To reduce heat loss in a private home, one effective system heating is not enough - to minimize them it is necessary to insulate all elements of the building. The same applies to the roof. If you do not plan to install an attic, you will need to insulate the cold attic floor.
A little history of roofing
Since ancient times, people have built private households with such high quality that they could stand for 100 years. At the same time, it was not cold to live in them, but the roof frame was made of natural wood was always dry. As for the shape of the roofs on such buildings, they were most often built with two slopes and had a slight slope.
This choice was explained by the fact that the snow that fell in winter was supposed to linger on the roof and serve as a natural insulation. One, or less often two, windows were made in the attic of the building. They were closed for the winter and then the air in the under-roof space played the role of a heat insulator.
IN summer period The windows were opened slightly at night to lower the temperature in the attic. When it was hot, they were closed, and the air did not heat up. This is how the temperature in the attic was regulated.
In winter, when snow fell, it covered the roof with a continuous carpet and thereby acted as a natural roofing insulator. Even in severe frosts, the temperature in the under-roof space did not drop below zero. As a result, the house was warm in cold weather.
The roof slopes were not insulated to prevent the snow on them from melting. The rafter system was left open, thereby allowing for its inspection and ongoing repairs. Therefore, in such attics only the floors were thermally insulated.
If the roof slopes are insulated, then attic space becomes a heated attic, which has a different functional purpose.
Building materials for thermal insulation of floors - the better way to insulate
Presented on the domestic market big choice building materials. To decide how to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic, you need to take into account the conditions in which the heat insulator will be used.
There are a number of requirements for insulation:
- maintaining its original qualities at temperatures from -30 to +30 degrees;
- in hot weather conditions, the material should not emit substances harmful to people and when severe frost freeze;
- you need to choose a fire-resistant heat insulator if you plan to install lighting in the attic;
- products must be moisture resistant so that when wet their original properties are not reduced.
Before purchasing materials for floor insulation unheated attic in a private household, you need to take into account what the ceiling is made of. If these are wooden beams, then bulk, roll or slab insulation is used. When the overlap was created from concrete slabs, heavy bulk or slab insulators can be used. Often a cement screed is poured onto the floor.
They sell in the form of slabs and mats:
- mineral wool;
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- Styrofoam;
- straw;
- seaweed.
The following are produced in roll form:
- mineral wool;
- stone and glass wool;
- algae ladders.
One of the most popular options for arranging thermal insulation is insulating the attic floor with mineral wool.
Bulk materials include:
- expanded clay;
- sawdust;
- straw;
- reed;
- ecowool;
- granular foam;
- slag.
When laying insulation in the attic of a wooden house, you need to use natural, environmentally friendly and breathable materials.
Insulating the attic floor with mineral wool
This modern and popular insulation is produced in rolls or mats. Mineral wool does not burn, does not rot, and is not dangerous for various microorganisms and rodents.
Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool is carried out in stages:
- First, lay the lining material on the floor. In the case of an economical option, inexpensive glassine is laid on the ceiling. More expensive and of higher quality will be the installation of a flooring made from a vapor barrier film, which is mounted with an overlap.
- The joints of the segments are glued with tape or fastened wooden slats, fixing them with a stapler.
- The width of the thermal insulation material is selected taking into account technical standards for a specific region. The mineral wool is laid tightly between the joists, leaving no gaps. Scotch tape is used to seal the joints.
- After laying the insulation is completed, level boards are placed on the joists and thus form the floor in the attic.
The above-described solution for how to insulate the attic of a private house with mineral wool gives the material the opportunity to “breathe” and ventilate when moisture gets on it. To prevent moisture from penetrating into the insulation, waterproofing is installed under the roof.
When working with mineral wool, you need to use protective equipment, such as a respirator, goggles, gloves and overalls.
Application of extruded polystyrene foam
Polystyrene foam (expanded polystyrene) is a loose material, so it is used when it is necessary to insulate a floor made of joists and beams. For thermal insulation of slabs, extruded polystyrene foam is used, which is denser than conventional foam.
Before laying it, the surface of the base is leveled. On the warm side of the floor, vapor barrier is not needed, since concrete slabs have virtually no vapor permeability. A vapor barrier film is laid out on the prepared base. Then slabs of extruded insulation are laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Polyurethane foam is blown into the joints.
After it dries and becomes hard, the thermal insulation slabs are poured concrete mixture about 4–6 centimeters thick. After hardening, the screed becomes suitable for use as an attic floor. If desired, you can lay the final coating on the screed.
Insulation of a cold attic with ecowool
Ecowool is a lightweight and at the same time loose heat insulator consisting of cellulose; it also contains flame retardants, for example, boric acid and borax. Before starting work, a film is laid on the floor. For laying ecowool, a special blowing installation is used.
The thermal insulation layer is applied completely, without leaving even the slightest gaps. Ecowool contains a large volume of air, so a layer of 250-300 millimeters is sufficient. When performing insulation, it should be remembered that this material shrinks over time. Therefore, a layer of ecowool is applied with a margin of 40-50 millimeters.
Then the insulation must be moistened with water or a solution. It is prepared from 200 grams of PVA glue and a bucket of water. The broom is moistened in the solution and the cotton is well moistened. After drying for thermal insulation layer Lignin is formed - a crust that prevents the insulation from moving.
Which method of attic insulation to choose from the options described above depends on the specific situation.
Insulating the attic in a private house is a very important event that allows you to save internal heat. Today, you can insulate an attic using a variety of insulating materials.
And if earlier, the attic was insulated with sawdust and expanded clay, today, preference is given to such modern thermal insulation materials as mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, etc.
It is advisable to note that the properties and characteristics of all thermal insulation materials are different. Some of them are subject to combustion, others are not. Some insulation materials, for example, are “afraid” of moisture, while others are not afraid of it. Therefore, before insulating the attic in a private house, it is very important to choose high-quality and reliable insulation for these purposes.
Today the market offers consumers a variety of products, so, of course, there is plenty to choose from.
To insulate the attic, you can use insulation materials such as:
- Mineral wool;
- Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam;
- Polyurethane foam;
- Blown insulation.
More cheap materials for insulating the attic in a house, are still:
- Wood sawdust;
- Expanded clay, and others.
As you can see, there is currently no problem with how to insulate an attic in a private house. The main thing is to choose the right high-quality and reliable insulation for these purposes. Well, when choosing one, of course, you should start from its characteristics and properties, which will be discussed in more detail below.
It is quite easy to insulate an attic using mineral wool, since this material bends easily and takes any shape. In addition, it has high density, and most importantly, it does not burn, which is very important to consider when choosing insulation material for the attic.
In addition, mineral wool has a long service life, which is also important. It does not cake over time, so it is excellent for insulating horizontal surfaces.
The only disadvantage of mineral wool is that it can absorb moisture, and this has a detrimental effect on its thermal insulation properties.
In addition to mineral wool, to insulate an attic in a private house, you can also use modern thermal insulation materials such as. The advantages of using expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam when insulating an attic include:
- A light weight;
- Ease of installation and processing;
- High thermal insulation performance;
- Affordable price;
- Absolute immunity to moisture, mildew and mold.
Of course, these two are also popular insulation materials, have their certain disadvantages.
First of all, they include high flammability.
Polyurethane foam is a completely new building material that has a number of significant advantages. Along with high degree adhesion with absolutely any type of surface, polyurethane allows you to better seal all joints, cracks and various types of defects.
Also, this thermal insulation material is quite light in weight, so additional loads on the ceiling, you don’t have to worry at all. In addition, polyurethane is environmentally friendly, it is not affected by moisture, but is afraid of harmful ultraviolet rays.
To understand how to properly insulate a roof, you need to understand its types. The most common types of roofing structures are cold attic and attic. In the first case, insulation of the ceilings of the upper residential floor will be required (the air in the attic space does not warm up, hence the name). In the second - laying thermal insulation along rafter legs roofs. In today’s article we will analyze in detail the process of insulating the roof of a cold attic.
Cold attic - the most common, time-tested roof structure, used all over the world for decades. It has become widespread due to its simplicity, availability of materials and ease of installation. In addition, in the cold attic there is access to inspect the load-bearing structures of the roof, so possible leaks can be easily localized and eliminated with improvised means.
Rice. 1. Cold attic insulation system: 1. Floor beams 2. Stone wool insulation 3. Vapor barrier film 4. Super diffusion membrane 5. Sparse lathing 6. Internal lathing
Wooden floor beams and reinforced concrete slabs are most often used as the base for the attic. Depending on the selected flooring material for the residential floor, the insulation system will differ. Wood is one of the best building materials, which has a number of undeniable advantages: lightness, strength and flexibility. However, wood is sensitive to humidity: over-moistened wood during use can bend in an unpredictable way if it picks up moisture and then dries out. Therefore, wet wood is not used in construction, and dry wood is carefully isolated from possible waterlogging during operation.
The ability of wood to absorb moisture affects the choice of all cold attic materials. So, when choosing insulation, you should give preference to a vapor-permeable material based on mineral wool: this material will allow all wet steam to pass through itself, leaving the beams dry. When choosing between glass wool and stone wool, you should remember the ability of the latter to protect the entire structure from exposure open fire. The sintering temperature of glass wool fibers is only about 600 °C, and this temperature is reached within 5 minutes after the start of combustion. Therefore, only stone wool can protect bearing structures, extend the life of the house and, in the event of a fire, give more time to save people and property.
Here it is worth recalling that any organic insulation (foam, polyurethanes) burns, so it is better not to use them when building wooden or frame house. The combustion of some of them is also accompanied by the release of toxic vapors into the atmosphere, “splashing” of the melt, which poses an additional danger to people. The use of organic insulation in floor construction requires mandatory protection with a cement-sand screed.
The use of various construction films raises many questions in the insulation system. Due to their incorrect location in the structure, floor beams can begin to rot, which is why they subsequently lose their load-bearing capacity and collapse in a few years. To prevent this, when arranging a classic cold attic with wooden beams, it is customary to use two types of building films, which we will conventionally call “Internal” and “External”.
The “internal” film is laid from the inside of the heated room and prevents water vapor from entering the insulation from the room. This film is called a vapor barrier. When installing it, it is necessary to carefully glue all overlaps with butyl rubber tape, achieving tightness over the entire area. Interior decoration performed with a technical gap of at least 3 cm - to prevent local moisture condensation on the vapor barrier.
Rice. 2.1. Cold attic ventilation diagram
The “external” film performs other tasks: it protects the insulation from moisture from the outside (snow, rain, fog), allows water vapor to escape from the system (if it suddenly appears there) and prevents heat from being blown out of the insulation. Some of these functions can be trusted to regular plastic film, but it won’t be possible to complete all tasks at the same time. Most films either have low vapor permeability - and therefore must be installed with a second ventilation gap, or low water resistance - and therefore do not protect against water getting into the insulation. The only type of film that can solve all the problems at the same time is called a “superdiffusion membrane”. Such a membrane has vapor permeability that significantly exceeds the parameters of the insulation, which allows it to be mounted close to it. And high water resistance allows you to protect the system from external moisture in any form.
Thus, the insulation must be protected by a vapor barrier film from the inside and a superdiffusion membrane from the outside. It is a good practice to lay sparse sheathing of boards over the “top” membrane to prevent damage to the film or crushing of the insulation when walking through the attic.
Figure 2.2. Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)
Figure 2.2. Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)
Concluding the consideration of the design of a cold attic, it is imperative to pay attention to the issue of ventilation. A properly organized roof ventilation system of a house (Fig. 2.1), despite the possible variety of designs, must have three mandatory components: an entry point, ventilation channels and an exit point. The entire volume of the attic will serve as a channel for ventilation in a cold attic. For normal operation The temperature inside the cold attic should be equal to the outside temperature. For these purposes, the filing provides entry points for cold air - the so-called “vents”. And in the upper part of the attic you need to create air outlets using dormer windows, ridge or point aerators.
Most often in practice we have to deal with a situation where ventilation is impaired: all vents are sealed with insulation, and air from the street does not get inside. The second common mistake is the absence of dormer windows or aerators in the roof covering. When arranging ventilation, it is worth remembering that the area of the outlet openings should be 10% more area inlets. In this case, sufficient thrust will be created. If the roof ventilation is impaired, then the rafter system is subject to waterlogging, and roofing material- additional excess pressure from inside the room. This can lead to rotting of the rafter system and loss of its load-bearing capacity (Fig. 2.2.), premature destruction roofing. That's why effective work ventilation is a prerequisite for the normal operation of a cold attic system.
In the case of installing a cold attic on a base made of reinforced concrete slabs, the system can be simplified. Since reinforced concrete is vapor-proof and is not afraid of exposure to open fire, insulation can be made of organic materials. Here you have to choose from two types of polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foams are increasingly appearing on objects, but sprayed compositions do not always have the declared stable properties after hardening, and their strength is sometimes insufficient for the dynamic effects of pedestrian loads. The well-known expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is still used in construction today. However, it has already been replaced by more modern extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), characterized by lower thermal conductivity (which reduces the required insulation thickness by 25%), reduced water absorption by 5 times and increased strength. When arranging a cold attic according to reinforced concrete slabs with XPS there is no need to spend cash for the purchase and installation of building films: the material withstands all external influences, is not afraid of blowing and even soaking.
For determining required thickness for thermal insulation, we will use the technique that is described in detail in TKP 45-2.04-43-2006 “Construction heating engineering. Building codes design". According to this document, it is established minimum requirements to the thermal resistance of the structure. For a roof, it is taken to be no lower than six, and is calculated by the ratio of the actual thickness of the construction material (in this case, thermal insulation) to its thermal conductivity. Thus, the answer to the question “How to insulate the roof of a house?” - obvious: the required insulation thickness is calculated by multiplying the thermal conductivity of the material by six. This simple mathematics will allow you to create a cold attic that fully complies with all current standards. For complete insulation in our climatic zone 25 cm will be required stone wool. And when using extruded polystyrene foam, 20 cm will be enough. In a similar way, you can calculate the required thicknesses of other thermal insulation materials. For comparison: to obtain a similar indicator by filling with expanded clay, you will need a layer more than half a meter thick!
In the next part we will tell about the design and proper insulation of the attic (warm attic).
Text: Andrey Povarnitsyn
One of the main places of heat loss in a house is the roof. This conclusion can be made thanks to practical observations and elementary physics, because warm air tends to rise up. This is why the attic should be insulated. If you do not perform high-quality thermal insulation attic floor during the construction phase of a house, later when winter sets in, cold air may blow strongly from the ceiling. Suspended ceiling Armstrong perfect solution for a private home. The question arises, how to insulate the attic of a house. At the same time, the wishes of home owners can be completely different: for some, the main thing is for it to be cheaper, for others, for the work to be easier, and for others, they want to insulate exclusively with environmentally friendly or natural materials. In this article we will talk about general technology attic insulation and materials that can be used for this.
Before moving directly to materials for insulation, I would like to clarify a little why it is necessary to insulate the attic in a private house and what function it performs. Our ancestors were not stupid or ignorant, which is why old houses stand for more than 100 years, while the house is always warm, and the roof and wooden structures always dry. What's the secret? The thing is that the ideal insulation is air. Free, natural, always present, and also changeable depending on the time of year. Previously, the roof was always made with a gable slope, with such a slope that it was easy to linger on it. snow. Also by the way, cheap insulation. An attic space with one or two windows in the gables of the house was made under the roof slope. When necessary, these windows were kept closed, then the air trapped in the attic space acted as a heat insulator. In another situation, in the summer, for example, windows were opened at night to cool the air, and then closed before a hot day, thus controlling its temperature.
With the onset of winter, a cap of snow fell on the roof. Even in the most extreme cold, this natural insulation was enough to ensure that the temperature in the attic did not drop below zero, even if it was -25 °C outside. Attic air and additional thermal insulation of the ceiling were necessary in order to ensure a temperature in the house of about +20 - + 25 ° C. At the same time, the roof slope was never insulated from the inside to prevent the snow from melting, and the rafters remained open for diagnostics and repairs. A heated attic space with an insulated slope is no longer an attic, no matter what shape it has. This is an attic, with all that follows from here.
IN modern construction These principles also work. Therefore, let's talk about how you can insulate the attic of a private house, what material to thermally insulate the attic floor, i.e. attic floor or house ceiling.
How can you insulate an attic?
First of all, the material for insulating the attic is selected taking into account what the ceiling is made of. If it is made from wooden beams, and laid on top wooden floor, then you can use light bulk materials, roll and slab. Those. the choice is as wide as possible. If the ceiling is a concrete slab, then to insulate it you will have to use dense slab materials or, in extreme cases, heavy bulk materials, since a cement screed can be placed on top of them.
Bulk materials for attic insulation:
- Sawdust;
- Straw;
- Reed;
- Buckwheat tyrsa;
- Ecowool (cellulose wool);
- Flax (bulk waste from flax processing);
- Glass wool;
- Expanded clay;
- Seaweed;
- Slag;
- Chaff from grain crops;
- Foam granules.
Roll materials for attic insulation:
- Mineral wool;
- Glass wool;
Materials in slabs and mats:
- Straw;
- Styrofoam;
- Extruded polystyrene foam;
- Seaweed;
- Mineral wool in slabs.
When choosing the best way to insulate an attic, you should be guided by: thermal insulation characteristics material, availability in a particular region, its ability not to change its properties with temperature changes, ease of installation and then use of the room, and also, importantly, environmental friendliness, or better yet, naturalness. For example, to build a wooden house and insulate the attic with polystyrene foam would be, to say the least, stupid, because wood is a breathable material, but polystyrene foam is not. As a result, the house will be damp and disgusting, and over time, wooden structures will begin to rot and deteriorate. And, of course, the choice of insulation will depend on the financial capabilities of the owner.
How to insulate a cold attic with backfill materials
Insulating an attic with backfill materials is the oldest method that has proven itself over the centuries. Most often it is used if the floors are wooden, then it is simply poured between the joists.
The general technology of this insulation is as follows: kraft paper or other similar material (glassine, loose cardboard) is laid on wooden floors, or the floor is coated with clay, thermal insulation material is poured on top, a layer that is calculated taking into account the region of residence, boards are laid on top, on which you can will walk. The hatch leading to the attic is also insulated.
Rumors that natural insulation materials quickly cake are somewhat exaggerated. Therefore, without fear, you can choose the one that most appeals to you and is available.
Insulating the attic with flax
To insulate an attic with your own hands, you don’t need any special skills. Dexterity and basic knowledge of physics are enough. The first step is to seal all the cracks in wooden floor. They can be covered with clay, or with modern materials. Then kraft paper is laid on top or the entire surface of the floor is coated with a 2 cm layer of clay.
Bonfire- waste from flax processing. The material is very cheap in some regions, resistant to fungi and microorganisms, does not rot, and is lightweight. Mice cannot breed in a fire, since it is impossible to make a burrow (nest) in it; it immediately crumbles, filling the passage. The material cakes, but you can always add it directly from above or replace it with a new one. The undeniable advantage of linen materials is that there are no problems with their disposal; you just need to raked them out of the attic and then burn them, which cannot be said about glass wool.
The fire is covered with a layer of 180 to 350 mm. There is nothing covering the top; for ease of walking around the attic, you can lay out the boards, but do not fill the entire space, do not make a full-fledged floor. This will allow the material to breathe and release moisture. In the attic, ventilation must be provided in the form of small or medium-sized windows. From time to time the material is checked, if it is slightly damp, the windows are opened to dry the space and linen.
When wondering how to properly insulate a cold attic, many people lean toward the old old-fashioned way- insulate with sawdust. This is especially true in regions where there is wood processing nearby, where you can buy sawdust for ridiculous money or even get it for free in any quantity.
To begin with, as in the case with linen insulation, all cracks in the floor are coated with clay. You can sprinkle a little sand on top. It is necessary so that if the clay cracks, sand can be poured into the crack. Next, sprinkle everything with slaked lime and carbide. This will be protection against mice. Cover the top with sawdust in a layer of 100 - 200 mm. Since sawdust is a flammable material, they were usually sprinkled with slag waste on top. Especially in areas around chimneys or other hot objects. Instead of slag, you can use other materials, for example, treat sawdust with fire retardants. There is also nothing laid on top of the sawdust, except for boards on which one could walk.
Instead of sawdust, you can use straw or chaff from grain crops. Kraft paper or glassine is also laid under it, but you can coat the floor with clay with a layer of up to 5 cm. Straw is immediately poured in a layer of 200 - 500 mm, depending on the region and the severity of the winter cold. To reduce the flammability of straw, you can coat it with a 1-2 cm layer of clay on top. The same method is used against mice as with sawdust, or any other folk remedy.
Ecowool- a modern material, a product of processing newspapers and other waste paper with the addition of mineral binders and other additives that provide a low flammability class.
Due to the fact that ecowool can absorb moisture from the air in its fibers, it is not necessary to lay a vapor barrier material, but it is still worth laying some kind of film.
Ecowool is immediately laid directly on the wooden floors, this is done using a special blowing installation. This installation principle makes it possible to make the insulation layer monolithic, without a single gap, and it will also be enclosed in large quantities air serving as a heat insulator. For many regions of Russia, a layer of ecowool of 250 mm is sufficient, but a layer of 300 or 500 mm can be arranged.
Important! After about 1 - 3 weeks, a protective crust forms on top of the ecowool. This is lignin, which binds the fibers of the top layer. Therefore, sometimes when installing this insulation, water spraying is used to speed up the process of lignin formation.
Due to the fact that ecowool cakes, its layer decreases, therefore, when blowing, you should use 5 - 15% more than the planned amount of ecowool.
Insulating an attic with fiberglass
A fairly common way to insulate an attic floor is to cover it with fiberglass in a layer of 150 - 250 mm. Although this material does not burn, does not rot, is not afraid of moisture, mice and microorganisms do not grow in it, it is quite toxic. When laying it on the attic floor, be sure to be dressed from head to toe in thick clothing, gloves and a respirator. After all the styling work, the clothes will have to be burned.
Once the material has caked, it must be replaced with a new one, and here some difficulties arise, since the material is not recycled in the usual way. The biggest inconvenience occurs when there are no windows in the attic through which it can be thrown into the street, and it has to be carried through the house.
Insulating the attic with expanded clay
Expanded clay is very suitable for insulating concrete floors. It is filled with a layer of about 200 - 250 mm, and poured on top cement strainer layer up to 50 mm. This allows you to create a floor in the attic on which you can not only walk unhindered, but also on which you can arrange or lay out unnecessary things. Cement-sand mixture for the screed it should not have a liquid, but a dense consistency, so as not to flow too much into the expanded clay backfill.
How to properly insulate an attic with rolled materials
Rolled materials are good for insulation because they can be laid in the space between joists up to 180 - 200 mm high. Mostly materials are used that are easy to cut and quickly take the required shape.
Mineral wool is a modern thermal insulation material that is ubiquitous. It is very often used for attic insulation, since it does not burn, does not rot, and is not afraid of microorganisms and rodents, as well as moisture.
A vapor barrier film must be laid on the bottom of the wooden floor, the joints of which are taped with special tape, because cotton wool absorbs moisture, but practically does not release it.
Rolls of mineral wool can be laid on top of the film. During work, you must wear thick clothing, as is the case with fiberglass. Vata takes its full size within 15 - 20 minutes. There is no need to cover it with anything, but you can lay down boards for walking. Waterproofing material to protect the wool from leaks, it is laid only under the roof.
Insulating the attic with algae ladders
Seaweed ladders are an excellent natural material for insulating attics. Thanks to the sea salt and iodine with which the algae are impregnated, mice do not grow in them, and they do not rot and are not afraid of microorganisms. The ladders are pierced mats made of zostera sea grass. By thermal insulation properties this material in no way inferior to modern ones synthetic materials. One of the main advantages is environmental friendliness, as well as the fact that the drains practically do not burn, only slightly smolder and do not emit toxic substances.
Algae are not afraid of moisture, so there is no need to vapor barrier the floor; you can immediately lay the drains on the floor with a layer of up to 200 mm or more. On top you can install a wooden floor or lay boards for walking.
Using algae for attic insulation is very beneficial for the health of home residents, as they provide ideal conditions and microclimate in the room, and also release beneficial iodine into the air.
Insulating the attic with linen insulation
Modern linen insulation is produced in the same rolls as mineral wool. Their only advantage is that they are absolutely environmentally friendly. Linen is an excellent choice for attic insulation wooden house or houses made of other environmentally friendly materials - adobe, for example.
Before installation roll material all cracks in the floor should be sealed with clay; no other vapor barrier is needed. Linen insulation is laid on top, joining neatly and leaving no gaps.
How to insulate an attic with slab materials and mats
Insulate wooden floors slab materials It makes no sense, even though it is possible. These materials are mainly used for thermal insulation of concrete floor slabs. With subsequent arrangement of the floor in the attic.
Insulating the attic with polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam
Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam is not a very dense material, but it can be used to insulate an attic. But extruded polystyrene foam is ideal for these purposes, as it is much denser. Before laying polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam, the floor slab must be checked for unevenness. The surface should be leveled so that the insulation boards can be carefully laid. A vapor barrier material should be laid on the leveled surface.
Next, the slabs are laid in a checkerboard pattern, and the joints are sealed polyurethane foam. After the foam has dried, it is necessary to pour a cement-sand screed on top with a layer of about 4 - 5 cm. After the screed has dried, it can be used as an attic floor.
Insulating the attic with reeds
Reed slabs began to be made relatively recently, when the demand for environmentally friendly materials. In terms of thermal insulation properties, reeds are no worse modern materials. Even without treating them with fire retardants, the flammability class is G2 - G3, and after treatment - G1. The same cannot be said about polystyrene foam and EPS, which burn and release toxic substances.
Reed slabs can be used to insulate both wooden and concrete floors. In this case, a vapor barrier is not necessary. And on top you can install a wooden floor or decking.
The modern market is replete with a variety of thermal insulation materials, and sellers are trying to praise them, attributing non-existent advantages. Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to say, when choosing a material for insulating an attic, be guided by the general concept of the house and life priorities. If your house is made of environmentally friendly wood, then the insulation should be natural, so you will not only preserve the wood, but also your health. If your house is made of foam blocks or other non-breathable material, you can use mineral wool, it won’t get any worse.
Video: how to insulate an attic
For many people, salvation from the harsh Russian climate is warm home. It is not always enough to insulate the foundation, basement and walls: if the roof of the house is cold, you need to properly insulate the attic. This procedure has a number of features that need to be taken into account before starting work. Otherwise, all the money and effort will be wasted, and the result will not justify the effort.
Peculiarities
Regardless of the type of building and its number of floors, work with floors must be carried out according to strict rules.
- It is required to provide a safety margin that covers its own weight and design load.
- Under full design load, no deformation or deflection should occur.
- It is necessary to ensure the level of sound insulation prescribed by regulations or special recommendations for building projects.
- It is supposed to maintain the fire resistance limit established by regulatory documents.
When insulating attics, any of these requirements can be violated due to ignorance, carelessness, or due to deviations from standard technology. The remaining nuances relate to one group of floors.
Types of floors
The main part of the house can be separated from the attic by the attic and interfloor covering. The difference is that in the first case top part The building is not heated, and in the second it has been turned into a residential attic.
By design, load-bearing floor segments can be beamed or beamless. The first are formed by beams and filling, the second are homogeneous, made in the form of slabs or panels.
Beam floors in a private house they are created in such a way that the main elements are at the same distances. The main construction material is wood. Metal and reinforced concrete are practically not used.
Wooden blocks are quite light, but have a serious disadvantage - limitation on longest length. In the interfloor version, they can be used if the span is no longer than 5 m. For an unused attic, you can increase the permissible value by 1 m.
Sometimes you need to make the span even larger. Then it is necessary to use metal structures. In the summer country house This solution is not used for obvious reasons. Most often, the flooring, which is laid on top of the beams, simultaneously acts as a ceiling (for the lower floor) and as a floor (for an attic or a simple attic).
In addition to the beams and flooring, they also install a ramp and a layer of insulation.
Houses resembling a rectangle in shape are covered parallel to the shortest wall. A strictly defined distance and cross-section of the structure help to avoid deflection of beams when loaded. These indicators are interrelated.
Under a cold roof it is necessary to lay beams with a gap larger than under the attic(this is due to the difference in load). Regardless of the specific option, the ceiling must be insulated in such a way as to ensure protection of the rafters from water ingress. On top of the protective layer it is required to create a material impervious to steam.
Materials
Proper insulation always begins with drying the attic by opening the windows. It is important to take into account the nuance: they work with the attic floor, and not with the ceiling of living rooms.
The range of insulation materials is large, in any hardware store you can find a lot of varieties. They are divided into three main groups - bulk, rolled and made in the form of slabs. Each variety is suitable for solving strictly defined problems.
Bulk products are optimally combined with floors made of wooden beams, helping them to “breathe”. But installing polystyrene foam is not very convenient.
Roll options are characterized by increased environmental friendliness.
Plate, despite its heaviness, it combines well with concrete floors (for example, foam concrete), which themselves differ in density.
Insulation from the inside of the room (from the ceiling) in a cold attic is rarely practiced, which is associated with several problems:
- lowering the room level;
- constant violation of the already created finish and the need for its repair;
- different environmental and sanitary safety of thermal insulation materials.
Installation of thermal protection from inside the room can be done cheaply or while maintaining the proper level of comfort. We have to abandon mineral wool, maintain the gap from thermal insulation to exterior finishing(this is necessary for ventilation). Internal insulation is the best option for retaining heat when installing a suspended ceiling.
If insulation is carried out with extruded polyurethane foam or polystyrene foam, necessary preliminary installation lathing over which drywall is fixed. The thickness of the timber is selected to be 0.2 - 0.3 cm greater than that of the insulating layer itself, the installation step is 0.1 - 0.2 cm narrower than penoplex. It is recommended to use mineral wool only in the most extreme cases: it is highly toxic.
Ecowool made from cellulose with the addition of substances is much better, reducing the risk of ignition. This material perfectly suppresses extraneous sounds. If you use reeds, there is no fear of fire.
It's time to figure out what features each group of coatings has, and what other materials belong to them.
Bulk
The use of bulk type insulation began in ancient times. Their main options are:
- expanded clay;
- sawdust;
- flax fibers;
- reed stems.
Each variety has its own differences and performance characteristics. The ease of obtaining, availability and almost zero price of sawdust also have a downside (they have a number of serious disadvantages).
Mice easily settle in sawdust. This can be prevented by adding slaked lime and carbide. To retain heat, a layer of 10 - 20 mm is enough, but this impressive quality is crossed out by high flammability.
Expanded clay is compatible with wooden and concrete floors: when it is poured, a complete flooring. The thickness of the layer ranges from 20 to 25 mm, under it there should be concrete screed approximately 5 mm.
In rolls
The undoubted advantages of any roll insulation are its ease of use and the ease of accurate installation of the blocks. This allows you to do the work yourself.
In most cases, despite all its disadvantages, mineral wool is used. Before laying the material, you will have to make a high-quality vapor barrier with taped seams for greater tightness.
If algae is safe, you can't say it about glass wool. Resistance to water is devalued by a serious inconvenience during work: you will have to protect yourself from small, prickly and hazardous fibers. After some time, the material cakes and largely loses its positive qualities..
In the form of mats and slabs
Slab insulation is characterized by reliable blocking of air flow. It should not be used in houses made of natural material . More often, polystyrene foam, reeds, and ecowool are used in the manufacture of slabs. seaweed.
The technology involves installation strictly on flat surfaces with advance placement vapor barrier films. Even the most minor irregularities need to be eliminated. It is easy to make a full-fledged floor above the stove, which allows you to create residential attics even from the coldest initially attics.
Sprayable
A real technological breakthrough was the use of sprayed insulation. It is important to carefully select them and take into account all the features, including the advantages and disadvantages of the coating being created.
Main positive aspects when using penoizol for insulation, are:
- exclusively high level thermal protection;
- excellent absorption of extraneous sounds;
- solid vapor permeability (no condensation);
- possibility of use in places that are inaccessible or inaccessible for other insulation products;
- ease of installation on top of all existing building materials.
The last point does not mean that careful surface preparation can be neglected.
Only thorough degreasing of the base guarantees decent adhesion and stable performance of the material’s main function.
Regardless of the option chosen preparatory work more or less the same.
Preparation for work
Before starting work in the attic of a wooden house, you need to check the joints of the floors. It is important to note: there should be no gaps or cracks on the base. Any gap is closed using mortar and tow. Frame elements are impregnated with antiseptic compounds and fire retardants.
If ventilation ducts have not been created before, the time has come to make them.
If you plan to make insulation using a roll scheme, you need to equip the floor slabs with logs (special bars). To secure them, concrete screws or dowels can be used.
When you plan to turn the attic into an attic, the heating pipes must be insulated. The following types of technical wool are best suited for them:
- glass;
- mineral;
- slag;
- stone;
- basalt.
Please note: the cheapest options should be used in areas with mild winters. If the frosts are severe enough, you will have to buy more expensive and reliable insulation.
It is necessary to clean the surface as much as possible from the slightest traces of dust and other contaminants. All areas heating systems overlap protective materials overlap at least twice.
Features of the combination of heat and vapor barrier
Vapor barrier in combination with thermal insulation is always made extremely airtight. The rolls are overlapped up to 0.2 m and glued. A prerequisite is an overlap on the wall followed by pressing with plaster.. Preference should be given to materials with a foil surface that effectively reflects infrared rays.
Floor cleaning
This point cannot be underestimated. Once you use the house for several months without visiting the cold attic, a surprising amount of dust, dirt, and cobwebs will accumulate there. It is necessary to remove all things, even the smallest and most insignificant, and remove all debris before starting work.
Insulation
It will not be possible to analyze the technology for laying all possible coatings. You need to settle on one option. For example, such as mineral mats.
First you need to remove the plank and attach a vapor barrier layer to the beams. To fasten membrane films, you should use 14–16 mm staples, driven into the base with a stapler. The gaps between the structures are filled with mats, which are fixed using transverse slats with a cross-section of 20x50 mm. These slats will help hold in additional vapor barrier.
Then you need to make a plank with your own hands and arrange the ceiling. To protect ventilation pipes from the cold, materials that form a kind of shell (for example, penofol) are better suited. It is better than polyethylene foam and does not absorb as much dust, which is inevitably present in any room.
If ventilation tube passes through the main wall, it must be placed in a heat-insulating sleeve. When ventilation duct goes through the room, you need to lay the material where freezing begins to be felt. Ventilation protection is done before covering the remaining parts of the building.
A typical pie involves laying:
- solid boards 25x100, 30x100 mm;
- two-layer membrane that protects from wind;
- timber 5x5 cm across the overlapping beams (the distance between the blocks should be 59 cm);
- beams based on double timber 5x20 cm;
- new timber 5x5 cm;
- vapor barrier (best with aluminum foil);
- boards over the overlaps of the vapor barrier.
In attics you have to deal with the problem of a freezing wall or even several walls at the same time. Only simultaneous insulation of the structure both outside and inside the building will help eliminate this nuisance. Minimum thickness the inner layer should be from 20 cm. This is the rare case when there is nothing better than simple mineral wool.