Insulation of external walls. Materials for insulating walls outside. Materials and tools

Owners of private houses often ask themselves the question of what kind of external wall insulation is the most effective. What is the best insulation to choose so that load-bearing wall structures do not conduct cold in winter and repel heat in hot summer. Many modern thermal insulation materials not only prevent heat loss during the cold season, but also protect the room in summer from the penetration of thermal radiation. The issue of thermal insulation of your home must be approached with all seriousness. How comfortable and cozy home will be for its residents.

External wall insulation

Thermal insulation materials, types and characteristics

Previously, organic insulation in the form of sawdust, peat, etc. was used to insulate the building structure. A significant disadvantage of these materials was flammability, high moisture absorption, and susceptibility to rot and mold.

At the moment, organic insulation materials are practically not used for thermal insulation of houses. Now the construction market offers a wide range of synthetic thermal insulation materials with the best technical characteristics.

Expanded polystyrene, its advantages and disadvantages

Most people, when deciding how to insulate a house outside, give preference to expanded polystyrene. The popularity of this insulation is due to its low cost and excellent performance.

It is especially worth noting the following advantages of polystyrene foam:

lower thermal conductivity in comparison with mineral wool insulation (this allows the thickness of the insulation layer to be made smaller);
affordable cost (expanded polystyrene is cheaper than mineral wool);
ease of installation (this material is easy to process).

The disadvantages of expanded polystyrene include: lower vapor permeability, in comparison with mineral wool insulation, and higher flammability.

Expanded polystyrene, despite some of its disadvantages, is widely used for insulating facades. The use of this material for thermal insulation of a building is three to four times cheaper than the use of other insulation, in particular mineral wool.

Important! Due to low vapor permeability, polystyrene foam is not recommended for insulation wooden houses. Its only area of application is the insulation of stone facades.

Expanded polystyrene is very effective for insulation brick houses. Expanded polystyrene thermal insulation with a thickness of only 80 mm makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption four times during the cold season.

Pno-foil insulating material

A rather interesting modern insulation is polyfoil insulation. It consists of a layer of polyethylene foam, which is sandwiched on both sides with aluminum foil. The features of this material are its low weight and low thermal conductivity (the thermal conductivity of this insulation is 1.5 times less than that of basalt insulation).

The advantages of this material include ease of installation, the insulation is attached to the walls construction stapler. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the absolute vapor and gas impermeability.

Insulation: pressed cork

This rather exotic insulation material, like pressed cork, is made from the bark of the cork oak tree growing in the Mediterranean. This insulation is available in rolls and slabs, has a very attractive appearance, and is an environmentally friendly material. Pressed cork is used for internal wall insulation; this material, due to its excellent appearance performs functions decorative finishing. Cork slabs can also be used for external insulation of facades.

Rock-based mineral wool

A distinctive feature of mineral wool fibers is its ability to withstand temperatures of more than 1000° without melting. Thanks to this, mineral wool prevents the spread of fire and protects the structures of houses built from flammable materials (for example, wooden houses) from fire. Insulation materials with high water absorption rates lose their thermal insulation properties, since water entering the heat-insulating material fills the air pores and increases the thermal conductivity of the insulation. Mineral wool practically does not absorb moisture, so it remains dry and retains its low thermal conductivity properties, even if moisture gets on its surface.

The many advantages of mineral wool also include high resistance to mechanical stress.

Fiberglass thermal insulation materials

To insulate the outside of a house, fiberglass materials can be used. The main components used to make fiberglass are cullet, sand, dolomite, limestone, soda, etibor, etc. The raw material for fiberglass is melted in a melting furnace at 1400° and fed into the front furnace, where it undergoes the fiberization stage. In centrifuges, molten glass breaks down into fibers 6 microns thick. After this, the resulting products are impregnated with polymer resin and fed to a conveyor, where they are formed into mats. The remaining water is evaporated from the mats and high-quality insulation is obtained.

Fiberglass materials have the best qualities for thermal insulation of building facades, which include:

Fire safety.
Economical during transportation.
Easy to install.
Low thermal conductivity coefficient (from 0.035 to 0.044 W/mK), due to the ability of fiberglass to firmly retain air, and, as a result, excellent thermal insulation properties. Fiberglass insulation can reliably protect against cold in winter and heat in summer.
Moisture resistant. Due to its non-hygroscopicity (glass wool does not absorb water), the thermal insulation properties do not deteriorate when the material gets wet.
Environmental friendliness. Fiberglass insulation does not emit harmful substances and is safe for health, mold and rot do not form on it.

Glass wool is an effective insulation material

What is better for thermal insulation of external walls: mineral wool or expanded polystyrene

Mineral wool and expanded polystyrene are the most popular insulation materials for thermal insulation of external walls. Installation of mineral wool slabs is similar to the technology of laying polystyrene foam; in addition, these two insulation materials have similar specifications, therefore, when they decide how best to insulate a house from the outside, these two insulation materials are first compared.

When they want to cheaply insulate walls outside, in most cases they choose polystyrene boards. This material is not only cheaper than mineral wool, but its installation does not require special skills or complex instruments Almost every owner can install thermal insulation using foam plastic boards with his own hands. But when installing cheap foam plastic thermal insulation of walls outside, one should not discount the fact that this material has little mechanical strength. In addition, rats and mice love to chew polystyrene foam.

To insulate facades, manufacturers produce special types vapor-permeable foam with a compacted outer layer. But the cost of such material is no less than the cost of mineral wool.

Insulation such as extruded polystyrene foam is not suitable for insulating walls from the outside, as it has zero vapor permeability. Using it to insulate facades leads to dampening of the material from which the walls are built. Moisture causes mold and mildew to appear on the surface of walls. On the market you can buy vapor-permeable perforated extruded polystyrene foam intended for external insulation of facades. But their price is no less than the cost of mineral wool insulation.

When using expanded polystyrene for external wall insulation, it is better to purchase material with antipyrene compounds; these are special substances that prevent the material from burning. Polystyrene foam with fire retardant acquires fire-fighting properties.

Mineral wool is not flammable, resists mechanical stress well and has sufficient vapor permeability, therefore, for external insulation of walls it is more preferable, but with the correct design of the thermal insulation system, foam plastic boards will also cope well with their functions.

Many people face this problem: heat is not retained in a heated room; the reason for this may be the dissipation of thermal energy through the walls. How to deal with this? How to keep warm inside the house? How to insulate a house? What is the best way to insulate a house from the outside? For this purpose, the house is insulated. Most the right decision It will be necessary to insulate the walls of the room, their outer part, you can use any heat insulator for this.

It will be able to create protection for warm indoor air from external cold and will effectively maintain the necessary microclimate of the room. Also, the advantages of insulating external walls include their protection from water vapor and light radiation, which will significantly extend their service life.

What is the best way to insulate the outside walls of a house? What is the best way to insulate a house? How to insulate a stone, brick or wooden house? High-quality thermal insulation is the key to comfort and coziness of a private or country house.

How to insulate a house with your own hands? How to spend good thermal insulation and do it in the best possible way?

There are three main types of thermal insulation work in a private house:

The insulation is fixed directly to the wall using special glue or other devices. Then it is covered with construction mesh and plastered under finishing materials.
In this case, the heat insulator is also mounted on the wall of the room, but then an additional brick wall is installed on the foundation. A small air space or gap is left between the insulation and the wall. With this method, the heat insulator is not plastered.
This insulation option consists of several stage-by-stage work. First of all, the walls of the house are covered with a special waterproofing film, then the material chosen as insulation is installed, after which it is necessary to install protection from water vapor and wind. And only after that, with the help special frame materials for installation are made from wooden beams or metal guides outer skin premises such as various sidings, lining, ceramic tiles and much more. This option, the so-called ventilated facade, can be used at any time of the year, since there is no need to use any solutions.

The considered options represent a general direction; in each of them there may be certain changes associated with the use of certain materials as insulation. The modern market for thermal insulation materials is quite wide and some of them may require a different installation method.

Also, the choice of heat insulator and its parameters depend on the material from which the walls of the house are made. As an example, let's look at the principles of installing insulation for wooden, brick and concrete walls.

Installation of insulation

How to insulate? Any thermal insulator has certain properties, but in any case it will be able to keep your home warm. They differ in price, in the material from which they are made and in such parameters as moisture resistance, vapor permeability and thermal conductivity. Insulation materials that are presented on the construction market: polystyrene foam, mineral wool, polyurethane foam, basalt slab and cellulose insulation.

The use of one or another insulating material is related to climatic conditions, installation method and thermal conductivity coefficient. When calculating, take into account the width load-bearing wall, thermal conductivity of the insulator, internal room temperature. Then you can begin installing the insulation. How to prepare a wall for installation of insulation?

Let's look at the instructions:

First of all, it is necessary to clean the wall of old plaster and other materials, down to the material from which it is made.
After this, it is necessary to level the wall surfaces, seal cracks and holes and trim off protrusions, clean off dust and dirt, and carefully apply the primer, without missing a single centimeter of the area.

You should use a primer that has the property of deep penetration into the wall, choosing one type or another depending on the material from which the surface to be primed is made.

Installation of insulation should be done in an even layer without curving the surface, depressions and protrusions, using the tools provided for this: beacons, plumb lines, levels, corners and others. Otherwise, you may encounter problems when further plastering the wall or installing facing material, that is, applying different thicknesses of plaster material and installing additional guides. What does the beacon system look like? Screws are screwed into the upper edge of the surface, several depending on the length of the wall, onto which a thick thread with a metal plumb line at the bottom is hung.
After this, horizontal threads are installed, which connect all the vertical ones. Thus, a network is formed that will determine the level when installing insulation or a frame system. After such preparatory work You can begin installing the heat insulator.

Can be executed different materials. How to insulate the outside walls of a house? How do the materials differ from each other?

Use of expanded polystyrene

Using polystyrene foam as insulation. How to insulate a house from the outside using polystyrene foam? It is necessary to properly insulate according to the instructions.

Installation instructions for this heat-insulating product:

First, you need to install a corner along the lower edge of the wall, observing the required level— the first layer of heat insulation will be aligned with it. It is installed using a special glue; glue for ceramic tiles is also suitable.
The sheets are pressed tightly against the wall and leveled using plumb lines and a level. The second layer of material is applied after the first has completely dried, so as not to knock it off the level.

It should be noted that the sheets of each subsequent level are mounted in a brick order, that is, the seam of the lower level is located in the middle of the sheet of the next row. This is done so that the sheets of the bottom row hold the top ones.

From the second row, polystyrene foam is attached using special anchors, “umbrellas,” as they are called differently. They are driven into each of the four corners and into the center of the sheet.
Vertical and horizontal seams are taped with construction tape, which has reinforcing properties. IN window openings and at the corners of the insulation walls it is additionally secured with corners made of metal.
After the wall is completely covered with insulation, a construction mesh is mounted on it, then plaster can be applied.

Expanded polystyrene is best suited for insulating walls made of brick and concrete. This installation of insulation also has its negative sides. For example, this material has low permeability to water vapor, as a result of which condensation that accumulates in the wall can lead to it getting wet over time.

To avoid this, before installation work After installing the insulation, the walls must be thoroughly dried. It is also important to keep them dry during use. If all this cannot be achieved, then in this case it is better to use a method of installing insulation that provides for its ventilation.

Remember that ultimately there should be no place left in which the polystyrene foam will be accessible, otherwise small rodents can damage it, and the environment will also affect it, which will lead to damage and a decrease in properties.

Thermal insulation of a house can be done with your own hands using polystyrene foam.

Application of mineral wool

Many are inclined to believe that it is better to insulate walls with mineral wool. Mineral wool is another popular insulation material. How to insulate a private house using mineral wool? The installation of this insulation is similar in its technological procedures to thermal insulation made using basalt or cellulose slabs.

Installation instructions for mineral wool:

At the beginning, wall preparation is always required. Let's clean the walls of old plaster and try to level the surface.
Then you should begin installing the frame. It is made from wooden beams by creating a vertical and horizontal sheathing. In this case, the width and length of the empty space should be less than the insulation sheet by about thirty millimeters - this the necessary conditions so that the mineral wool sheet fits into it easily and does not form a large gap.
To fasten the mineral wool sheets, anchor bolts are installed, onto which the material is hung. Since most often the walls remain uneven, it is better to use mineral wool consisting of two layers. In this case, the softer layer is installed directly on the wall; thanks to its structure, the most excellent connection of the sheets with the insulated surface occurs.

Some versions of mineral wool can be coated with plaster after installing the construction mesh or a special vapor-permeable insulating film can be installed. Then you need to strengthen it and the heat insulator with additional wooden beams, after which the facing material is installed. Lining, various sidings, tiles and facing bricks are suitable.

This type of house insulation, three-layer ventilated, has proven itself in all climate zones. It is especially suitable for walls made of wood, as it allows the product to breathe and not become damp.

Use of polyurethane foam

How to properly insulate a house using polyurethane foam? When installing this insulation, you must adhere to the same frame structure, as with insulation with mineral wool and installation of wind protection. In this case, polyurethane foam is foamed onto the wall in a space free from the frame under the film, forming a very strong connection, thanks to this, an excellent result in maintaining heat indoors is achieved.

But there is one drawback - when using this type of insulation, when installed on vertical walls, it is difficult to form a layer of the same thickness, so it is most often used on horizontal surfaces such as ceilings or roof slopes standing at a slight angle. Insulating walls with polyurethane is not difficult. It is necessary to insulate a house (budinka) using additional products.

Application of basalt slabs

Insulation of the walls of a house from the outside can be carried out using basalt slabs. When installing this heat-insulating product, it is necessary to additionally apply a vapor barrier film.

Laying this protective film carried out on bars that have a horizontal position, and between the rafters. Then it is necessary to seal the resulting joints. Sealing is done using specially designed tape. The layer should be 200 millimeters. Next, a layer of wind protection is laid, and a covering of lathing is made using beams. This is done in order to provide ventilation.

Before starting insulation external walls With this material, it is necessary to make a covering of laths - this differs from the thermal insulation of the internal walls of the building. A gap must be left to ensure ventilation. The basalt slabs are attached using self-tapping screws. The final stage of installation includes finishing the surface with siding or some other coating.

To insulate external walls with basalt slabs, you must strictly follow the rules. Insulation of a private house is often carried out using basalt slabs.

Use of cellulose

How to insulate walls using cellulose? Cellulose can be installed using three methods: mechanical, dry, wet.

The first mounting method involves the use of specially designed equipment. Insulating external walls with your own hands mechanically is quite expensive. Mechanical method It has high performance. This method gives the walls the opportunity to “breathe”. Therefore, there is no need to apply a vapor barrier layer.

The dry installation method is used only for thermal insulation of horizontal surfaces. How are external walls insulated using this method? The insulation product is applied to the walls manually without the use of special equipment. First, the cellulose must be fluffed, this is done using a drill.

Then it must be poured out of the container onto the surface. Next, it is compacted. If, after all, the insulation needs to be applied to a vertical surface, then the work will take place in two stages. First you need to build a wall from the frame, the height of which should be 50 centimeters. Then you need to pour in the thermal insulation product and compact it. This is how other parts of the walls are also insulated.

Wet method - it is used for thermal insulation of vertical structures. First, the cellulose must be moistened with water. Thanks to this procedure, the cellulose will set without problems.

All insulation methods can be used to insulate a private house from the outside. Or it will be insulation of a country house.

What is the best way to insulate a house from the outside? There are various materials for insulating walls outside. Each thermal insulation material has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main thing is that it is cheap, inexpensive, but of high quality. Use the material for insulating the outside of your home that has high technical characteristics.

We hope the description of each of them will help you do right choice. External wall insulation is an important element in achieving overall comfort. You can insulate a house from the outside with your own hands without any help. You will achieve maximum comfort and coziness in your home.

The reason for external insulation is that the thermal insulation for walls made indoors does not allow the internal air to warm up the building. As a result, in the cold season, on a cooled wall, with inside, condensation forms. Thermal insulation prevents it from evaporating, which not only entails the formation of mold and mildew between the insulation and the wall.

A completely opposite result is obtained when insulating walls from the outside. In this case, the walls warm up normally even in severe frosts - the thermal insulation does not allow them to cool down and at the same time they remain completely dry - because the insulation does not allow cold air to penetrate inside. It is for this reason that facades are insulated, and not walls from the inside.

But in this case the question arises, what to do with the finishing? Modern thermal insulation materials are perfect for plastering or pasting them decorative tiles. It only requires certain preparation, which has already been discussed in one of our articles. Well, what kind of thermal insulator should be used for insulation is up to you to decide home handyman. We, in turn, will try to make this choice easier and talk about various materials used for these purposes.

There are two ways to insulate a building - apply internal insulation premises or make insulation for the walls of the house outside. Which insulation is better to use? The answer is hidden in a short expression - “dew point”.

Thermal insulation of the room from the outside will ensure the correct location of the dew point

Dew point is the temperature value at which condensation occurs. The point with this temperature can be located in the thickness of the wall, inside it or outside. Its coordinates depend on physical properties wall materials, the thickness of their layers, as well as external and internal temperature and humidity.

Important! The dew point position will be more optimal even in a completely uninsulated wall than in one that is only insulated from the inside.

The correct location of the dew point (outside the wall) can only be obtained by installing the insulation of the walls of the house outside, selected taking into account the properties of the material and thermal calculations for thickness.

Each type of modern insulation for exterior walls of a house has its own characteristics and price range. But their main differences are:

low thermal conductivity coefficient;
minimum values of water absorption and vapor permeability;
the ability to regulate the indoor microclimate;
high sound absorption rates;
environmental cleanliness;
fire resistance and fire safety;
resistance to chemical attack;

Comparative table of thermal conductivity of building materials

resistance to biological and mechanical influences (molds, insects, rodents);
strength and durability;
elasticity and lack of shrinkage;
low weight;
possibility of installation without seams, joints, voids;
ability to fill complex and hard-to-reach areas;
ease of installation.

It is also important to take into account how the consumer prefers to install insulation for the walls of the house outside. Videos showing the possibility self-execution Nowadays you can find enough works (as well as other manuals).

The optimal insulation for walls is selected taking into account the material of construction

Water absorption and vapor permeability are taken into account to ensure maximum protection of the room from moisture and are selected taking into account the climate and depending on the installation method. Thermal conductivity is used to calculate the required thickness of thermal insulation material.

The most commonly used types of insulation are:

expanded polystyrene (foam);
extruded polystyrene foam (eps, penoplex);
polyurethane foam;
mineral wool;
basalt insulation;
liquid thermal insulation.

Polystyrene foam is a popular material for insulating exterior walls of a house.

Polystyrene foam (expanded polystyrene) is one of the modern polymer insulation materials for house walls and is used in this capacity in almost all areas of the construction industry: civil and industrial.

First of all, this material is characterized by low thermal conductivity (from 0.037 to 0.052 W/m*K, depending on density) and water absorption, resistance to biological and chemical influences, and high sound insulation and windproof properties. It belongs to the group of environmentally friendly substances and is quite durable: its service life exceeds 50 years.

Fact! A layer of foam plastic 50 mm thick is equivalent to a wall of one and a half bricks in terms of heat retention.

Expanded polystyrene - easy to install and light weight

Among its other advantages are flexibility and light weight. This helps reduce the cost of delivery and installation, ease of work, and reduces the load on the walls, which, in turn, eliminates the need for additional strengthening of the foundation.

The disadvantage of polystyrene foam is its flammability, however, the low price makes it possible to insulate all the outside walls of the house with foam plastic.

Extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex) is one of the latest generation of thermal insulation materials. In its production, graphite is used in the form of nanoparticles, which increases the strength and energy saving of the product.

Insulation of walls with penoplex followed by cladding with siding

The thermal conductivity coefficient of penoplex insulation ranges from 0.029 – 0.031 W/m*K. It is resistant to mildew, chemical substances, insects and rodents, and is an excellent sound insulator.

Thanks to this, it is possible to use penoplex as insulation outside: for the walls of wooden houses and other buildings, and inside: thermal insulation of ceilings (especially when installing “warm” floors), basements, balconies and loggias.

Polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam is a type of plastic with a cellular foam structure. The mass of cells filled with air is 90% of the total weight of the product. Due to this, the thermal conductivity coefficient of polyurethane foam is one of the lowest - from 0.023 to 0.041 W/m*K.

Liquid polyurethane foam creates an airtight coating with excellent vapor and waterproofing

Polyurethane foam is different high level adhesion to all types of surfaces: concrete, brick, wood, metal - due to which an airtight coating is created with a guarantee of excellent vapor and waterproofing.

A seamless method of application (using a compressor and a hose) and high elasticity makes polyurethane foam an indispensable material for blown-in thermal insulation when insulating walls outside buildings of complex shapes and frame houses. Insulation for external walls using the blow-in method can be applied at temperatures up to 100ºС, the service life is up to 30 years.

Liquid polyurethane foam can be used as blow-in insulation between the building wall and the cladding

The only disadvantage of the material is its high cost and the need to use expensive equipment for installation.

Mineral wool is a product of processing slag (waste from the metallurgical industry) or rocks: basalt and dolomite. It is distinguished by strength, non-flammability, durability, environmental friendliness, elasticity, high degree of sound absorption, ease of installation and low cost. The thermal conductivity of this material is in the range of 0.034 – 0.037 W/m*K.

Mineral wool is fire resistant, environmentally friendly, has a high degree of sound absorption and is low cost.

For insulation work, mineral wool is used in the form of basalt slabs or in rolls with a wide range of sizes. Mineral wool is used as insulation for the outside walls of a house. The dimensions of the produced slabs can be as follows:

1000 x 600 x 50 mm;
7000 x 1200 x 50 mm;
9000 x 1200 x 50 mm;
10000 x 1200 x 50 mm;
10000 x 1200 x 100 mm.

Expanded polystyrene boards may have joint grooves for ease of installation

Basalt insulation is used in buildings for any purpose, especially for insulation in country houses, wooden houses and timber buildings. bricks or foam blocks. It is possible to work with this material at temperatures ranging from -60ºС to 220ºС, which is definitely convenient when installing on walls outside.

Which insulation is best for a roof? different designs. Types of insulation for roofs and ceilings. Mineral and synthetic insulation for roofs. Insulation of the attic roof.

It is most preferable to use mineral wool or basalt slabs when installing insulation for the walls of a house outside under the siding.

It is most preferable to use mineral wool to insulate the outside of the house followed by siding.

The use of mineral wool (along with polyurethane foam) to create blow-in insulation is also popular. With this method, using a compressor unit, the material is blown between the wall of the house and finishing facade. which also serves as formwork.

Liquid thermal insulation materials can be called new generation insulation materials. They can be used for thermal insulation of metal parts (pipes or frames) and as insulation for houses made of foam blocks. On the outside, on the walls, these ceramic multi-component substances look like acrylic paint.

However, they differ from paint in the content of vacuumized voids (up to 80%), due to which they acquire the properties of a heat insulator.

Liquid insulation is similar to acrylic paint

Interesting! Liquid insulation has a record low thermal conductivity coefficient (from 0.0011 to 0.0015 W/m*K). For comparison, the thermal conductivity coefficient of vacuum is 0.

With a liquid consistency, these materials do not require professional skills and complex equipment for application to any surface: concrete, brick, metal, wood. They are applied using painting tools: brushes, rollers, airless spray guns - and fill all voids and crevices.

Choosing insulation for external walls. 3 options for external wall insulation

Insulation of external walls can be carried out using different materials. There is a wide range on the market. But what is the best way to insulate the facade of a house? The answer to the question depends on several factors. And you shouldn’t always believe the manufacturer’s advertising.

Insulating the facade of a house with modern materials will be useless without following the technology. This is also worth taking into account when preparing for work. Before you insulate your house from the outside, you need to understand the nuances of the process.

It is important not only to choose the right heat insulator, but also to follow the insulation technology

Wall insulation can be divided into two large groups:

inorganic;
organic.

The second group has more representatives. This includes chemical industry products: expanded polystyrene (foam plastic, penoplex), natural ecowool. When choosing how to insulate the exterior of a house, you first need to pay attention to the physical properties.

Styrofoam

This thermal insulation belongs to the class of foamed polymers. Polystyrene foam is highly efficient, easy to install, and insulates noise quite well. Another advantage - affordable price. But such material has significantly more disadvantages. To choose the best way to insulate the walls of a house from the outside, it is important to consider that polystyrene has the following qualities:

flammability;
fragility (service life is rarely more than 10-20 years);
poor vapor permeability (additional room ventilation will be required);
instability to simultaneous exposure to cold and moisture (the material crumbles into individual balls);
low strength.

Polystyrene foam is affordable, provides excellent thermal insulation, but is flammable and short-lived

There is a possibility that during the aging process the material will release toxic styrene. The concentration is small, and when insulated from the outside, the substance practically does not penetrate into the room, but this property casts doubt on the manufacturer’s claims about environmental friendliness.

Read more about facade insulation with foam plastic.

To insulate a house from the outside with your own hands, you can use extruded polystyrene foam or, more simply, penoplex. This material is a close relative of polystyrene foam. It has all its advantages and some disadvantages. But compared to the previous option, it is devoid of such important disadvantages as:

instability to moisture and cold;
low strength;
fragility.

Flammability and low vapor permeability remain. Although some manufacturers increase the fire resistance class by introducing special additives, it is not possible to obtain a completely non-combustible material.

Penoplex is a strong, durable material, but has a low fire resistance class

Facade insulation wooden house It is not recommended to do it yourself using penoplex or polystyrene foam. The owners value such buildings for the naturalness of the materials and the ability of the walls to “breathe”. External insulation with polystyrene will completely block air movement. In this case, additional forced ventilation, because natural will not be enough. Polystyrenes can easily turn a building into a greenhouse; this is worth remembering when deciding how to insulate a house from the outside.

Read more about façade insulation with extruded polystyrene foam.

Ecowool

This material deserves the title of environmentally friendly insulation, since it is made entirely from cellulose fibers. External wall insulation with such material is not subject to rotting and is unattractive to rodents. This can be achieved by adding minerals to the composition: boric acid and Boers.

In order to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature even in the coldest winter, it is necessary to properly insulate the house. If a new building is being built, insulation is carried out after the walls and roof of the building are installed.

If a private house is many years old, then it is possible wall material has already lost its strength and cracks of various sizes have appeared in places, which contribute to heat loss, in this case it is necessary to first seal all the cracks and irregularities, and only then begin work on insulating the house.

Insulation materials

There are a huge number of materials that can be used to insulate the walls of a house.
Most popular:

Expanded polystyrene

This material is the most inexpensive among insulation materials for outdoor use. This is not the only advantage. Expanded polystyrene has very low thermal conductivity, which allows the use of a smaller layer of insulation, is lightweight, and can be easily cut into pieces of the required size.

The disadvantages of this insulation include low vapor permeability and high flammability. It is not advisable to use expanded polystyrene for insulating wooden houses, due to insufficient good air exchange, as a result of which the wood will be susceptible to rotting processes.

This material is most often used for insulating brick and stone houses. A layer of insulation 100 mm thick will reduce the cost of heating the room by 5 times.

Expanded polystyrene has very low thermal conductivity, which allows the use of a smaller layer of insulation, is lightweight, and can be easily cut into pieces of the required size

Glass wool

This material has a large number of advantages, among which are its low weight, thanks to which this insulation can be used to insulate old buildings. Glass wool is not subject to rotting, and mice cannot chew through this material.

Glass wool bends easily, so insulating walls that have various curves in their design is not a problem. This material is made from quartz sand and cullet, which cannot but have a positive effect on the final cost of this product.

Glass wool is not without its drawbacks, among which the most unpleasant is the hygroscopicity of the material. By absorbing moisture, the insulation loses to a large extent its thermal insulation properties, so it is undesirable to use this material for external insulation in places where the groundwater level comes too close to the surface of the earth.

If the climate in a given region is too humid, then it is better to abandon the use of this insulation, or use high-quality glass wool waterproofing. Over time, glass wool fibers can stick together and decrease in volume, which also contributes to a decrease in thermal insulation properties.

When working with this material, you should adhere to strict safety requirements, use rubberized gloves, a respirator and goggles. Getting tiny particles of glass into the lungs and eyes can lead to undesirable consequences. If you work with this insulation without gloves, the glass fibers can penetrate the skin causing prolonged irritation and tingling.

Glass wool is not subject to rotting, mice cannot chew through this material

Stone wool

This material resembles glass wool in many characteristics, but there are several fundamental differences that make this material more attractive for use in external insulation of a house. The manufacturing process of this material involves drawing thin threads from the melt of basalt group rocks.

The threads are placed in random order into forms in which the material is pressed at certain temperature conditions. Stone wool is a denser material compared to glass wool, but its thermal insulation characteristics are superior to this material. Stone wool is easily cut into blocks of any shape, which makes the process of installing slabs easy and not time-consuming.

This material has very high vapor permeability with virtually no hygroscopicity. If no technological errors were made during insulation, the wall will remain “breathable”. Due to the fact that this thermal insulation material has an increased density, it can be easily installed with glue, which also speeds up the installation process.

Stone wool has disadvantages, the most unpleasant of which is its high cost.

Stone wool is a denser material compared to glass wool, but its thermal insulation characteristics are superior to this material.

Foil insulation

It is used mainly for insulating the floor of a room, but can also be used for thermal insulation of walls. The insulation consists of a layer of foamed polyethylene and thin aluminum foil. Due to its high heat-reflecting characteristics, this material is 2 times higher than the insulating properties of stone wool.

Foil insulation is easily mounted on the wall due to its very low weight, which significantly reduces the work time.

The disadvantage of this material is almost 100% vapor permeability.

Due to its high heat-reflecting characteristics, this material is 2 times higher than the insulating properties of stone wool.

To implement correct installation it is necessary to pre-level the walls in order for the cork slabs to be installed on outer wall houses without gaps. Unlike the above materials, no synthetic substances are used to produce cork insulation, which makes cork boards one of the most environmentally friendly materials for insulating residential premises.

This material can be used for both interior decoration and for wall insulation. Unlike glass wool, cork does not absorb moisture, which allows it to be used even in conditions of high humidity and high groundwater.

Even after a long period of use, the material does not shrink, so the plastered surface does not deform or form cracks. The material does not interfere with the passage of steam, which allows it to be used for insulating the external facades of wooden houses. When insulating brick and stone walls, vapor exchange also occurs through the pores of the walls and the insulating layer.

Cork insulation is fireproof and does not emit substances hazardous to humans when exposed to high temperatures. The disadvantage of cork is its high cost, which is significantly higher than similar sized stone and glass wool slabs.

Unlike glass wool, cork does not absorb moisture, which allows it to be used even in conditions of high humidity and high groundwater levels

Making a choice

In order to determine what material to use for external wall insulation, you should answer the following questions:

What material are the walls made of?
What is the humidity in the area where the house is located?
How high are groundwater.
What is the financial possibility of purchasing 1 m2.
How many people will be involved in the work?

If the walls of the house are made of wood, then materials such as polystyrene foam, foil insulation and glass wool are not used.

Expanded polystyrene is flammable, which increases the fire hazard of a wooden structure.

Foil insulation almost completely seals the structure, resulting in wood rotting and mold formation.

At high humidity and close proximity to groundwater, glass wool is not used for insulation of wooden houses.

The most suitable material for insulation wooden walls is cork insulation, but its cost is quite high, so before you go to the store to purchase this product, you should make correct calculations full cost.

You can insulate a wooden house with cork slabs yourself. Cork is light weight and is attached to wooden base using nails or screws.

If you need to insulate the outside of stone or brick house, then expanded polystyrene is the most suitable material for this purpose.

Even if there is close groundwater at the site where the building is being erected, this fact does not matter. negative influence on the quality of the thermal insulation layer.

As for financial costs, expanded polystyrene is the most inexpensive of the known materials for thermal insulation of walls.

To insulate brick and stone walls, basalt slabs are used, which do not absorb moisture and have high thermal insulation properties. Price of this material quite high, but the cost of heating an insulated house stone wool, will decrease significantly.

Features of insulation

Foam insulation

Due to its high flammability and low vapor permeability, it is practically not used for thermal insulation work on wooden structures.

Insulation of concrete and brick walls carried out in the following sequence:

The surface of the wall must be perfectly flat. Cracks, sagging and other irregularities must be sealed with sand-cement mortar.
After the wall is leveled, the surface should be primed to improve adhesion. For this purpose, primers with deep penetration are used. This work can be done using a roller, brush or spray.
Installation of the slabs is carried out after the primer layer has completely dried. Gluing foam to the wall is carried out special glue for polystyrene foam or using dry mixtures. Installation of polystyrene foam begins from the bottom, the rows are installed in a checkerboard pattern in half-sheet increments. If dry mixtures are used to install expanded polystyrene, then immediately before starting work, prepare a working solution using construction mixer or a special attachment that is installed on the drill. The mortar is applied to the wall with a comb spatula, and you can even out the wall a little by applying more mortar where the wall has slight inward curvatures.
After applying the glue, the foam sheets are installed manually. When pressing each slab against the wall, you must ensure that there is no adhesive in the joints between the slabs. If a gap has formed between the plates, it must be sealed using pieces of polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam.
After completing the work of installing the slabs on the adhesive base, and allowing the solution to stand for at least 3 days, polystyrene foam boards additionally secured with plastic dowels. For this purpose, 5 holes are drilled for each sheet with a depth slightly exceeding the length of the plastic dowel. One hole is drilled exactly in the middle of the sheet, the other four - in the corners. Then a plastic “mushroom” is installed in each hole, the cap of which should be in the same plane with the surface of the foam sheet. After installing the “fungus”, a plastic nail is driven in, which is inserted so that the head of the “fungus” is immersed inside the foam by 2 - 3 mm. After the foam is fixed, reinforcement is performed with plastic dowels outer surface using plastic facade mesh and special adhesive mixtures for reinforcement. Adhesive composition is applied with a spatula to the installed foam plastic boards in an even layer, after which a reinforcing mesh is installed in the adhesive layer, and the layer of mortar protruding beyond its surface is leveled. In this way, the outer walls of the house are insulated with polystyrene foam.

Insulation of walls with mineral wool

Insulation of the external walls of a building using mineral wool can be done in three different ways:

Ventilated way– a hinged frame structure is used.
“Well” method– when implementing this installation method, a layer of heat insulation is laid between two layers of brickwork.
Wet method– a layer of plaster is applied to the insulation.

When using a ventilated installation method, insulation can be carried out on wooden, concrete or brick walls. The installation process is carried out in the following sequence:

An adhesive base is applied to the wall.
A slab of mineral wool is pressed against the wall.
After the glue has dried, the slabs are additionally secured with plastic dowels.
Then, with a small gap from the insulation layer, facing slabs are installed on the frame.

Thus, there will be constant air circulation between the mineral wool layer and the facing slabs, which will prevent the formation of high air humidity between these layers.

When constructing brick walls, the “well” type of laying mineral wool is the most preferable method. Old buildings can also be insulated in this way.

This insulation method is very simple, and is carried out in the following sequence:

Thermal insulation slabs are fixed to the main layer of the wall.
The wall is lined with silicate or ceramic bricks.

By using this method of insulating the external walls of a building, you can obtain a high degree of thermal insulation, while the wall will be absolutely vapor permeable.

The wet method involves applying a layer of plaster on top of the insulation.

First, mineral wool slabs are laid on the wall in the manner described above. Then, using an adhesive solution, a reinforcing plastic mesh is laid on the heat-insulating layer. Are ending thermal insulation work applying a plaster layer to the reinforcing mesh.

Insulation with polyurethane foam

A modern way to insulate walls is to spray a layer of polyurethane. In terms of time, this method takes less time than installing various heat-insulating boards.

Spraying can be done under siding and under plaster:

Under the siding, brackets are first installed on the wall on which the profile will be installed. Then a calculated layer of insulation is sprayed.
Under the plaster, a layer of polyurethane foam is applied to the wall in an even layer. After the foam has completely dried, the most protruding tubercles of the hardened substance are cut off. After this, a layer of special primer is applied to increase adhesion between the layer of insulation and plaster. Then a uniform layer of plaster is applied to the insulation, into which a reinforcing plastic mesh is embedded. After the first layer of plaster has completely dried, the final, decorative layer of plaster is applied.

Walls insulated from the outside allow not only to retain heat, but also significantly increase the mechanical strength of walls from the effects of negative environmental factors.
When using polyurethane foam to insulate a house and glass wool, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment.
When insulating external walls at a significant height, it is necessary to equip special scaffolding.
To purchase materials for external wall insulation, please contact only to specialized retail outlets.

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Home insulation is one of the the most important factors, affecting the savings of the family budget. After all, if the house is ventilated from all sides, heating costs increase many times over. Experienced craftsmen do not advise insulating rooms from the inside - this leads not only to a decrease in usable area, but also to the destruction of walls due to the formation of condensation between the walls and thermal insulation, which means that such work should be carried out outside the buildings. Types of insulation for external walls, price and materials for making thermal insulation - this is the topic of our conversation today.

Wall insulation is very important for saving the family budget

The reason for external insulation is that the thermal insulation for walls made indoors does not allow the internal air to warm up the building. As a result, during the cold season, condensation forms on the cooled wall, on the inside. Thermal insulation prevents it from evaporating, which not only entails the formation of mold and mildew between the insulation and the wall. This leads to fairly rapid destruction of the wall. In addition, literally after a year or two a persistent smell of dampness begins to appear in the home, which is quite difficult to get rid of.

Extruded polystyrene foam - what is it?

This material has a higher cost, but its technical characteristics are much better. The most famous of such insulation for external walls can be safely called penoplex. It is quite durable, although it has a porous structure. It is also very convenient for plastering. Installation is carried out using special mastics, adhesive bases without the use of acetone, but the best option at exterior decoration can be called special plastic anchors.

For rodents and various pests, such insulation is of no interest. In addition, in its manufacture, substances are used that are not susceptible to the formation of fungus. In fact, there is only one minus - high flammability. The weight of the slabs is small, which, coupled with its strength, allows one person to carry out work on insulating the outside of the house with penoplex foam without any help.

Polyurethane foam - what are its disadvantages and advantages

This material has been known for a long time and has found application not only as a thermal insulator. It is used as a filler in armchairs and sofas, car and bus seats. To put it simply, this is foam rubber, which is probably known to every person.

It can only be used as insulation under panels. Its soft structure does not allow plastering. Although some home craftsmen, using foam rubber as a heat insulator, then close it or, which allows subsequent plastering of the wall.

It is important to know! Its huge disadvantage is its instability to high temperatures. Moreover, “thanks” to his chemical composition When ignited, this thermal insulator emits very toxic substances, which are quite easy to poison, unlike extruded polystyrene foam, which is not subject to combustion.

Many people are now talking about the harm caused by the phenol allegedly released by this material. However, the opinions of scientists here are divided. Some say that it is absolutely neutral, while others, on the contrary, claim that it causes colossal harm to the body. We will not take sides, limiting ourselves to stating the facts - this material is now used in almost all furniture, in cars, and even as a filling for pillows. And if its harm had been proven, it is unlikely that a self-respecting manufacturer would dare to poison people.

Mineral wool, its varieties and the possibility of using it for thermal insulation

This heat insulator can be used inside or in external thermal insulation of walls with subsequent finishing with siding or wall panels. It is most widely used in the construction of ventilated facades and insulation. Most often, a variety of it is used for these purposes - slabs of a certain size of basalt insulation, the price of which is relatively low.

Mineral wool has higher thermal conductivity and vapor permeability than previous options. It is due to this that it is the cheapest insulation. However, when using it, the heat in the house becomes quite sufficient. A rather unpleasant moment is that when working with it, the body begins to itch. Of course, not as strong as it was with its predecessor - glass wool, but still sensitive. In addition, it is a rather brittle and fragile material. But still, for this type of insulation, such as a ventilated facade, such a thermal insulator is practically irreplaceable.

Liquid insulation for walls - how to use it and how well it performs its functions

In appearance, such a heat insulator resembles thick paint. There is no doubt about the quality of its performance of its functions. However, its popularity is reduced by its high cost - not everyone can afford it. It is for this reason that professionals advise applying it only in the corners of the house and at the joints of the foundation and walls. It is better to cover the remaining area with more affordable insulation. Choosing it to insulate all wall surfaces will be very wasteful.

This material can be divided into 2 groups - heat paint and liquid foam. Both of them do an excellent job not only with insulation, but also with. It fits well on them, which means they are compatible with any material. High adhesion allows the use of this heat insulator on any surface, be it stone, concrete, brick or wood.

Main manufacturers of thermal insulation materials - a brief overview

There are quite a lot of thermal insulation manufacturers in Russia. And each of them is good in its own way, and therefore there is no point in compiling any kind of rating. So today we’ll just say a few words about each of them.

"Ecover"– manufacturer of basalt slabs is very good quality. In addition to wall materials, it produces roofing heat-insulating materials and sandwich panels.

"Knauf"- the same mineral wool, but the manufacturer’s peculiarity is that he produces it not in slabs, but in rolls. The thickness of the layer may vary.
"Isover"– glass wool and its varieties. Such a thermal insulator has a very big drawback - it requires organization of moisture removal
"Penofol"– basalt slabs are of quite high quality, but the heat-insulating material made from extruded polystyrene foam brought great popularity to this brand.
"TechnoNIKOL" is a brand known throughout Russia and with factories in many regions. In addition to roofing felt and others roofing materials produces EPS boards and basalt insulation.
"URSA"– mainly basalt and fiberglass slabs of excellent quality
"Penoplex"– the name has become a household name. “Penoplex” is now the name given to all EPS boards, regardless of the manufacturer.
"Ekoteplin"– unique and completely natural tile materials, which contain flax fibers, borax and starch.

"Astratek" – liquid insulation, which have no analogues in Russia. High-quality thermal insulation is achieved by applying a layer of only 3 mm.

Related article:

By selecting slabs of suitable thickness, you can ensure a sufficient level of thermal insulation of walls, floors, and ceilings. Let's talk about this insulation in more detail in our review.

The list of manufacturers can be endless; we have named only a few of the most famous.

Features of wall insulation outside the house - ventilated facade

Mineral wool is used for the ventilated façade. In simple words without using construction terms, a frame is assembled on the wall from metal profile with cells the size of mineral, fiberglass or basalt slabs, or the same profiles are attached in a line from the bottom to the top of the building, between which insulation is laid. Afterwards it is closed with a special hydro-and. The cladding is made with ceramic-granite tiles (usually 50x50 cm), which are fixed to the same guides using special metal clamps called “crabs”.

In this way, the developer achieves a solution to several problems at once - insulation, vapor barrier and finishing.

Three-layer wall construction - installation features

In this way, the walls of low-rise buildings are often insulated from or. The technology is quite simple. A building made of rough brick is insulated from the outside using any polymer thermal insulator, and then covered with facing bricks. But although the quality of such thermal insulation is not bad, this method also has its drawbacks. The main one can be called the low durability of insulation compared to construction and facing material. Despite this, the popularity of such insulation is quite high.

Calculation of insulation for house walls: convenient online calculators

It is not difficult to calculate the required dimensions of the slabs according to the length and width of the wall. Much big problem here is a calculation of the required thickness, which depends on many different parameters, including the region in which the residential building is located. That is why we suggest you use our online calculators, which will perform all the calculations themselves.