There are people to whom the expression "styrofoam house" seems silly and not everyone is able to take it seriously. In some way, this phrase is correct, because it is foam blocks that are used to build a house, which are further reinforced with concrete.
We build a house from foam
To date, one Japanese company offers the consumer kits for building foam house with your own hands. Such Japanese houses, in their opinion, have a lot of advantages, one of which is resistance to earthquakes. This manufacturing company has loudly called its Japanese homes the housing of the 21st century.
The technical features of such a unique material are shown in the table.
Further in the article, we will talk with you in more detail about foam structures, and tell you how positive qualities can boast of such a skin. We will also reveal the secret of the technology for performing work, after which you will be able to build housing from foam plastic with your own hands.
Advantages of a foam house
We build a house from foam
To tell you about foam plastic buildings, it is worth highlighting a number of advantages that a building made of foam blocks can boast of:
- Foam blocks help build a very warm structure
Such a heater, as it were, envelops reinforced concrete profiles on each side.
- A house made of foam blocks is able to perform the function of a "thermos"
Such a building can adequately hold warm air not only in the cold season, but also to keep cool on hot days.
- Available formwork
Formwork is not familiar to everyone shields that need to be strengthened and exposed. At their core, these are blocks of foam, in the middle of which there is a cavity. According to some characteristics, such a material is very similar to cinder block, and outwardly you cannot distinguish them from each other at all. When constructing a building from block foam, you fill its insides with a concrete mass, having installed reinforcement there in advance.
- Possibility to use fixed formwork
This formwork is presented as a complete material. Technology installation work the same: install blocks, mount reinforcement and pour concrete mortar into it. In principle, such formwork can be presented in 3 varieties: as slabs, blocks or standard panel formwork, which is fixed to each other with specialized jumpers. The use of panel formwork is the most affordable option from a financial point of view, but working according to such a scheme is not as easy as we would like.
The most suitable exit self-fulfillment construction works- the use of blocks that are so reminiscent of a long-familiar cinder block.
Also, the foam and concrete structure has some negative aspects, the most significant of which is the "thermos" effect. You can overcome it only by installing a high-quality system in the house. forced ventilation, which makes the work performed more expensive.
Another, no less unpleasant moment is the environmental friendliness of the structure, which, even with dense clogging with plaster, is out of the question. It is also worth noting the possibility of ignition of the material, after which toxic substances will be released during combustion, which can even kill a person.
As you can see, not everything is as rosy as it might seem at first glance.
We build a house from foam
Do-it-yourself foam house
Basically, all buildings, no matter what material, are built using a single technology:
- the foundation is being laid;
- walls are being built;
- structure is roofed.
The only difference can be seen only when building walls, which we will talk about in more detail a little later.
Well, the technology for performing work is carried out in the following order:
- The base layer of foam formwork is laid on a carefully prepared foundation, which is previously isolated from moisture.
- Immediately, reinforcement is mounted on the foam blocks, which is not mounted in every cavity. Better reinforcement will be required in the corners.
- There can be no question of canceling the bandaging of blocks, so you will have to act in the same way as if you were laying a brick. The foam will need to be laid with a slight shift, and every second tier should be laid perpendicular to the previous one. Such a bundle will not differ in additional strength, but the insulating design features will increase significantly.
- In the upper part of the structure, it is imperative to pour out the armored belt, the height of which should be at least 200mm. For these purposes, most often used panel fixed formwork.
It seems that everything, these are all the nuances and features that you need to know about when erecting surfaces from fixed formwork. Most important point, which I want to mention is that the cavity of the blocks must be thoroughly filled with concrete, without leaving the slightest gap.
wall decoration
We build the walls of the house from polystyrene foam ourselves
Building ceilings from foam blocks with your own hands is only half the battle. When the concrete hardens, the walls will have to be covered with a plaster mass. The plastering technology is slightly different from the usual work and looks like this:
- A metal plaster mesh is stretched on the surface of the walls (for which it is worth choosing durable materials), which is nailed to concrete. This process is very laborious, so for high-quality work with your own hands, you will have to work a little.
- At the next stage, the mesh is glued special glue to foam blocks. Such work has similarities with the process of throwing on a fur coat. The glue is applied by throws to the surface of the wall, after which the excess is removed with a spatula.
- Then beacons are installed, which are glued along the vertical level.
- After the work done, you can use plaster from a mixture of sand and cement. It is allowed to apply it, both with your own hands and with a specialized machine.
Note that some types of wall facade panels can be installed not on the frame, but glued immediately to the surface of the walls.
In conclusion, I would also like to mention such a method of building buildings from foam, as the construction frame house. According to this principle, it is much easier to build a building with your own hands than according to the above. At its core, this is a familiar building based on a solid frame, in which the role insulation material took over the styrofoam.
That's all I wanted to talk about. On the one hand, to build housing from foam with your own hands - good decision, but as soon as you remember the “thermos” effect, you don’t really want to move to such a building.
But, we all have our own opinion on this matter, and it is likely that for someone such buildings will become the only and ideal solution. In no case will we dissuade you, the choice, as always, is yours.
Do-it-yourself foam house
IN Lately more and more often you can hear talk about the so-called thermal house. It may seem like a made-up term from some science fiction novel, but the reality is much simpler. A thermal house is a house built from polystyrene foam. This technology construction is also called fixed formwork.
foam blocks
These blocks are hollow boxes. Their dimensions are standard (95x25x25 cm), but for construction internal walls products of a slightly smaller width are used - 95x13x25 cm.
Note! Expanded polystyrene blocks are produced using the technology of industrial conveyor production. During a work shift, the production line produces about one hundred and twenty blocks.
Styrofoam characteristics
The advantages of building materials include:
- ease of processing and installation;
- resistance to permanent moisture;
- light weight;
- excellent soundproofing characteristics;
- high-quality thermal insulation due to the multilayer structure;
- resistance to decay and fungus.
It is also worth noting that the foam refers to "breathable" materials, that is, to those that allow air to pass through.
foam blocks
But there are also disadvantages that must be taken into account even before construction begins.
- Foam blocks do not withstand temperatures above 90 ° C.
- The strength of the foam is just an illusion, in fact, it can easily be pierced with a finger. In this regard, the walls will have to be puttied.
- The material is highly flammable.
The cost of one such block is approximately 300 rubles. which is relatively inexpensive. Consider the cost of building a polystyrene foam house in comparison with a brick one. So, a thermal house is a structure that is already ready for final finishing, which can be covered with both plaster or paint, and siding. In the same time brick house needs puttying and thermal insulation (with the same foam), which, of course, increases construction costs.
In a word, a thermal house is an inexpensive pleasure, because it already includes both finishing and insulation. Moreover, according to GOST, the height of such a house can reach 15 m, which is equivalent to 5-6 floors.
Styrofoam blocks
About the environmental friendliness of the material
Most people are sure that polystyrene, like any other "chemistry", is unsafe or even harmful to health. So far, this fact has not been confirmed, but not refuted either. It should be noted that there are a number of requirements, in particular sanitary and GOST, which the manufactured products fully comply with.
But some people are difficult to convince even of obvious things, which is most likely due to a psychological factor. And even the fact that polystyrene is widely used in insulation and interior decoration, as well as in the manufacture disposable tableware, for some reason is not a weighty argument in this case.
Foam house: building instructions
Dealing with the strong and weaknesses material, you can proceed with the installation. But first you need to prepare everything you need.
Stage 1. Tools, materials
The work will require:
- foam blocks;
- finishing material;
- sand;
- wires, pipes;
- metal fittings? 12 mm;
- steel wire for bonding;
- cement of the "six hundredth" brand;
- water;
- crushed stone;
- concrete mixer.
Stage 2. Foundation
Foundation
Building a house starts with the foundation. The best option is ordinary strip foundation, although it all depends on the characteristics of the soil in the selected region.
After pouring, the base is supplemented with a support. For this wooden blocks 50x60 mm in size are laid along the entire perimeter of the foundation. The entire remaining area must be laid with boards of the same thickness.
Stage 3. Assembly of the structure
The erection of a thermal house is similar to the assembly of a designer - the blocks are joined groove to groove, shifted with reinforcement and assembled into walls.
Styrofoam blocks, assembly
Step 1. The foam blocks are prepared for installation: they are cleaned, leveled and dried thoroughly.
Step 3 A concrete solution is being prepared. To do this, cement, crushed stone and sand are poured into a concrete mixer in a ratio of 1: 3: 3 and poured with such an amount of water that a liquid mixture is obtained as a result.
Step 4. After driving five rows, a solution is poured into the voids between the layers of blocks. When pouring, it is advisable to tap on the side surface of each block - so the shrinkage of the concrete will be more dense.
Step 5. A part of the wall is assembled from the next five rows of blocks and again filled with mortar. The procedure is repeated until the completion of construction.
Step 6 Sewerage, wiring and other communications are laid directly into the walls of the house, after which it is covered with a roof and the final finishing of the walls is carried out. It is characteristic that the pipeline is recommended to be laid in still hollow walls, while the electrical wiring is supplied through pre-made strobes (there should be no problems with strobe foam).
Construction
In choise roofing material also there are no restrictions. In fact, a foam house is a monolithic structure that can withstand any load, so even natural tiles can be used for coating.
Note! It is better to start building a thermal house in the warm season at a temperature not lower than -10 ° C.
Foam blocks retain their original properties for a long time. There is even an opinion that a house built from these blocks, under appropriate conditions, can last up to 100 years.
Styrofoam house
Stage 4. Finishing
As already mentioned, there are practically no restrictions on the internal / external decoration of the walls of a thermal house. Financially it is more profitable to use decorative plaster or regular paint, and from the inside to make plasterboard sheathing.
Arched foam house
The thermal house may look different. The following is an instruction for the construction of an arched building standard sizes: the height of the walls is 3 m, the total area is about 10 m². Of course, such a structure cannot be used as permanent housing.
dome house
What will be required in the work
Before starting construction, you need to take care of everything you need. Below is a list of materials:
- foam blocks;
- building level;
- concrete mortar;
- mounting foam;
- dowels, self-tapping screws;
- ruler;
- marker.
Construction technology
Step 1. First, the foundation is being built. In this case, there are no differences from the previous version.
Fixed formwork made of expanded polystyrene for the foundation
Step 2. A beam of 50x60 mm is laid along the entire perimeter of the base, fastening is done by means of anchors. In this case, the design is periodically checked by the level.
Note! To optimize the fastening, you can use any mounting foam, except for the extra class. This is explained simply: this type of foam expands greatly.
Step 3 Side walls bases protruding above the ground are finished decorative stone. The stone is laid on an ordinary concrete mortar and lightly beaten with a hammer.
Step 4. The foundation is covered with a waterproofing layer (suitable polyethylene film). A brick can be placed on top of the film to increase the strength of the foundation and protect against subsidence.
Step 5. Next, the foam blocks are prepared. They are cut and glued in accordance with the previously taken measurements. For the frame of the arch, you need to use only curly blocks, and you can take ordinary thick sheets to fill the walls. Mounting foam is used for gluing.
Note! For fixing, you can also use special glue for polystyrene, but mounting foam is spent more economically. The only drawback of the foam is that its expansion must be constantly monitored, otherwise the tightness of the frame may be compromised.
Step 6 Finished foam arches are attached to the base with self-tapping screws and dowels. To do this, holes are made around the entire perimeter of the foundation (with equal pitch), into which high self-tapping screws are installed. Then, holes are made in the lower part of each arch in the appropriate places, after which the arches are mounted on self-tapping screws.
Arched house details
Note! For ease of assembly, dowels can be inserted into the holes in the arches in advance.
Step 7 Arches are additionally fixed. If mounting foam is used, then it fills the gap between the frame and the base with a thin tube. If glue is used, then all work surfaces are lubricated with it even before the arches are mounted.
Step 8. It remains only to close the cracks between the blocks concrete mortar and plaster the walls of the house. For further finishing, as already mentioned, you can use any material - it all depends on financial capabilities and personal preferences.
As you can see, building a foam house is not such a complicated procedure. The main thing is to correctly calculate the consumption of building materials and securely fix the blocks on the foundation. By the way, not only blocks can be used in construction.
Based on site materials: http://svoimi-rykami.ru
Appearance: very dense plates of finely porous insulation of red (rarely blue) color, with black inscriptions (Stirofoam, Penoplex, thermite, etc.).
Possible problems with using XPS on a façade:
1. Detachment of tiles together with glue, at the junction of plates. Steam cannot pass through the XPS and finds an outlet only at the seams of the insulation.
The amount of moisture in these places is excessive, when freezing, this water expands and the lining layer collapses.
2. Deformation of the insulation plate with temperature fluctuations. Like any hard plastic, extruded polystyrene has a significant linear expansion when heated.
On the sunny side of the façade, the slabs can bulge.
3. Lagging from the surface of the insulation of any glue along with the facade finish. In the production of extruded polystyrene, its surface is covered with a release agent so that it does not stick to the equipment. So nothing sticks to it.
Before installing DEKA Flexible Stone on an XPS surface, it must be properly prepared.
1. The insulation plate to the wall must be securely glued to a special glue for extruded polystyrene foam and, after the glue has dried, additionally fixed with dowels.
The length of the dowel is selected so that it enters the base at least to the depth recommended by the dowel manufacturer for a particular wall material (more for aerated concrete than for reinforced concrete). The consumption of dowels is 5-7 pieces per m2.
2. Clean the surface of the insulation rough sandpaper and primed with adhesive primer.
3. Apply the mixture for the base plaster layer, then “freeze” the reinforced fiberglass mesh into it and rub it with a trowel.
4. After the base plaster layer has dried, it is recommended to prime it with a penetrating primer.
How Alternative option preparation of a wall insulated with XPS, fiber cement sheets can be installed ( flat slate), DSP, OSB?
DIY foam house
directly on the surface of the extruded polystyrene foam on the dowels of the required length and glue the DEKA stone directly on them, after using a universal penetrating primer.
Before gluing, the roll with a stone cloth must be unwound and allowed to straighten out for 5 minutes at a temperature of 18-20 0C.
Pasting with a flexible stone "DECA" is better to start from any of the upper corners.
Glue from 2 to 5 mm thick and 500 mm * 1000 mm in size is applied to the prepared surface with a spatula. The fragment separated from the canvas is transferred to the wall with glue applied and pressed into the mass of glue with the fingers until the glue protrudes slightly along the edges of the fragment.
Further, the procedure is repeated with the following separated fragments, taking into account the width of the jointing seams, to the place where the surface with glue ends. Next, glue is applied to the next area, and the procedure is repeated.
It must be taken into account that the adhesive and jointing composition does not get on the front part of the Flexible stone "DEKA".
When using glue as jointing, it is recommended to carefully level the glue that has come out from the edges along the jointing seam within an hour, so that the end of the flexible DEKA stone is covered with glue (this will give a more aesthetic appearance).
The size of the seam can be any, at your discretion.
When embroidering seams with other compositions, it is desirable to minimize the release of glue to the edge, and remove the excess immediately. The easiest way to achieve this is to reduce the adhesive layer, but not less than 1 mm over the entire surface.
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Do-it-yourself wall insulation with foam plastic
One of the most commonly used methods of insulation is the cladding of the facade with foam plastic.
do-it-yourself foam house video
This is due to the low cost of the material and the simplicity of its installation technology. So you can insulate any walls. However, wooden - with a caveat, as discussed below.
The benefits of foam
- Inexpensive
- Easy
- Low thermal conductivity
- Does not absorb moisture
- Does not deform, does not change size over time
- When reinforced with fiberglass, it creates a rather rigid base for plaster
- Easy mount technology
Flaws
- Flammable, emits toxic smoke when burned
- Easily damaged by small rodents
Bonded thermal insulation method
Warming outer surface Styrofoam walls are usually produced by bonded thermal insulation.
- Insulation plates are fixed on the wall with glue with additional fixation with plate-shaped dowels
- The foam layer is reinforced with fiberglass
What foam to use
There are the following sizes of foam for wall insulation: 1.0x0.5m and 1x1m.
A slab with dimensions of 1.0x0.5m is much more convenient to use than a 1x1m slab.
External insulation is made using foam plastic having a density of 25 kg / m3.
A material with a lower density has better thermal insulation properties, but has weak rigidity and can easily be damaged during work.
A special facade foam should be used, which has fairly good air permeability. The thickness of the foam for wall insulation may depend on the climatic features of the region in which the building is located, the material of the object and its size.
Usually it is from 3 to 12 cm.
Glue
Most often, a special adhesive is used for polystyrene boards, which is a cement-based dry mix.
If the wall surface is even, the difference is not more than 5 mm, then you can apply a continuous layer of glue with a notched trowel.
If there are more irregularities, glue is applied around the perimeter in the form of a strip 3-4 cm wide.
In the middle part of the slab, several beacons with a diameter of about 10 cm are made.
After pressing to the base, the adhesive must cover at least 40% of the plane of the sheet.
There is another option - polyurethane adhesive in an aerosol can. It does not require additional preparation. The balloon is inserted into mounting gun, then a strip of glue is applied around the perimeter of the sheet 2-4 cm from the edge. A zigzag strip is applied inside the resulting rectangle. Such glue allows you to install foam sheets much faster.
Work order
The following text describes the procedure for successfully insulating walls with foam, both outside and inside.
Surface preparation
- Remove protruding objects from the wall: ventilation grilles, lighting fixtures, etc.
- Level the surface.
The size of protrusions and depressions should not be more than 1-2 cm. If necessary, prime the wall and level with plaster
- Apply an exterior primer that matches the wall material
Insulation preparation
Penoplex (extruded polystyrene) has a smooth surface.
You can make it rough to ensure adhesion with glue in the following ways:
- Roll with a special roller with a needle surface
- Make notches with a utility knife
Conventional foam has a fairly rough surface and does not require preparation.
Plinth profile installation
A plinth profile is fixed along the bottom of the wall.
It serves as the basis for the sheets of the first row, and also protects the insulation from rodents. Its size should correspond to the width of the insulation.
A distance of 2-5 mm must be left between the profiles to compensate for the thermal expansion of the material.
- At one of the corners, the bottom point of the insulation layer is marked
- This mark is transferred to the remaining corners, for which you can use the hydraulic level
- A cord is stretched between the marks along the wall, a profile is installed along it.
It is fastened with dowels after 30 cm
Attaching foam to glue
Sheets are installed in the corners, aligned in the vertical and horizontal plane. Level and rule are used for alignment.
A cord is stretched along the upper edge of the sheets. It determines the position of the top edge of the insulation when filling the current row.
Once the sheet is in place, it must not be moved.
If it is really necessary, the sheet should be removed, cleaned of glue and the whole gluing procedure should be carried out again.
The sheet is applied to the wall with a slight offset from the final position. With the help of a rule or a long trowel, it is pressed into the plane of neighboring plates. Checked for level. So the whole row is pasted over.
At the corners, a jagged connection of sheets is made - sheets of adjacent rows are alternately wedged into the plane of the adjacent surface by the thickness of the insulation or a little further.
After the corner is completely closed, the foam must be trimmed.
The vertical seams of adjacent rows must be at least 20 cm apart, that is, there must be a dressing of the seams.
A pause is made in the work so that the glue seizes securely. Usually it's three days.
Fixing with dowels
Sheets are additionally fixed with dowels-umbrellas, usually 5 per sheet.
Their length should provide a penetration into the wall of at least 5 cm. Recesses for fasteners are drilled with a perforator.
Dowel clogged rubber mallet or screwed in with a screwdriver.
The first dowel is hammered into the center of the sheet, the rest - in the corners, in the seam. The cap should be flush with the foam, the allowable protrusion is no more than 1 mm.
Completion of the gluing stage
The joints of the sheets are rubbed with glue.
If there are gaps wider than 5 mm, they foam mounting foam or sealed with foam strips.
If irregularities are visible, they are leveled with a foam grater.
When laying two layers of insulation, the second one is fastened with vertical and horizontal overlapping of the seams of the first layer.
In this case, the seams of the first layer can not be foamed.
Fixing the reinforcing mesh
A reinforcing fiberglass mesh is fixed on top of the foam with glue.
First the corners of the house, and also outside corners window and door slopes on the ground floor they are reinforced with a perforated corner, plastic or aluminum.
This is done to protect against accidental damage.
If there are no corners, you can stick a strip reinforcing mesh with an approach to each side of the corner by 20 cm.
Then the rest of the wall is reinforced:
- The mesh is cut into strips of the same length.
- A 2 mm layer of glue is applied to the wall section according to the size of the strip.
Strips are glued horizontally
- The mesh is sunk into the adhesive layer with a wide spatula
- Another layer of glue is applied on top
- The stripes should overlap by 10 centimeters.
- The next day the surface is polished. If necessary, align
- After 3 days, the walls will dry completely. They should be primed with a mixture of quartz sand. This ensures high adhesion for the following coat layers.
Usually this structural plaster. But you can also paint with facade paint.
If the walls are made of wood
Some experts are of the opinion that wooden walls it is impossible to insulate the outside with foam using the bonded thermal insulation method, because the vapor permeability of this insulation is insufficient.
Such insulation can lead to dampness and deterioration thermal insulation properties walls.
They propose to make a hinged ventilated facade.
Insulation of walls from the inside with foam
When using a material such as foam to insulate the walls inside, it must be taken into account that there is a danger of not getting a good result.
The dew point may move closer to inner surface walls, then their freezing will increase.
It is necessary to make preliminary thermal calculations.
The technology of wall insulation with foam plastic of the inner surface has some features:
- Glue covers the entire plane of the sheet. This prevents the formation of air voids. Moisture can condense in them.
- To level the walls, you can not use the usual cement mortar.
We use special moisture-proof mixtures designed for finishing in bathrooms.
- Anchor fastenings are not used in order to avoid breaking the tightness of the layer. It is possible to strengthen the fastening by installing between sheets of T-profiles
As can be seen from the above, there are no particular difficulties in the technology of foam insulation.
But the work must be done carefully. It is necessary that the insulation layer be strong and without cracks, resulting in a continuous and uniform heat-insulating shell.
Video about wall insulation from the outside with foam
The technology of warming the house outside with polystyrene foam
Expanded polystyrene is a material that is often used for effective insulation facades. As a result of its application, it is possible to achieve savings in heat resources spent on heating the house. But this material has installation features. How to insulate a house with polystyrene foam to protect the walls from the penetration of cold? After reading this article, you will be able to install the heat insulator yourself.
Do-it-yourself insulation of facades with expanded polystyrene: the use and choice of a heat insulator
Before you get to know detailed instruction for the installation of polystyrene foam heat insulator, you need to know that: 
- Expanded polystyrene should be chosen for the insulation of brick, reinforced concrete, cinder block houses, as well as buildings made of shell rock.
- Installation work should be carried out in warm, dry weather. It is advisable to carry them out in the last months of spring or early autumn.
Rain and the scorching sun adversely affect polystyrene foam, as a result of which its thermal insulation index deteriorates.
- On sale there is more often material in slabs. But you can also find a sprayed version. The latter is not recommended to choose if you plan to do the work yourself, because it requires the participation of specialists.
High-quality insulation of facades with expanded polystyrene depends on right choice its thickness.
- In 1 brick - 50 mm;
- In 1.5 bricks - 38-40 mm;
- In 2 bricks - 32 mm;
- In 2.5 bricks - 29 mm
Materials and tools
To work with insulation, you need to prepare:
- Drill and hammer;
- Construction knife;
- Spatulas with different lengths;
- Level, plumb.
To insulate the house with polystyrene foam, you will need the heat insulator itself, as well as fasteners in the form of building "fungi".
You need to purchase a special adhesive composition. As a rule, in such cases, polyurethane adhesive is used. To seal the gaps between the plates, you will need mounting foam. To prepare the facade for finishing, you need to buy a reinforced mesh. For facade work, a material with a density of 150 g / m2 is suitable. IMPORTANT! The degree of evenness of the surface of the facade depends on the density of the mesh.
Preparing for installation
Before installing polystyrene boards exterior walls should be prepared.
It is necessary to remove all parts, structures that can interfere with the process of laying insulation. The walls are cleaned of old plaster, paint. It is advisable to check the evenness of the walls. If there are significant indentations, it is better to level them using plaster. Although expanded polystyrene can be mounted on uneven walls, but moisture will accumulate in the existing recesses, which can cause unpleasant phenomena.
If the wall decoration is loose, then you additionally need to walk on their surface with a primer.
The material itself does not require preparation. But when using an extruded variety (foam), you need to roughen its smooth surface.
To do this, you can use the same construction knife, with which shallow notches are applied to the material.
The tides should be equal to the thickness of the polystyrene foam, plaster layer + play of a few centimeters. Be sure to carry out the insulation of slopes in places window openings. For this, a similar heat insulator with a thickness of 2 cm or more is suitable.
We insulate the house from the outside with polystyrene foam: step by step instructions
- A starting profile is installed at the bottom of the walls, which will not allow the insulating material to move.
- Glue is applied to the wall, as well as along the edges and in the middle of the polystyrene foam board.
- The heat insulator with an adhesive layer is tightly pressed against the wall.
It can be moved horizontally.
- It takes some time for the adhesive to adhere to the wall. How much exactly? As a rule, information about this is available on the packaging of the adhesive. After that, the insulation boards are additionally fixed with the help of building "fungi". The latter should enter the wall by about 5 cm. "Fungi" are located at the junction of the heat insulator plates, as well as in the middle of each of them.
- With the formation of gaps of approximately 0.5 cm, mounting foam is used.
After hardening, its excess is removed when using a construction knife.
- Caps of "fungi" are cleaned and puttied.
Reinforcing mesh work
After the facades are insulated with polystyrene foam with their own hands, the facade is covered with a reinforcing mesh attached to the perforated corners. Mounting adhesive is used to fasten the mesh material.
Corners, slopes are covered with mesh strips 30 cm wide. Small canvases are attached to the facade surface, while the mounting mixture is applied in a layer of 0.3 cm.
IMPORTANT! The mesh is overlapped by 10 cm.
After fixing the mesh, the walls are passed with a rubberized spatula. In order for the reinforcing material to be evenly covered with glue, you can add it in the required amount.
As soon as the layer with the mesh dries, it must be passed with sandpaper.
Do-it-yourself wall insulation with polystyrene foam from the outside: advantages and disadvantages
Expanded polystyrene insulation is a good solution if you plan to independently insulate the facade of your house, because it: 
- It is produced in plates that are light in weight.
Even 1 person can pick them up and easily move them to the right place. He doesn't need help for this.
- Features an easy processing process.
How to build a styrofoam house
Styrofoam is easy to cut.
- It just attaches. To carry out work on its installation under the power of 1 person.
It is worth choosing expanded polystyrene, because it perfectly retains heat in your home. This material will not be exposed to moisture, it is absolutely not terrible for him. Residents of the house will not need to worry about the environmental safety of the material. Today, such a heat insulator is produced using technologies that exclude that it will emit any harmful substances.
For the same reason, you will not need to use special equipment when working with it.
If we insulate the house from the outside with polystyrene foam, then we need to know about the disadvantage of such a heat insulator. This material loses to the same mineral wool in terms of its fire safety property. It is known that it contains special additives that slow down the ignition process. But their effect is short-lived. If you follow the rules fire safety during the construction and further operation of the building, it is possible not to pay special attention the indicated deficiency.
Insulation of facades with expanded polystyrene: conclusions
So, we told you about how to choose polystyrene foam. You learned about the features of the work on fixing this insulation, and also received information about its advantages and disadvantages. If you have not yet decided on the choice of a heat insulator, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the technology of working with mineral wool, which is also great option facade insulation.
Our other articles will help you complete home decoration work, in particular, with the use of decorative facade plaster, which allows you to give buildings a unique look.
Polyfoam is considered to be one of the most the best materials in terms of thermal insulation. At the same time, relative cheapness makes everything more people insulate your rooms in this way. However, there are other options for using this material.
Styrofoam tolerates temperature changes well and is completely impervious to steam.
One of the relatively new and original variants is the construction of a foam house. Some will laugh, thinking that this is an ordinary Dollhouse Or just a layout. But in fact, everything is much more serious here.
Styrofoam houses were first built in Japan. It was there that experts revealed the main properties of such a material, which make it possible to use it not only as an auxiliary tool, but also as the main material. So, let's take a closer look at the main properties of houses made of foam sheets.
- High thermal insulation. As a rule, a house built of foam plastic will be warm enough even when there is no heating in it. This is facilitated by the special structure of the material, which perfectly retains heat. And if you still heat the house a little from the inside, then even a slight cold can be completely forgotten.
- Strength. Oddly enough, the foam has sufficient characteristics to ensure the strength of even such complex design like a house. But this is possible only if right technology sheet mounting.
- Relative fire safety. If you choose to work with high quality sheets, then you will not need to be afraid that the house can easily burn down. In addition, for additional protection Today there is a wide choice special means, which will create a protective layer on the surface from fire.
- High degree of resistance to fungus, mold and insects. Styrofoam is artificial material. And this suggests that for insects, especially such as bark beetles or termites, it is absolutely not interesting. The same goes for fungus. Due to the fact that the foam plastic almost does not allow moisture and steam to pass through, there is almost no chance of getting a fungus or mold on its surface.
- Environmental Safety. Styrofoam itself is safe for health. But at high temperatures it can still release some harmful substances like any other modern construction material. But if you do everything right, then they will be reduced to a minimum.
- financial economy. The material is inexpensive compared to other, more serious materials for the construction of buildings and structures. Therefore, even with a large flow rate, you will save a lot of money on installation. In addition, construction does not require heavy lifting equipment, and this is an additional cost savings.
As a result, we can conclude that the construction of foam is very profitable. Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to independently and quickly build a permanent large residential building from this material. But making a small room in a couple of rooms will not be difficult and investing.
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Necessary tools and foundation preparation
And now let's consider the process itself, how you can build such a foam house with your own hands.
Figure 1. To create a foundation, it is necessary to lay the bars clearly around the entire perimeter, the rest of the area is laid with boards of the same thickness.
In the example, we will tell you how to build a small building with a ceiling height of about 3 meters and a total area of approximately 5-10 square meters. You will need the following materials and tools:
- Styrofoam;
- solution;
- pencil and ruler;
- self-tapping screws and dowels;
- mounting foam or glue;
- level.
It all starts, as always, with the foundation. You can make the most ordinary strip foundation - as you prefer. After all, more here depends on the type of soil in the selected area. When the foundation is filled, you need to supplement it. To do this, take the corresponding sizes of supporting wooden blocks with a section of about 6 by 5 cm. They must be laid clearly around the entire perimeter of the foundation. The rest of the area is laid with boards of the same thickness (Figure 1). Before work, do not forget to treat the wood with compounds that protect against fungus, fire and dampness.
Figure 2. The frame of the arch is made of special curly blocks.
The bar is attached to the anchor to the foundation. But you can slightly optimize the fastening using mounting foam as an auxiliary material. But do not take extra type foam so that it does not expand much. During work, check everything with a building level.
Next, you need to finish the side walls of the foundation, which protrude above the ground. This is best done with a decorative thick stone. It is planted on an ordinary cement mortar, knocked out with a hammer for reliable fixation.
The final step will be laying on the surface of the film for moisture insulation and ordinary brick, or paving slabs. Brick (tile) is optional, but desirable, as it increases the reliability of the foundation, protecting it from subsidence. When everything is dry and set, you can start the main work.
The construction of structures from 35th density polystyrene foam, or how I built a domed house with my own hands using Japanese technology....
Let's build a round house.
And we will live differently.
And the windows, the roof - everything in it,
we call it something else...
Everything is real, affordable and practical. The technology of low-budget construction is a reality. Therefore, checking what you have read in practice, keep firmly on the ground so as not to fall into the sky from surprise ...
(To all inveterate "cubo-fundamentalists" and "invaders" of construction forums who have not implemented a single project in practice, "buy and sell" who want to get ready-made design solutions and calculations for free, "wise men" who like to flood in the technology segment , technical characteristics, standards, scope, safety, ecology, etc., while keeping silent about the "issue price" when comparing, please: do not strain. [email protected])
elements on site
And so let's start in order. I will write about the construction of the dome and the house itself later (because the foundation for the house is not ready, all communications are being laid now, etc.). I will start a photo report with a description from the erection of a tent element (tent type) over an autonomous basement. Size 3m in width X 4m in length (along the foundation), height along the ridge-3m, floor area-12m2, wall thickness-180mm The material of construction is 35 density polystyrene foam.
This is how the elements of the house look (dome and tent elements disassembled at the construction site):
The elements are voluminous, but quite overall and quite light. All elements have an abbreviation with the designation of a serial number, name, purpose, row number, position, etc., it is not problematic to figure out what's what.
And so, on the prepared foundation (in my case, the foundation is the upper part of the basement of the basement about construction, technology, the insulation of which I will not write, this does not apply to the topic) with the withdrawn zero we fasten the anchors wooden beam to the foundation, measuring 50mmX60mm, we bring it under the level and sit on the mounting foam.
We will attach the elements of the first (bottom row) of the tent to the beam, that is, the vault (wall), the beam will serve as a spike to the groove of the element. or two walls at once ... I decided to mount an arch from all the elements and use it as a template (setting it level on the foundation) and adjust everything under it - all subsequent elements of the rows.
All elements are glued together with mounting foam or mounting adhesive for foam plastic and are fastened with brackets (the foam can bulge out during expansion and disrupt the structure), the brackets are made of steel wire. After 20 minutes, when all the elements have stuck together and the foam has dried, remove the brackets (you can immediately cut off the foam or glue on all seams) and begin installation on foundation.
We plant the structure (arch) on the beam after gluing it with glue or mounting foam and fix it with self-tapping screws using dowels with hats (for foam plastic).
We glue all the elements with mounting glue or foam thoroughly, especially the middle and the inner seam, the outer one is not necessary (you have to cut it out to fill it with acrylic sealant or any acrylic-based waterproof mass for outdoor work - according to your desire and wallet).
When the tent is ready, assemble the window and door elements (they come in the kit - one at a time) as well as the pediments (you can make the pediments yourself from brick, foam block, wood, in my case, polystyrene foam). You can mount windows and a door at will - or on the pediment, or on the sphere.
When you have decided "where and how", cut out the openings and mount the door and window elements.
I cut the openings with a jigsaw and a narrow garden saw.
After you mount the gables. When the design is ready, put everything in order: cut off excess foam or glue at the seams, clean up all the bumps (differences) at the joints of the elements with a foam plastic grater or abrasive mesh No. 40, No. 60 and prepare all external seams and joints for sealing with acrylic sealant (the main thing is to get to good weather, if it rains, everything will be washed away, and your time and your money, and therefore, after 12-18 hours of laying the sealant, I recommend walking along the seams with SM-11 ceresite).
After sealing the structure, we install doors, windows, install electrical wiring and ventilation. (By the way, we mount the doors on a wooden or metal carcass). Next, we prepare the structure for reinforcement with CM-11 ceresite (this is in my case, then the finish will be artificial stone) using a facade mesh (serpyanka) with a density of 145 g / m for the outside and a density of 125 g / m for finishing inside. For finishing for painting, the mesh is laid on putty (start-finish) for exterior-interior work, there are many options.
The consumption is not large. (I have a ribbed design specifically for PPU - polyurethane foam coating, but since PPU has its drawbacks, all the ribbing was sanded. And so all the elements of the sphere are smooth on both sides.)
Finishing (reinforcement) is done first inside, then outside.
I decided to make the exterior decoration (decor) with an artificial stone of the tanvald series (fortunately, polyurethane forms remained, I make the stone myself, the technology is the simplest: flour (granite dust), cement, perflix (it has a low weight, glue, fiber ...), liquid glass, plasticizer and iron oxide pigment (for example, yellow, brown) - all of course in proportions.
Since I decided to finish the roof with stone, we installed support strips (bar 40x60)
Elements (external) of basement ventilation:
Finishing gables and roof:
The roof and arches are finished with artificial stone of the "dolomite" series, the pediments - "tanvald". After laying the pebbles, the supporting wooden blocks are dismantled (you can’t leave them, they can pull, since the tree has a different voltage under loads, both atmospheric and mechanical). You can also make a support out of expanded polystyrene (wall), 3 or 5 cm is enough (after sawing a groove and sticking it on a mounting adhesive), you can leave it as a shoulder (edging) of the roof, if necessary (as an option), you can from dozens to make a roof slope (to drain water, but icicles can form in winter), spreading it under 45 degrees ...
Coating options (composite materials) may be different. In this variant, "aquastop" (waterproofing) was used without coloring the coating.
For protection, I am still deciding: either applying polyurethane foam with painting, or flexible tiles.
And for an amateur (additional waterproofing). On the external reinforcement (after drying) I apply a layer of 1 mm of such glue and after drying I glue the pebbles.
For waterproofing the dome for painting, there is another option, for example "AQUASTOP", but I will write about it when processing the sphere at home ....
I plan to get such a cheerful cellar in the end.
In summary: let's sum up the first results.
Assembling the structure, two people are involved, the work time is 6 hours;
Sealing, one person involved, work time - 3 hours;
Reinforcement inside and outside, one person is involved for 6 hours.
Protective coating (roof):
And so, stopped at protective coating from a flexible tile. We had to turn out of the stone due to the complexity of mounting on the dome (the dome of the house, the height to the "horse" is -8 meters). It was decided to cover the guest house (a wooden log house standing next to the water), an autonomous basement and a domed house with one composite material (roof texture).
Issue price: $10 per square meter.
(I do not indicate the cost of work due to independent execution by 70%).
There is an option to use PPU (coating (spraying) with a polyurethane mixture).
In our region:
Layer 1 cm - waterproofing, price: 7-9 dollars per sq. meter;
3cm layer - mechanical protection and waterproofing, price: 11-12 dollars
per square meter;
Layer 6 cm - mechanical protection, waterproofing, thermal insulation, price: 15-18 dollars per square meter.
For some people, the expression "foam house" may seem frivolous and implies some kind of allegory. In part, this expression is correct, since the house is built precisely from foam plastic - yes, it is subsequently reinforced with concrete, but initially it is a foam construction, which will be discussed in this article. Together with the website, we will deal with the advantages of such buildings and consider the technology, thanks to which you can independently build a house from foam.
Styrofoam house walls photo
Styrofoam house: what are its advantages
By and large, this is the only technology that allows you to make strong and durable quickly and without the help of professional builders - this is precisely the main feature of buildings erected by means of fixed formwork made of polystyrene or polystyrene. But this is not all the advantages of such buildings. By and large, there are a lot of them, and it is from their study that you need to start acquaintance with foam plastic buildings.
- Most importantly, it is very warm house. It turns out that the insulation (in this case, it is a fixed formwork) envelops the reinforced concrete frame of the house from all sides - it is located not only on both sides of the walls, but even inside them.
- Such a house perfectly keeps the temperature inside - it is not only warm in winter, but also cool in summer.
- The design provides another advantage. These are not the usual shields that need to be strengthened and exposed - in fact, these are foam blocks with cavities inside. In some way, they can be compared with - in appearance they are completely identical. In the process of building a house from them, you simply fill their cavities with concrete, pre-installing rebar frames in them.
- Don't want to mess around with small styrofoam blocks? Then you can use it in the form of full-fledged panels or plates. The principle is the same - install, reinforce the cavities and fill them. In general, non-removable foam formwork can have three different varieties - these are the blocks mentioned above, as well as the standard version of the panel formwork, fastened together with special jumpers. The last option is the cheapest - it is not so easy to work with it. The best option For self construction you can call blocks similar to cinder block.
Styrofoam house photo
A house made of foam and concrete is not without drawbacks. The most important of them is the so-called thermos effect. There is only one way to deal with it - through a quality system, which initially makes a seemingly cheap project more expensive. Another not very pleasant factor is the environmental component of such buildings - despite the fact that the foam is subsequently clogged, yet this material is by no means environmentally friendly. The flammability of this material should also not be overlooked - the toxins released during its combustion are so serious that they make a person die in convulsions. In general, not everything is as good as it seems at first glance.
How to make a foam house: construction technology
By and large, all houses, including foam ones, are built in almost the same way - first they build, then they build walls, which, in turn, are covered. The difference in the construction of a warm foam house is observed only at the stage of building walls - we will get acquainted with it. You can read about everything else in other articles on our site. So, the technology of building walls from foam blocks can be represented as the following sequence of work.
- As in all cases of building houses from blocks, the first row of non-removable foam formwork fits well - in most cases, the formwork is laid in two rows in thickness.
Building a house from foam plastic photo
- Reinforcing cages are immediately installed in the blocks at the base - they do not need to be mounted in all cavities. It is necessary to reinforce the corners with high quality (here the reinforcement is laid in three adjacent cavities on both sides of the corner) and further with an interval of 3-4 cavities. Reinforcement can not be done immediately to the entire height of the walls - it is not very convenient to put blocks on it. Subsequently, as the walls rise up, reinforcing cages can be added and built up, connecting it from parts.
How to make a foam house photo
- Nobody canceled the dressing of blocks here - everything is exactly the same as with. The blocks are stacked with a shift, and every second row of them lies with a poke (across all the others). Such dressing does not add strength, but the quality of insulation improves from this point on.
- At the top of the wall, it is mandatory to pour out a height of at least 200 mm - a non-removable shield formwork is used for it. In principle, you can go the standard way by making the formwork of the armored belt from the boards. The wall reinforcement must be connected to the belt reinforcement.
Foam and concrete house photo
By and large, these are almost all the subtleties or features of the construction of walls from fixed formwork. The only thing that can be added here is to say that the cavities must be filled with concrete with high quality - it must be seated with a vibration machine or, alternatively, acting in the old fashioned way, pierce the concrete with a trowel or stick. Better, of course, are the vibrations that can be created even by the usual putty used for stripping. By the way, there is a fixed formwork for overlapping. You can even say more - in a separate form this material allocate fixed formwork for the foundation.
Building a house from polystyrene foam: wall finishing technology
Kicking out the walls with foam blocks is only half the battle, if not a quarter of it. After the concrete has hardened, the walls still need to be plastered. The technology of plastering in this situation is not so simple and it looks like this.
Alternatively, other technologies can be used to finish a foam house - for example,. Here you can use almost any panel, including. Some types of wall facade panels may not be installed frame technology and glued directly to the wall.
And in conclusion of the topic, I will say a few words about another technology for the construction of such houses - from foam. Building it with your own hands is even easier than using the method described above. By and large, this is common frame structure, inside the walls of which foam plastic is simply installed as a heater, and not traditional. Such a heater is cheaper, and houses of a similar design cost less - you should not, however, forget about the environmental component of buildings insulated with foam.
Basically, everything. There is nothing more to add about the foam house. On the one hand, like good technology, but when you think about a thermos, you immediately lose the desire to live in such a house. But, as they say, there are no comrades for taste and color - maybe for someone a house made of foam will seem best solution. I will not dissuade - it is up to you to decide here.
