Old Soviet panel houses are much inferior in thermal insulation to modern monolithic buildings. New SNIPs dictate developers to observe the required wall thickness and insulate the facades immediately after the completion of the filling work and laying out the walls. Panel five and nine-story buildings were designed only for internal heating, without isolating the external walls from the cold. Thousands of people live in corner apartments, and the issue of their thermal insulation becomes more relevant every year.
Options for wall insulation of panel houses
Modern technologies present two options for insulating the surface of the walls of an apartment building: from the inside and from the outside. Both options will solve the problem of low room temperatures and rapid heat loss. In panel houses, more cast-iron radiators with excellent heating qualities were installed, but due to the thinness of the walls and their direct contact with frosty air, the efficiency of the radiators is significantly reduced.
Important! The task of thermal insulation is not to heat the room, but to retain heat in it and exclude air cooling due to its contact with the cold surface of the walls, especially if the corner apartment is an end one.
For this, both options are suitable, but their implementation is radically different, so it is necessary to determine a simpler and more economical one, which you can do yourself.
Which method is preferable?
Let's consider the pros and cons of both methods and choose the most suitable one. Advantages of wall insulation outside a panel house:
- the work will be carried out on the facade, which means it will not interfere with the tenants directly living in the apartments;
- along with the insulation, the external renovation of the facade with decorative plaster or hinged panels will take place at the same time;
- the whole house will be insulated, which means that the common areas will become less cold.
Insulation of the outer walls of a panel house - disadvantages:
- the inability to insulate only your apartment, even if it is angular - at least two walls in each room will be adjacent to non-insulated neighboring apartments;
- high cost of work - a specially hired team will be engaged in insulation and finishing, which needs constant monitoring and payment;
- lack of privacy in a multi-storey building - work will take place outside, which means that builders will need scaffolding or a hinged cradle, and this entails their constant presence right outside the windows of the apartment, where they can freely look;
- the duration of the process - if the house is large, then the work may take more than one month, and all this time there will be trucks, lifts, building materials and scaffolding near the house.
Insulation of walls in a panel house from the inside - disadvantages:
- reducing the living area of rooms - hanging additional structures on the walls will increase the removal of each of them by at least 5 - 8 centimeters;
- the inability to live in a room where renovation is in progress - residents will have to move to other rooms, because the area to be repaired will be occupied by materials;
- the likelihood of temporary relocation - work may be associated with painting and the use of strong-smelling substances, so it will not be possible to stay in it during insulation.
Internal insulation benefits:
- independent implementation of insulation inside the house - no high-rise work and the construction of additional structures are required, only care, a competent approach and tools are required;
- low cost - compared to insulation outside, internal work will cost less if we consider only insulation, because the final decorative wall decoration can be anything and can be expensive;
- short terms - if all the material has been purchased and there is enough time, then each room inside can be insulated in 2 days and the same amount of time will be needed for finishing, so it will not take long to endure the inconvenience and temporary relocation.
Having studied all the nuances, it is clear that the advantages of internal heaters are greater than that of external ones, and they are more significant. Important: timing, cost and the ability to do everything yourself. Therefore, we will consider this option below.
The choice of insulation material
The modern world of building materials provides a wide range of possibilities. Here are the main options for insulating a panel house from the inside:
- polystyrene (penoplex);
- polyurethane foam;
- mineral wool.
Any of them will cope with the task, but they differ in the method of installation and cost, which can affect the choice of insulation. It all depends on what tools are available and the size of the budget.
Important! The least attractive option is the use of polyurethane foam, because it requires deep formwork, which means that such insulation will "eat" more area of the room. For its installation, a special sprayer is required, which may not be available.
Mineral wool is a good option for insulating the walls of an apartment building, it is quite thin, easily reshaped and not expensive. The main disadvantage is its composition, which includes fiberglass. It is unpleasant when in contact with the skin and may cause irritation. Clothes with long sleeves and a special mask on the face save from this. 
Penoplex is convenient because it is pre-cut into convenient panels. It is lightweight and can be mounted alone. Each panel fits groove in groove and is assembled like a constructor. It can be chosen to the optimal thickness, saving the cut area. The disadvantage over other materials is the higher cost, but it is compensated by the ability to do without finishing without using drywall. The best way is to carry out work using foam insulation.
Preparatory work
Regardless of the option chosen, before insulation, preparatory work will be required. An important note is that insulation is best done in warm and dry seasons in order to avoid sudden temperature changes and condensation. What you need to do:
- free up the space of the room, remove unnecessary pieces of furniture and restrict the entry of strangers and pets into the living space;
- get rid of the current wall decoration - remove old paint or wallpaper from partitions;
- remove plaster from the walls - this will require special scrapers;
- vacuuming or washing the walls - this is required to get rid of dust;
- prime and dry;
- align the plane - if necessary, if you can see that the irregularities are too large;
- dry the room completely.
What is needed to work on the insulation of a room in an apartment building
Insulation work will require proper skill and attention, but it will be easy to cope with this if you strictly follow the technology and have the necessary tool at hand. Here is a list of what you might need:
- construction stapler;
- polyurethane foam;
- sealant gun;
- screwdriver;
- hammer drill or powerful drill;
- construction knife;
- ladder or goats;
- hammer;
- self-tapping screws for metal;
- metal corners;
- liquid level;
- thread;
- serpyanka;
- putty knife;
- liquid nails for outdoor use;
- plastic mushrooms for attaching foam;
- vapor barrier film.
The specified list may be broader depending on the installation method, but you can easily get by with what is listed. Having everything you need, you can get to work. Remember that it is better to ventilate the room well, and carry out noisy work only at the permitted time of the day in order to avoid conflicts with neighbors.
Do-it-yourself installation
By performing the actions in stages, you can achieve the perfect result. Begin:
- Glue (liquid nails) is abundantly applied to the surface of the wall and panel of the foam, and then pressed tightly against each other. We carry out such actions with each panel, putting the next one exactly in the groove with the previous end side. This also applies to the side segments and those on top. Penoplex is easy to cut with a knife, so where the whole panel does not fit, it is neatly cut and inserted into the space. It is important to cut exactly to size in order to leave a minimum of gaps and fit them exactly to the end.
- The panels can also be fastened with the help of wall anchors and plastic fungi, for this holes are made in the walls and fasteners are driven into them directly through the attached penoplex. This method is very noisy, so we recommend the first option.
- All joints between panels, walls, floors and ceilings are coated with sealant. This is necessary to ensure maximum thermal insulation.
- The tighter the foam is pressed against the wall surface, the better its insulating properties, so don't spare glue or anchors.
- This installation option provides for the final finishing with plaster. After the sealant has dried, the entire surface of the wall is covered with putty and leveled. If you want to additionally strengthen the layer - a special mesh (serpyanka) can be embedded in the plaster.
- After the final leveling, the putty must be allowed to dry, and then it must be primed, thereby preparing its surface for painting or wallpapering.
Important! If it is supposed to hang cabinets on the wall, then you need to choose a slightly different installation option. Before the first point in the previous instructions, you need to mount a curtain structure from a metal profile on the walls, and lay out foam plastic between the guides according to the instructions. The following list is considered a continuation of the previous one, after the fourth point:
- Over the foam and the guides, you need to pull a vapor barrier film to isolate the formation of moisture inside the wall. Its installation is carried out with the help of plastic fungi through the foam.
- We fix drywall to vertical and horizontal guides using self-tapping screws.
- Further, as in the previous instructions, it carries out filling, leveling and priming of the surface.
Installation is not at all difficult. The main thing is to stick to the technology, then the work will be done quickly and efficiently. After finishing, you will immediately feel that the apartment has become much warmer and drier, even if it is an end one. This is because the insulation helped get rid of the contact of warm air with the surface of cold walls. Therefore, if the heating is not due to batteries, but with underfloor heating, they can be turned on less often, thereby saving on utility costs.
The question of how to insulate a panel house becomes relevant a few years after its construction. The thermal insulation properties of concrete panels diminish significantly over time. Heat is escaped not only through windows, but also through walls and joints between panels and even through ventilation ducts. Over time, cracks often form in the walls of panel houses, through which, depending on their size, heat can go away rather quickly. The lack of available heating is especially felt in winter and when temperatures drop.
Insulation installed outside the building keeps it warm in winter and cool on hot days.
Insulation of walls and their elements, which is carried out both in private and in multi-storey buildings, can help to keep heat without resorting to additional heating devices, insulation may also be needed in non-residential premises. There are several ways to insulate a panel house:
- plaster;
- drywall;
- mineral wool;
- Styrofoam.
The high effect of high-quality insulation of external walls requires the use of new high-quality materials. Currently, there are many materials that are designed and manufactured specifically for facades. In addition to increasing the overall temperature in the room, such materials update the facade, and for their use there is no need to evict the tenants. A little time is also spent on insulation.
How to insulate a house: methods and materials
Insulation methods are divided into 2 types - dry and wet insulation. Wet means finishing the outer walls with various mixtures intended for this, which are diluted with water. Decorative plaster of this type has a wide range of colors and various effects. The dry method does not imply the use of water, plate-type heaters are mounted on the facade of the building, creating a protective screen that retains heat.
It is permissible to use ventilated facades, consisting of many elements, in the application of the dry method of insulation. For the installation of insulation plates, metal brackets and guides are used. First, a frame consisting of a metal profile is mounted on the wall of the building, then it is insulated and cladding is made on top of it. The material for cladding is different, it is chosen in accordance with fire safety rules, the desired decorative effect and finances. For these purposes, fiber cement plates, alucobond, cement particle boards, and porcelain stoneware are used.
A panel house is most often insulated in this way, since it is convenient to use it in all weather conditions, including low temperatures, when the wet method is impossible. The materials used for dry insulation differ in some parameters. They have different properties of sound insulation and thermal conductivity, strength and durability. Before insulating a house, you need to check the selected material for resistance to temperature extremes and mechanical influences.
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Styrofoam and home insulation with this material
For work you will need:
- Styrofoam;
- glue;
- sealant;
- fasteners;
- reinforcing mesh;
- decorative coating;
- putty knife.
This insulation is in many ways inferior to modern ones in its characteristics, but its use is still popular. This is due to the fact that the cost of the material is very economical; anyone can buy it to insulate a room for any purpose. Insulation work can be done independently, or with the help of special qualified workers. If the insulation is carried out on the high floor of a panel house, then most likely it will not be possible to do without the services of industrial climbers.
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Preparatory activities
Using high-quality materials for insulation and working in accordance with all the rules, you can turn an apartment into a thermally insulated room, which will keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Residents of the first floors or residents of those apartments that are located on the edges of the house suffer most from cold and dampness, since the area of contact with the street is larger near the corner rooms. The first signs of dampness and cold are often traces of black mold that appears in the corners of apartments and in bathrooms. In such rooms, it always smells of dampness.
Before the work on the insulation itself begins, it is necessary to properly process all the joints between the plates, and then seal them. The stages of sealing include thorough cleaning of all existing cracks from all kinds of debris, and then the joints are primed and dried so that later they are completely filled with a sealing compound. If the gaps are very large, it makes sense to seal them with heat-insulating materials from the inside, and then put a layer of mastic on top.
In the previous article, we talked about ... Today we will discuss how to insulate a wall in a panel house from the inside. We want to warn you right away that, if possible, it is necessary to give preference to external insulation. When installing thermal insulation from the inside, the dew point shifts into the wall, more precisely, to its inner part. It turns out that condensation forms under the insulation, and with it mold. To avoid this, you need to use insulation that can allow steam to pass through, the best option is stone wool.
Materials for insulating the walls of a panel house from the inside
From the inside, it is best to use stone wool.
Before proceeding with an overview of how to insulate a wall in a panel house from the inside, let us dwell on the materials. For internal work on thermal insulation of walls, the following are used:
- Styrofoam;
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- all types of mineral wool;
- insulation paint.
Insulation of a panel house from the inside, as a rule, is accompanied by the construction of false walls made of plasterboard, although if you do not plan to hang anything on the walls, then you can get by with several layers of plaster on top of the insulation. Plastering can be done over polystyrene and its derivatives, as well as over high-density mineral wool.
Minvata
Expanded polystyrene and mineral wool are equally popular when insulating a panel house from the inside, but wool is still preferable. Why is that:
- cotton wool is an environmentally friendly material;
- cotton wool allows moisture to pass through;
- does not burn or smoke.
Of all types of mineral wool, it is preferable to opt for ... Unlike all other types, it is not afraid of moisture, has the highest degree of resistance to heating. Insulation of the wall from the inside of a panel house with stone wool allows you not to use membranes - these are films for hydro and vapor barrier. The insulation will allow steam to pass in both directions, just like the concrete wall itself. This property allows you to avoid the accumulation of condensation between concrete and thermal insulation, respectively, there will be no mold either.
A big problem when insulating a wall from inside a panel house is the transfer of the dew point to the middle of the room. The dew point is the boundary where warm air meets cold air, resulting in condensation. So, if you create conditions for the condensate to find a way out, then you don't have to worry about the appearance of a fungus.
Expanded polystyrene
Styrofoam is simply glued to the wall, without additional fixing with dowels.
With foam, things are a little different, since it practically does not allow steam to pass through. Because of this, all the negative consequences of shifting the dew point will sooner or later make themselves felt. Mold is not visible under a layer of insulation, but it will be there. In this case, small spores of fungi will still fall into the middle of the room, and you will breathe them. This is extremely undesirable, since, once they enter the body, they can cause various diseases, sometimes very serious.
If you still decide to work with foam, then before insulating an apartment in a panel house from the inside, carefully study the characteristics of ordinary and extruded polystyrene foam. Extruded is more dense, it is significantly more expensive than usual, but at the same time the only benefit for the overpaid money is a lower degree of flammability. It burns, just not as hard as normal. Their thermal conductivity is almost the same (+/- hundredth part).
Insulation with foil
Reflective insulation is another story altogether. Its effect is not as significant as the ego is portrayed to be. As an independent material, there is almost no sense from it, except perhaps in tandem with other heaters and then, if there is free finance. What reflective insulation does:
- reflects infrared rays from the material in front of the ventilation gap. Usually it is drywall, of course, there is almost no IR radiation there;
- does not allow moisture to pass through - it is convenient if you insulate yourself with mineral wool. If you are using stone wool or foam, then additional waterproofing is not needed;
- thanks to the base of foamed polyethylene, it dampens noise and vibration - a few millimeters of polyethylene cannot be compared with the effect of a 5 or 8 centimeter insulation.
There are no compelling arguments in favor of using reflective insulation, especially considering the fact that the cost of insulation will be almost twice as expensive.
Insulation paint
Another new method of how to insulate a panel house from the inside appeared thanks to engineers in the space industry. In space, weight is of decisive importance, so the task was to develop an ultra-thin and lightweight insulation, which was done. So there was a paint-insulation, which was used to cover the hulls of space shuttles.
Today it is commercially available as liquid thermal insulation, which is used to insulate walls, pipelines, etc. The bottom line is that there are special granules in the paint that do not allow heat to pass through. At the same time, for some reason, doubts arise that a thin layer of paint will cope with reducing the heat loss of a room in the same way as 5 cm of mineral wool or foam.
Methods for insulating walls from the inside
Foam glue is best for gluing foam boards.
Heaters in the apartment are attached to concrete walls from the inside under false walls made of plasterboard. If you followed the path of least resistance and chose stone wool or, in extreme cases, polystyrene as thermal insulation, then there should be no difficulties in work. How to insulate a corner apartment in a panel house:
- installation of a structure made of metal profiles;
- laying under the guides of thermal insulation on glue - you need to create a monolithic screen, so there should be no gaps at the joints;
- sheathing of a metal structure with plasterboard.
On drywall, after it has been putty, you can glue any finish: tiles, wallpaper, decorative stones, papier-mâché, or just paint. There are situations when it blows strongly from the corners. In this case, the question arises of how to insulate the corners in a panel house? Alternatively, you can simply blow them out with foam from the inside or cover the joints of the plates with a sealant. This should help, but if capital measures are needed, then it is necessary to insulate the inter-panel seams from the outside. There is a technique called "Warm seam". It involves cleaning the seam from all contents, filling it with special polyurethane foam, laying Vilaterm and sealing the seam with mastic.
How to insulate a balcony in a panel house
Putty can be applied directly over the foam.
We have already told you more than once how to insulate a balcony in a panel house. In principle, the technique is no different from wall insulation, only on the balcony the thermal insulation is glued to the floor and ceiling. Let's better think about how to do this with minimal costs and as quickly as possible. How do you see an already insulated balcony? Really clapboard or plastic? If yes, then:
- glue the foam to the wall with glue foam;
- lay a wooden crate on top - fix it to the wall with dowels directly through the foam;
- fasten the plastic trim elements to the crate with a stapler.
The thickness of the foam must be at least 50 mm, and preferably all 80 mm. No Penofol is needed - money wasted. It is not necessary to fasten the foam sheets with plastic dowels, they will not disappear 100% anyway. The gaps between the sheets are also blown out with foam glue, the remnants can not be removed, there will still be a finish. If you think that it would be more profitable to buy a universal construction glue, then you are mistaken - its price (relative to consumption) is equal to the price of glue-foam, only plastic dowels will still be needed. You will also have to drill a lot, and if the walls are thin, then nothing good will come of it.
Another option for insulating a balcony in a panel house is for painting. You will not hang pictures or shelves on the walls there. The first layer of putty is applied to the foam glued with glue-foam, the fiberglass reinforcing mesh is recessed into it, then another layer of putty is applied. Then the surfaces are allowed to dry, primed and painted. In this case, the foam must be taken with a density of at least 25 kg / m3. This method is convenient, since you can always repaint the walls in a different color.
Internal insulation of a panel house without overpayments
Most often, insulation of a corner room in a panel house is required, since it has at least two outer walls. If there is no way to insulate from the outside, then you will have to do it from the inside, although the first option is more correct and better. To make the apartment really warmer, you need to use foam or mineral wool at least 50 mm, preferably 80 mm. It is not necessary to take extruded polystyrene foam, it is unreasonably more expensive than usual. The only difference is that it does not burn and smoke so much.
Ideally, it is better to opt for stone (basalt) wool. It allows moisture to pass through, does not burn at all, and therefore does not smoke. It does not absorb moisture, so no steam or water barriers are needed. But she is dear - this is her only drawback.
A budget option for wall insulation from the inside:
- 50 mm foam is glued to glue-foam, the joints are sealed;
- a structure made of metal profiles is installed;
- wall drywall is attached.
Recall again that no reflective insulation is needed - it is expensive and ineffective. It is good only for a bath, where there is a lot of infrared radiation and it can also be glued behind the battery. Everything else is marketing and more marketing.
Panel houses have never been famous for their warmth because of the thin walls - both outer and ceilings, therefore, the owners of the apartments carry out the insulation of the panel house from the outside at the slightest opportunity. Thermal insulation of concrete panels helps not only to make an apartment warmer in winter, but also to keep it cool in summer, therefore, insulation of panel houses can be considered a universal means of ensuring comfort in housing. You can carry out work independently if your apartment is not higher than the second floor - otherwise you will have to seek help from industrial climbers or high-rise builders.
How can panel walls be insulated from the outside?
Thermal insulation of the outer surface of the walls of a panel house is a much more reliable event than insulation from the inside, and there are reasons for this:
- The dew point shifts towards the insulation, not the wall, and condensation does not linger in the concrete of the panel, which, in turn, does not cause mold. Also, in winter, condensation does not freeze and does not destroy the material of the walls from the inside;
- Laying insulation on the inner surfaces of the walls reduces the usable area of the room;
- A layer of internal thermal insulation prevents the walls from being fully heated by heating devices, which leads to the appearance of microcracks and mold, especially in corner rooms, which are affected by wind and temperature loads;
- Condensation, which will appear as a result of this on the walls of the apartment, is a direct path to the destruction of concrete and the appearance of fungal diseases of the panel building materials;
- From the inside, it is impossible to insulate the ceilings adjacent to the walls, and in fact they serve as an excellent place where "bridges of cold" appear;
Thus, it is necessary and strongly recommended to insulate the walls of a panel house only from the outside: internal insulation is an extreme measure. Insulation of the walls from the outside consists of the following working stages:
Preparation of building materials for insulation
First, we choose a heater. The materials in demand are listed below. The demand is determined by the characteristics and cost of heaters:
- Extruded expanded polystyrene or expanded polystyrene is the cheapest material (its price allows you to buy sheets in any quantity), lightweight and retains heat well. The disadvantages that everyone knows about do not stop consumers from using foam: fire hazard and fragility of the material. Both the one and the other drawback are eliminated in one way - by protecting the insulation by plastering. Recommendations for use: walls should be insulated from the outside with polystyrene with a density of ≥ 18 kg / m 3;
- Mineral wool is a more durable material than EPS, it is absolutely environmentally friendly and non-combustible. Disadvantages: the price of this thermal insulation is higher, and when working with it, it is necessary to use satellites - gloves, glasses, a respirator, since the ingress of mineral wool microparticles on the skin or in the respiratory tract causes irritation. The recommended density of mineral wool is ≥ 85 kg / m 3, the thickness of the roll (board, mat) is ≥ 100 mm.
In addition, facade insulation will require the use of the following materials:
- Construction glue for fixing insulation materials - dry or ready-mixed. For each type of insulation, it is recommended to use the appropriate glue, but there are also universal adhesives on sale;
- Insulation for sealing joints between panels is polyurethane foam, less often - liquid polyurethane foam;
- Umbrella plastic dowels for attaching foam and mineral wool;
- Primers for wall pretreatment;
- Reinforcing fiberglass or metal fine mesh;
- Perforated corner - galvanized metal or aluminum;
- Decorative plaster for finishing;
- Topcoat paint.
The volume and quantity of building materials is calculated based on the insulated area of the walls plus a margin of 10-15%. 
Preparatory work for the walls
- First, it is necessary to remove all old coating from the walls - whitewash, paint, plaster, ceramic tiles, and other materials;
- The surface is cleaned from the remaining dirt and dust, if clean is carried out with water - the surface is dried;
- Interpanel seams are insulated. If the seam is too thin or shallow, it is better to expand it so that it does not grow on its own during operation under an already applied layer of insulation;
- The seams are also cleaned of dirt and moistened, after which they are filled with construction foam or filled with concrete putty;
- After the filler or foam has hardened, the protruding material is cut off or knocked down.
Fastening thermal insulation materials to walls
- For a more economical use of the construction adhesive mixture, it is preferable to buy it not ready-made, but dry. Preparing such a glue is simple - it is sealed with water in the proportion specified in the instructions, and stirred with a construction mixer;
- Apply the adhesive mixture to the polystyrene or polyurethane foam with a notched trowel. It is assumed that you have leveled a very uneven surface of the walls with plaster in advance. If not, apply the glue to the insulation plate in lumps in order to evenly distribute the composition under the pressure that appears when the sheets are glued to the wall;
- Gluing plates or sheets of polystyrene should start from the corner of the wall and from bottom to top;
- In practice, gluing plates and insulating the walls of a panel house from the outside is carried out by pressing the sheet against the wall, each sheet must be controlled using a building level;
- The second sheet must be glued on the opposite side of the wall, and between the sheets, pull a cord along which all other sheets of insulation will be aligned. To make it easier to maintain the vertical and horizontal rows, perforated corner beacons can be installed on the wall. They are attached to alabaster or gypsum. This is how the first row of thermal insulation of a residential panel house is mounted;
- The fastening scheme of the second and subsequent rows is the same, only the rows need to be shifted relative to each other in order to prevent the formation of "cold bridges" on long seams;
- If you are insulating a corner room from the outside, then it is also necessary to ensure that the plates or sheets are bandaged along the edge of the corner, as shown in the figure below;
- Further, all the plates are additionally reinforced with umbrella dowels - five pieces per sheet or plate (one in the center, the rest at the edges). In the insulation plate and in the wall, holes are simultaneously drilled to the depth of the dowel length, the hardware is inserted and expanding pins are hammered into it until the dowel head sinks into the insulation by 1-2 mm. In addition to the indicated fastening scheme, the dowels must be placed at the corners between the joints of the thermal insulation plates;
- The slopes of window openings are also insulated with expanded polystyrene, only it is pre-cut to size with an ordinary knife or steel string.
Preparatory work before reinforcement
Before finally insulating the panel house from the outside, the surface of the thermal insulation is reinforced with a fiberglass mesh. To do this, perform the following operations:
- The insulated surface is leveled with plastering and rubbed with a float. In this case, all the dowel caps must be closed with a solution;
- A perforated corner (aluminum or metal) is attached to the outer corners of the insulated surface and window slopes. It can be attached to the glue with which the thermal insulation boards are glued, but in order not to wait long, it is better to take alabaster or gypsum;
- The gaps between the sheets of thermal insulation are sealed with scraps of polystyrene for a solution, or with polyurethane foam;
- If all these works were carried out on top of a layer of plaster, the damaged surfaces are plastered again. The result should be a flat, seamless surface to which the fiberglass-bonding plaster will be applied.
How to reinforce the insulation surface
The surface of the insulating layer on the wall is reinforced as follows:
- First, the reinforcement mesh is attached to the slopes of the windows - sections of the mesh of the required size are cut, and you need to add 10-15 cm to the mesh overlap on the insulated corner of the wall;
- An adhesive solution 3-5 mm thick is applied to the slope, the mesh is pressed onto it, leveling and pressing movements are made on the surface of the mesh with a spatula, as a result of which the mesh should be completely pressed into the glue. Make sure that the surface is even - without seams and mortar flows;
- After the first layer of adhesive has dried, another layer is applied, which must also be carefully leveled with a wide-blade spatula (300-800 mm);
- After reinforcing the slopes, all walls with insulation are reinforced in the same way. The surface must be smooth so that the finishing coat of plaster can be applied without problems.
Primer
Before painting the insulated and reinforced surface, it is treated with deep penetration primers:
- Before use, the primer is shaken or mixed with a mixer in a separate container. Then it is poured into a pallet designed to work with a paint roller;
- The roller is dipped into the pallet by 1/3 and rolled out on the inclined surface of the pallet, and then the wall is primed with it. Drainage of the primer should be avoided.
- The primer is applied in at least two layers.
Plastering
Plastering with decorative plaster is a quick and uncomplicated process:
- The dry mixture is mixed with water and stirred according to the attached instructions;
- Using a narrow roller, the plaster is drawn onto a wide-bladed spatula, spread from the spatula in a thin layer, which should be even. The thickness of the plaster is determined by the size of the aggregate grains in the dry mix. Usually it is 3-5 mm with a flat wall surface;
- After the initial hardening of the plaster (40-60 minutes), the layer is rubbed with a special board - small, to give the surface a patterned texture.
Painting the walls of a panel house
The last stage in warming the walls of a panel house is painting the walls:
- Acrylic paint is thoroughly mixed and tinted in a separate container in order to capture as much of the surface as possible with one portion of staining;
- They work with paint in the same way as with a primer: the roller is dipped into a pallet, the finishing movements of the roller along the wall should be in one direction;
- It is necessary to distribute the paint along the wall with a very thin layer so that there are no drips and sagging;
- Where the roller does not reach, tint with a narrow paint brush-flute;
The paint is applied in two or three layers, each subsequent layer is applied only after the previous one has dried.
Quite a few apartment owners who are located in a panel house have to deal with the fact that living in such real estate is simply impossible and very difficult, due to the fact that there is always a strong cold in the premises in winter. This is due to the fact that the walls of a panel house are usually very poorly insulated, as a result of which a draft and cold penetrates through them, as well as through windows and other surfaces in the apartment, and it is impossible to cope with them even with the help of high-quality and reliable heating included at full capacity. As a result, living in such an apartment will not be very comfortable and pleasant, as well as safe, since you can easily get a cold. That is why, in order to increase the comfort of living, each apartment owner in a panel house must take care of the full and effective insulation of his apartment, which should be not only internal, but also external. Only in this case it is possible to achieve the best and optimal result of all the planned work. Also, if there is no opportunity or money to insulate both outside and inside, then in this case the most optimal solution would be to carry out work related to external insulation, since it is considered the most effective.
Features of warming a panel house
Initially, you should determine what material will be used for these purposes. It must meet certain requirements, which include safety for people, as well as high thermal insulation parameters, since in this case, the insulation will act as a really correct solution for full and comprehensive insulation. Most often, popular and affordable mineral wool is used for this purpose, and it is also allowed to use foam for this, which meets all the requirements, and is also a material with which it is very simple and easy to work.
It is best to choose external insulation, because in this case, not only the premises themselves will be reliably protected from the penetration of cold, but the walls themselves will be well protected from the cold, which is considered the most effective and correct solution.
Internal insulation will ensure the creation of an insulating layer that will protect the premises from the cold that already penetrates the walls of the house.
How to insulate the walls of a panel house from the outside?
These works can be performed by completely different methods with specific differences. To do this, you can make a curtain facade, which is considered the most optimal solution. In this case, a special frame is formed along the entire perimeter of the wall from slats or profiles, and plate heat-insulating materials are laid in its cavity, which must be mounted with a small joint. Further, the resulting structure is sheathed with any suitable decorative materials that will not stand out too much against the background of the general decoration of the house. With the help of such a design, you can get a truly ideal work result, however, it will require an investment of a fairly large amount of money, and the work itself has certain difficulties. Therefore, it is often simply impossible to cope with all the work with your own hands, especially if the apartment is at a rather high altitude, as a result of which you will have to constantly use special equipment for work.
Another method of external insulation is to create an insulating layer on the walls of the house, which is then covered with a layer of plaster. This method is considered quite effective and efficient, as well as simpler and faster, and at the same time, you can handle all the work quite easily with your own hands. However, you should first evaluate the wall for any defects or all kinds of obstacles to applying a plaster layer to the walls. The fact is that often it is simply impossible to carry out the intended work due to the presence of significant obstacles to this. In this case, you will have to deal with the creation of a curtain facade. However, if there are no barriers to applying plaster, then you can proceed with insulation using this method. To do this, initially waterproofing materials begin to be fixed on the outer walls of the building, and it is advisable to choose for this special unique membranes that will not only protect the walls from moisture penetration from the outside, but will additionally allow steam and moisture to pass from the walls. After that, you can start fixing a layer of foam or mineral wool, but in the latter case, it is advisable to additionally wrap each plate with waterproofing materials. The fact is that this insulation does not at all have any resistance to moisture, which can even cause damage to the material or the fact that it will no longer cope with its main tasks. Fastening can be carried out using special and reliable polyurethane glue or using dowels, and experts say that the best work result can be achieved only with a combination of these fastening methods. However, it is allowed to do this only for foam, which has a fairly high density. As soon as the thermal insulation layer is fully formed on the walls of the house, you can start creating a decorative layer, for which decorative plaster is used for outdoor use. It is also possible to carry out siding installation using suitable fasteners. The specific choice depends entirely on what goals are supposed to be achieved with the help of insulation, since it is often important not only to insulate the walls of the house, but even to decorate them, as well as to give them an updated and interesting appearance.
Features of internal insulation
The walls of a panel house can be insulated not only from the outside, but also from the inside, and at the same time it is desirable to carry out these works only in conjunction with external insulation. Also, internal work is the only solution if it is simply impossible to carry out them outside. Warming inside the house is a fairly simple work, since for this, a frame of profiles is created around the entire perimeter of the walls, into which insulation is placed, and after that it is sheathed with sheets of drywall, on which any suitable finishing materials are applied at the last stage of work. Such work is considered quick and simple, but as a result, it will be necessary to reduce the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe premises, and insulation will not be the most effective.
Thus, the insulation of the walls of a panel house is considered quite simple and quick work, which you can easily handle with your own hands, and at the same time you can independently choose which method of insulation will be used.