screed. Technical and technological advantages of expanded polystyrene

In the context of a constant increase in energy prices (electricity, gas, etc.), insulation of housing construction has become especially relevant in construction and repair today. Moreover, it is difficult to imagine cozy home with cold walls and floors.

Create a comfortable indoor microclimate, along with the right system heating will help proper insulation all house structures through which heat loss is possible. One of the most vulnerable places to the cold is the floors; it is the insulation of this element of the structure that we will talk about today.

How to choose floor insulation

Multiple offers from manufacturers and suppliers of thermal insulation products can throw an inexperienced builder into panic who wants to do floor insulation with his own hands.

It is quite difficult for a beginner to make a choice from the variety of heat insulators, so a classification of all types of floor insulation has been adopted to make it easier to perceive their diversity.

Insulation materials are divided into three groups:

Bulk(expanded clay, expanded vermiculite and the like).
Mineral fibrous(mineral and basalt wool, glass wool).
Synthetic(foam plastic, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam).

Each group has both advantages and disadvantages. The first two representatives of the insulation family have good hygroscopicity, that is, they are able to “breathe” - allow steam and moisture to pass through.

Still others are sealed - they will not allow moisture and steam to pass into or out of the room. This drawback is easily corrected with the help of a simple ventilation system, where it is necessary, for example, in insulating the roof and walls.

By laying polystyrene foam on the floor, we can use, as it were, the lack of this material to benefit the cause. After all, high demands are placed on floors in terms of waterproofing.

Foam as the best choice for flooring

Today, more and more consumers are turning their attention to polystyrene foam as a floor insulator for a number of other reasons:

The price for this material is quite affordable and will be affordable for almost any buyer.
Solid foam for the floor makes it quite durable and resistant to mechanical stress. Foam plastic can resist a load of 350-400 kg per square meter and at the same time maintain its shape and not collapse.

Note! Therefore, it is preferable to use polystyrene foam for the floor under the screed with further coating finishing layer – additional protection thermal insulation material. However, be careful not to exceed permissible load, otherwise the integrity of the floor covering will be compromised.

It is possible to install a “warm floor” system, both electric and water, on a foam floor. In this process it is preferable to lay waterproofing materials on both sides of the insulation.

Advice! It is better to buy foil foam for underfloor heating. Aluminum coating will be an excellent reflector of thermal energy created by the system alternative heating inside the room. If your region does not have this type of insulation, then you can use it together with a foil backing.

Along with excellent thermal insulation, foam plastic also performs another important task for the floor - it becomes a barrier to the penetration of moisture and steam (especially important at high levels). groundwater under the building).
Polystyrene foam is practically not subject to rotting and other biological and chemical effects.
According to fire safety requirements for such materials, foam plastic is recognized as suitable for use in civil and industrial construction due to its ability to self-extinguish.
This material is so easy to install that anyone who takes it up self-insulation floor, even without experience in construction, will cope with the task.
It has excellent sound insulation performance, which is important in apartment buildings.
Polyfoam is also distinguished by its maximum service life in comparison with other heat insulators.

For your information! Plain and familiar white bubble foam can last up to 10-15 years. But for extruded analogues of insulation (expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam), manufacturers guarantee a service life of up to 50 years and more.

Finally, the shape of the foam and its flexibility in cutting make it possible to insulate surfaces of any configuration, which is important for amateurs non-standard solutions in the layout of premises.

In general, today dense foam plastic for flooring is the most suitable heat-insulating material.

Purchase of foam plastic

Before going to a hardware store, you should decide on several factors:

The floor of which floor will be thermally insulated. Floor insulation of the second and subsequent floors can be done using heat insulation up to 50 mm thick. The floor of the first floor, especially in a building without a basement and with low base, will require greater thicknesses, better than a two-layer insulation cake.

Advice! If you just need to raise the floor level, insulation is laid instead of a thick and heavy concrete layer required thickness, and then a sand-cement (or from a ready-made dry self-leveling mixture) floor screed on foam plastic is performed.

What further finishing will the floors undergo? The foam under the floor screed should be as dense and durable as possible with high waterproofing properties, especially if the next finishing layer is ceramic tiles.
In what environment will the insulation have to work (nature of the insulated structure and location):

Insulation wooden structures floor with foam padding between the joists.
Installation of an insulated floor directly on the ground.
Thermal insulation on a concrete slab.

Give your supplier manager the most detailed information about what, where and how you will do with heat-insulating products. You will be given best recommendation for purchasing this or that type of polystyrene foam and clear instructions for its use. The abstracts of our article will help formulate the requirements for your specific case.

How to practically complete the work

If you have settled on the option of foam floor screed, check out technological sequence process:

Before starting thermal insulation work, the base should be leveled with a concrete or cement-sand screed 2-3 cm thick, depending on differences in the level of the subfloor.
After the rough screed has dried, cover it with plastic film with an overlap of at least 150 mm (the joints are insulated with any adhesive tape). The edges of the film should be 5-7 cm higher than the intended floor.

Next, the insulation of the required thickness is laid directly. Foam plastic under the screed on the floor should be laid in two layers with offset seams between the slabs or fill the seams with single-layer insulation polyurethane foam. This will avoid the occurrence of cold bridges.
To strengthen the subsequent screed, it must be reinforced. A thin screed of 1.5-2 cm is placed over the heat-insulating carpet. A reinforcing mesh is laid on it.

Extruded polystyrene- this is one of best options thermal insulation modern type. Its structure is uniform and consists of small cells closed type size 0.1-0.2 mm. Extruded polystyrene foam is one of the polystyrene derivatives obtained by mixing under high pressure, at high temperatures polystyrene granules and a foaming agent (carbon dioxide and freon mixtures). Externally, extruded polystyrene is a rigid board high level strength with excellent thermal insulation properties.

The material began to be produced more than sixty years ago. And, despite this, today it can be called a universal insulation of all times and peoples.

One of its first advantages is its wide range of applications, both in civil and private construction. Here are the areas where extruded polystyrene successfully replaces its counterparts:

thermal insulation of foundations and ground floors;
thermal insulation of floors;
facade insulation;
installation of “warm floors”;
wall insulation;
thermal insulation of roofs;
thermal insulation of pipelines and refrigerators;
arrangement of basement walls and floors;
construction of partitions;
insulation of the soil around the foundations to prevent freezing.

The second advantage of this material is its unique technical parameters:

the lowest thermal conductivity among thermal insulations;
high compressive strength;
chemical resistance
waterproof and vapor-tight;
resistance to the formation of mold and fungi;
environmentally friendly material.

As a result of the tests carried out, it has been proven that characteristic properties extruded polystyrene do not change as a result of repeated freezing and thawing. It does this material almost ideal for the territory of Russia.

The most popular among builders is the use of extruded polystyrene for the device.

Today, the construction market offers a wide range of these products. The choice is yours. Here are just some popular brands: “Penoplex”, “Europlex”, “Technoplex” and many others.

Before direct installation of thermal insulation, it is required preparatory work to level the floor surface using cement screed. If your task also includes sound insulation, then you will need a thermoacoustic film on top of the cement. Then slabs of extruded polystyrene for underfloor heating are installed. The edges of the slabs are joined so that they are in a free position relative to each other. To completely waterproof the floor, the slabs are covered with a waterproofing film with a thickness of 0.2 mm or more. And to increase the reliability of fastening the structure, another layer of cement screed with a thickness of more than 5 cm is applied. Finally, the type of flooring you have chosen is laid: parquet, linoleum or tiles.

To install “warm floors” using water pipes, it is recommended to use foil insulation, i.e. slab polystyrene equipped with an aluminum layer. It significantly reduces the number technological processes when installing “warm floors”. There are even foil-type slabs with markings applied, which are necessary when laying pipes or cables.

The only question that remains open is how to correctly calculate the thickness of extruded polystyrene for installing heated floors in a specific region of the Russian Federation. Here you can’t do without SNiP II-3-79 “Construction Heat Engineering” and 02/23/2003 “ Thermal protection buildings." Thanks to these smart vaults, you can calculate the R-value for your specific region. For Moscow this figure will be 4.15 m20С/W, and for Krasnodar – 2.8 m20С/W. This will be followed by a series of calculations to determine heat transfer taking into account all building materials. And the value that falls short of the cherished norm is compensated by insulation.

Of course, if you are not an expert in this area of calculations, you can trust specialists in the sale of extruded polystyrene, or use specialized calculators provided on the Internet. For complete non-professionals, some companies produce extruded polystyrene with the appropriate name: “Penoplex foundation”, “Penoplex wall”, etc.

For the basic basis of our knowledge about extruded polystyrene, the rule is useful:

to insulate the 1st floor, the thickness of the slab must be at least 50 mm;

everything above the first floor is in the range of 20-30 mm.

So, given this information about extruded polystyrene, you can choose the right insulation for your floor.

One of the most important stages in the process of installing a heated floor system is the laying of thermal insulation material, which ensures uniform consumption of thermal energy and maintenance of optimal microclimatic parameters in the living room. The thermal insulation layer serves as an obstacle to the path of thermal energy and prevents it from escaping through the base on which it is laid. The most popular, due to its performance properties, is polystyrene foam for heated floors.

Expanded polystyrene is a foamed polymer substance, which during the manufacturing process is exposed to hot steam, followed by filling the voids with gas. Modern variety expanded polystyrene was obtained in the mid-20th century by German specialists as a result of the synthesis of styrene, a chemical compound obtained after heating the resin of the Styrax plant or balsam tree, known to the ancient Egyptians.

In addition to its widespread use in a wide variety of industries and construction, this material is used in the installation of warm water or electric floors.

Now on construction market There are several types of “warm floors”. They differ in the type of coolant and operating efficiency. How to choose a heated floor? We'll tell you in

Important! Installing coolant pipes directly on the base, without an insulating layer, will lead to the fact that a significant amount of heat will tend to heat the base, and not the room. And this is not the worst thing - the impact warm air into a poorly ventilated space under the ceiling provokes the formation of condensation and, as a result, the creation favorable conditions for harmful microorganisms, not only destroying those acting on the foundation material, but also creating a direct threat to the health of the residents of the house.

Expanded polystyrene is one of the available types heat-insulating materials allowing to organize the correct operation of the system. The basis for its installation are bases of different types:

On a sand-crushed stone cushion formed on pre-compacted soil.
On a compacted gravel base, protected from moisture.
On a concrete screed with a waterproofing coating.
By wooden flooring with waterproofing coating.

Important! To waterproof the base under polystyrene foam, solvent-based compositions and bitumen mastic, since the structure of the insulation begins to collapse under their influence.

Table 1. Laying heated floors on a wooden base

Image	Description
	The heated floor is laid on plank flooring.
	The boardwalk is treated with an antiseptic composition.
	To work, you will need a polystyrene foam relief mat and a foam polystyrene mat with an adhesive layer.
	The tape is fixed at the end of the mat, with which it will be adjacent to the wall.
	The tape is fixed around the perimeter of the room.
	If necessary, trim the mat using a construction or stationery knife.
	Heat distribution plates are inserted into the gaps between the protruding elements of the polystyrene foam mat, into which the coolant pipe will subsequently be laid. The plates provide rigid fixation of the coolant and promote uniform distribution of heat flow.
	In places where the pipe will turn, leave enough space to create the required radius.
	The pipe is being laid.
	On top of the laid coolant, a flooring is formed under the finishing material using gypsum fiber sheets, laid in two layers with offset and fixed with self-tapping screws.

Characteristics of expanded polystyrene

Foamed polystyrene foam looks more advantageous compared to other thermal insulation materials, due to the fact that it allows you to get a fairly dense, durable and rigid base. During its production, the initial mass is foamed by introducing a low-boiling liquid into it, under the influence of which granules are formed that have a waterproof styrene shell. After exposure to hot steam, granules are obtained that have increased in size by 10 to 30 times compared to the original size. After the granules are sintered together, strong, rigid slabs are formed.

Extruded polystyrene foam with low thermal conductivity is very popular. From positive qualities From this material the following can be noted:

Moisture resistance and the ability to not allow steam to pass through ensure that the thermal conductivity of the insulation remains at the same level even when exposed to moisture.
Environmental friendliness and safety of the material for humans and the environment.
Biological passivity and the ability of the material to prevent the formation of fungus and mold.
Resistance of the material to chemical reagents.
Maintains performance at extremely low (down to –50 degrees) and high (+85 degrees) temperatures.
The low weight of polystyrene foam boards allows them to be used on any floor without adding weight to their structure.
The material is easy to process, trim and lay. All work can be done independently, without involving assistants.
Thanks to smooth surface, the material interacts well with the base on which it is laid.
Excellent thermal insulation properties are provided by the bubble structure of the material.
Expanded polystyrene simultaneously creates a waterproofing layer due to its resistance to moisture.

An important quality for flooring is its noiselessness. Expanded polystyrene boards have excellent sound insulation properties.

The safety of the material is no less important - polystyrene foam practically does not burn and even has a self-extinguishing property. However, during the smoldering process it releases harmful toxins.

What to look for when choosing

When choosing expanded polystyrene for a heated floor, take into account its quality and variety.

Quality control

The quality of polystyrene foam boards that will be used for floor insulation can be judged by their visual inspection. You will need to pay attention to the following:

The product must have a bright, evenly distributed color. Typically, slabs of orange or of blue color. This does not in any way affect the characteristics of the products, except for the tone and uniformity of color, which indicate the quality and compliance with the manufacturing technology of the slabs.
The presence of a slight specific odor is acceptable, but a strong odor unpleasant odor there shouldn't be.
During a visual inspection, you must make sure that the slab has clear geometric dimensions, its edges are smooth and dense - they do not crumble when pressed.
The surface of the slab must be flat, otherwise the thermal insulation properties will be significantly reduced.
It is necessary to visually assess the quality of the granules - they must have same size without voids.

Advice! By breaking a sample of a slab in half, you can evaluate its quality by looking at the location of the break. If the granules in this place have retained their integrity, then this indicates poor adhesion between them. If the slab is of high quality, then the granules are also destroyed at the fracture site.

Kinds

The properties of expanded polystyrene directly depend on its production technology. In this regard, three types of material can be distinguished:

Non-pressed polystyrene foam is produced by molding a mixture of granules pre-dried and foamed at a temperature of 80 degrees. This is the most a budget option, which is characterized by high fragility.
Material produced by extrusion (extruded polystyrene foam) is produced under the influence of a reagent, which is introduced into a container-form, followed by squeezing the foam mass into a slab shape and drying.
When replacing the foaming reagent with an autoclave, the resulting material is not suitable for use as a heat insulator.
Pressed boards with a thickness of 15 to 70 mm have similar characteristics to extruded polystyrene.

Expanded polystyrene and alternative insulation materials

There are many materials that can be used for floor insulation, but their use is abandoned for a number of reasons:

Cork insulation is expensive.
Insulation from mineral wool is sensitive and cannot withstand the effects of moisture from groundwater, so it is not suitable for laying foundations on the ground and on floors above an unheated subfloor.
Foamed polyethylene (foil or regular) under the weight of the screed decreases in thickness several times.
Polystyrene foam is fragile material with insufficient rigidity. It can be used in a “warm floor” system, but with the condition that there is no load, for example, a wooden floor with joists.

When insulating the floor with polystyrene foam (loose or slab), it is laid in the free space between the joists, lined underneath with plywood or boards. A vapor barrier membrane is laid on top. A sheathing is secured along the joists, which will provide high-quality ventilation. The flooring is made from plywood or other sheet material. It will serve as the basis for laying coolant loops along the guide rails.

At the final stage, the laid pipes or electrical cables are blocked sheet material(GVLV, OSB or plywood) in two layers with an offset, and the finishing decorative material is laid.

Important! Polystyrene foam and granulated styrene, no matter what the manufacturers claim, require quality testing. The thermal insulation properties of insulation can be significantly reduced under the influence of moisture penetrating into the voids between the granules.

Expanded polystyrene boards with bosses

Polystyrene foam mats, specially designed for these purposes, are especially popular when laying heated floors. The so-called bosses on their surface make it possible to avoid the use of additional means of fixation, significantly facilitating the process of installing the coolant.

The advantages of such plates include the following:

The products are equipped with a rigid vapor barrier polystyrene foam layer that provides protection against condensation.
The mat may have a laminated foil covering that protects it from chemical substances included in the screed.
Protruding elements (bosses) significantly simplify the installation of coolant.
The mats are lightweight and have convenient dimensions, which makes them easy to transport and install.
The presence of side locks ensures the immobility of the monolithic thermal insulation carpet structure, devoid of cold bridges and acoustic seams.
The relief back surface is able to smooth out minor unevenness of the base, provides its ventilation and sound insulation.
The long service life of the mats (up to 50 years) is achieved by following the rules of operation of the heated floor system.
When pouring the screed, the embossed polystyrene foam mat does not change its thickness under its weight.

Laying mats with coolant involves two methods for the final stages - pouring a screed or installing a flooring made of plywood, gypsum fiber or OSB boards. The second method is more reliable in terms of carrying out emergency repair work.

Foil materials

Foil polystyrene has an additional layer with a reflective effect, which in a positive way affects the energy efficiency of the heated floor structure due to the uniform distribution of heat flows and heating of the room. The manufacturer applies markings to the surface of the foil layer, which simplify the work of fixing the coolant.

Methods for fixing coolant

There are several ways to fix the coolant.

Reinforcing mesh and ties

The pipes are fastened to reinforcing mesh with cells 10 x 10 cm using plastic ties. As the pipe is laid to the mesh, it is fixed with plastic ties, cutting off the protruding tails. The pipe is secured with plastic ties every 1–1.5 meters. When bending a pipe 90 degrees, it is enough to use a pair of plastic ties; when bending 180 degrees, use three ties. The advantages of this method include simplicity and reliability, as well as the availability of plastic elements. The disadvantages include the labor intensity of the work, the likelihood of damage to the pipes on the mesh, especially if they are made of metal-plastic, when walking on the floor. Voids may form at the point of contact between the pipe and the mesh, which will lead to a decrease in the thermal efficiency of the floor.

Reinforcing mesh and plastic fastenings

Manufacturers offer special devices for fixing pipes to reinforcing mesh. By fixing the mesh with a clip-mount, it and the coolant pipe are raised above the insulation. This ensures even distribution of the screed under the mesh and under the pipe. Thus, the mesh becomes an additional reinforcing layer, and maximum heat transfer is achieved from the surface of the pipe.

The advantages of this method of fixing the coolant include:

additional screed reinforcement;
absence of air voids and improved heat transfer;
fast and easy installation pipes;
less chance of pipe damage.

The disadvantages include the higher cost of fastenings compared to plastic ties.

Plastic fasteners

Attaching the pipe to plastic guides

Pipes can be fixed using plastic guides laid on smooth polystyrene foam. Their length can vary, but more often they are 50 cm long and are inserted into each other, secured with clasps. In this way they can acquire any required size depending on the room parameters. Before fixing the guides, you need to know the pipe layout pattern in advance. The planks can be laid in any pattern. They are attached to polystyrene with U-shaped plastic brackets. The pipe snaps tightly.

One of the advantages is the quick and convenient layout of pipes and their reliable fixation. The disadvantages include the complexity of preliminary marking and the lack of additional screed reinforcement.

Laying on polystyrene foam boards with fixation

Slabs with bosses require additional fixation. The bosses play the role of guides, helping to lay the pipe in any pattern, and anchor brackets are used to secure them. They are also used when attaching to foil-coated flat polystyrene.

The advantages include the prevalence of such fasteners and mats in hardware stores; the bosses protect the pipe from damage and make the installation process easier. The disadvantages include the high cost of the slabs and the need to use additional funds fixing pipes.

Mat with lugs with fixation

Modern manufacturers have improved polystyrene foam mats with bosses, correcting their shape so that they firmly hold the coolant pipes. The laying step should be a multiple of 50 cm. The advantages include reliable, durable and convenient fixation of the pipe. Such a mat is both insulation and a means of fixing the pipe. The ceiling is rigid and does not bend under loads, the pipe is reliably protected from damage. In addition, this mat is an excellent combination of price, convenience and reliability. The disadvantages include the high cost of the plates.

Video - Advantages of mats

Velcro fastening

New – fastening pipes with Velcro. Fixation occurs due to reliable adhesion of the tape wrapping the pipe and the fleecy base. When laying, the pipe adheres tightly to the insulation. The advantages include speed of installation, ease of installation and fixation, and no need to use additional fastening devices. One of the disadvantages is the lack of markings, which complicates installation. There is an assumption that the pipes may shift when walking on the floor.

Prices for polystyrene foam for heated floors

expanded polystyrene for heated floors

Video - Laying a warm water floor on polystyrene mats

It would be completely unnecessary to say that polystyrene foam is popular as insulation. They insulate walls outside and inside, make warm attics and ceilings. But is foam plastic suitable for flooring? After all, as you know, this material is afraid of mechanical damage. Let's figure it out together.

Is it necessary to insulate flooring, especially if you intend to install a “warm floor” system? Of course, it is necessary - without insulation you will give up to 20% of the heat to the underground space. This means extra financial costs and lower heating efficiency. By the way, you can choose the most ordinary foam plastic for a warm floor, but it is much easier to work with marked material or profile foam. Profile material It has special convexities, between which it is very convenient to lay the system.

Owners country houses or cottages, very often you have to deal with the insulation of wooden floors. Wood itself retains heat well, but it has the unpleasant property of drying out, forming cracks through which cold air passes. Before insulating your floor with polystyrene foam, be sure to read this article - you will find a lot of useful information.

To begin with, you should carry out standard work - clean the surface of debris, seal the cracks in the base. Insulation is impossible without a waterproofing layer - although polystyrene foam is not afraid of moisture, there are also wooden parts. If these are strips of material, for example, plastic film, be sure to overlap at least 10 cm and carefully seal the joints with construction tape. Experts recommend using improved materials instead of conventional polyethylene film, which are made from a special water-repellent base and, moreover, also have the properties of reflecting heat rays.

Then the frame is made from wooden logs, in the intervals between which it will be located thermal insulation material. This gap can be no more than 60 cm for a plank floor and 40 cm for subsequent installation of laminate or parquet. Thanks to the presence of logs, subsequent loads are evenly distributed over the entire frame, which eliminates subsidence of the floor even under heavy furnishings. Between the joists, foam plastic can be laid in slabs, or poured in the form of bulk granules, although the first option is preferable. Depending on the quality of the base, you should purchase slabs of different thicknesses. The thickness of the foam for insulating a cold ground floor should be at least 20 cm.

There should be no gaps left between the plates - they should be filled with foam. Don’t forget to lay another layer of waterproofing on top of the foam, which will protect the floor from moisture from above. Afterwards, it is recommended to make another layer of sheathing so that a ventilated space remains, and OSB slabs or boards are laid on top of the sheathing.

How to insulate a floor with foam plastic if you plan to make a screed? The insulation process is somewhat similar to the previous description of thermal insulation - we again make a multi-layer “pie” from layers of waterproofing, insulation and the screed itself. However, elements such as reinforcing mesh and damping tape are also added. First things first.

If the screed is made on a soil base, then first the soil thickness of at least 15 cm is removed. If you intend to make a bedding from expanded clay, then you should go even deeper, taking into account the layer of bedding. The soil surface should be leveled and compacted - there should be no drops, holes, or bumps.

After leveling, waterproofing is laid. If this polyethylene film, then its density must be at least 150 microns. The film strips must be joined, as in the previous version, with a large overlap and glued with construction tape.

Then, along the entire perimeter of the room, at the junction of the walls and the screed, a damper tape– it will maintain the necessary reserve of free space, which is necessary for thermal expansion of the floor, and will avoid the appearance of cracks due to internal pressure.

Then the first layer of screed is poured, the thickness of which must be at least 6 cm. The screed is completely standard in its composition - four sands for one part of cement. Leveling the batch subfloor, immediately lay the insulation boards on the composition, trying to maintain a checkerboard pattern. After installation, give the floor at least a day to dry and harden. This step should be skipped if the floor is insulated with foam plastic on top of a concrete base under a new screed.

The next stage is finishing screed. Be sure to lay beacons so that it is convenient to correct unevenness using the rule. During pouring cement-sand composition reinforcing material is inserted into the screed metal grid, which will protect the floor from cracks and breaks and help distribute point loads. The thickness of the top layer is at least 5 cm. After the screed has dried a little, sagging and other irregularities are usually removed. When the floor is completely dry, all that remains is to decide decorative coating.

Many would dream of installing a heated floor in their home, but are deterred by the high cost of the electric one and the laboriousness of installing the water version. The work on its production is technologically complex, associated with dust, dirt and considerable costs. And besides, it happens that they cannot bear the concrete screed load-bearing floors or the ceiling height is not enough. But there is a modern alternative to heavy concrete method fillings are polystyrene foam for heated floors:

it is light;
small thickness;
it's much easier to install.

Let's look into everything thoroughly.

Polystyrene is not some kind of innovation. It was first synthesized from styrene in 1929. In the USSR, this material has been produced since 1965. It can be found everywhere: in refrigerators, televisions, disposable dishes, house construction and packaging materials.

Expanded polystyrene for heated floors - brief description

Expanded polystyrene boards have a smooth surface.

On the cut you can see many small pores similar to foam rubber.

The material is simply ideal as a basis for heated floors.

Let's look at the main characteristics and properties of polystyrene foam, which make it possible to use this material for laying heated floors:

Operating temperature indicators with which it can work are from -60 to +85°C. (maximum values -180 +180°С).
The structure with air bubbles provides excellent thermal insulation (air content – 97 – 98%). Thermal conductivity = 0.037 – 0.043 W/m2.
As a result of the porous structure, and low weight.
At the same time, the slab will also act as waterproofing, since the material does not absorb moisture.
Soundproofing properties. A layer of 3 cm reduces the noise level by 25 dB.
Flammability. The spontaneous combustion threshold of polystyrene is 2 times lower than that of wood. In addition, it releases less thermal energy. Self-extinguishing varieties of polystyrene foam do indeed stop burning if the exposure to the flame stops, but due to the gases used for their production, when melted, these varieties emit more substances that are toxic to humans.

A 12 cm layer of polystyrene foam corresponds to 45 cm of wood and 1.2 m of brick!

Expanded polystyrene is a relative of polystyrene foam. But there are differences. Expanded polystyrene:

4 times denser and therefore stronger than polystyrene foam.
More uniform.
Costs more.

For construction work Expanded polystyrene with the addition of fire retardants (substances that add fire safety to the material) is used. In Russia, GOST 15588–86 has been adopted for slabs.

Laying features

The material can be laid on any base (including wooden floors).

Installation of the system is much simpler, cleaner and faster than with concrete screed, because in fact you just need to lay the slabs.

Let's consider the stages of laying polystyrene foam under a heated floor:

Before installation begins, the base is leveled and cleaned, because the future polystyrene layer will repeat all the unevenness. If the base is slightly movable, differences in the calculated load should not be more than 2 mm/m.
Thermoacoustic film can be spread on the base, under a layer of polystyrene, if you need to improve sound insulation.
Next, polystyrene boards are laid. The process is like assembling a large puzzle. You need to carefully ensure that all the elements are in their places. The edges of the slabs should not be allowed to join “tightly” and be compressed (grooves can be made on the sides for tightly joining the slabs). They must fit together precisely, but freely.
The grooves of polystyrene plates have a thickness of 20 - 40 mm. Aluminum plates (thermal distributors) are inserted into them, into which the pipe is subsequently placed. This stage of simple installation replaces the lengthy process of drawing the pipes yourself, fastening them and pouring the screed.
Aluminum has excellent thermal conductivity and, in combination with underfloor heating pipes, provides high-quality, uniform heating. You just need to distribute them so that at least 80% of the surface area is covered with aluminum.
After the pipes are laid, you need to do trial run heat for a day.
The next layer is waterproofing. An ordinary film will do, it is only desirable that its thickness be at least 0.2 mm. The film must be laid with an overlap (about 10 cm).

Expanded polystyrene goes well with any finishing: laminate, parquet, linoleum, carpet, tiles, etc.). Only under soft coverings and the tiles will need to be laid on a rigid base. For example, a layer of chipboard, or cement bonded particle boards. Parquet and laminate can be installed directly on a polystyrene floor.

In rooms where water is expected to get on the floor (swimming pools), the polystyrene floor is filled with a self-leveling mixture.

Do not leave floors covered with polystyrene exposed for long periods of time. The material holds distribution loads well, but is very vulnerable to point pressure.

A dropped tool, a carelessly placed object, or a shoe heel will damage the surface.

How to choose polystyrene foam for a warm water floor?

Quality

High quality polystyrene foam board can be distinguished by the following characteristics:

Color: uniform, bright (more recently, White color- not the only one used for polystyrene foam boards, however, this does not affect the quality, and therefore should not affect the price).
Smell: absent or barely perceptible. A strong chemical smell is evidence of poor quality.
Edges: dense, smooth. If they crumble and crumble, this is a bad sign; such a slab will be very difficult to work with.
Surface: smooth, without dents or damage.
Granules: approximately the same size, without gaps or voids.

Carry out a small experiment: break a small piece of material and see how it breaks - only between the granules or right along them too? If the first option is bad, it means they weren’t sintered enough.

And here we will analyze the types of electric heated floors and try to determine which option is better.

Kinds

Different technologies have produced several varieties of material:

Unpressed(EPS, PSB-S and others). The granules are dried, foamed at 80° C, then dried and heated again. The mixture is poured into molds, where it cools and thickens. The most inexpensive, widespread option, but also the most fragile.
Extruded or extruded(EPS, XPS and others). Granules are produced at high temperature and pressure, while a foaming reagent (a mixture of freons and carbon dioxide) is introduced. After which, the mass is squeezed out through an extruder. Final stage– drying.
Autoclaved(Stirofoam). In essence, it is the same extruded polystyrene foam, but an autoclave is used to foam and sinter the granules. Not used for thermal insulation.
Pressed(PS-4, PS-1). Thermal conductivity is the same as extruded.

Characteristics of some options:

Penoplex 35 is highly resistant to fire, so it is often used for walls, roofs, and floors.
Technoplex is resistant to cold. Used for balconies, roofs, facades.
Termite has the lowest level of moisture absorption. Can be used where high humidity, including for foundations.

The thickness of the polystyrene plate can be from 15 to 70 mm. If the floor is located above an unheated room or ground, the thickness of the polystyrene foam should be 15 cm (in the north), or 10 cm (in mid-latitudes).