Topics with the selection and description of the features of a particular type of insulation are deservedly popular on our portal. These questions become more relevant the higher the rise in energy costs and the desire of homeowners to save on heating. FORUMHOUSE has already talked about .
Choosing best insulation for the walls of a house that is right for you, we suggest looking at the nuances of insulating a private house from a slightly different angle. To do this, consider the following questions:
Choosing material
Modern market thermal insulation materials offers a lot of options and types. Conventionally, they can be divided into artificial (man-made) and natural. Artificial ones include: mineral wool (stone and glass wool) and polystyrene foam insulation(EPS, or polystyrene foam, EPPS - extruded polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam), foam glass, sprayed polyurethane foam, ecowool, expanded clay, etc. TO natural materials This includes sawdust, straw, moss, flax, hemp and other eco-friendly materials.
Materials of the second group are most often used by enthusiasts in the construction of environmentally friendly houses.
To decide on the type of material, you need to pay attention to the following parameters: thermal conductivity coefficient, hygroscopicity, density, flammability class, efficiency, environmental friendliness, durability. You also need to understand in advance what and how you are going to insulate. Those. – select the scope of application of the material. To do this, we ask ourselves the question in which structural unit of the house should it work. To materials that are used for foundation insulation (), etc. Those working in the ground, in aggressive environments, are subject to certain requirements. These are resistance to moisture accumulation, rotting, high compressive strength, thermal efficiency, and durability.
The main (perhaps even the only) disadvantage of foam plastics is their flammability (under certain conditions) and limited thermal resistance. In the event of a fire, first of all, interior items (furniture, curtains, etc.) burn. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures in advance to protect polystyrene foam (if it is used for internal insulation) from an open source of fire. To do this, the foam must be covered with a good layer of concrete or plaster. It is better if PPS is used for external insulation. It must also be covered with non-combustible material (concrete, plaster), and not used as an element of a ventilated facade!
In civil housing construction, polystyrene foam is widely used for insulating foundations and flat roofs(EPPS). House facades as foundations thin layer plaster, so-called “wet façade” (WFA).
When using mineral wool materials, measures must be taken to prevent moisture from entering them. If water gets into the insulation, “pie” frame structure and the vapor transparency of the layers should provide exit excess moisture out. Why should steam and steam be used correctly? waterproofing films and membranes.
The methods described above are far from the only effective option for insulating a room.
Alexey Melnikov
To a lesser extent, insulation methods such as poured (such as screed made from polystyrene concrete mortar) and backfill options ( expanded clay gravel, foam glass chips, scrapping of aerated concrete blocks, etc.). Because they, in my opinion, are more appropriate as additional sound insulation in horizontal structures.
44alex User FORUMHOUSE
I would choose perlite for floors and for backfilling stone walls, but not under the ground, because... This is an excellent material in terms of price/thermal conductivity/flammability/environmental friendliness/service life.
Recently, blown insulation options are also gaining popularity. A type of cellulose fiber (so-called ecowool) or its mineral analogue. According to Alexey Melnikova, It is advisable to use these materials for thermal insulation of hard-to-reach places.
Natural materials
It is also worth highlighting materials based on natural fibers (linen, sea grass), which are now being promoted under the ideology of eco-construction. Due to the limited selection and significant price tag, these materials have not yet become widespread.
The main disadvantages of natural materials:
Let's figure out how true this is.
Russian User FORUMHOUSE
Unexpectedly, the following experiment came up: in the summer, substandard linen insulation was placed in a corner, in a stack 1.5 meters high. In winter, the water supply pipe that ran nearby leaked. We noticed this only in the summer, i.e. the bottom layer of flax lay for at least 6 months in water. And here are the results:
The flax insulation after drying has remained virtually unchanged, because the structure of the flax material is fixed by melted lavsan fibers. This structure can only be changed by heating to 160-190 °C or by destroying the flax. And flax, as you know, is still used in plumbing work when sealing water pipes.
Extensive experience in using this material has been accumulated abroad. Mice don’t eat it; they make passages in it and make their homes. To avoid this, appropriate measures are taken - in the form of installing a fine-mesh steel mesh, etc.
SCM User FORUMHOUSE
I believe that using sawdust is a very environmentally friendly way of insulation. The main thing is to follow the technology. It is better to fill the sawdust in layers, carefully compacting each layer with the handle of a shovel.
Same as materials industrial production, and “folk”, there are pros and cons. “Commercial” materials are a ready-made product, with known properties and a certain installation technology, following which you can be confident in the final result. Eco-insulations are more of an experiment; with a possible lower cost (sawdust), you will have to work hard during installation. The construction itself may take time. Again, we cannot guarantee a 100% final result, because... We have still accumulated little experience in using such materials in different climatic zones.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude: any material has the right to life. It all depends on the area of its application, the prevalence of this or that type of material in a particular area, its price, thermal characteristics, etc. Hence: when choosing insulation, first of all, it is necessary to start from economic calculations and the feasibility of its use in the long term.
You should also check your tasks with our questionnaire:
Having asked yourself such questions, you will understand which material is suitable specifically for your case and specifically for your building.
Is there a universal insulation?
If you dream and imagine an “ideal” insulation, with a set of universal properties, then it will be a material various characteristics which will not be stable - they must change flexibly depending on operating conditions. In one situation, the material needs strength, high density, rigidity, clear geometry, and increased moisture resistance. In other conditions, it requires vapor transparency, low density (which means it will not work “in the ground”), workability in hard to reach places, flexibility, good environmental friendliness. With all this, the price that is affordable for the general public remains important. It turns out that the requirements are mutually exclusive. So it’s hardly worth chasing any special and new materials.
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Ecology of consumption. Estate: No one argues that the main quality of housing for our latitudes is, first of all, warmth and comfort. But individual developers don’t know how to achieve this with minimal energy costs, much less know how. Therefore, some simple truths can be a revelation to many.
No one argues that the main quality of housing for our latitudes is, first of all, warmth and comfort. But individual developers don’t know how to achieve this with minimal energy costs, much less know how. Therefore, some simple truths can be a revelation to many.
In almost every region of Russia, individual residential buildings are being built en masse. As a rule, this is luxury housing, equipped with all city amenities - water supply, sewerage and automatic system heating. All these engineering Communication require serious material costs and often make up a significant part of the cost of the house.
Such is the peculiarity of our national construction that, in an effort to reduce the cost of construction, rarely does anyone try to calculate the costs of operating a house built with their own hands. This is where the owners of brand new private houses suffer from saving on building materials, the thickness and thermal insulation of the foundation, external walls and ceilings - they have to shiver from the cold, because even a powerful heating boiler does not help.
“A Russian man is strong in hindsight,” says a famous Russian proverb. Naturally, it is better to take care of the thermal insulation of a house at the design and construction stages. Insulation of a building under construction has many nuances. Almost all of them are described in SP (building rules), GOSTs and popular publications, which indicate what and how should be insulated. However, it is best to entrust this delicate matter to specialists who identify the so-called “problem areas” of heat leakage: windows and walls, basement floors and foundations, ceilings and attics, as well as improperly organized ventilation.
But what to do when the very first winter in a new building showed the fruits of a construction defect: mold and rotting interior decoration, cracks in the filling of light and doorways, cold floors and ventilation that whistles to carry heat out of the house, and energy bills are hitting your pocket hard. In addition, children catch colds and adults are not far behind them.
There is only one way out of this disastrous situation, familiar to many - localization of problem areas of heat leaks from the home. Proper use of high-quality thermal insulation, although it will require additional investments, will save the homeowner from the above problems.
What is the best way to insulate a house? What building materials will be needed to insulate a house? How to do it correctly and what should not be forgotten? Let's try to talk about really useful and specific things.
What is the best way to insulate external walls?
As is known, due to the large area of contact with the environment, walls are the most vulnerable from the point of view of building heating engineering - up to 40% of all heat losses in a house occur through them. During operation, the outer walls of a building are exposed to temperature changes, atmospheric moisture, solar radiation and other unfavorable factors.
Unfortunately, there are no ideal walls - heat loss through structural elements, technological openings, etc. cannot be completely prevented. However, heat loss can be significantly reduced using additional insulation methods. Of course, specific solutions for insulation depend on what material the walls are made of (timber, brickwork, reinforced concrete), but the general principles are similar everywhere.
Additional insulation of building envelopes can be carried out in two ways: inside the building and outside. Both of these methods are used equally widely and have their strengths and weaknesses.
When placing the insulation on the inside of the wall, the appearance of the house does not change; it is easier to carry out insulation - after all, all work is carried out inside a heated building. Particular attention should be paid to insulating the section of the wall located behind the heating device. The heat from the radiator increases the temperature of the inner surface of the wall, and the heat flow through this section of the wall increases significantly. Therefore, during the construction or renovation of a house, it is advisable to install an additional layer of insulation in the wall niche behind the radiator.
But such a science as “building thermophysics” cannot be fooled by such measures. Because if insulation is carried out outside, the problem of moisture condensation is very effectively solved by using modern vapor-permeable insulation(for example, FACADE BATTS) - the condensation zone moves into the insulation layer, which evaporates it into the environment. This allows the load-bearing wall to remain dry and significantly extends the life of the structure. In addition, a wall protected by a layer of thermal insulation ceases to experience temperature changes and, remaining constantly heated from the inside, becomes a kind of heat accumulator, helping to maintain the desired temperature in the living room. The aesthetic side cannot be ignored either - as a rule, painted buildings are more attractive than just brick ones.
What is better for thermal insulation of external walls: mineral wool or expanded polystyrene?
Mineral wool and expanded polystyrene are the most popular insulation materials for thermal insulation of external walls. Installation of mineral wool slabs is similar to the technology of laying polystyrene foam; in addition, these two insulation materials have similar specifications, therefore, when they decide how best to insulate a house from the outside, these two insulation materials are first compared.
When they want to cheaply insulate walls outside, in most cases they choose polystyrene boards. This material is not only cheaper than mineral wool, but its installation does not require special skills or complex tools; almost every owner can install thermal insulation using foam plastic boards with his own hands. But when installing cheap foam plastic thermal insulation of walls outside, one should not discount the fact that this material has little mechanical strength. In addition, rats and mice love to chew polystyrene foam.
To insulate facades, manufacturers produce special types of vapor-permeable foam with a compacted outer layer. But the cost of such material is no less than the cost of mineral wool.
Insulation such as extruded polystyrene foam is not suitable for insulating walls from the outside, as it has zero vapor permeability. Using it to insulate facades leads to dampening of the material from which the walls are built. Moisture causes mold and mildew to appear on the surface of walls.
On the market you can buy vapor-permeable perforated extruded polystyrene foam intended for external insulation of facades. But their price is no less than the cost of mineral wool insulation.
Mineral wool is not flammable, resists mechanical stress well, has sufficient vapor permeability, therefore it is more preferable for external wall insulation, but correct device thermal insulation system, foam boards will also cope well with their functions.
The simplest and time-tested method of external insulation is wet plaster, that is, the usual treatment of the facade of a building with plaster mixtures using reinforcing devices - shingles, mesh, etc. However, although this type of wall treatment is quite simple and cheap, it is not very effective. Therefore, at present, classical plaster has been replaced by multilayer contact heat-insulating facade systems, each layer of which has a special function. This method of insulation can be called universal - it is suitable for almost any wall: and for brickwork, and for reinforced concrete slab, and even for log structures and frame-panel panels.
Today, “wet” type systems are most often used to insulate private houses, as they are cheaper and easier to install. Experts recommend using stone wool slabs as a thermal insulation material in such systems. There are a great variety of these systems, for example, HECK, LOBA, ROCKFACADE. They all differ in the method of fastening, the type of reinforcing mesh, etc. What is common to all of them is the principle of operation - fixing insulation boards directly to the wall, reinforcing with mesh and applying a base plaster layer, followed by coating with a finishing protective and decorative plaster layer (necessarily vapor-permeable). In addition, due to plastering work, installation of such facades cannot be carried out at temperatures below +5°C.
In order to avoid these problems, ventilated facades are used, in which there is an air gap between the thermal insulation layer and the outer cladding. They are often used in the construction of office and residential multi-storey buildings, but are not yet so popular in private construction.
Ventilated facades got their name due to the air gap between protective screen and insulation. Through this air gap, atmospheric moisture and condensation are removed from the enclosing structure.
The use of such façade systems is possible with different climatic conditions and at very large temperature differences. In summer solar energy reflected from facade material, and therefore external walls do not heat up. In winter, external insulation traps heat in the walls. The result is an even microclimate and reduced heating costs. However, ventilated systems, for all their advantages, can be used mainly on simple facades (for buildings with complex architecture their use is difficult).
We insulate the foundation
When sheathing the walls and roof, we must not forget about the foundation, which also accounts for a fairly large percentage of heat loss. That is why every owner should know how to insulate the foundation and what materials can be used.
Today, there are a huge number of methods for thermal insulation of the foundations of various buildings, and many of them allow significant savings, because if you once think about how to insulate the foundation of a house, you can safely forget about additional heating.
All existing methods of insulating the foundation of a private house are divided into two groups:
When the house has already been built, it is better to insulate the foundation from the inside.
Since winters in our country are frosty, it is customary to insulate foundations both outside and inside. In addition, the concrete used for pouring has virtually no thermal insulation. Directly during the construction of a house, materials that are installed in the formwork or permanent panels are used for insulation. They cost much more than regular ones, but in the end the cost of all construction work is lower.
Correctly insulating the foundation of a finished private house is much more difficult. If the owners, wanting to save on construction, ignored the importance of its depth, especially many difficulties arise, since the ground under the building will freeze more strongly.
In such cases, the foundation is dug from both sides, after which insulation materials are laid.
The most common methods of insulating foundations:
Earth - inexpensive material, therefore, it is possible to insulate the foundation with its help without significant costs. The essence of the method is that earth is filled up to the level of the intended floor in the house. In this case, the entire foundation of the dwelling appears under it.
An obvious disadvantage of earth insulation is its low thermal insulation characteristics. However, if the foundation is deep, freezing of the house through the floor can be eliminated by insulating the basement from the inside.
This method is considered traditional. Cheap and quite effective, it is very popular today. In addition, the expanded clay insulation method can be combined with earthen insulation.
Before pouring the foundation with cement, expanded clay is placed inside the formwork. This way you can insulate both walls and floors. The uniqueness of expanded clay lies in its porosity, which prevents moisture and cold from passing through the material, retaining heat very well. Its losses occur only due to the cement that gets between the granules. That is why expanded clay is often used to insulate floors with shallow foundations.
Expanded polystyrene is a truly professional insulation material. It is used by those who want to completely eliminate heat loss through the foundation and floor. Expanded polystyrene is sold in whole slabs, but small tricks are often used to install it.
Important tip! Before fixing the slabs to the surface of the foundation of the house, waterproofing must be applied to the contact points and its lateral parts. Its thickness is determined by the type of foundation, its depth and thickness.
Expanded polystyrene boards are laid from the bottom of the foundation to the level where the floor begins. The seams between them are filled polyurethane foam.
The surface insulated with polystyrene foam must be covered with cladding to prevent the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.
Internal insulation
You can insulate the foundation of a private house from the inside by simply covering the basement walls with thermal insulation materials. They prevent cold from penetrating inside and preventing heat from escaping. The likelihood of condensation also decreases.
It’s hard to make a mistake when choosing insulation material for insulation with your own hands. The insulation market is dominated by extruded polystyrene foam. You can also use polyurethane foam, which is very easily applied to all structural elements by spraying.
Insulation boards are installed on the inside of the basement walls using a special adhesive. But they also need additional mechanical fastening, which is plastic dowels. In principle, this is an optional installation stage, since the basement walls are not affected by strong gusts of wind or precipitation.
Each insulated wall is reinforced with a special mesh, primed and decorated.
Important! To insulate the foundation of a private house from the inside most effectively, it needs protection from moisture, which can destroy the results of even the most careful work. Also, the basement must have exceptional ventilation, with all stale air expelled from the house.
Thus, you can easily insulate the foundation of a private house with your own hands, both from the outside and from the inside. The main thing is to take into account all professional advice so that the construction work is completed efficiently and correctly.
We insulate windows and doors
A lot of heat also escapes through the windows. The main problem areas are the perimeter of the junction of windows and window blocks to the walls; cold air often enters through the cracks between the glass and the frame. Unfortunately, traditional windows are quite leaky. Drafts are common with simple wooden frames.
If the problem of cracks in windows needs to be solved very quickly, then one of the “old-fashioned” methods will help: cotton wool and masking tape, adhesive-based foam insulation, silicone sealant, window putty, rubberized seal.
Of course, the most popular solution today remains replacing old window frames for new ones. It is very important to take into account your climate; if the winters are very harsh, then you should pay attention to special “winter” windows, with triple glazing, which prevent heat loss.
It is worth noting that in order to modern windows really protected from drafts and kept the house warm, they must be installed correctly.
Particular attention should be paid to the connection of the window with the walls, the thickness of the window frame, and the location of the window in the plane of the wall. The fact is that if the window unit is installed incorrectly, so-called “cold bridges” may appear, facilitating heat transfer through the insulation. To avoid this problem, you should carefully prepare the window opening and Special attention pay attention to insulating the window slope - this is where the greatest heat loss is possible.
The undeniable advantage of this choice is that for insulation, in addition to global solutions (plastic windows), you can use temporary inexpensive alternatives - foam rubber, paper, glue.
The disadvantage is that, as a rule, the best “winter windows” will require a lot of money.
Drafts in the home are a common problem of “heat loss”. If the front door does not fit tightly to the frame, then drafts may occur in the apartment, and in the cold season, warmth in the house is especially appreciated. And a draft that “slides” along the legs is unlikely to suit anyone. In such situations, the question arises about compacting both input and interior doors to increase sound insulation and insulation of the apartment.
You can quickly get rid of drafts using the following methods:
The advantage of this choice of insulation is that insulating the doors will take very little time and this can be done without special financial expenses. Unfortunately, any overlays can degrade the appearance of beautiful doors.
We insulate pitched roofs: attics and attics
About 20% of thermal energy is lost through the roof. If there is a cold attic, heat loss may be somewhat less, since such structures create a so-called thermal cushion. In this case, the ceiling of the upper floor is insulated with heat-insulating boards. Since wood, steel or aluminum are most often used in roofing structures, according to fire regulations, the use of combustible insulation is only possible if a number of fireproofing measures are taken.
Water vapor generated in living spaces during cooking, cleaning, washing, etc. rises upward and, when cooled, can form condensation in the under-roof space. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a vapor barrier layer on inside insulation.
It is very important that the insulation allows water vapor to pass freely, but is not hygroscopic, that is, does not absorb moisture from the air, because with an increase in the humidity of the material by only 5%, its thermal insulation capacity is almost halved.
Insulation pitched roofs allows you to turn attic space into the living area (attic), which increases the usable area of the housing.
Thermal insulation of attics also has its own characteristics. Attic floor loses heat more intensely than the lower floors due to the fact that only the roof separates it from the street. Therefore, to create optimal temperature and humidity conditions, careful insulation along the roof slopes is necessary.
For insulation of attics, pitched roofs, floors and attic premises It is most advisable to use lightweight stone wool slabs (for example, LIGHT BATTS) or mats.
Conclusion
Thermal insulation of housing in the conditions of a long, frosty Russian winter becomes a primary issue during its construction and operation.
Many significant savings points home warmth remained outside the scope of this work. Still, the question of how to make our home truly energy efficient has not been answered. The author will try to eliminate this shortcoming in the near future.
In the meantime, we will try to formulate the basic principles of proper insulation of your home.
Surely residents of apartment buildings are a little jealous of those who live outside the city in a private building. Own living space, garden, fresh air- everyone's dream. Alas, not everything is so simple, because the harsh Russian winters force you to carefully insulate your home to avoid freezing. This requires significant investments and constant monitoring of the condition of the thermal insulation material, from which residents of urban houses are exempt.
Insulating a home is preferable to using ten heating devices- you can save money and also make your home more comfortable. It is known that there are two ways to insulate a private building - from the outside and from the inside. Experienced experts recommend using both, but it’s worth taking care of external insulation first. Read more about which material is best suited for which houses.
The consumer does not face a long search for good products - the market is saturated with goods from different manufacturers, so in any hardware store you can choose a decent insulation. However, before purchasing, you need to analyze the material in question based on its physical and chemical properties. These include:
It is difficult to choose a material that has all the desired qualities. For this reason, it is possible and necessary to perform insulation both outside and inside.
The question of insulating a private house from the outside arises in two cases - at the design stage of a building or when purchasing a ready-made one, but which does not have decent thermal insulation. The second situation occurs more often. What are the advantages of insulating your home from the outside? These include:
The need and benefits of external thermal insulation are obvious; Now the consumer should familiarize himself with insulation methods. There are three of them:
In the first case, the insulation is placed inside the walls (for example, between layers of brick). It turns out that he is “locked” between two levels. The method is effective, but it is impossible to implement it for an already built house.
In the second case, the insulation layer is fixed with glue on the outside of the walls, then additionally attached to dowels. Several types of coatings are applied on top - reinforcing, intermediate, decorative (finishing). Good way, only requires the intervention of specialists; It is impossible to carry out wet insulation of walls with your own hands without experience.
The ventilated facade resembles “well” masonry, only the outer layer is the facing material - drywall, tiles, siding, etc. Additionally, you will have to build frame system for fastening heat insulation sheets.
The last method is the most popular, widespread and profitable. It will cost much less than “wet” insulation; Moreover, even a beginner can do the job with his own hands. Now the consumer faces the most difficult choice.
Existing materials can be divided into two large groups - organic (natural origin) and inorganic (obtained using special materials and equipment).
The first place on the list rightfully belongs to the most popular material - mineral wool. It comes in three types - stone (basalt), glass and slag. Differing from each other only in appearance, varieties of mineral wool have the following qualities:
It is not without a number of disadvantages, including:
In general, mineral wool is good, but it is highly undesirable to use it for exterior cladding of a house.
The second well-known external insulation is polystyrene foam. Its advantages:
Extruded polystyrene foam is not inferior in thermal conductivity to mineral wool and polystyrene foam. In addition, he:
Flaws:
There is another type of raw material used for external thermal insulation of the walls of a house - “warm” plasters. They are a mixture of balls (formed by glass, cement and hydrophobic additives). “Breathe”, insulates the room from moisture, does not burn, is not afraid sun rays, easy to repair. Not very common on the market, however, experienced consumers have already appreciated this insulation.
Those who want to feel maximum closeness to nature are recommended to use raw materials made from natural ingredients. These include:
Each material has pros and cons. Based on the information presented above, you can make a symbolic rating of the highest quality materials for the walls of a house (the first is the most preferable, etc.). It is also worth considering the type of facade design.
For ventilated systems, mineral wool or cellulose wool is better suited. When laying wells, preference should be given to materials that do not allow moisture to pass through. This is extruded polystyrene foam. Plaster finishing of walls goes well with insulation, whose density is more than 30 kg/m3. For example, with mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, and any organic material.
For light walls wooden house A breathable material is better - mineral wool, hemp, ecowool, cork insulation. The first is preferable, but costs a little more.
A country house must be high-quality sheathed with reliable material. The consumer can choose any of those discussed earlier, guided by his wishes or financial capabilities. A competent approach to purchasing insulation is the key to the long service life of a cozy home.
For owners of country houses and especially country houses with year-round accommodation Ensuring a constant comfortable temperature in all rooms is always very important. No matter how effective various systems heating, the main factor always remains the ability of the house structures to retain heat inside the building. First of all, this applies to the walls that have the largest surface area of the house and, accordingly, produce the maximum heat loss of the building. The simplest and most effective method is to insulate the walls from the outside. What materials are the most effective for insulating the walls of a house, and you can also learn about the technology for performing such work by studying this article.
The goal of any insulation is to minimize heat exchange with the environment.
Based on this, we can safely say that external insulation of the walls of a house is very important stage construction work:
Even high-quality construction of houses from any building materials cannot completely solve the problem of heat conservation inside them. There are always invisible gaps between the rows of logs or wooden beam, heterogeneity and voids in brick or block masonry, lack of insulation, air cavities, expansion joints in panel and monolithic housing construction.
All wall defects can be clearly identified only with the use of thermal imaging technology. This service is provided by some specialized and construction organizations to assess heat loss during heating of buildings and develop solutions to eliminate them.
The traditional solution to eliminate heat loss is various methods of external insulation of the walls of a private house:
Sometimes do-it-yourself insulation of the walls of a private house is also done from the inside of the premises using sheet or roll thermal insulation materials, cladding, plasterboard sheathing, etc.
The materials and substances used to reduce heat loss are characterized by both their own low thermal conductivity and additional heat retention when used due to the multilayer structure (hydro-, sound- and thermal insulation) of wall insulation. After all, such a structure contains air layers that conduct heat poorly.
Structurally, there are three possibilities for insulating the external load-bearing walls of any building:
In addition, by insulating the walls from the outside, you will simultaneously solve at least two more problems - improving sound insulation and appearance building, which is often equally important for the owner and family members. Thermal insulation perfectly absorbs background noise and sharp sounds, and a variety of facing materials of different texture and color can protect walls from external influences, and radically change the appearance of the house.
This method of insulation with optimal investments will help to significantly reduce heating costs, which is important taking into account heating costs with constantly rising prices for any energy source: firewood, coal, gas and electricity.
You can qualitatively insulate the walls of your house using liquid polyurethane foam. To do this, using special equipment, it is pumped into the air gap between the wall of the house and internal lining premises.
For the construction of load-bearing walls of buildings, various materials and ready-made structures will be used, as well as different ways and masonry, assembly and fastening methods, adhesives and fastening elements. The physical properties of these substances and materials directly shape the dynamics of temperature changes inside the house under the influence of external and internal factors.
Brick and wood, foam and reinforced concrete, cement mixture blocks with various fillers, prefabricated layered wall structures have different thermal conductivity, thermal inertia, density and strength. Factory building structures made of reinforced concrete have the worst thermal insulation properties, which is most often aggravated by shortcomings and violations technological process at all stages of construction of buildings from it. This also applies to buildings made of monolithic reinforced concrete. All this is important for the right choice material and method of external wall insulation.
Materials used for construction and insulation of house walls
| Name of material | Density | Thermal conductivity coefficient (W/m*K) |
| Concrete block | 2100-2200 | 0,8-1,74 |
| Brick (red) | 1700-1900 | 0,55-0,96 |
| Wood (pine, spruce) | 450-550 | 0,10-0,18 |
| Polystyrene concrete | 900-1100 | 0,25-0,39 |
| Minvata | 50-100-200 | 0.045-0.055-0.06 (respectively) |
| Styrofoam | 30 | 0,04 |
| Expanded polystyrene | 100-125-150 | 0.039-0.051-0.055 (respectively) |
| Polyurethane foam (PPU) | 50 | 0,033 |
The main task of external insulation of a house is to protect wall building structures from contact with too hot or cold external air and precipitation. In practice, this range varies from traditional cladding with planed boards and clapboards to the installation of ventilated facade systems.
Sheathing and cladding of external walls of buildings for wind protection and insulation using lumber, roofing felt, technical cardboard, profiled metal sheets, various types siding with laying mats of mineral wool or foam sheets is the most common method of external insulation.
No less common and also used today is decorative plaster using various mixtures followed by painting the surface. The disadvantages of this type of insulation have always been the high labor intensity and fragility of work without constant supervision, current repairs coating that is quickly destroyed by temperature changes and precipitation. The effectiveness of insulation using this method also leaves much to be desired.
The lower the density of the heat-insulating material (the more closed air cells it contains), the better insulation properties it has.
The most popular and used types of wall insulation today are various mineral wool in rolls or ready-made mats different sizes, expanded polystyrene sheets, more commonly called polystyrene foam, fiberglass materials.
More rare are foil polyethylene foam, wood fiberboard, various liquid polymer compositions, foaming in the filled volume, organosilicon heat-resistant paints, cellulose insulation, called ecowool, sprayed polyurethane foam.
On top of the layers of insulation and waterproofing, the walls are faced with sheet and tile materials:
Profiled sheet;
Siding;
Curtain facades.
Good to know! Profiled sheets and siding are the most sold and used facing materials. In addition to their excellent appearance, they qualitatively protect the insulation located between them and the wall of the building from all external influences.
To insulate the surface of the walls of buildings from the outside, several methods and technological techniques are used:
The choice of wall insulation method depends on many factors:
The owner, family members and friends can insulate the walls of a country house or country house with their own hands, but the work on insulating a multi-storey building should be entrusted to a specialized construction organization.
It is better to carry out the entire range of work when there are design solutions, thermal and structural calculations, as well as specifications for building materials and fasteners. You can do them yourself or order documentation from specialists construction organization engaged in insulation of buildings.
This approach will eliminate a lot of problems: choosing a suitable certified material, its delivery, execution installation work, especially at height, which requires mandatory qualifications and permits for such work.
If the owner of a private house is confident in his abilities and construction skills, then he can choose the most acceptable method from his point of view, buy materials available everywhere today and insulate the walls outside the house himself. This way you can not only save money, but also enjoy the results.
How to insulate the outside walls of a private house efficiently, quickly and inexpensively? Is it possible to do this kind of work with your own hands? It should be noted that the important fact is that insulating the outside is not only about improving the microclimate and creating comfortable living conditions. Such measures have purely economic grounds: the fact is that when high-quality insulation walls in the house from the outside, there is no need to use additional space heating systems (for example, electric heaters). This means that your electricity bills will be noticeably lower. The savings will be noticeable even if you heat your dacha with gas, because you will not have to use the maximum power of the boiler or other equipment you have. gas equipment. Another important advantage of carefully insulating the walls of your home with your own hands is that at low temperatures, coupled with high humidity there is a high probability of developing fungi and mold: and if the house is warm and dry, this risk is minimized.
Thermal insulation of the walls of a private household from the outside can be done either with the help of professionals or with your own hands. The choice of materials on the modern market is quite large, and every homeowner will be able to find an option that is optimal in cost. However, when choosing an insulation material, you need to focus not only on cost, but also on other important points.
The first aspect of choice is the material from which the walls of your country house are made. For each insulation option, individual installation methods are provided. And it may turn out that a certain type of insulation is suitable for your home, but it will be impossible to install it yourself, or you can only insulate it with the condition of additional preparation of the surface and, accordingly, with the involvement of additional finances (and the final amount may turn out to be greater than you expected ). And in order to minimize both financial and time costs, you need to choose the insulation material very carefully.
It should be remembered that insulation for a private house from the outside will be most effective. The undoubted advantage of careful external insulation is that in this case the material will not reduce the living space of the premises, in addition, moisture does not accumulate in the rooms (there is no “sweating” effect).
External insulation is one of the the most important moments related to the improvement of your home. Experts note that up to thirty percent of the heat can escape through insufficiently insulated building walls. What materials should you prefer? There are many options, the most popular of which are:
Foam plastic, without a doubt, is one of the most affordable, lightweight, and therefore very popular materials used to insulate the walls of a home outside. In order to install such insulation material, you do not need any complex additional devices: all the work can be done with your own hands. However, we must not forget about such a disadvantage of polystyrene foam as its instability to fire (it is a flammable building material).
Thermal insulation with foam plastic can be carried out in the following way. First of all, the surface is prepared: it needs to be carefully leveled. Polystyrene foam is produced in the form of slabs, and if you apply such insulation to uneven surfaces, voids will inevitably appear and, accordingly, the rooms will be colder than one might expect. Secondly, when mechanical impact in places where the foam board comes into contact with uneven wall the material may simply burst. It is also important to remember that an isolated space is a possible place for insects, moisture, etc. to accumulate. Therefore, it is very important, before you start insulating the outside walls of a private house using polystyrene foam, to perform a thorough primer. If there are, for example, significant traces of whitewash on the walls, thermal insulation with foam insulation becomes less effective (the glue may not “set”).
After the outside walls have been thoroughly washed and primed, it’s time to proceed to the next stage, namely, the installation of drip linings. They are leveled horizontally using a level: this will allow you to later insulate the walls with foam plastic yourself without additional cutting of the slabs. Before laying the foam plastic, you should put “ starting bar"- a base that will prevent the slabs from sliding off the walls. In addition, it will be much easier to maintain the line during further installation. How level the entire row is will depend on how the bottom plate is positioned. When thermally insulating a building from the outside with polystyrene foam, the slabs are installed by hand using special glue. If the walls in the house allow it, after a few days you can additionally secure the material with nails.
Video with a master class on foam insulation:
If your house is built from timber, you should additionally seal all the cracks: with polyurethane foam, mineral wool or other materials suitable for this purpose. It is important to eliminate drafts: without this, insulation on the outside of a residential building will not be as effective.
Thermal insulation of the outside of a residential building can also be carried out using another popular material - mineral wool. If you have heard, for example, that walls are insulated with “glassy” or “ stone wool- then this is the same material. It is based on fiberglass. As a rule, special mineral wool slabs are used for external thermal insulation, and the façade is sheathed with them.
To install this type of slab, special fittings are used. To insulate the attic and roof of a building, it is recommended to use Linerock wool. Its advantage is good flexibility, which means that in order to insulate the outside of your home, you do not have to carry out thorough preliminary preparation of surfaces.
The undoubted advantages of stone wool are:
External wall insulation for a household using stone wool is carried out in several stages. Using a plaster mixture, the slabs are glued to the wall surface. Next, the mineral wool is covered with another layer of the mixture, then a fiberglass alkali-resistant fiberglass mesh is installed, a primer is performed and, finally, finishing (painting, decorative plaster, etc.).
Video with a master class on mineral wool insulation:
Just as in the cases with mineral wool or polystyrene foam, you can also do it yourself external thermal insulation walls of the building using Penoplex. Today this material is very popular for self-insulation of residential buildings.
Important! Only the basement and basement walls can be insulated with Penoplex. The fact is that this material does not allow water vapor to pass through it, flowing from living quarters to the outside, which can lead to the formation of fungus and mold.
Important advantages of “Penoplex” for thermal insulation of a building:
The thickness of “Penoplex” for thermal insulation of a residential building, according to modern standards, should be at least 5 centimeters. Laying of this material is carried out in several stages:
In order for the insulation of a residential building to be of high quality, do not skimp on insulation material. If thermal insulation with polystyrene foam, Penoplex or stone wool was carried out in compliance with all the rules, you will be able to provide the most comfortable atmosphere in your living quarters and, at the same time, reduce heating costs.
