One of the most important tasks of any owner of a private home is floor insulation, and it should not be neglected. Especially if the housing is located in a region with harsh climatic conditions. You need to know what is blown through uninsulated floors a large number of heat. That’s why the first thing you need to start insulating your house with is the floors.

Since they can be made of different materials and have different designs, they can also be insulated in several ways.

Today, there are many technologies for insulating floors in a private home, and in addition, some owners themselves create their own methods or complement existing ones with their inventions.

To find out in more detail which insulation method and type of thermal insulator to choose, you need to consider several common methods.

First, you need to figure out what material the floor can be made of, since the method and material of insulation will depend on this. So, floors can be made of wood, concrete or using dry screed.

Wooden floors

This type of flooring includes flooring made from floorboards or plywood.

Also, according to their design, they are divided into two types - single-layer and double-layer, i.e. having a rough floor.

All types of wooden floors are installed on joists raised to a certain height above concrete screed or over compacted soil. And it should be noted that wood itself is a warm material when compared with others used for flooring.

Insulation of a wooden floor can be done in several ways:

• pour a thick layer of expanded clay onto the ground, and arrange a wooden flooring of boards on joists over it;
• if a subfloor is installed, then the issue is resolved more simply - some of the insulation is placed in its cells, or they are filled with liquid expanding material;
• it is possible to install an infrared floor on top of the wooden flooring, and then lay a decorative coating;
• if there is no subfloor, it can be replaced vapor barrierfilm, which is spread and secured on a sheathing made of bars, and light-weight insulation is placed on it, sold in the form of slabs or rolls. On top of such insulation is first laid vapor barrierfilm, and then the flooring is also made from the floorboard.

Concrete floors

Floors made from this material are very durable, but they have a big drawback - the fact that concrete is very cold and requires mandatory insulation. such a floor is most often used as a basis for insulating material and decorative covering. Concrete floors can also be insulated in different ways:

1. The screed is placed on an expanded clay backfill.
2. The solution is mixed with insulating materials - fine expanded clay or crushed polystyrene foam.
3. The bars are attached to the finished screed, and between them the different types insulation. Next comes a vapor barrier, and then the sheathing is covered with plywood or floorboard.
4. The device of the “warm floor” system is electric, infrared or water.

Dry screed floors

Today, dry screed is increasingly used for flooring. Although this technology has been around for quite some time, it has not been as popular as it has been recently.

This floor will require a special backfill mixture, which may consist of fine expanded clay, expanded perlite sand, pumice and slag. The dry backfill, after leveling it, is covered with materials that will serve as the basis for the decorative floor covering, and will also take on the main load - these can be chipboard sheets, OSB, moisture-resistant plywood or special composite boards.

Dry screed itself is a good sound and heat insulator, it is easy to install, and allows you to install various communications in it without any problems. But if it is necessary to increase the insulation of such floors, then this can be done using one of the methods of installing a “warm floor” - electric or infrared.

Insulation of floors

Insulation of the floor in a private house, depending on the coating material, is carried out using various technologies, and in order to achieve a positive result, you need to do everything in order.

Insulation of a wooden floor

You can start insulating a wooden floor by insulating the soil. To do this, expanded clay is laid on it in a layer of 20 to 40 centimeters thick. This material will not allow cold air to escape from the ground to go up, but for the floor to be warm, this will not be enough.

The floorboards are laid on a sheathing made of thick bars.

In Russian huts, a subfloor was required, since it served for laying insulation materials on it, which were dry leaves, slag, and chopped straw. Today, numerous mineral or synthetic insulation materials are used, from which you can choose the one you need.

• To start with in the rough the floor is sealed all holes and crevices - this can be done with ordinary clay, soaking it and diluting it to the consistency of thick sour cream. Clay is a natural, breathable material, it adheres well to wooden surface and will serve as a material for sealing seams between boards for a long time.

• After the clay has dried, the cells of the subfloor are filled with insulation - this can be expanded clay, polystyrene foam, mineral wool, ecowool or liquid insulation - penoizol, which works on the principle of polyurethane foam.

  floor insulation

• Next, the insulation is covered with a vapor barrier film, which must be secured to the sheathing joists.
• After this it is laid batten, and the baseboards are fixed.

If the subfloor is not made for some reason, it can be replaced with thin insulation or vapor barrier film. These materials are attached to the joists so that slabs or rolls can be laid on them mineral wool.

• Then the entire structure is covered with a vapor barrier film, which is secured to the joists using a stapler and staples.
• The final steps are to lay the floorboard or thick plywood. Linoleum or laminate can be laid on plywood. Then the floor is decorated around the entire perimeter with a plinth.

Another way to insulate a wooden floor can be an option when you don’t want to lift the existing board flooring. In this case, the logs are fixed perpendicular to the floor boards. If there are gaps between the boards, they need to be sealed, for example, with a special sealant

Next, the insulation is laid or filled in, then it is covered with a vapor barrier membrane, and plywood is laid on top. It can be primed and painted, or varnished. You can also lay decorative flooring on a plywood floor. To enhance insulation, an infrared film system is sometimes laid under linoleum or laminate.

Video - How to insulate a floor on joists

Insulation of concrete floor

A concrete floor installed in a residential area must be insulated, and this process is carried out in several ways.

• To make concrete floors less cold, when installing a screed, a waterproofing film is first spread on the ground, then expanded clay is poured, the thickness of which should be from 10 to 15 centimeters. To ensure the evenness of the backfill, beacons are installed, the insulation is leveled along them and covered with a reinforcing metal mesh.
• When such a base is prepared, it is watered with liquid cement mortar - this process is necessary to create a kind of film on the expanded clay that will retain the moisture of the mortar and help it dry naturally.
• After the initial expanded clay treatment has dried, a screed is laid on top of the reinforcement. Cement mortar for it can be made from sand and cement, or you can add foam chips to it - this will also help make the floors warmer.
• After the screed has hardened, it is necessary to lay a covering on it.
• If the housing is located in a region with a cold climate, then the above-described insulation will not be enough. Therefore, in order to finally make the floors warm, several methods are used, and for each of them it is necessary to waterproof the junction of the walls and the floor.
• When the waterproofing is in place, wooden logs made of blocks are laid and secured to the floor at a distance from each other by the width of the slabs or roll of insulation. The height of the logs should correspond to the thickness of the insulation, and the width should be 7-9 centimeters.
• If wide insulation is purchased, it is cut to the required size.
• It must be remembered that the logs begin to be laid at a distance of about five centimeters from the wall, where pieces of insulation are also laid.
• After laying the material, a vapor barrier film is fixed on top of it.
• Next, thick plywood or floorboard is laid. If desired, you can put laminate or linoleum on the plywood floor. Finishing includes installation of skirting boards.

Insulation of the floor in a private house, how wooden and concrete, it is also very successfully implemented using the “warm floor” system, which will be given special attention below.

roll waterproofing

Insulation of floors on dry screed

Dry screed is used both for constructing the floor itself and as insulation for concrete. But if the owner of the house considers this situation insufficient, you can insulate it additionally. This is done using the “warm floor” system.

The dry screed is covered with slabs, which are covered with waterproofing and only the electric heated floor is laid on it. In this case, it is impossible to do without waterproofing, since the heated floor system must be covered on top with a thin layer of mortar (construction mixture), which, after hardening, is covered with the floor covering.

The decorative coating can be anything - ceramic tile, linoleum or laminate.

The water version of this system is not suitable for a floor made of dry screed, since it has more weight, requires penetration into the coating, and in the thermally insulating expanded clay layer, heating will lose any meaning - heat cannot be achieved.

If you do not want to use self-leveling floors on top of a dry screed, you can use the installation of an infrared floor, which is a thin film and can even be laid under linoleum.

Warm floor system

As mentioned above, “warm floor” can be infrared, electric and water.

Electric floor

• Electric floor can be purchased from assembled version, i.e. laid and secured on a special grid, in the form of heating mats, which simply need to be laid out on a prepared, flat base. The mesh is glued to the floor using ceramic tile adhesive.

This electric floor kit is available in lengths up to 25 meters and widths from 50 to 150 centimeters. Therefore, before purchasing it, you need to carefully measure the room or all the individual rooms where it will be installed.

This electric floor option is well suited for dry screed floors

• Another, more complex way to make an electric floor is when you need to select a specific electrical cable and place it in holders designed for it, which are attached to the prepared base. This option is suitable as insulation for a cement floor.

When the floor is laid and secured, a thermostat is installed on the wall at a height of 50-70 centimeters, which will control the temperature of the heating elements. The temperature regulator is connected to the floor cable. The coupling that will connect the cable to the thermostat must be positioned so that it is covered with a tie.

When the entire system is laid, you can begin installing the screed - it should have a thickness of at least five cm.

Such a floor can be connected to the power supply only after the concrete has completely hardened - after 3-4 weeks.

warm floor

« Warm floor" water

If an electric floor consists of a heating cable or mats, then a water floor is a piping system. Metal-plastic or polyethylene pipes, which can be laid on special mats or attached to a metal mesh laid underneath them.

The pipeline is laid in two ways - with a snake or a snail, in increments of 30-35 centimeters. After laying the pipes and bringing their ends to the manifold cabinet, the entire floor system is covered with a concrete screed; its total thickness, including the thickness of the pipeline, should be 10-12 centimeters.

The manifold cabinet is the place where the connection to common system heating. A mixer and pump can also be installed there, if necessary.

Any decorative covering can be laid on top of the screed above the heated floor - linoleum, carpet, tiles or laminate.

It should be noted that electrical and water system“warm floors” are best laid on foil insulation - then the heat will not escape towards the ground, but will be reflected into the room.

Infrared heated floor

If it fits on concrete surface, it is necessary to arrange waterproofing, and then thin foil insulation based on polyethylene foam is laid on it, the strips of which are fastened with special tape.

Then the film heating elements are prepared and laid on the floor with copper elements downwards according to a pre-drawn diagram. The stripes should usually be spaced five centimeters apart. If you plan to lay laminate or linoleum on top of the IR floor, then to achieve maximum heating effect, you can place the film as close as possible.

When the film elements are mounted, contact clamps are installed on them - one side of the contact must be placed in the layers of the film, and the other on the copper side, after which the contacts are crimped.

To control the heating of the film floor, a thermostat is installed on the wall, which is also connected to a cable coming from the floor.

The selected decorative floor covering is laid on top of the film.

Insulation of the floor in a private house will depend on various criteria related to its design, as well as the desires and capabilities of the home owner. Before you settle on a specific option, you need to find out the prices for all components and their installation, if you decide to invite a specialist to do this work.

In domestic climatic conditions, the need to insulate residential buildings is beyond any doubt. Owners of private houses have to solve this problem on their own. Wooden boards, which in most cases are used to make floors in country houses, become deformed over time, and gaps appear in the initially tightly packed coating.

It’s hard to imagine, but up to thirty percent of thermal energy can escape through these cracks in the cold season. As a result, heating costs increase sharply and the comfort of living in winter decreases. To prevent these consequences, it is necessary to properly insulate the floors.

The list of materials for floor insulation is quite wide

Options for wood floor insulation technologies

The procedure for thermal insulation of a wooden floor should be provided for at the stage of design and construction of a house, and then minimal labor and financial resources. If it is necessary to perform this manipulation when the ceiling is already ready, the technology for performing the work becomes significantly more complicated. In this case, the job can be done correctly and the floor can be insulated from above, directly over the old coating, or by partially dismantling it. There is also the option of insulating the flooring from below on the basement side.

In this case, it is more convenient to insulate the floor from the basement side

Thermal insulation of floors is done from above if the house has a low basement. If the flooring is dismantled, only the joists remain. The procedure is very labor intensive. If the basement is of sufficient depth, the insulating material can be laid from below. This is much simpler and faster, since during the work you will not have to dismantle and disassemble the flooring if it is in good condition.

What is the best way to insulate floors in a private house?

It is quite possible to do the insulation of the floor in a private house with your own hands. In this case, a variety of heat-insulating materials are used. Which one is better is determined after analyzing their performance characteristics and the specific conditions in which they will be used. An insulated floor significantly increases the comfort of living in a house at subzero temperatures. environment and reduces heating costs.

Ecowool is one of the insulation options for wooden floors

Polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are widely used; the use of glass wool and mineral wool has its own characteristics. The simplest and cheapest method is to insulate the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay or sawdust. The so-called dry screed has good performance characteristics.

Advantages and disadvantages of polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene

Many people know that you can insulate the floor with polystyrene foam. Expanded polystyrene for flooring is also popular among professional builders and home craftsmen. Polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene, due to their excellent performance qualities, are most widely used as insulation materials. With the exception of minor differences, they are specifications comparable to each other. The use of these thermal insulation materials has the following advantages:

• low cost;
• low thermal conductivity;
• small mass;
• wide area of ​​use;
• long term operation;
• resistance to pathogenic microflora;
• ease of installation.

Quite often the floor is insulated with polystyrene foam.

In addition to the above advantages, these materials also have operational disadvantages. Their list is also quite impressive; the following negative qualities can be noted:

• release harmful substances when ignited;
• prevent the passage of water vapor;
• afraid of exposure to direct sunlight;
• attractive to rodents;
• are destroyed upon contact with solvents;
• have low mechanical strength.

Characteristics of “Dry screed” for floor insulation

The so-called “Dry screed”, which is made from gypsum fiber, is excellent for thermal insulation of the wooden floor of a private house. The use of this composition suggests the following positive aspects:

• excellent thermal insulation;
• fire safety;
• ease of installation;
• compatibility with all finishing coatings;
• small thickness;
• good noise absorption characteristics.

The process of laying “dry screed” for floor insulation

At the same time, since we are insulating the floor with a factory-made dry mixture, we should take into account its high consumption: for processing one square meter the surface requires twenty kilograms of the mixture. In addition, when water penetrates, the geometric dimensions of the dry screed change, which can lead to damage to the final coating.

Possibility of using mineral wool

Mineral wool is widely used to provide thermal insulation for wooden floors. The material is made in the form of slabs, which are easy to lay on the floor with your own hands.

Mineral wool is well suited for floor insulation

Mineral wool has many positive properties. The material has excellent noise-absorbing and heat-insulating qualities, fire safety, prevents the proliferation of pathogenic microflora, resistant to aggressive chemical environments.

However, when water gets in, deformation and partial loss of heat-insulating qualities occur. In addition, mineral wool has low mechanical strength and is not an environmentally friendly material.

Features of using glass wool

Glass wool is similar in its characteristics to mineral wool. The peculiarity of its use is that when performing work, you must carefully ensure that it does not get into the organs of vision or on the skin.

Glass wool is a common option for insulating a wooden floor.

The production process is complicated by the need for workers to use personal protective equipment. A negative quality of this material is its significant shrinkage over time, as a result of which, if installed incorrectly, the thermal insulation is damaged.

Pros and cons of using expanded clay

Expanded clay is foamed and fired granules of a porous structure made on a clay basis. The big advantage of this material is its low cost, environmental friendliness, low weight and long service life of about fifty years. Expanded clay has excellent soundproofing and insulating qualities. Thus, thermal insulation of the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay will not make a hole in the family budget.

Floor insulation with expanded clay - simple and inexpensive

The disadvantage of using it is the need to make a significant thickness of backfill layer, otherwise wooden floors will remain cold, especially at sharply negative ambient temperatures. In addition, it absorbs moisture well, although it does not lose its insulating properties.

Sawdust is the cheapest material

The cheapest material is finely ground sawdust. They do not pose any danger to human health, the technology for performing the work is extremely simple: the space between the rough and final floor covering is filled with sawdust. Before use, this material must be thoroughly dried for at least twelve months, otherwise it will quickly become unusable. Cutting waste from freshly cut trees cannot be used immediately.

Apparently sawdust is the most a budget option floor insulation

By increasing or decreasing the thickness of the layer, the level of thermal insulation is adjusted. In northern regions with very cold climates, a very thick layer has to be poured. It is necessary to take into account the attractiveness of this material for rodents and to repel them, add two parts of dry slaked lime to the composition. The disadvantage of sawdust is the occurrence of rotting processes in them when wet.

Modern choice - isolon and penofol

The use of such insulation as insulation has undoubted operational advantages. modern materials, like isolon and penofol. Isolon is a polyethylene foam coated with a layer of foil and is distinguished by excellent sound insulation properties with a very small thickness. The material does not support combustion, prevents the development of pathogenic microflora and corrosion processes, a two-centimeter layer is comparable in sound insulation and heat-saving properties to single brick masonry.

Fragments of laying penoizol for floor insulation

Produced in the form of rolls, penofol consists of several layers of insulation, on top of which there is reflective foil. It acts as a screen that prevents large losses of thermal energy.

When using penofol it is not necessary to carry out additional work for waterproofing or arranging a vapor barrier layer.

The easiest way is to lay a double floor

The simplest way to perform insulation is to provide for the laying of a double floor, which is a rough and finishing coating, at the stage of building a house. This insulation system should be used in rooms with high ceilings, as it takes up useful space.

The construction technology involves laying joists on which the subfloor will be strengthened. The coating can be made from wooden planks, particle boards, OSB or other similar materials, the only important thing is that the structural elements fit tightly together without forming gaps.

Arranging a double floor is a reliable insulation option

Insulation material is laid on the surface of the subfloor between the guides. At the same time, use sand as it at high natural humidity should not be used, as in this case condensation may form. A finishing covering of wooden boards about five centimeters thick is mounted on top of the insulation. The new coating will have to be painted, as described in the article

Of course, you can insulate the old floor in the same way, but you should take into account the reduction in the relative height of the ceiling.

The most correct floor insulation is by joists

When building a new house or dismantling the covering, the most proper insulation flooring - a method of performing work on joists. In this case, the insulation is placed between the joists, which serve as the basis for the finished floor. Depending on the design of the building, the basis for installing joists and insulation can be a subfloor made on its own joists, as well as concrete covering or even soil. In the latter case, it is useful to equip a clay castle with a layer of about 5-10 cm to protect it from moisture.

Dense insulation can be held between the joists using ordinary nails

In the technology under consideration, the height of the logs and the distance between them must correspond to the height of the insulation and its width. Before installing the floor covering, a vapor barrier layer of waterproof film fixed to the joists should be installed on top of the insulation. The joints of the film can be fixed with tape.

How to insulate floors with your own hands from below without removing the old floor

If a private house has a deep, cold basement, the most the right way will insulate the floor from below without removing the old covering. In this case, there is no need to choose a material that can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and other mechanical loads. In this case, not only the finishing surface will be protected, but also the entire floor as a whole, and the dew point of the floor will shift outward, and the coating will not rot.

When performing such a task, some of the difficulties lie in the rapid fatigue when working with constantly raised arms. There are also restrictions on the types of heat-insulating material and the need for its fastening with increased reliability.

Schematically, insulation from below is performed as follows:

• First, a waterproofing layer is installed;
• then the heat insulator is located;
• on top of it is insulation from water vapor;
• Next, an overlap is performed to ensure that the floor’s thermal insulation is retained.

The foam can be secured from below with nails with spacers and polyurethane foam

By adhering to this technology when doing the work yourself, you can get the most comfortable temperature conditions in the living areas of the house. The heat insulator should be light in weight, as it will place a constant load on the fastenings, bulk materials in this case are not suitable.

Insulating the floor in a wooden house from the inside with polystyrene foam or glass wool

Insulation from the inside with polystyrene foam or glass wool gives good results. These materials are lightweight and have excellent thermal insulation properties. First, waterproofing is secured to the bottom surface of the ceiling using a stapler. Next, you can lay the thermal insulation slabs in such a way that they are held during installation due to frictional forces. To do this, their width should be slightly larger than the distance between the lags. When working with glass wool, be sure to use personal protective equipment for the respiratory system, eyesight and skin.

Penoplex - reliable insulation for wooden floors

A vapor barrier film is applied over the insulation, which is attached to the joists using staples and a stapler. Next, a frame is mounted along the joists to hold the insulation. It can be made of any material that suits you appearance and durability. Gaps are allowed between the holding elements, through which the insulation is guaranteed not to fall out.

Step-by-step instructions for thermal insulation of a wooden floor with polyurethane foam

Currently, thermal insulation of wooden floors with polyurethane foam has become widespread. To perform this work, it is necessary to first prepare the base on which ecowool will be applied and spray the composition onto the lower surface of the ceiling. Step-by-step instruction as follows:

• the coating is cleaned of dirt and thoroughly degreased;
• the base is dried to a moisture content of no more than five percent;
• installation high pressure connects via hoses to containers with mixture components;
• polyurethane foam spreads evenly over the floor surface;
• Drying time for the coating occurs within two days from the moment of application.

It is quite possible to insulate wooden floors underneath with polyurethane foam

High-pressure equipment used to spray polyurethane foam is very expensive. It is irrational to purchase it for installing thermal insulation in a private house and it is better to rent this equipment.

Insulating the floor in a private house with your own hands is a completely affordable task, and it can be solved without involving professional builders. The main thing is to decide on the choice of thermal insulation material and the technology for carrying out insulation work. This will largely depend on the design of the floor.

It is necessary to insulate the floor in any case, treating this task with the utmost responsibility. Without this you can never create a home comfortable conditions residence, even if you spend huge amounts of money on operating the most advanced heating system and other climate control equipment. Bet thermal insulation is money down the drain!

The publication will discuss materials used for thermal insulation, various technologies insulation, depending on the design of the floors.

Materials for floor insulation in a private house

The first thing you need to do is decide on the choice of thermal insulation material that is suitable for the floor of a particular design. Therefore, when considering the characteristics of insulation, it will immediately be noted for which floor they are suitable and an overview of the technology of their use will be provided.

So, today mineral wool (glass and basalt) and expanded polystyrene are most often used for thermal insulation of floors. various types and expanded clay. It should be noted that there are other materials for insulation, for example, ecowool or polyurethane foam. However, their use will require special equipment and experience with it. That is, it is difficult to put them under the “do-it-yourself” category.

There are other, let’s say, more “exotic” insulation materials, for example, foam glass slabs or cork. But they have not yet gained much popularity, apparently due to their inaccessibility or excessively high price. Our article is intended for the average home owner who wants to do the insulation themselves.

Synthetic foam insulation

This group includes the most commonly used thermal insulation materials today - ordinary white polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam (). These insulation materials gained popularity due to their low thermal conductivity and quite affordable cost. In addition, foam materials have a number of other advantages, but they also have very significant disadvantages.

Extruded polystyrene foam

This material is made from the same raw materials as the familiar white foam, but using a completely different technology. Therefore, it has improved characteristics.

It is better not to consider white foam plastic at all as insulation for floors, and it is also better not to produce it. To be honest, it has no place at all in the internal insulation system of a residential building - there are too many shortcomings, including those that are extremely dangerous for humans. For extruded material, these “disadvantages” are still significantly reduced. Therefore, it is better to do it - this is what extruded polystyrene foam is called.

The disadvantages of this material are the following features:

• The flammability of the insulation, it belongs to the flammability group G2÷G4.
• Low heat resistance - at elevated temperatures the material begins to “float”
• Low vapor permeability, that is, the material is not breathable. Again, this is sometimes a clear advantage.
• Low tensile and compressive strength of thin insulation.

As a substrate, ordinary foamed polyethylene with a thickness of up to 3 mm is used. And the foil version can be laid on top of other rigid insulation, or also as a reflective substrate. In addition, the foil material is usually laid under the “warm floor” system, and any of its possible varieties - electric cable or infrared film, water, or other floor covering.

Polyethylene foam sheets are laid end-to-end and sealed together with foil tape. The coating must be airtight, since very often it is the layer of foiled polyethylene foam that is considered as a necessary vapor barrier.

So, the material is very good, but is designed only for use together with other insulation materials. Relying on the fact that only its use can create full-fledged effective thermal insulation of the floor of the first floor of a private house is simply naive.

Mineral wool

You can find three types of mineral wool on sale - stone (basalt), glass and slag. Slag wool is practically not used in residential construction, as it does not have outstanding characteristics and often does not meet the requirements sanitary standards. Therefore, the features of this type of insulation will not be considered.

Basalt and glass wool also differ in their characteristics, but both of these types are widely used in insulating structures. These are the ones that will be considered in more detail.

Glass wool

Glass wool is made from environmentally friendly raw materials - sand, broken glass, borax, soda and limestone. From the melt of materials, fibers are formed that are quite brittle and brittle, but when they are pressed into mats using binders, a fairly stable air-saturated structure with high insulation capabilities is obtained.

Glass wool can have different thicknesses, have different densities, and be produced in regular and foil forms. When using the second option for floor insulation, mats or slabs are laid with foil facing up, that is, towards the room. Thanks to this, heat from the room falling on the insulation is reflected back.

Glass wool has many advantages. These include high thermal insulation capabilities, fairly high heat resistance, resistance to fire and chemicals, and an affordable cost of the material.

Disadvantages: fairly high fragility of the fibers. This creates difficulties in work - the material is caustic and can cause severe irritation to the skin, respiratory system and mucous membranes. In addition, such fragility is a prerequisite for gradual shrinkage of the material during operation, especially if there are vibration loads. And this leads to a decrease in thermal insulation characteristics.

In addition, not all is well with glass wool when exposed to water - it can get wet and waste its insulating qualities. Measures are required to prevent it from becoming saturated with moisture.

Stone (basalt) wool

Stone wool has the most optimal characteristics of all types of insulation of this class. This thermal insulation material It is made from a melt of basalt rocks, from which thin fibers are drawn, which are much stronger and more elastic than glass.

High-quality basalt insulation is the most resistant to moisture. This stability is achieved special treatment, and sometimes reaches almost hydrophobicity - water does not penetrate into the structure of the material at all.

Basalt wool from leading manufacturers is highly resistant to open fire and can withstand very high temperatures. Therefore, such material is classified as NG group - non-combustible insulation. A very important quality for any home!

Manufacturers are also trying to minimize the possible emission of formaldehyde. Thus, basalt insulation labeled “ECO” or “Eurostandard” is environmentally friendly - it uses safe, rather than phenol-formaldehyde, as a binder acrylic resins. It is clear that the price of such products is much higher, but they are really worth it.

A significant drawback of any mineral wool is that mice love to make their nests and passages in them. Moreover, for some reason rodents are not at all afraid of the thorniness of the fibers - they feel great in warmth and dryness. And if the characteristics indicate that the material does not attract rodents, this should be treated with a fair amount of skepticism.

It is possible to protect the thermal insulation layer, for example, by covering its areas accessible to rodents with a metal mesh with cells measuring 2÷3 mm - it will not succumb to the teeth of mice.

* * * * * * *

Mineral wool is used in different schemes floor insulation. Low and medium density materials are suitable for laying between beams or joists. High-density slabs can be used for insulation on the ground or floor slab with subsequent pouring of reinforced screed.

You might be interested in information on how to install

Expanded clay and its use for insulation

One of the most practical, reliable and durable, as well as environmentally friendly insulation materials is expanded clay. This material is produced from refractory purified clay using special firing technology.

This material has many advantages:

• Expanded clay does not contain toxic components, as it is natural material.
• Good thermal insulation properties. Moreover, these qualities do not decrease throughout the entire operational period.
• Low moisture absorption. Expanded clay does not swell or deform.
• Excellent soundproofing abilities. Moreover, the smaller the fraction of the material, the higher the sound insulation.
• High vapor permeability.
• Fire safety. The expanded clay mass not only does not ignite, but also prevents the spread of fire.
• High frost resistance, resistance to temperature changes.
• Resistance to biological influences. Fungus or mold does not form on expanded clay, since it does not contain a nutrient medium for such microflora of organisms. Expanded clay is not tolerated by rodents - they only do not live in it, but they also cannot make passages in it.
• Simplicity and variety of use cases.

Expanded clay also has disadvantages, but they are much fewer than the advantages. And the main thing is that the thermal conductivity coefficient is still almost three times higher than that of expanded polystyrene or mineral wool. That is, a more significant layer of insulation will be required

Expanded clay is used in various floor insulation schemes.

• The first option is the simplest of all - pouring expanded clay onto the ground in the underground of a wooden floor. Before backfilling, a waterproofing material is laid on the soil base, which is removed and fixed on the walls to a height 50÷100 mm higher than the thickness of the backfill.
• Another option is to create bulk layers of the required thickness over the soil, followed by pouring a reinforced concrete screed
• Another way to insulate with expanded clay is to backfill it between joists or floor beams onto the subfloor:

If fine-grained expanded clay is used for backfilling, the subfloor must be prepared. Gaps between the boards, if any, can be sealed with clay-lime mass, which is also a natural material. It will securely hold the backfill between the joists for rough floor;

An alternative option is to lay it on the subfloor and glassine logs. Its canvases are overlapped by approximately 100 mm. Glassine is also secured to wooden structural elements with staples driven in using a stapler.

The next step is to fill the expanded clay mixture between the joists and distribute it evenly throughout the space. A layer of vapor barrier film is sometimes laid on top of the expanded clay.

And finally, sheets of plywood or floorboards are laid and secured onto the joists.

• Another option for using expanded clay is mixing it with liquid cement-sand mortar. Concrete binds expanded clay granules together, which increases the strength of such a base.

This material becomes especially relevant when insulating floors on the ground - a leveling screed will be poured on top. True, they also use it for floors on joists, filling the entire space under the future flooring with the solution.

Since the insulating qualities of expanded clay still leave much to be desired, which requires very significant layers of backfill, it is often used in combination with other thermal insulation materials - expanded polystyrene or mineral wool. A calculation is made in advance which combination of material layers will provide the expected thermal insulation.

How to calculate the thickness of floor insulation based on the ground?

The main options for insulating the floor of the first floor of a private house

Now let’s learn more about how floor insulation is carried out in a private house.

Floor insulation on the ground

This approach is often practiced if the house is built on a strip foundation. The insulation can be expanded clay (on its own or in combination with another material), rigid insulating boards (extruded polystyrene foam) or blocks of premium mineral wool, specially designed for such purposes (this is specified in the passport characteristics of mineral wool). All insulation in this scheme has one thing in common - they are covered with a reinforced screed on top.

It might look something like this:

The soil (item 1) is thoroughly compacted, and its surface is leveled to the maximum.

Sand is poured on top (item 2), layer by layer, also with careful compaction. The thickness of the backfill is usually at least 100 mm (compacted).

Next, an optional but highly recommended layer of covered geotextile is shown (item 3). It will be a big plus for the stability of the entire created “pie” and will serve to separate the sand and gravel (crushed stone) layer, which will improve the drainage capabilities of this structure.

Above, a layer of crushed stone or coarse gravel (pos. 4) is poured, also with tamping, on which the so-called “concrete preparation” is performed (pos. 5). This is a poured layer of lean concrete (grade strength M50 is sufficient). On this basis, it is much easier to carry out further work, which will directly affect the insulation.

By concrete preparation a layer of waterproofing is laid (item 6) - the insulation must be protected from moisture from the ground. Rolled bitumen waterproofing can be used for these purposes - it will fit perfectly on a sufficiently solid foundation concrete preparation.

Then thermal insulation material of the required thickness is laid (item 7). The calculation of thickness is discussed separately - a link has already been given above. They also sort it out there possible combinations insulation materials, so that thermal insulation becomes complete.

Next, the insulation is covered with another layer of vapor-permeable waterproofing material(item 8), which can be used as a polyethylene film, but very dense, at least 200 microns thick. The canvases must be laid with an overlap of 150÷200 mm and sealed along the seam lines with moisture-resistant tape. The waterproofing should extend onto the walls to a height above the surface of the future floor. The purpose of this layer is to prevent water from leaking out of concrete mortar when pouring the screed, that is, creating optimal conditions for hardening and maturing of concrete.

A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the waterproofing, the cross-section of the rods and the cell sizes of which depend on the expected degree of load on the floors. But these are general construction issues that only indirectly relate to the insulation problems under consideration. The mesh must be lifted from the waterproofing layer so that it is approximately in the middle of the thickness of the screed.

After hardening, maturing and gaining brand strength, the resulting screed will serve as a universal base for any finishing floor covering.

You might be interested in information about what it is

Insulated floor on the floor slab

This scheme is rarely used in a private home, but, nevertheless, it should be mentioned. Moreover, it is very similar to the previous one, but much simpler. If only because there is already a rigid, reliable foundation that does not require additional modifications.

What are the features here?

The base is already ready - this is the floor slab (item 1) above the cold underground, usually hollow. It must be primed with a deep penetration compound, and it would still be a good idea to provide a layer of waterproofing on it (item 2). Coating insulation or even dense insulation is quite sufficient here. polyethylene film.

The next layer is again waterproofing (item 4), which will protect the insulation from moisture penetration from above and ensure an optimal water-cement ratio when the screed hardens.

Well, above there is a reinforced screed (item 5), in which pipes or a “warm floor” heating cable can also be located. And the whole structure is crowned by the chosen finishing coat floor (item 6).

Insulation of floors using joists or floor beams

But this option occurs, perhaps, more often than all others. And first of all, because such a scheme is practically the only possible one if the house rests on a pile or columnar foundation. But even for strip foundation with a high base it is quite applicable. “Heavy” materials such as cement, sand, gravel are not used here - wood or materials based on it become the main one. Well, and a plus, of course, is the insulation itself.

The schematic diagram can be represented as follows:

Skull blocks (item 2) or support boards. The lights will serve as the basis for installing the subfloor (item 3). For this flooring, boards of not the highest grade can be used, as well as sheet materials such as plywood or OSB. The flooring can be continuous, but more often the boards are mounted with a vacuum - both for reasons of economy and for better ventilation insulation.

Waterproofing - wind protection (item 4) is laid on the subfloor. It is important that this layer should not interfere with the free escape of water vapor, so that moisture does not linger in the insulation. Sometimes, when the boards are arranged frequently or when rigid polystyrene foam boards are used as thermal insulation, this layer is not laid at all - there is no need to fear direct water ingress from below, and the wind impact with a well-equipped base is unlikely to be so great that it can cause damage insulation.

Even a layer of thermal insulation of the required thickness is laid (item 5). The illustration shows installation in one layer, but usually this is not enough - at least two are required. But this is for the better - the slabs or mats of the upper layer cover the joints of the lower one, and there are practically no cold bridges left.

Next is a mandatory condition: a layer of reliable vapor barrier (item 6). The humidity level indoors during the cold season is always significantly higher than outside. And so that water vapor, looking for any loophole to escape outside, does not penetrate into the insulation, it is necessary to install a reliable hermetically sealed (without exaggeration) barrier.

And finally, a plank or plywood (OSB) floor covering is laid on top (item 7). In the diagram, again, a simplification has been made, but in reality it is recommended to leave a ventilation gap of about 20÷30 mm between the vapor barrier membrane and the flooring. This is easy to do by installing additional counter batten slats along the joists - they will additionally press the membrane and provide the required clearance.

It is clear that the thickness of the insulation with such a scheme must be calculated in advance, since in this case it also directly affects the choice of the cross-section of lumber for beams and joists. You will have to carry out a not particularly complex thermal calculation.

How to calculate the thickness of insulation of a wooden floor on joists?

A special article on the portal will introduce you to the algorithm for carrying out such calculations. It also contains a convenient calculation calculator.

One more nuance. To protect the insulation from mice getting into it, you can also use a metal mesh. It is mounted directly on the subfloor boards under the waterproofing layer. The edges of the mesh are raised onto the wall 100÷150 mm above the thickness of the insulation. After laying the insulation, the mesh is folded onto its surface. After this, the insulation on top is completely covered with the same mesh - it is attached to the joists with staples. Perhaps such measures may seem unnecessary to some, but it really helps if you don’t leave any loopholes for the mice.

Insulation of wooden floors on joists

This section of the article provides step-by-step illustrated instructions for insulating floors with mineral wool.

The most important thing in insulating a wooden floor raised above the ground by 300 - 500 mm is the choice optimal material and high-quality, according to all the rules, installation

The first thing you need to check when deciding to insulate such a floor is the presence of ventilation in the underground space. If there are no vents in the basement of the foundation, then they need to be equipped. Lack of ventilation with such floor insulation will lead to the appearance of dampness in the underground space, rotting of wooden structural elements, and their infection by fungus.

You might be interested in information on how to choose

The total area of ​​all vents must be at least 1/400 of the floor area of ​​the first floor, but not less than 0.85 m². The area of ​​one vent is usually around 0.05 m². that is, it is easy to calculate the required number and then think about their uniform placement on the base. In this case, the outer vents should be located no further than 0.9 m from the corners of the foundation. one more thing important condition– symmetry of their placement, that is, the vent on one wall should correspond to a similar one on the opposite. Thus, their number is usually even.

However, we again delved into general construction issues - let’s return to floor insulation.

So, insulation of an old wooden floor (if we are not talking about installing a new one during construction) can be done in several ways:

• Using old plank flooring as a subfloor. This option is possible if the boards are in good condition, that is, they do not have signs of rotting and are not moistened with inside. In addition, it must be taken into account that the floors will rise by approximately 250 mm. If the ceilings in the room are high enough, then insulation using the old coating, without dismantling it, seems possible. But, to be honest, they rarely resort to this route.
• The second option involves dismantling the plank covering and laying insulation under it. In this case, the removed floorboards, if they are in satisfactory condition, can then be returned to their place. If the boards are intended to be reused, then when dismantling, it is recommended to number them.

Naturally, if a new floor is being built, then they start from scratch, that is, with the installation of the subfloor - and then in order.

Below we will consider an insulation option in which the old floor is dismantled. Moreover, if insulation is carried out in an old house, an inspection of the underground space, as well as the reliability of the floor beams, will never be superfluous.

For work you will need the following materials:

• Insulation material. In this case it is mineral wool. As practice shows, and calculations confirm, in private houses in most regions of Russia it is recommended to lay this insulation with a thickness of at least 150, or even 200 mm. this usually involves a minimum of two layers.
• Boards or plywood for installing the subfloor. A board 10 mm thick and 150 mm wide will be quite sufficient.
• Beam for counter-battens with a cross-section, for example, 30×50 mm. Larger size must match the thickness of the joist or floor beam.
• Waterproofing vapor-permeable membrane.
• Vapor barrier material.
• Self-tapping screws and staples for the stapler.

Illustration	Brief description of the operations performed
	So, having dismantled the boardwalk, you can see the floor beams and evaluate the possibilities of further work. If the floor beams are in good condition, then the first thing to do is cover them with an antiseptic solution on all sides and let the coating dry well.
	Next, you can choose one of two options - use self-tapping screws to fix the cranial bars on which the subfloor boards will be laid on the load-bearing beams, or fix the boards to the bottom of the floor beams. Each option has its drawbacks. When fixing the cranial elements, the space for installing insulation will decrease.
	Securing boards from the bottom of floor beams, in principle, has no disadvantages, except for the labor-intensive nature of the work. If the height from the ground to the beams is small, then installation will have to be done while lying on your back. The subfloor is only needed to support the insulation material, so it is not necessary to make it continuous or lay planks too often. The distance between them can be even 200÷250 mm. And the boards can be used even without edged ones. But they require antiseptic treatment no less.
	Another option for arranging a subfloor is to fasten transverse boards to the beams in increments of 700÷800 mm, and then lay a longitudinal plank covering on them. And between longitudinal boards You can also leave gaps of 10÷15 mm. Gaps are necessary for proper ventilation of the insulation.
	In some cases, OSB plywood sheets 10 mm thick are used for the subfloor. However, a gap must be left between the sheets every 500 mm for ventilation. Therefore, you will have to prepare pieces of plywood 500÷600 mm long and a width equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent floor beams (joists). As a rule, it is 600 mm - according to the traditional size of mineral wool insulation.
	The next step is to lay a vapor-permeable waterproofing and wind protection on the subfloor. It is laid to protect the mineral wool from water ingress (which is extremely unlikely in such conditions), as well as from wind, which will penetrate into the underground through ventilation ducts. The membrane sheets should go around the floor beams. They overlap each other by 100÷150 mm. It is not necessary to tape these overlaps with tape; there is no need for tightness.
	It is necessary to focus on securing the membrane to the walls. The material should be on them 50÷70 mm higher than the thickness of the insulation. On wooden walls the membrane is secured with staples, and on surfaces made of other materials - with double-sided construction tape. It is still recommended to isolate the insulation from possible contact with the walls.
	Next, the insulation material is laid. It is important to observe several nuances here. The slabs are most often laid in two layers, and the top one must overlap the joints of the lower insulation. The standard width of insulation slabs is 600 mm, and it must be laid spaced against the floor beams, so the optimal width between the beams in the clear is approximately 550÷570 mm (just along the axes - 600 mm, and due to the thickness of the beam, the clearance is slightly reduced) . However, it is not always possible to follow this step, so the slabs often have to be “replenished” with additional fragments. Their joints must also be covered with entire slabs of the top layer.
	A vapor barrier material is laid on top of the insulation and secured with staples to the floor beams. This layer is necessary to protect the insulation from the penetration of various fumes from the premises. The canvases are also laid with an overlap of 100÷150 mm (on the membranes the minimum width of such an overlap is often even marked in dotted lines). But here the requirements for sealing are strict: the canvases must be glued together along the overlap line with moisture-resistant tape.
	Then, if you plan to create a ventilation gap between the board covering and the vapor barrier (and this is highly recommended), then slats 25÷30 mm thick are attached to the ends of the beams on top of the vapor barrier sheet. Some craftsmen refuse this design element and consider it optional. But it is better not to neglect such ventilation - condensation will not accumulate on the vapor barrier membrane.

The insulation is complete - and you can install a board covering or a plywood or OSB flooring on top. But these are questions beyond the scope of our consideration.

* * * * * * * *

Now, having at hand several options for floor insulation schemes various materials, it will be possible to choose the most suitable way for a specific case. By adhering to the recommendations received and strictly following the technology, it is quite possible to independently carry out thermal insulation of floors in own home. At the same time, not only saving a decent amount for the family budget, but also gaining confidence that the work was done conscientiously.

In conclusion, we invite you to watch an interesting video. In it, a completely amateur master produces self-insulation floors of your house under construction. Honestly, there is a lot to learn.

Feb 04

How to insulate the floor in the hallway

A few months ago I completed renovations in my apartment. In total, I did it for about a year, trying to keep financial costs to a minimum, while changing the interior of the apartment for the better.

The renovation was nearing completion. Finally, the rooms, kitchen and bathroom were finally finished. The finishing touches were left on the hallway that connects all of these living rooms premises.

Initially, the floor in the hallway was extremely cold, consisting of concrete with thick linoleum laid directly on top of it. I understood that I couldn’t leave him like that: in my family there are two small children who constantly crawl and play mischief on the floor. Thus, the fact of a cold floor is unacceptable.

In addition, the situation was aggravated by the fact that the level of the remaining rooms and the kitchen, after the cement screed was completed in the corridor, was only one centimeter higher. It was necessary to fit into it, and at the same time provide maximum insulation.

Also, due to the fact that repairs were approaching logical conclusion, I was experiencing some financial difficulties and could not afford expensive building materials. And I didn’t want to wait any longer for the money to be saved up.

How did I get out of this situation?

First of all, I studied all the materials that could be applicable in this case, went around construction stores, reviewed everything and asked the price. I found a solution like this.

I laid a three-millimeter laminate substrate directly on the concrete, which, despite the thin layer, has good heat-shielding characteristics, and this is exactly what I needed. Secured the backing special glue for linoleum. I laid a bed on it plywood fiberboard, which gave additional rigidity to the surface.

Next, I chose the thickest and warmest PVC linoleum in the store, famous brand manufacturer. Fortunately, there is a wide range of options to choose from. I settled on a design that imitated oak parquet boards so that the floor in the hallway would not be easily soiled.

After which, guided by all the rules, I laid this linoleum. I glued everything with the above glue. Transitions and joints were carefully hidden using selected color scheme rapids. Mounted plastic skirting boards. I performed a few more final steps and the repair was completed.

In a short time I furnished the apartment with furniture, hung curtains and carpets. The home is ready to move in.

The floors in the hallway turned out to be quite warm and pleasant to the touch. You want to walk on this surface without shoes or slippers, and children love to play on it.

There are no questions about his drawing either - it looks very good. Considering that the corridor is not the cleanest place and the floor here needs to be washed almost every day, especially in the rainy season, real parquet would not be so appropriate here, in my opinion. And linoleum is easy to clean and is not at all afraid of moisture. In the end, when you get tired of it or slightly lose color, you can easily replace it with a new one in one day.

The main advantage of the floor I made is its low cost. Materials are used that are often left behind after repairs, as waste or residues. So good repair does not always consist of price, but sometimes simply of skillfully selected fairly cheap material.

I gave an example of renovating the floor in the hallway, but I think that in every apartment there is an area where you can save a little without sacrificing quality.

When making renovations, do not be afraid to experiment, then you will be pleasantly pleased with the end result, and you will have something to show off to the guests of your home.

Shared his experience with us: Ivan.

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Keeping your home warm is one of the main components of comfort and a healthy life for the whole family. In this, an important role is played by floor insulation in a private house, which has its own subtleties and features. It is worth paying attention to it first of all, without delaying work until the onset of cold weather.

Features and Benefits

In a private house, unlike city apartments, there is almost always no central heating, therefore, the tasks of ensuring warmth and dryness indoors have to be solved independently. Even with powerful batteries, it is not possible to maintain the rooms in winter comfortable temperature, if reliable thermal insulation is not installed under the floor covering.

Sometimes during construction country house After pouring the screed, they hastily make some simple thermal insulation and install a finishing coating. And then, with the onset of cold weather, they wonder why it’s cold in the house, you can’t walk barefoot, and there’s generally a draft coming from under the floor. Therefore, you should carefully insulate, knowing all the intricacies of the process, the properties of materials and other construction tricks.

In a multi-storey building, the floor is partially heated by the lower apartments, and even if the apartment is located on the ground floor, then below is the basement, where it is always warm due to the placement of hot pipes and heating systems there.

In a private house, under its foundation there is simple earth that tends to freeze in winter, so all the tasks of ensuring reliable thermal insulation of the floor lie on the shoulders of the owners.

The solution to reliably insulate the floor in country house before the onset of the cold season has a number of advantages:

• reduction of heat loss in the room, expensive heating becomes more efficient and is not wasted;
• many floor insulation also have vapor and waterproofing;
• the atmosphere in the house becomes more comfortable, you can walk barefoot, including children;
• reliable insulation keeps the finished flooring in the house – laminate, parquet and others – fresh for a long time;
• if used quality materials and everything is installed correctly, the thermal insulation will last for many years in a row.

There are different methods for insulating a floor, but the coating itself, on which the insulating layer is placed, comes in several types. And it also affects the choice of insulating material.

Types of coatings

The solid base of the floor has several varieties depending on its material: wood, concrete, screed.

A wooden floor on joists made of thick beams is one of the most ancient types of building the foundation of a house. Schemes for fastening crossbars, tools and technologies are changing, but general principle has remained unchanged for many centuries. There are two ways to secure the logs: in the foundation of the building or on support pillars.

The logs are embedded in the foundation of the building, if its area is small, so that the beams are long enough to securely connect the structure. Otherwise, or if the horizontal supports can no longer be fixed to the base, a “floating” floor on support pillars is used.

Supports for logs are made of brick or concrete at a distance of 70 - 100 cm from each other. First, holes are made for them in the ground, the depth and width of which depends on the height of the pillars themselves. Crushed stone or sand is poured inside with a layer of 30 cm, compacted well, then the supports themselves are installed from brick or cement mortar with the construction of formwork and reinforcement cage. Waterproofing from 3 to 4 layers of roofing material is laid on top, then horizontal beams are attached to the pillars using threaded rods or anchors.

Wooden logs The good thing is that you can successfully create a subfloor from them by nailing solid boards to the bottom cut of the beams, coating the gaps between them with clay and placing any type of insulation on top. Then the top boards are nailed and the finishing coating is installed.

Wood itself retains some heat; it is a natural, environmentally friendly material.

The concrete base of the floor eliminates the need to make a frame from logs, build supports for them, or use a lot of wood. But even here, not everything is simple - for reliability, pouring must be carried out in several layers, and the cost of a high-quality solution is high. For a concrete base, you need to select the top layer of soil, fill it with a cushion of sand 10-15 cm thick, pour water on it and compact it thoroughly. A 10-centimeter layer of crushed stone is poured and compacted onto the sandy one.

The next layer of a reliable concrete floor is a rough screed made of expanded clay or crushed polystyrene foam, gravel, sand and cement 10 centimeters thick. After laying and leveling, you need to wait until the mixture dries and lay the waterproofing. Roofing material is best suited for this. It is necessary that it also covers the walls by 10-15 cm. The joints must be additionally glued.

Insulation is placed on the waterproofing, reinforcing mesh is placed on top and, finally, a finishing screed is made. Thanks to its multi-layer nature, the concrete floor is durable, warm, and reliable. On top of it you can make any decorative covering: linoleum, parquet, laminate.

An earthen floor is usually made in a garage, bathhouse or outbuildings of a private house. It does not have a monolithic base or frame made of beams; there is natural soil immediately underneath it. However, there is something for him too effective ways insulation: gravel, expanded clay, penoplex.

Types of insulation

There are several dozen varieties of heat-insulating material for a private home. It is worth considering the most popular of them and their properties.

Expanded clay is porous granules of fired clay. Thanks to the voids inside, they prevent the penetration of cold air and absorb moisture well. A layer of expanded clay 10-15 cm thick has excellent thermal insulation. The advantages of this material include its low cost, environmental friendliness without chemical impurities and ease of installation. The granules are simply scattered with a shovel in an even layer on a horizontal surface.

Penoplex can effectively insulate an earthen floor, but it is also perfect for concrete or wood. Made from extruded polystyrene, the material is supplied in slabs with smooth surface thickness from 20 to 100 mm. It has high thermal insulation even in conditions harsh winters, very light, relatively cheap, does not stand out harmful substances. The sheets are easy to install; they are cut with a simple mounting knife. The disadvantages of penoplex include relatively low fire resistance (when burned it emits acrid smoke), vapor permeability, instability to ultraviolet radiation and poor adhesion to other materials due to the smooth surface.

Polystyrene foam insulates any type of floor. This material is widely known and time-tested. It has all the same advantages as penoplex, but adheres better to other surfaces. The sheets can be crushed and added to the screed solution as additional insulation. It is very successful to use polystyrene foam to insulate wooden floors on joists; it will provide excellent protection from both cold and moisture.

Insulating the floor at the dacha with penofol or tepofol will also be effective. This is a thin polymer material covered with foil with a thickness of 2 to 10 mm. Closed pores prevent air or moisture from penetrating, and the micron foil layer is reflective. The insulation is universal and suitable for any conditions and can be combined with many materials. Penofol is sold in rolls, which are cut and rolled out on a horizontal surface, the joints are sealed with special foil tape.

Insulation with expanded polystyrene provides excellent thermal insulation, vapor permeability and moisture resistance. This polymer material, consisting of 98% air, is stronger than foam, the static bending strength reaches 1 kg per square meter. cm. This means that it can withstand almost any mass upper layers floor covering. Expanded polystyrene sheets with a thickness of 10 to 45 cm are easy to install, do not interact chemically with other substances, and are resistant to deformation.

Floors are often insulated with Izolon in combination with other effective insulators: polystyrene foam, expanded polystyrene, mineral wool. It is produced in rolls, the layer thickness can be from 2 to 100 mm, inside the foil layer there is foamed polyethylene. Izolon has high sound absorption, waterproofing, and can be used in a wide temperature range - from -80 to +80 degrees.

Polyurethane foam is available in the form of rigid slabs; it is a fairly durable material. But it does not have high waterproofing properties, so it must be used in combination with other polymer insulators.

Thermal insulation boards consist of a solid polymer material with properties similar to expanded polystyrene. But unlike it, their surface is covered with a layer of foil, due to which these materials effectively reflect heat, are fire-resistant and resistant to mechanical stress.

Heat-insulating boards from the manufacturer TechnoNIKOL are popular.

Insulation of walls and floors with mineral wool has been used for a long time. This material, produced in rolls and slabs, has a thickness of up to 10 cm, a high degree of heat and sound insulation, cheap and easy to install. A huge advantage of mineral wool is its non-flammability. One of the disadvantages is that over time it shrinks a little.

This inorganic insulation comes in three types: stone wool, glass wool and slag wool. The difference is only in the raw materials, the differences in physical properties Hardly ever. You should work with mineral wool carefully, wearing gloves and preferably a respirator, since its small particles floating in the air have a harmful effect on the skin and respiratory tract.

Wood fiber board (WFP), due to its porous structure, retains heat well, but it is better to install it in combination with other effective heat insulators: penofol, isolon, mineral wool. The most popular types of fiberboard used for floor insulation are M-20 and PT-100. This material is also used for finishing floor covering, its surface is smooth, has a pleasant natural texture.

The subfloor between the joists can be insulated sawdust. This method is the cheapest, especially if you have a lot of wood processing waste on hand. Sawdust retains heat well and does not emit harmful substances, but over time it dries out and shrinks, forming voids and can rot. It is possible that harmful insects may appear in them.

Which material is better?

The choice of material depends on many factors: type of floor, climatic conditions, type of soil on which the house stands, financial capabilities. If you want to save on thermal insulation, then you should choose expanded clay or polystyrene foam as they are cheaper. If you don’t mind spending money on ensuring long-term comfort in your home, then you need to make multi-layer protection from penofol, penoplex or expanded polystyrene.

For a concrete floor, in order to avoid a layer of screed that is too thick, you should choose thin foil polymers in rolls, the thickness of which does not exceed 1 cm, and insulate a spacious subfloor on joists with massive slabs of mineral wool or expanded polystyrene.

Sawdust is not suitable for an environment that is too humid; mineral wool also tends to absorb water.

Polymer and foil based insulation is the best and most versatile, they provide any protection - from cold, moisture, rot, insects, wind and fire. In addition, they are easy to cut into even pieces and are mounted. The leader among materials for floor insulation in a private home can be considered thermal insulation boards from various manufacturers.

Methods

Almost any of the above insulating materials can be filled or spread over the joists. This method is suitable for any of them - loose or spread. The first rough covering is attached from below, then an insulator is mounted on top of the boards and closed at the top.

The second way is to concrete base requires laying each layer in stages, after each it is necessary to level and check the level. If the layer is liquid, then you need to wait a certain time for it to dry. In addition, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate temperature inside the room, since cement mortar in the cold it does not set well and loses its beneficial properties.

How to do it yourself?

Any person familiar with construction work can independently insulate the floor in a country house, cottage, rural house, the type of building and dimensions do not matter, the installation principle is the same everywhere. A small kit is required for installation hand tools. If dry mixtures are used, you will need an electric mixer for mixing. The work area should be well lit, and it may be necessary to maintain a suitable temperature for the solutions to harden.

If the foundation in a country house is located on logs, then it will not be difficult to make internal insulation. To do this, you need to build a subfloor. You will need the following tools: a wood saw, tape measure, level, hammer and nails. Boards can be selected from different breeds wood, the main thing is that they are dry and even.

Most often the following sizes are suitable for them:

• length – from 2 to 6 m;
• thickness – from 2 to 4 cm;
• width – from 15 to 20 cm.

The boards are nailed to the joists from below across the entire width of the floor; the gaps between them must be closed; for this you can use clay, acrylic sealant or wood putty. After drying, the selected insulating material is placed inside. To ensure rigidity of the entire structure, transverse fastenings made of boards or metal profiles must be installed at a distance of 0.7 - 1 m. A finishing coating is placed on top. If everything is done correctly, then the owners of the house will receive a warm and dry floor for many years to come.

It will not be difficult to put it in yourself country house cement screed with insulation. Before installation, it is necessary to install beacons, in construction stores can be found special types exactly for this purpose. Metal ones may also be suitable. profile pipes. For alignment with beacons, metal is used building code 1-2.5 m long. After laying, each layer is checked with a horizontal level and left to dry.

To insulate the floor on the veranda, it is best to use foam sheets with additional waterproofing, such as polyethylene film or penofol. Since this room does not need to retain heat so much, you can get by with an earthen floor with expanded clay and laying a rough board.