Basalt insulation for floors in a wooden house. Insulation of the floor in the country house. Stages of installing a floor with bulk insulation on the ground

Many people prefer own house apartment. This is no coincidence; it is in the house that you can delimit the living space according to your own design, create unusual interior, enjoy the peace and quiet. But when building or renovating a private house, it is advisable to pay attention to many nuances: insulation of the floor, foundation, walls.

A cold floor in winter and autumn increases the cost of heating a house and can cause mold and drafts. In order for the microclimate in the room to be comfortable and healthy, the floor must be insulated.

If a private house is under construction, then you can think through an insulation system in advance so that in the future you can live in a warm and dry room. Experts offer several solutions to this issue: a double floor system, a “warm floor” connected to the heating system.

Double floor system

The double system consists of creating a fine and rough coating, between which an environmentally friendly insulation is placed: sand, expanded clay, sawdust. When designing a house, you should take into account the height of the insulating structure, purchase finishing and rough materials, and insulation.

The first stage of construction is laying the beams on which the subfloor will be attached. Skull blocks are nailed to the load-bearing joists, which will hold the rough covering. This is followed by laying the rough layer of boards. The material must have a thickness of at least 40 mm. It is important that the boards fit tightly together; a special groove system for fastening the boards will help with this.

After the rough floor has been laid, it needs to be insulated. To do this, sand, expanded clay, or other heat-saving materials are poured into the cells between the beams.

Attention: use sand to insulate floors when it is too high humidity soil or air is not recommended. If ventilation is poor, condensation can accumulate, which can lead to the appearance of fungus or mold.

The next stage of insulation is construction of the finishing layer of the floor and installation of the finishing coating. After the insulation is placed in the cells between the beams, the finished floor is laid. For this purpose, a treated wooden board (pine, spruce, larch, cedar) with a thickness of 40-50 mm is used. A locking or groove system will simplify the installation of the board and help create a uniform covering, without cracks or gaps. The final finish of the finished floor depends on individual preference: painting wood, laying laminate, linoleum, carpet, etc.

Batten

Warm floor system

If in wooden house The lower floors are made of concrete slabs; a system running from gas or steam heating can be used to insulate the floor. This system allows you to create an optimal indoor microclimate, reduce humidity and the cost of heating the building.

When installing the system, a polyethylene film is laid on concrete slabs to protect the insulation from excess moisture. Then a layer of insulation (polystyrene, penoplex) is laid on the film. The layer can have a thickness of 3 to 10 cm. A damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the room, which is at least 5 mm thick and serves as a special “buffer” that keeps the screed from deforming and expanding when heated.

Then a reinforcing mesh is mounted on the insulation, onto which the pipe system is laid. Any pipes can be used: metal-plastic, metal, polyethylene, polybutane. Poured over the pipes concrete screed, thickness not less than 30 mm. Placed on top of the screed finishing coat.

This floor heating system ideally distributes heat throughout the room, does not dry out the air, and maintains a healthy microclimate.

There is also a method of laying heated floors on a wooden base. You can familiarize yourself with this method by watching a video tutorial.

Video - Method of laying heated floors on a wooden base

Floor insulation during renovation of a wooden house

If the house is cold, damp, and there are drafts on the floors, then it’s time to think about insulating the floors. Insulating floors in an already rebuilt house is not too difficult; the main thing is to choose the highest quality and most affordable material.

This type of work is complicated by the fact that the distance from the ground to the floor is too small, which prevents the insulation from attaching to the beams. Because of this deficiency the old flooring needs to be completely dismantled. When removing floorboards and skirting boards, it is recommended to number them so that there is no difficulty or confusion when installing them back. After removing the boards, it is advisable to inspect cross beams for rot or other defects and replace damaged wood with whole wood.

Further cranial strips are attached to each beam from below with anchors, which will serve as a support for the rough flooring on which the insulating material will be laid. The rough flooring itself can be made from floorboards, chipboard, or fiberboard.

Further Dense polyethylene is laid on the subfloor, protecting the insulation from moisture. On polyethylene between beams insulation is being laid. The material must not protrude above the beams; it should be several centimeters lower than the edge of the beam. This is necessary so that the material “breathes”.

Final stage - finishing board flooring. You can use old, numbered boards if they are in good condition. Or you can put a new floor. Depending on the capabilities and personal preferences, the finishing coating is selected.

It is worth knowing that this method of insulation uses several layers of different materials, which increases the thickness of the structure by more than 20 cm. There is no need to touch the finishing coating in the house; all work is carried out from the basement.

The first stage of work is to inspect the timber for the presence of rot or other damage.. If wooden parts well preserved, then access them using a stapler vapor barrier film is attached. The film must be attached over the entire area of ​​the room. It prevents moisture and dampness from getting from the floor of the room onto the insulation. Then on the edge of the beams skull strips are nailed, on which the rough version of the flooring will be attached.

After the planks are nailed, Insulating material is placed between the beams, which is cut directly to the size of the recess. The insulation is secured using a rough decking attached to the skull strips.

If the humidity in the basement is too high, you can place another layer of moisture-proofing material between the insulation and the subfloor.

In this way, you can efficiently insulate the floor in the house without compromising the integrity of the existing floor covering in the room.

Review of the highest quality and most reliable floor insulation materials

This material has a whole range of advantages: low price, ease of processing, non-flammability, increased heat and sound insulation. Mineral wool is divided into three types: slag, glass and stone. Each type has special characteristics. For example, glass mineral wool has increased vapor permeability and, at high humidity, absorbs moisture, which leads to loss of heat-retaining properties. This type of material is used for insulation only with hydro and vapor barrier and membranes.

This type of material has high environmentally friendly and heat-saving properties. This material consists of 80% cellulose fibers. Ecowool at high humidity is capable of getting wet, but after drying the material completely restores its heat-saving functions.

Ecowool can be purchased in two forms: in the form of pressed slabs and in the form of a solution, which is supplied under pressure like polyurethane foam, filling all the recesses and hardening. The only drawback of this material is the rather high cost and the need to use special equipment for the liquid version.

Izolon

This modern material Suitable for various repair and finishing works. It is considered environmentally friendly, goes well with all building materials, does not absorb moisture, is not susceptible to mold, rot, corrosion, and is not flammable. Good soundproofing properties with a fairly small layer thickness make it indispensable for soundproofing work. A two-centimeter layer of isolon is comparable in soundproofing and heat-saving properties to a brick wall.

Penofol

Another modern material, characterized by a number of undeniable advantages. Penofol is a rather thin material consisting of many layers. The top layers are made of thin polished aluminum foil, which is moisture-resistant and vapor-tight. Between the foil there is a foamed multilayer insulation - polyethylene.

Depending on the application, the thickness of the insulating layer in different variations of the material may be different. Some types of penofol are equipped with one self-adhesive side, which facilitates the installation of insulation during construction and repair work. If penofol is used to insulate the floor, then there is no need to lay steam and moisture-proof film; foil copes with this task perfectly.

Video - Review of various types of penofol and its analogues

This material is made from a mixture of cement and sawdust and granules. Also, to create heat and sound insulation properties, the material contains chemical additives. The components are used to produce slabs of various thicknesses. Despite the presence of cement, the material does not have much weight and is easily deformed and can be processed during repair work. It is also worth noting the flame resistance. The only disadvantage of wood concrete is its ability to absorb moisture, which leads to loss of heat-saving properties. When installing this insulation, the presence of steam and moisture-resistant membranes is mandatory.

This type of material is known to everyone - it is ordinary polystyrene foam. Polystyrene has good heat-saving properties, resistance to corrosion and rotting. This material does not decompose and does not contain volatile compounds harmful to health. It is also worth noting the light weight, ease of processing, and a wide range of sheet sizes and thicknesses.

Polystyrene foam accumulates liquid at high humidity, which affects its heat-saving properties. That is why when installing this material you need additional protection from moisture.

Properly carried out floor insulation in a wooden house significantly changes the indoor microclimate for the better. The house becomes warmer, more comfortable, humidity and dampness, which spoil things and mood, disappear.

Today, when arranging a private home, the floor is increasingly made of wood. This is due to the fact that wood has excellent thermal insulation properties. But at the same time, it is still not able to withstand the cold air that rushes into the house from underground. Thus, living in such a house is uncomfortable, and this also leads to a decrease in its service life due to the accumulation of condensation in the underground. To solve all these problems, it is necessary to insulate the floor in a private house.

Materials used

Expanded clay and sawdust

These materials are today considered the most affordable in terms of cost and ease of installation. The insulation process is carried out by pouring material between pre-laid joists. It is sawdust that is most often used for floor insulation in a private home, as it is an environmentally friendly material. Although it has its drawbacks - it is exposed to rodents.

Sawdust for insulating wooden floors

Mineral wool

This heat insulator is also in high demand, but compared to sawdust, it contains chemical compounds. So for those who care about the environmental factor, you need to look at another option. If thermal insulation work will take place in a room with increased level humidity, then before laying the mineral wool you will have to take care of installing the waterproofing layer. This is extremely important, because when water penetrates the mineral wool, it will lose its heat-insulating qualities.

Mineral wool for insulation

The advantages of mineral wool include:

  • fire resistance;
  • resistance to biological and chemical influences;
  • excellent heat and sound insulating qualities.

Mineral wool is produced in slab format, with one surface being harder than the other. It is indicated by a blue stripe. When insulating, it is important to take this into account and lay the insulation with the hardest side facing up. The layer thickness is 200 mm.

Izolon

Mineral fibers are also used in the manufacture of this material. But compared to the previous insulation, it is accompanied by a higher hydrophobic ability and low heat conductivity. It is advisable to use Izolon for reliable thermal insulation of old wooden floors.

Izolon for insulation

One of the most popular types of isolon remains rockwool insulation. It is characterized by similar properties to isolon, but only it contains basalt wool, thanks to which a high noise insulation coefficient is achieved. The thickness of the mounted layer is 2-10 mm. But you can read how to insulate the floor in a wooden house from below with isolon

Expanded polystyrene

This material is most often called polystyrene foam. It belongs to the budget category, and also creates a reliable barrier against moisture and is a durable material. It has excellent thermal insulation properties and a long service life.

Expanded polystyrene on the floor

It is allowed to be used for thermal insulation various rooms, since it does not cause any harm to human body. It is easy to work with and retains its original shape well. In addition, polystyrene foam is not affected by rodents. The thickness of the laid layer must be at least 20 mm. It will also be useful to learn about how to insulate a concrete floor with polystyrene foam, and what to look for

Penofol

Penofol is a material that is presented in the form of foamed, foil-coated polyethylene. It has a closed-cell structure. The assortment of construction stores includes the following types of penofol:


Plywood

Currently, plywood can be produced in several grades, including:

All of them differ from each other according to such a criterion as the level of resistance to moisture. But this level is determined by the following indicators:

  • type of glue used;
  • the type of coating that is applied to the top layer of each sheet.

FSF plywood has the highest level of resistance to moisture. But it is used most often in rooms with high humidity levels, unheated.

How to insulate from below

To create a reliable barrier against heat loss, you need to insulate the floor from below, adhering to the following plan:


Carry out activities from above

To insulate the floor from above, you need a high-quality, warm and thick substrate based on polypropylene or cork. The flooring is laid on top of this material.

To obtain high-quality insulation floor in a private house, you need to take care of a new additional level. So screw the joists into the floor, which were previously treated with an antiseptic. Install the selected heat insulator between the joists. As a rule, mineral wool is used. Then cover the floor with plywood or chipboard, and on top of them you can install any floor covering.

In the video, insulation of a wooden floor from above:

The only disadvantage of such coverage is the cost of money, time and effort. In addition, the height of the room will decrease as the floor will become higher. And this is a direct path to raising thresholds and doors.

Activities to prevent rot

If your task is to insulate the floor in order to prevent it from rotting, then it is important to choose the right material. For these purposes, a heat insulator with a high level of moisture resistance is used.

Thermal insulator with an increased level of moisture resistance

The highest quality insulation in this regard remains such as expanded clay and expanded polystyrene. The first has a ceramic shell that does not absorb moisture and has low heat conductivity. Polystyrene foam has similar qualities.

Features of insulation of an old house

Most often, expanded clay is used as floor insulation in a private house, as it has excellent moisture resistance and thermal insulation. To carry out thermal insulation work in an old house, you must follow these instructions:

  1. Remove old flooring and fasteners.
  2. Fill, level and compact the sand cushion. The layer thickness will be from 100 mm.
  3. Lay a layer of waterproofing using dense polyethylene.
  4. Place a level on the floor and onto the plaster solution. Place guide beacons. When the mixture becomes solid and the level is finally set, you can proceed to laying the heat insulator. The layer thickness should be above 100 mm.
  5. Treat the waterproofing with a mixture of cement and water. Thanks to this, all subsequent work will be easier.
  6. Floor reinforcement is necessary work, thanks to which it is possible to minimize deformations leading to the destruction of the screed.
  7. Filling is done carefully and carefully, otherwise you will have to level the floor.
  8. The poured floor will completely harden in 28 days. But you will be able to walk on the surface in 7 days.

In this video they will tell you how to make warm wooden floors in a private house:

Work on joists

This insulation option is distinguished by its simplicity, but at the same time high efficiency, since it is possible to significantly reduce thermal energy losses.

The procedure is as follows:

  1. Install wooden joists.
  2. Attach the panels to the boards on which the heat insulation will subsequently be laid. They should be hemmed from the bottom.
  3. Between the logs, insulation, gyro- and vapor barriers are laid.
  4. Finally, the installation of floorboards and final finishing of the floor covering takes place.

You might also be interested in learning about what happens at home and what insulation you should use.

Features of insulation of houses on a pile foundation

Before starting thermal insulation work, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare the surface, removing all debris. Now it is fashionable to move on to installing the logs on the base on both sides. Walk with antiseptic. At the same time, make sure that the floorboard touches all the joists without exception. But the fastening of the logs themselves should be done on both sides, with a corner on each.

Upon completion of these works, you can proceed to the arrangement of the subfloor layer. It serves to make it possible to lay a heat insulator between the joists. To obtain a rough coating, it is worth using an edged board with a section of 100x25 cm.

First you need to screw 5x5 cm bars from below and across the joists. Divide the space into several zones. Attach the boards to a wind and moisture protective membrane. This will create reliable protection against moisture that forms due to sudden temperature changes. You can try using

Video of insulating the floor of a house on a pile foundation:

The membrane is fastened in increments of 20-25 cm between the lags. In this case, you must definitely go to them. Now you can proceed to the direct installation of the insulation itself. This needs to be done in 3 layers. At the end, cover everything with a membrane and lay the finished floor.

Working with a wooden floor in a bathhouse

When building modern baths, the foundation is made. This suggests that there is a need to arrange a rough and finished floor. The process of installing a finished floor is carried out with a slope towards the drain. It is laid on logs with a gap of 3 cm at the walls.

Be sure to lay a layer of vapor barrier membrane. The waterproofing layer must be on the entire surface of the subfloor. Laying is carried out with an overlap, and fastening is done using tape.

After this, you can lay the insulation. It is best to use polystyrene foam. It does not absorb moisture, which is important for a room with a high level of moisture. Heat insulation slabs are mounted between the joists so that there is 2 cm on top ventilation gap. It is also worth familiarizing yourself with the information on how to use and what kind of siding to use for the outside walls of the house.

Video of floor insulation in a bathhouse:

The next layer involves laying a waterproofing material, which creates a barrier for the penetration of water onto the insulation. The finished floor is laid from planed tongue and groove boards, and then they are treated with water-repellent and antiseptic impregnation.

Today, more and more often, in order to reduce heat loss, people are insulating their floors. It is not necessary to carry out all the work during the arrangement of the building, but even after. When choosing a suitable thermal insulation material, it is necessary to take into account climatic conditions, operating conditions and humidity levels.

A wooden house was previously considered a very warm structure that did not require any additional work on insulation. True, not all modern developers know that the floors in old houses were made from logs cut in half, and the thickness of such coverings reached 20–25 cm. The walls of the log house were assembled from round timber Ø 55–60 cm. Currently, the thickness of the timber rarely exceeds 20 cm, and for floors, boards no thicker than 2.5 cm are used. Such thin lumber cannot in any way meet the requirements of current regulations.

According to existing standards for heat conservation of residential buildings (SNiP II-3-79), to achieve energy saving R = 3.33 ° C m2 / W, the thickness of the timber in the Moscow region should be 50 cm. To avoid installing such thick walls, you need to use modern insulating materials . 12 cm of expanded polystyrene has the same heat saving effect as a 53 cm thick tree or a 210 cm thick brick wall.

The better the heat saving performance of a building, the lower the financial losses for maintaining the house in winter period time. But there is one point - if the correct use of insulation has a significant positive effect, then the incorrect use has a very negative effect. Construction industry offers consumers a wide range of thermal insulation materials that differ in structure, manufacturing technology and thermal conductivity parameters.

Table. Types of floor insulation

Type of insulationBrief description of physical and operational characteristics
In terms of cost, they belong to the middle category; they are quite technologically advanced and effective insulation materials. Rolls make it possible to cut materials exactly according to the size of niches; due to this feature, it significantly reduces the amount of unproductive losses. To insulate floors in a wooden house, roll insulation made of mineral wool is most often used. There are also rolls made from cork tree bark, but such materials are recommended to be used when installing heated floors only as additional lining insulation, since their thickness does not exceed a few millimeters. For basic insulation this is very little. Often, roll insulation materials have a foil coating. This reliable protection from moisture penetration, in addition, it is possible to slightly reduce heat losses due to infrared radiation.
Using special equipment, lightweight and porous insulation materials are pressed into slabs with standard sizes. Plates, unlike roll materials, can maintain their geometry, which simplifies and speeds up the installation process. The dimensions of the slabs are taken into account at the design stage of the house; taking into account their dimensions, the distance between the floor joists is selected. Most often, mineral wool and glass wool are pressed, but you can also find slabs made of ecowool. The price is slightly higher than the roll ones, the thermal conductivity parameters are almost the same. Pressed polymer insulation based on foam plastic is located separately. Modern technologies make it possible to make them safe for health and do not support open combustion. Such performance properties make it possible to use these materials for insulating floors in wooden houses.
The main difference is that the materials harden or polymerize after application to the surface. The insulating layer has no gaps; the technology makes it possible to isolate the most inaccessible places of complex configuration. Polymer thermal insulation and ecowool are applied in liquid form. Disadvantage: complexity of technology polymer insulation. According to actual characteristics, these materials occupy the last places and professional builders not recommended for use.
The traditional and cheapest insulation materials are most often expanded clay and slag. The main advantage is that they are absolutely non-flammable. In terms of thermal conductivity, they occupy the last place among all existing insulation materials.

Currently, environmentally friendly low-rise construction of houses from wood materials. Traditional log houses made of rounded logs, cottages made of timber, and even houses built from lightweight materials, their owners try to cover with boards or clapboards. To create a microclimate in the home that is closer to nature, the same considerations are used when choosing materials for floors, giving preference to wood as a lighter, but quite durable material.

Due to its natural origin, wood has a fairly low thermal conductivity, but in the Russian climate it still requires additional thermal insulation.

Options

There is enough big choice fillers for insulation of interfloor ceilings, floors and ceilings. It can be difficult for an inexperienced builder to understand the properties of this or that insulation, objectively evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, and make the right choice.

The thing is that different heat-insulating materials are more suitable for some operating conditions and less suitable for others. Insulation of such specific rooms as an attic, underground, or veranda requires a special approach, so it is worth studying all the properties of the materials in order to produce insulation as efficiently as possible.

The choice of thermal insulation material is influenced by the following factors:

  • Humidity. Constant dampness in the room (basements with open ground or insufficient waterproofing of the foundation, bathrooms, winter gardens or home greenhouses) or the likelihood of increased humidity in it (balconies, rooms for drying clothes, bathrooms or steam rooms);
  • Purpose of the premises. Some types of materials contain certain resins or glues that, for safety reasons, are not suitable for bedrooms or children's rooms.
  • Probability of damage by rodents or insects, resistance to fungal attack. Some of the materials are liked by rodents, while others are repellent to them.
  • Lower and upper temperature limits. Some heat insulators are not resistant to severe frosts, while others lose their properties or become completely deformed and become unusable when subjected to significant heating.

It should be taken into account that the heat-insulating material must “work both ways” - not only protect the home from low temperatures in winter, but also maintain a comfortable environment for people and pets in the summer heat.

Last but not least, the choice of insulation and the method of performing thermal insulation are also influenced by the general condition of the house:

  • age of the building - an old house requires one method, a recently built one requires another;
  • foundation construction method - using bored or screw piles, on reinforced concrete blocks or on light shallow foundations;
  • the number of storeys of the building and the area where the work will be performed - whether the floor insulation is being carried out for the 1st or 2nd floor.

From below

In most cases, wooden houses are built with high base, that is, the height of the subfloor allows for insulation from below. The only exception may be the southern regions, where private houses are being built on stable soils using the technology of constructing low-rise buildings on shallow piles. But even there, in most cases, they try to adhere to the traditional construction of houses with a high base.

Otherwise, if the subfloor is not high enough, to insulate the floor of the first floor you will need to remove the floor board to the joists or other supporting structure.

Thus, it is possible to insulate from below with a sufficiently high subfloor for the first floor or insulate the floor of the second floor, which, accordingly, is the ceiling for the first floor.

Performance thermal insulation works in the underground is not much more complicated than the same work when insulating the floor of the second floor, but it has a number of features. Before starting work, you need to prepare the place and provide yourself with both minimum comfort and the necessary level of safety.

Most likely, there are no windows in the basement, so first of all you need to take care of sufficient lighting. If there are no stationary lamps, Waterproof portable light sources with a flexible cord of sufficient length should be used.

For the same reason, there is extremely poor natural ventilation in the underground space, and sometimes it is completely absent. Unfortunately, many builders do not take this factor into account, which has an extremely negative impact on labor productivity. Exhaled carbon dioxide heavier than other gases that make up the atmospheric air, and therefore tends to the bottom.

And since the underground is the lowest point, carbon dioxide accumulates here, disrupts the worker’s full breathing, causes increased fatigue, drowsiness and, in especially severe cases, fainting. That's why it is very important to ensure sufficient supply ventilation from inside the house or from the street.

Of course, while work is being carried out in the basement, it is necessary to remove all things, food and other objects stored there that interfere with the unhindered movement of the repairman.

If there is open ground in the underground, if possible it should be leveled and compacted. In the best case, if the budget allows, pour concrete to a minimum height of 10 cm with reinforcement, thereby significantly reducing the humidity in the underground space. This will significantly extend the service life of both the load-bearing elements of the plinth and the wooden floor structures.

In the absence of natural passive ventilation of the subfloor, it would not be a bad idea to external walls small (about 10*10 cm) ventilation vents. This will improve the microclimate in the cellar, additionally prevent an increase in humidity and, as a result, avoid damage mold fungus wooden structures.

Having finished preparatory work, first of all, you need to check the condition of the load-bearing elements - beams, joists, support posts.

Having identified areas of mold damage, thoroughly clean the surface with a spatula and sandpaper (popularly called “sandpaper”), and then soak it twice with antiseptic solutions. Then all available wooden elements are generously impregnated with fire and bio- protective compounds, dry thoroughly.

If the foundation and plinth are built using concrete or brick (block), these areas must be treated with bitumen mastic to protect them from moisture. If work is carried out on days of high atmospheric humidity, it may be necessary to additionally dry them using heating equipment.

In some cases, a conventional household fan heater will be sufficient, but for large underground spaces, a construction heat gun may be required. In no case Do not use gas or petrol/diesel heat gun , it is permissible to use only an electric one, and it should not be left unattended for safety reasons.

For insulation from below, it is quite inconvenient to carry out work with rolled heat-insulating materials, such as mineral wool or isolon. Moreover, bulk materials such as sawdust, expanded clay and the like are not suitable for these purposes. Therefore, preference should be given to insulation in sheets - penoplex, polystyrene foam, and so on.

First of all, you should fix the vapor barrier material, in most cases it is plastic film. For underground conditions, it is preferable to choose a film with a thickness of 350 microns, if possible even denser.

It must be secured, ensuring complete adherence with a construction stapler along the joists (beams), taking into account all irregularities, bends and height differences; in places where it sags, additionally secure it along the floor boards. The film fragments must be laid with an overlap of at least 10 cm over one another, and the edges must be secured with wide adhesive tape. The overlap on walls and vertical structures is at least 25 cm.

After this, you need to begin installing heat-insulating material in the gaps between the joists. If possible, the fragments of the insulation should be cut so that there are no unnecessary gaps between them and the joists, and the insulation itself does not fall out. If necessary, if the fragment does not hold onto the joists with its edges, it can be temporarily secured with self-tapping screws and the gap between its edges and the joists can be filled polyurethane foam.

It should be remembered that metal self-tapping screws have a very high thermal conductivity, so after the construction foam has hardened, they all need to be removed.

Also, after laying the heat-insulating material over the entire surface of the ceiling, all gaps that inevitably arise must be filled with polyurethane foam, and after it has hardened, the protruding excess must be cut off.

After this, to ensure more reliable retention of the heat-insulating material, you need to secure it from below with a light hem. The most economical option is fiberboard sheets, but low-grade plywood, edged boards and a number of other materials are also suitable. You should not use gypsum plasterboard ( plasterboard sheet) due to its high hygroscopicity and fragility.

After completing the filing, you should attach another layer of vapor and waterproofing. You can also use plastic film. IN in this case It is permissible to use isolon, folgoizol and other composite materials.

Above

In this case, there are two options for insulation, fundamentally different from one another:

  • Without dismantling the floor covering. Joists are laid on the old floor, insulation is placed between them and a new floor covering is placed on top.
  • With dismantling. In this case, the boards are marked, dismantled and removed from the room where they are being repaired. The insulation is installed between the existing joists, then the floor boards are installed back.

In the first case, the floor level is raised - depending on the technology used, by a height of 10 to 25, and in some cases by 30 cm. This method is economically more expensive and reduces the usable volume of the room. But if the budget allows and the ceilings are high enough, this option can significantly reduce the time it takes to complete the work.

In the second case, the floor height remains at the same level, but more labor and time will be required from the builder.

Whatever option is chosen, before starting all work, you need to remove all the furniture from the room, clear the floor of carpet or other covering, and remove the baseboard.

First you need to check the condition of the floor boards. Elements damaged by rotting or affected by mold must be replaced, unstable ones must be fixed. On old boards you need to apply primer, antiseptic impregnation and dry, if necessary, use additional sources heat.

As when inspecting the underground space, areas affected by fungus, but remaining strong, must be cleaned down to healthy wood and generously soaked in antiseptics.

Experienced builders recommend for these purposes using a composition that is practical and completely safe for humans and pets, but so unloved by rodents and wood-boring insects - cool solution of ordinary table salt. To prepare it, add salt to hot water until it stops stirring.

The areas of the board that have been previously cleared of mold from the outside are thickly spilled with a hot saline solution. Any gaps or cracks found between the boards must be filled. construction foam, level the top with oil-based putty or acrylic base. After drying, lay a waterproofing material - polyethylene film or penofol, and glue the joints with wide tape.

After this, the logs are laid. You should choose timber from coniferous species wood, the minimum cross-section of which is 50*50mm. However, if the floor of the lower floor is insulated and enhanced thermal insulation is required, then, accordingly, a beam of a larger cross-section is required.

Preferably dried timber without visible deformations (without bending along any axes), chips or other damage. It is important to take into account that there should be a gap of 1 - 2 cm between the insulation and the top board for natural microcirculation of air and humidity compensation, therefore the height of the material for the logs must be calculated with a margin.

As a frame, in addition to timber, it is permissible to use an edged board with a thickness of 50 mm or more of the appropriate width, installed on the edge (the wider side will be located vertically) - in this case, a more rigid fastening of the boards to the floor is required. You may need metal corners with a shelf length of at least half the width of the board: for example, if a board with a cross-section of 50*120 mm is selected for installation on an edge, then the shelf length of the metal corner must be at least 60 mm. The installation step of the corners is no more than 1 meter.

It is strongly not recommended to use unedged materials, since larvae or even adult individuals of wood-boring insects can remain in the wane (remnants of bark) on the wood, and, unfortunately, it is not always possible to eliminate them with the help of bioprotective impregnations.

Laying should begin from the highest area selected using a building level. The lag laying scheme is quite simple. The step must be kept constant - from 50 to 60 cm. It should be kept as horizontal as possible, if necessary, placing hard inserts resistant to moisture and fungus underneath. The logs are attached to the floor with self-tapping screws in increments of 100-120 cm.

Heat-insulating material is placed in the space between the joists. When insulating from above, the choice is no longer limited to sheet insulation. In this case, it is possible to lay plywood of sufficient thickness on the floor rather than boards, then the floor will last even a little longer.

DIY work algorithm

Insulation from above with the dismantling of floor boards implies that the floor boards have been checked, their condition is satisfactory and they do not need to be replaced.

Before dismantling, the boards must be marked, indicating their order and orientation, since in the case of using tongue-and-groove boards or with a tongue-and-groove fastening, an error in orientation will disrupt their mutual fastening. The top side will be indicated by the surface on which the marking is applied.

Dismantling must be done with the utmost care, without damaging the material. If the boards are fastened with self-tapping screws, they all need to be unscrewed and only then lifted one at a time, starting from the edge of the room.

Old paint can create some difficulty when finding fastening points with self-tapping screws if the floor has been painted. A simple method will help with this - using a magnet, perhaps from an old speaker (speaker). Although today a more powerful neodymium magnet is relatively inexpensive. Use it to find the head of the screw, use a spatula to remove the paint, and unscrew the screw.

Dismantling is performed a little differently if the boards are nailed. Under no circumstances should you try to remove nails with pliers or a nail puller; this will only lead to damage to the board. Nail heads can also be easily found with a magnet; these places are marked with a marker.

Builders of the “old school” use an ax to dismantle boards: they carefully wedge it between the joist and the board, without damaging either one, and lift the edge of the board with a slight rocking.

You can use a pry bar or a flat-tipped nail gun. There is no need to try to lift the entire board at once, wedging it with an ax in only one place, as this may cause the wood to split.

Raise the board at each attachment point on small height, then walk along the board again, repeating this operation. When the edge is already noticeably raised, place additional support under the tool and lift the entire board. Wherein It is important to ensure that the tongue or tongue of the board is not damaged.

Old nails need to be knocked out with a hammer from the point side, and when the nail head rises above the board, remove it using tongs or pliers. Having removed the boards, the builder opens the logs and, if their condition is satisfactory, lays plastic film using construction stapler, fastens the joints with tape and installs heat-insulating material.

In both cases, with open joists, they should be impregnated with fire and bioprotective substances and thoroughly dried before laying the insulation.

If bulk material is used - be it sawdust, wood concrete granules, expanded clay or any other, it is necessary to carefully level the layer of insulating material, avoiding too loose laying or, conversely, excessive compaction, and fill all irregularities and cracks. When using rolled materials, you must try to cut in accordance with the geometry of the space between the joists, avoid tears and creasing, and do not leave voids.

It should be remembered that many rolled heat-insulating materials, when wet, lose their properties and turn from a heat insulator into a heat conductor. When working with sheet material, you should try to cut as accurately as possible, avoid bending the sheets, fill gaps and voids with foam.

Upon completion of laying the heat insulator, regardless of how hygroscopic the material is, you should again lay polyethylene or other moisture-proofing film, and after that install the boards.

Materials for thermal insulation

The modern market offers enough wide choose materials for thermal insulation, and it can be difficult for an inexperienced home craftsman to choose the most suitable insulation for a wooden floor.

In addition to price, each type of material has its own advantages, and some have obvious disadvantages:

  • Penoplex. Sheet insulation, produced in a fairly wide range of thicknesses. Quite durable and at the same time easily processed material with high heat-insulating characteristics, resistant to moisture and mechanical stress. For ease of installation, it is available in a tongue-and-groove version. Afraid of high temperatures and organic solvents. Unattractive to rodents and insects.
  • Styrofoam. Unlike its older brother - penoplex, it is softer, less resistant to moisture, and can crumble when cut. At the same time, it has a much lower density and, as a result, a slightly greater thermal insulation ability. Unlike penoplex and EPS, it does not contain styrene, that is, it is somewhat safer when used in living rooms.

  • EPPS– extruded polystyrene foam. Essentially, this is the same penoplex, but with slight differences in production technology. In terms of characteristics, it is in no way inferior to or superior to it.
  • Sawdust. This bulk material is very cheap, in some cases even free, since it is actually a production waste. One of the most environmentally friendly and safe materials for humans and pets. It should be remembered that sawdust in pure form it cannot be laid, otherwise an invasion of rodents and insects cannot be avoided. Sawdust must be mixed with cement or clay, and fire retardant, antiseptic and antifungal solutions must be added. Sawdust is intolerant to dampness and, without proper treatment and moisture insulation, is easily susceptible to rotting and mold. Over time they cake, losing their insulating qualities.
  • Expanded clay. Light porous bulk material made of baked clay, which is why it is absolutely harmless. Resistant to high temperatures. Expanded clay does not have closed pores, which is why it is hygroscopic and requires high-quality waterproofing.

  • Penofol. It is foamed polyethylene with aluminum foil applied to one side (less often on both sides). It has high moisture resistance and is noticeably inferior to foam plastic in terms of thermal insulation characteristics. Very sensitive to even slight heat. Not damaged by fungus, not susceptible to rotting. When using, one feature should be taken into account - the foil side should be facing the warm room.
  • Izospan. High quality material for vapor and waterproofing. Used as protection against moisture, it allows wooden structures to “breathe”, that is, it does not interfere with air exchange with the environment. Flammable Resistant to fungal attack.
  • Izolon. Foamed polyethylene without foil. Due to the nature of production, it is not produced with a thickness greater than 7 mm, therefore it has no practical use as a heat insulator. At the same time, this is a high-quality waterproofing material with some sound insulating properties. Sensitive to high temperatures, resistant to fungus, not damaged by rodents or insects.

  • Ecowool. Extrusion material based on cellulose. Rarely used in private housing construction, since application requires specialized equipment and trained personnel. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a contractor to, in order to reduce costs, violate the recipe of the original composition, as a result of which this material with high thermal insulation characteristics begins to evaporate toxic substances over time. environment.
  • Polyurethane foam, like cellulose ecowool, requires specialized equipment for application. No harmful substances are used in the composition. When cured, it forms closed pores, which eliminates any evaporation of substances into the environment. It is not subject to recipe violations on the part of the contractor. Frost- and heat-resistant, not susceptible to rotting, mold, or fungal attack. It has high noise and heat insulating characteristics.
  • Mineral wool. One of the most undemanding and easy to use heat-insulating materials. It is afraid of moisture, but after drying it restores its properties. Thanks to the filling with mineral chips, it prevents damage by rodents or insects, and the absence of organic fillers prevents rotting or mold damage. Easily wrinkled material, therefore requires careful handling

When choosing an insulating material, be sure to read the instructions for use attached to it. This document describes in detail the characteristics: thermal conductivity, permissible temperature range, humidity, and so on.

Typical errors

In some cases, builders, relying on the moisture resistance of the material declared by the manufacturer, neglect additional waterproofing. When sudden temperature changes occur in a high-humidity environment, condensation can form, as does water flowing directly from a room through cracks in the floor. When water freezes, it causes cracking or rupture of pores in the material, which sharply reduces the thermal insulation qualities.

When insulating the floor of the first floor with polystyrene foam, the material is sometimes left exposed. The fact is that mice often gnaw on polystyrene foam, taking its crumbs and “insulating” their holes with it. This approach helps to preserve the vapor barrier layer and, if necessary, update the heat insulation sheets without any problems.

It happens that a builder saves on tape and leaves the overlap of plastic film unsecured. The moisture contained in the air penetrates through the edges of the film into the mineral wool and it becomes damp. That's why It is important to ensure that workers comply with the work technology.

Examples of successful designs

Consider the following:

  • A classic “pie” when insulating from above using a screed under the finished floor.

  • Installation of logs “staggered”, filling with expanded clay on top of the film, covering with plywood.

  • High-quality filling of gaps between joists and sheets with construction foam.
  • Laying slabs in the space between the beams on top of a layer of isospan.

  • Application wide boards, mounted on edge.
  • Double-sided mineral wool waterproofing.

Probably, many home owners ask themselves the following questions: Do I need to insulate the floors? Will there be any benefit from an insulated floor? How to insulate an old floor without removing it?

We can say with confidence that it is necessary to insulate the floors, since its insulation will help reduce heating costs and you will feel the benefits of this quite quickly. And the main advantage of this process is that you can insulate a wooden floor without removing it.

Houses made of wood have remained very popular for many years, since they are relatively inexpensive, can last for decades, or even a hundred years, and they are also distinguished by their quality and comfort. If your house is built correctly and has excellent insulation, then you can forget about cold winters while living in such a building.

But, if you intend to make your home even warmer, we recommend that you start insulating the floor, since in a cold state it can reduce the temperature, which will lead to higher heating costs.

Double floor

A double floor implies a structure of two levels:

  • Draft - boards attached to the beams, on which layers of thermal insulation will be laid;
  • Finishing - the level that serves as the basis for laying the last layer of insulation.

Insulation options and what materials are needed.

There are many options for floor insulation that you can find on any building materials market.

We will offer you the most popular and effective insulation materials:

  • Mineral wool is an excellent, soft material that has a good price and has a high thermal insulation value. Mineral wool can be classified as a safe insulation material that does not emit harmful substances and does not burn;
  • Polyurethane foam - mainly used for vapor barrier;
  • Expanded clay - has good thermal insulation properties, but has a fairly high cost;
  • Penofol, penoplex, polystyrene foam are synthetic materials that reflect thermal radiation well and are fireproof.

Installation technology

How to insulate the floor in a wooden house without dismantling the floor? Very easy. Now we will present you with a simple option on how to properly insulate the floor in a room cheaply. So, let's begin.

Work should begin with the organization of a “thermal insulation cake”, which will have several insulating layers. To organize it you need:

  • Create a structure from logs;
  • Installation of facing boards on logs;
  • Lay thermal insulation material between the joists so that the gaps are minimal.
  • You can fill the cracks with foam;
  • We lay a layer of insulation and install it on top vapor barrier film, which needs to be attached to the joists, secure the overlaps with tape;
  • We install the selected floor covering.

The insulation of the floor on the ground will be a “pie” of many layers, which will be presented:

  1. Mother soil;
  2. Bulk layer of soil;
  3. Large crushed stone;
  4. Sand or cement mortar (which will be needed to level the crushed stone);
  5. Waterproofing (in the underground of the house it will prevent moisture from not only the floor, but also the house itself);
  6. Insulation (polyurethane foam, mineral wool, penofol are perfect. You can also insulate the floor with expanded clay, which has good thermal insulation qualities, but also has a high cost.

A good option is penoplex. It is as easy to insulate a floor with penoplex as with other materials).

  • Screed (main and main layer of the structure);
  • Floor covering (“finishing” layer).

To make an effective design, you will be required to good materials, patience and several helpers. If you cope with the task, then insulated floors on the ground will retain heat well in your home and will not allow the cold to penetrate.

Calculation of insulation thickness

It is worth considering the fact that each insulation must have its own thickness, which will minimize heat loss.

Here is a list of the required thickness for various insulation materials:

  • Polystyrene foam - for a wooden house - 300 mm, for a concrete house - 200 mm;
  • Mineral wool - at least 300-400 mm;
  • Expanded clay - 300-400 mm;
  • Polyurethane foam, penoplex, penofol - at least 100 mm;

Mineral wool

As was previously written in the article, mineral wool is a popular material that is non-flammable, resistant to shrinkage, deformation, as well as fungi and mold.

Before laying mineral wool, the sheathing must already have a thermal insulation material that will protect it from moisture. If there is already a layer of waterproofing, then we install mineral wool, the sheets of which must be pressed tightly against each other to avoid cracks and gaps. After laying the mineral wool, we apply a layer of vapor barrier, then we proceed to install the floor covering.

Expanded clay

It consists of porous balls of various sizes that have good thermal insulation properties. Expanded clay is very durable, safe for use, has soundproofing qualities, and in addition, it has a long service life. It is also worth noting its resistance to various temperatures. The process of insulation with these materials is a rather labor-intensive process. After that, they are poured onto a coating with waterproofing, then compacted and filled with cement.

Styrofoam

This material is distinguished by its lightness and ease of installation, withstands moisture well, has good sound insulation, and has a long service life. But its only drawback is its low fire safety, that is, it can ignite.

Before laying the foam, there must be a layer of waterproofing on the surface where it will be installed. Afterwards, foam blocks are installed on the surface, followed by a layer of waterproofing and vapor barrier.

Penoplex

Between the joists we lay a layer of insulation, then a subfloor is made on top, on which we can then lay the finished floor. Advice - the gaps between the foam sheets can be sealed with polyurethane foam. Also, penoplex can be used to insulate not only the floor, but also the house itself.

Penofol

Laying penofol from other insulation materials, in fact, is not particularly different. As with any insulation, we prepare the surface, organize a vapor barrier and install the insulation, on which we apply a layer of penofol. When the penofol layer is installed, we begin laying the flooring.

How to insulate a concrete floor

Now we will move a little away from the article and talk a little about choosing insulation for a concrete floor.

The following insulation materials are ideal for concrete floors:

  1. mineral wool;
  2. Styrofoam;
  3. expanded clay;
  4. cork insulation, etc.

How to insulate a floor in a frame house

You can also insulate the floor with your own hands in a frame house without removing the old floor on the first floor. In fact, insulation in such a house is no different from insulating a wooden house. We nail bars along the entire length to the joists and then install boards or OSB boards on top. To make a waterproofing coating, we make the flooring from a waterproof film that will not allow moisture to pass through. Then, we proceed to the insulation layer.

What is the quality material and what is the best way to insulate the floor? In the room, you can insulate the floor with penoplex, expanded clay, mineral wool, and polyurethane foam. Is it possible to insulate the floor with penofol? Yes, you can. This material is almost no different from those presented above. It is also suitable for this process and will create a good insulating effect.

How to insulate a floor in a private house

Floor insulation in a private house is carried out according to the same principle as in a wooden one. The only difference may be the presence of a concrete floor rather than a wooden one.

How to insulate the floor in an apartment

The construction of an insulated surface of an apartment (on any floor) is also not very different from the insulation of wooden or frame house.

As in a private house, the insulation process begins with the creation of logs, on which boards or OSB sheets are laid, after which we lay down waterproofing and the insulation layer itself. If the insulation is laid, we proceed to install the flooring.

There is another way to insulate an apartment, but it is suitable for those who live on the 1st floor. We can say that you are very lucky to live on such a floor, since you can insulate the basement floor from the basement.

Thanks to this method, there is no need to dismantle, remove or disassemble the old floor, which makes the work much easier. So, you won’t face the tedious process of creating a new floor.

As you can see, there are many materials for insulation and creating a high-quality, full-fledged wooden floor that will delight you on cold winter evenings.

homeframe.ru

How to insulate a floor in an old wooden house

Hello! We got the old one country house. A good-quality wooden frame, quite warm, but cold floor. We often visit it in the off-season and, no matter how hard we fire the stove, you can’t walk on the boards barefoot, your feet get cold. Tell me how I can insulate it, maybe lay something on top? After all, today there are a lot of different insulation materials; the store advised us to use foil Teplon.

There is no simple answer to your question. Or, rather, there is: most likely, you can only put a traditional rug on the floor of an old village house - and nothing more.

The fact is that in Russian huts (and German houses, by the way, too) they did not not only insulate, but also waterproof the floor, although these technologies have long been known. Unfilled underground space the best way combined with stove heating, provides optimal humidity, warmth in winter (the ground does not freeze) and coolness in summer. If your house is really built in accordance with the canons of folk architecture, most likely, under thick floorboards and one or two powerful joists there is open ground, probably well-trodden clay. Yes, you yourself mention something similar. Therefore, even if your hut is built in a dry place, moisture penetrates from the “damp ground” into the underground space. It can go outside through holes in the foundation or into the room through holes in the floor, gaps between boards, and even the wood itself.


Neither waterproofing nor floor insulation was done in a traditional wooden house - only ventilation

If this is the case and there is no waterproofing, placing a thin layer of insulation (cork, foamed polyethylene of any brand, insulated linoleum) on the boards that is impenetrable to water vapor will lead to waterlogging of the floor boards and their accelerated destruction. And the low ceiling of the hut will not allow building an additional layer on top with a breathable heat insulator, a ventilated gap and a new flooring.

Our advice: put carpet on the floor, only on a woven, not solid PVC base. The presence of natural fibers in the pile will make it warmer to the touch. Remove the wool rug from the wall and place it on the floor.

If the carpets do not give the desired result, and the desire to increase the comfort in the home is great, you will have to open up the floors.


To effectively insulate the floor in an old wooden house, you will first have to disassemble it

Remove the boards, level the level with sand if necessary, and carefully spread waterproofing on the ground. It is easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to use a vapor barrier roofing film, carefully pressing and gluing it to the foundation and the columns on which the logs stand. You can press wooden planks, and glue it to uneven concrete or rubble with construction sealant or assembly adhesive. Place a layer of mineral wool, glass wool on the film or sprinkle expanded clay, perlite, agloporite, and broken foam glass.


Expanded clay is not the most effective, but inexpensive and almost non-moisture-absorbing insulation.

Thermal insulation based organic materials(sawdust, fire concrete, ecowool) can be used if you are sure that you have completely eliminated the penetration of moisture. A layer of insulation of any type - the thicker, but between it and the floor boards it is necessary to leave a gap of at least 4 cm for ventilation.


Don't forget about the ventilation gap

Now you can lay the boards back, at the same time checking their condition and treating them with reverse side protective agent - will last longer. And if you really want to create comfort, as in the royal chambers, you can contrive to remove the sleeve from the stove, cover the insulation with windproofing to prevent dust, and, if necessary, blow warm air into the underground space with a fan. But this is a topic for another discussion.

Various options for insulating a wooden floor on the ground. Details depend on the features of the existing structure, but in all cases waterproofing is required

And, in fact, you’re supposed to walk on the floor in a hut not barefoot, but in homemade felt boots :)

mrpol.su

Independent floor insulation in a wooden house - 3 options for high-quality installation

Most modern people associate wooden houses 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.

Floor insulation with cotton slabs.

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.


Types of insulation.

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.

Laying Penoplex between the joists.

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.


Vapor barrier over mineral wool.

  • 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 of about 50 cm on the old beam. 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;

Installation of insulation with a ventilation gap.

  • 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. An unedged board with a thickness of about 20–30 mm is well suited for these purposes. The question of what can be impregnated with is 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;

Insulation scheme based on joists.

  • 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 levels 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 slab insulation is flush with the joists.

  • 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 leave a 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 finishing wooden floor do not provide proper ventilation from below, the boards will sooner or later begin to deteriorate;

  • Top layer Naturally, the finishing wooden covering is laid.

Filling the floor with ecowool.

Option No. 2. Insulate the floor above the cellar

Proper insulation of the floor below in a wooden house is, in general, carried out using a similar technology, but believe me, it is much easier to do. 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.


Subfloor laid on a cranial beam.

  • 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;

Installation of insulation from below.

  • 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.

Floor insulation algorithm.

Using a similar technology, the second floor is also being built, or more precisely, the wooden interfloor between the first and second floors along the joists. The only difference is that instead of a subfloor layer, most often lining or some sheet material, such as plywood or drywall, is sewn underneath.


Scheme interfloor covering.

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

Solid floor in a wooden house concrete base can be insulated using two technologies: installation on joists and arrangement of screeds. 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.

Reinforcing mesh for screed on Penoplex.

Compared to the two previous options, a concrete slab, in my opinion, is much easier to insulate. As a rule, such a base initially has an 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 same load-bearing logs for us.

Only first the concrete must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. 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.


Insulation of a wooden floor on concrete.

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 that the 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.

Reinforced screed for expanded clay.

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.

Insulation with expanded clay.

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 are talking about cooking on our own, I will take the liberty of giving you the 2 most popular recipes:

Sawdust as an environmentally friendly insulation material.

  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;

Lime fluff.

  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.

Insulating board made of sawdust.

  • 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;


Different fractions of expanded clay.

  • 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;

Insulation of a wooden floor with polystyrene foam.

  • 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.

Basalt slabs of mineral wool.

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 screed in a wooden house. In addition, mice are not particularly fond of it either;

Penoplex insulation from the basement side.

  • 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;


Fluffing ecowool.

  • 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. According to its characteristics, polyurethane foam is close to extruded polystyrene foam, but it will not withstand screed. The best option here is foaming 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;

Filling with polyurethane foam.

  • 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;

Filling with penoizol.

  • 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.

Canvas isolon.

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 photo and video in this article I placed Additional information on the topic of insulation. If you have any questions, write them in the comments, I will try to help.

Warm floor in a wooden house.

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How important is floor insulation in a wooden home for you?

How to insulate the floor in a wooden house without dismantling the floor?

For comfort and convenience in a personal home, it is not enough to have walls and a roof.

It is extremely important that your home is always cozy in winter and comfortable in summer. Therefore, it is extremely important how carefully you treat the insulation of the floor in a wooden house. This circumstance helps to create not only a generally favorable microclimate for your home in the cold winter, but you will also feel how significantly the heating costs of your mansion have dropped. Since up to one third of the heat you create can escape directly through an uninsulated floor.

High-quality thermal insulation of the floor makes it possible to maintain a known desired temperature in the building as a whole, and prevents excessive moisture, mold, and condensation from escaping into the rooms. The great popularity of this method of constructing wooden buildings has posed an urgent problem: how to insulate the floor in a wooden house without dismantling the floor and what technologies and, of course, materials can be assembled to achieve the desired goal?

And so we begin the selection of materials for insulation.

The essential quality of insulation of floor structures is directly related to the insulation of housing. And it all depends on the right choice of materials. Progressive industry in all countries offers a fairly diverse selection of all types of various thermal insulation.

Fiberglass, stone or mineral wool. All these materials differ in the highest level of technological thermal insulation and greater noise absorption. If single-layer insulation is performed, mats made from these bulk materials or bulk insulation rolled into rolls are used. Options for thermal insulation in mats, the so-called piece version, are also considered to be the most resilient, and they are also the most durable.

How to cheaply insulate a wooden floor in a house?

Penoplex, as well as expanded polystyrene, is - thermal insulation materials, which can be used for insulation of almost all systems. Most of them differ, first of all, in their low price. These materials are relatively durable, and at the same time, for their level, they provide excellent thermal insulation of structures.

Thermal insulation is made from such materials using spraying or laying. This method is considered more economical, successful and technologically advanced. More such insulation is performed in new homes.

Mineral wool;

  • Thermal conductivity is low;
  • The material is loose and free-flowing, therefore not dense;
  • Great water repellency;
  • Long-term resistance to decomposition;
  • Improved price/quality ratio;
  • Purity of the material according to GOST for ecology;
  • Chem. resistance to the surrounding environment;
  • Resistance to various microorganisms;
  • Elementary installation and processing;
  • Natural ecological impeccability.

For the sake of an environmentally friendly log building, as a rule, only environmentally friendly materials are used. An important issue in this selection of the basis for insulation is not to spoil in any way this impeccable aura that the log walls and floor are ready to form. For this reason, the selection of thermal insulation is also forced to comply with environmental conditions.

The use of fiberglass or rottisite wool absolutely meets the conditions of environmental friendliness. You just need to take into account one fact, that in this situation, harmless resins are not used in these materials for the purpose of connecting fibers. The presence of phenol-formaldehyde resin in mineral wool insulation possible to see due to the brownish tint of the material used. These additives make fiberglass yellowish.

The safety of using polystyrene foam for flooring is directly dependent on the density properties of the material used. It is important that the floor is thoroughly dried so that the insulation materials do not contain compounds that quickly evaporate, which are ready to poison the human body when the temperature increases. For example, styrene can also provoke diseases such as toxic hepatitis, leukemia, etc. in humans.

Foam insulation technology

When selecting and using materials for floor insulation, it is important to carefully examine their composition and become familiar with the certificates of their environmental protection. Most of the current thermal insulation materials used are made in compliance with all international environmental conditions. In these materials used, the connecting link is considered to be a combination of acrylic and latex, which are safe for health.

Thermal insulation service life;

It is currently quite difficult to establish to what extent the thermal insulation used to insulate the floor will be reliable. When selecting types of insulation, many of their properties should be taken into account.

For example, many used materials, after pressure on them with a certain load, no longer restore their original size. In this case, there is one caveat: many of their fibers simply break. For this reason, such materials used have weak contact with beams and floor joists. Such systems create conditions for the emergence of cold bridges. In addition, in areas of non-compact fit of thermal insulation, condensation is likely to occur.

In order to select high-quality insulation, press on a small piece of it (for example, you can put your foot on it). If after this pressure it acquires its own initial configuration, it can be purchased. If the material is kept thin, it will not be suitable for you.

How to increase the thermal insulation properties of a floor?

How to insulate the floor in a wooden house without disassembling it?

Naturally, when insulating, you can’t limit yourself to thermal insulation mats made of moisture-proof plywood. For example, very often specialized insulated types of finishing material are used, such as heat-insulating thick linoleum, dual-layer carpet flooring.

Often directly under the finishing flooring floor coverings For example, under the parquet, wood-fiber boards or wood-fiber tiles or other suitable materials are laid.

Double floor

An additional type of insulation of a log building, especially its 1st floor, is considered to be additional insulation of the base of the house. In addition, it is necessary to thoroughly check all the ventilation openings in the basement rooms without exception.

So the question arises, how to insulate floors in a wooden house? The type of insulation in the double floor version is used quite often. In this case, the initial layer will be a preliminary flooring, for example, from rough boards firmly fixed to the beams. The tight fit of the rough boards to each other is very important, since there should be no gaps left. On top of them, an ordinary finishing flooring is applied, and then (if necessary) a finishing coating with various decorating materials.

Instead of a dirty floor, a variety of flooring is often used. Similar floorings often use embossed or smoothed floor coverings that have a high degree of thermal insulation. Such materials used do not concentrate debris in any way, and from their surface it is easy to sweep away all kinds of debris and dust, or pick them up with a vacuum cleaner.

Such and similar coverings are simply glued to the floor with bustilate glue, spreading it in the form of strips on the used material. The joints are thoroughly glued.

Insulation with fiberboard support

The use of wood fiber insulation for floor insulation is quite common. Fiberboards can be laid both under the finishing coating and on the main floor boards, for example, under parquet, linoleum, carpet, laminate or other used materials.

The slabs are placed in the floor one at a time, following the accuracy and uniformity of the joints, avoiding all kinds of cracks. For the purpose of such work, they can be used Various types slabs More famous are PT-STO and M-20. These slabs prevent frost from penetrating into the home from under the floor. In addition, the use of fiberboard insulation is in addition to the use of rottisite wool or other types of thermal insulation.

The concept of "hot floors"

One of the most well-known technologies is the concept of “hot floors”. In particular, this concept is often applicable when pouring a floor at the base of a cement screed, which requires heating. This concept is used in combination with the use of classical materials used for the purpose of insulation.

This concept makes it possible to achieve measured heating of the floor plane. A more comfortable cryo temperature is formed in absolutely the entire room, and not just under the ceiling. The moisture in the building is significantly reduced. The use of heated floors in the 1st floors of a wooden building is especially important.

The concept of a water “hot floor”

A similar concept is carried out in the following order:

  1. The base of the floor (cement screed) is poured or concrete slabs are laid.
  2. One or another insulation is placed, its layer can have from 2 to 10 cm.
  3. Reinforcement grid is installed.
  4. The pipeline concept is being installed. It is secured with plastic clamps to a grid of reinforcement.
  5. The floor is filled with optimal materials (the concept of poured floors).
  6. A substrate is used if necessary.
  7. Then the finishing floors, the so-called floor coverings, are placed.

Electric “hot floors” in a wooden house

It is much easier to implement electric heated floors. It is possible to use cable systems or film heating components. In this case, the wire can be stretched in an iron mesh attached to the joists.

If film infrared electrical materials, they have every chance of being placed directly into the screed, protected by a gasket made of heat-insulating materials.

When performing thermal insulation using a wooden floor or parquet, maintain at least 1 centimeter of distance between the wall and the floor. A tree is always capable of changing its own volumes and shapes, depending on moisture and temperature.

It is more correct to carry out thermal insulation activities during the construction of the building, taking it into account during design.

The pair concept of gender is considered predominant. This concept guarantees the necessary ventilation and makes it possible to eliminate the occurrence of mold and mildew.

Additional thermal insulation should be carried out with simple materials, so as not to form a significant load on the foundation of the house.

Materials for thermal insulation purposes must be environmentally friendly and non-flammable.

Tips for insulation

When performing thermal insulation using a wooden floor or parquet, leave at least a 1-centimeter gap between the wall and the floor. Since wood is capable of changing its volume and shape, depending on moisture and temperature.

It is more correct to carry out thermal insulation activities even during the construction of the building, taking it into account during design.

The dual concept of gender is considered predominant. This concept guarantees the necessary ventilation and makes it possible to eliminate the occurrence of mold and mildew.

Additional thermal insulation should be carried out using simple and time-tested materials, so as not to create a significant load on the foundation of the house.

Materials for thermal insulation must be environmentally friendly and non-flammable.

What does the European market of thermal insulation materials offer today?

The variety of thermal insulation materials used in today's building market often leads consumers to a hopeless situation. In order to correctly select the material used, you should understand its characteristic features and abilities.

Material; Insulate.

This is a thermal insulation source in rolls made in China. The property of the material is quite high, at a low cost. The insulation is suitable for thermal insulation purposes various systems.

Material; Ursa

URSA Insulation material

One of the most famous thermal insulation materials. This source is more used for horizontal planes. Having at its disposal a low cost, good thermal insulation and sound insulation properties.

Material; Thermolife

Used for light loads on thermal insulation. It is more used for the purpose of insulating roof walls, or ceilings, or interfloor spaces. Can be used on horizontal, vertical and oblique surfaces.

Similar thermal insulation materials are no less common, such as: Teplex, Isovent, Isolite, Rockwool, Penoplex and numerous other types of thermal insulation. It is important to make the right selection in the interests of your own wooden building.

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