It was necessary to slightly change the composition of the usual one, and completely new material- warm plaster. Manufacturers attribute unique qualities to it and claim that the material can be used as an independent product. So what is this true or just another tricky one marketing ploy? How to choose the right warm plaster for the facade and interior works, how to apply it, and in what cases can the material really be used as a full-fledged heat insulator?
Warm plaster was named thanks to its low thermal conductivity compared to conventional plaster compositions. Similar results were achieved by replacing conventional ones with special heat-insulating additives.
Warm plaster contains the following components::
Usually the material is supplied in the form of a dry mixture, and before application it is enough to dilute it with water. Craftsmen prepare warm plaster on their own, but the composition “works” in any case according to one principle: heat-insulating additives, together with air bubbles, create a powerful barrier to the cold. Tests show that a layer of warm plaster of 5 cm is equivalent in thermal insulation to a wall of two.
The thermal conductivity coefficient of the material is about 0.063 W/m* 0 C. This indicator is somewhat worse than that of extruded polystyrene foam and even, which introduces some features into its use. In regions with cold winters, warm plaster cannot be used as independent thermal insulation - it is usually applied as an additional layer of insulation and plays a vital role in eliminating the “cold bridges” that arise when installing tiles and roll insulation. In areas with mild winters warm plaster can even be used as the only thermal insulation material, but a lot depends on the thickness and material of the walls. In the future, we will check all this in calculations.
Warm plaster has become widespread due to its significant benefits:
Now about shortcomings:
The properties and scope of use of warm plaster are greatly influenced by the type of filler. The following materials can be used:
To determine whether warm plaster can be used as an independent insulation material, you will have to perform a simple calculation, taking into account the region where the house is located, the thickness and material of the walls:
A more accurate calculation can be made if we take into account the heat transfer resistance of all finishing materials. wall materials, and also take into account the number and size of windows and a lot of other parameters. It’s easier to do this in special construction calculators, but you can understand whether warm plaster should be considered as an independent insulation material from the above calculation. 
Despite the manufacturer’s assurances and calculations proving the effectiveness of warm plaster, it is not very often used as the main insulation in residential buildings. It is usually used in dachas to eliminate cold bridges, to treat window and doorways. It is better to use insulation on the outside, but if this is not possible, it can also be applied inside so that it complements the external thermal insulation.
You can save money and make warm plaster with your own hands. The most versatile and inexpensive solution is obtained using perlite or vermiculite. It is necessary to mix 4 parts of vermiculite or perlite and 1 part of dry cement. The thoroughly mixed mixture is diluted with a solution of water and a plasticizer. The latter can be purchased at the store, or can be replaced with PVA glue at the rate of 50-60 g of glue per 10 liters of plaster. The mixture is diluted with a water-adhesive composition and constantly stirred for homogeneity. The solution should have a thick consistency. After preparation, it is allowed to sit for 15-20 minutes, and you can begin applying the plaster.
The process of applying warm plaster is simple and can be easily done with your own hands:
Warm plaster today is used for exterior and interior applications, for insulating facades and ceilings, as well as for sealing cracks and cracks, for processing window slopes. At proper preparation, application and calculation, the composition fully meets expectations.
Until recently, the concept of “warm plaster” caused bewilderment on the faces of people selecting finishing materials for renovating their apartment or the external walls of a house.
Today, using a warm plaster mixture, they successfully carry out external and internal finishing of residential and administrative buildings.
Warm plaster for interior work is produced in two main directions: to create a preparatory and finishing layer.
In both cases, the finishing material has high strength and thermal insulation properties.
It includes:
Used as a binder white portland cement or ordinary lime with the addition of gypsum.
Warm plaster is distinguished by fillers, which give the material thermal insulation characteristics.
At the moment, two types of warm finishes have become widespread: with organic and mineral components.
Expanded polystyrene can be an organic additive. It is used in the form of granules, foamed during production.
Since this type of organic filler is characterized by low strength, the plasters that contain it are coated with a protective finish.
Mineral components are divided into types. Substances of one group are natural materials with a porous structure of volcanic origin (expanded perlite, vermiculite).
Other elements are fractional hollow grains of foam glass type. They give the plastered surface high level mechanical strength.
Warm plaster, thanks to the universal properties obtained during production, can be used for finishing the internal and external walls of buildings.
In addition to high thermal insulation properties, the finishing material is endowed with:
Do-it-yourself warm plaster is easy to make, since everything necessary materials available on the construction market.
As mentioned above, the components of the warm plaster mixture are porous materials, a plasticizer and ordinary cement.
Due to the porous components, warm plaster performs insulating functions and is endowed with vapor-permeable properties, and therefore the ability to breathe.
Mold and fungus do not grow on vapor-permeable materials, since there is no source of their occurrence - dampness.
Thanks to the use of plasticizers, a composition based on a cement binder obtains good plasticity and adhesion to the supporting base.
That is why heat-insulating plasters have characteristics that allow them to be applied to wood, concrete, brick and even ceramic surfaces.
Warm plaster is produced using the following technology:
Step-by-step instructions for making the solution:
After 15 minutes, when the composition has settled, it’s time to apply warm plaster to the prepared surface.
Plaster prepared at home will cost much less. This is especially noticeable when you compare it with mixtures well-known companies, for example, "Knauf".
It is worth noting here that heat-insulating plaster cannot be used as the main insulation material, but nevertheless, it can retain some of the heat in the room.
Using warm plaster "Grunband" from Knauf to decorate the facades of buildings, you can save on insulation materials, but you will have to spend money on surface decorative finishing.
Various finishing putties, polyurethane panels or vapor-permeable paints are used as decoration.
Preparing the solution does not take much time, but requires the use of a construction mixer.
This is a necessity, because it is quite difficult to manually thoroughly mix 30 kg of dry mixture with water until the desired consistency is obtained.
Set includes:
Knauf facade plaster is applied only to the prepared surface, due to which it is laid in an even layer.
In progress preparatory work, old peeling finish, dirt and dust are removed from the base.
Detected small chips and cracks do not need to be puttied, as all defects will be hidden by the finishing material.
Then the exterior walls are primed, which will provide additional protection. facade finishing from moisture penetration. The primer is applied to a dry surface.
If you plan to lay another type of insulation under the plaster layer, for example, polyurethane foam, then you should not worry about how it will lay down and whether the plaster will adhere firmly to it.
Due to special fiberglass reinforced mesh, which is overlapped on the insulated external walls of the building, the plaster mixture can be applied in the same way as on a concrete or brick base.
Here it is worth mentioning some features of the work being carried out using the Knauf plaster mixture:
The façade, treated with warm plaster, is faced with any decorative material of your choice to create an externally attractive appearance.
The main thing is that it meets the requirements that allow the facade to maintain its unchanged appearance.
Dry warm mixtures made on the basis of gypsum by the Knauf company are successfully used for leveling the internal walls of a room.
Today you can find gypsum compositions intended for both machine and manual use.
The former can also be used for handmade, but doing the opposite is not recommended. Otherwise, breakdown of expensive equipment is possible.
Apply gypsum plaster"Knauf" on a previously cleaned and primed base.
If you have to plaster walls made of brickwork or cellular concrete, then the composition “Grund”, from the company “Knauf”, or “Grundirmittel” is used as a primer.
These compounds are endowed with the ability to penetrate the base layer and, subsequently, become a barrier to the moisture contained in the plaster. Both types of primer dry on the surface within six hours.
When applying plaster to smooth concrete surfaces or insulated with extruded polystyrene foam, use the Betonokontakt primer.
This composition forms on the carrier smooth wall roughness, which subsequently allows the base and plaster layers to provide a high level of adhesion.
It takes at least a day for the primer to dry.
Warm plaster is applied using beacons, which are pre-installed using a level and perforated profiles.
Mounting allows you to achieve correct angles corner profiles in the plane marked by beacons.
When preparing a warm plaster mixture, follow the dosage specified by the manufacturer in the instructions. In the process of plastering work, a metal spatula is used.
Using this tool, apply the solution onto the wall surface from bottom to top. The thickness of the layer being laid should be no more than 2.5 cm, otherwise the mixture will begin to gradually slide down.
Then, using a rule or a metal grater with a rubber working surface, distribute the plaster solution evenly over the wall.
To achieve ideal smoothness and evenness of the surface, upon completion of the work, the slightly set screed is additionally smoothed with a grater previously soaked in water.
It takes about three days for the warm plaster to dry completely, after which you can begin finishing the interior walls.
Here it is worth clarifying: the plaster layer will reach a level of high strength only after 28 days, and the maximum thermal insulation value - after two months.
Warm plaster is offered for sale as insulation. But construction specialists do not consider this material as a possible alternative to insulation for thermal insulation of buildings. And only in some cases is it recommended for use. Why? Is it necessary to insulate using a heat-insulating plaster layer? How to apply it correctly?
The answer why warm plaster cannot compete with insulation in conventional insulation technologies lies on the surface. Its thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.065 - 0.12 W/mK, while conventional insulation is 0.033 -0.04 W/mK. Those. almost 2 times.
To achieve the effect that is obtained from the use of conventional insulation, the layer of warm plaster must be 2 times thicker. If the usual appropriate layer of insulation for a façade is 10 cm of polystyrene foam, then it can only be replaced by 20 cm of plaster.
But such a layer is impossible - it is too heavy and threatens to collapse and be dangerous. With insulating plaster, it is simply very problematic to even achieve the heat transfer resistance values prescribed in SNiP. This does not allow this material to be reliably registered in those. documentation.
In addition, the cost of warm plaster is 2-3 times higher than that of insulation of the same volume. As a result, we get a loss on money investments compared to “conventional methods” for heat saving $/W by 4 (!) times. Economic expediency There is no direct thermal insulation with the material in question.
It should also be taken into account that heat-saving plaster is not a finishing material. Its surface, as well as the insulation, must also be covered with a final layer of finishing.
To decide on the choice of warm plaster, you need to take a closer look at its composition and characteristics.
The plaster becomes heat-saving due to the presence of granules and insulation particles in the composition. Most often the same foam is used in the composition sand-cement mixture with plasticizers and fastening additives.
Another common base for warm plaster is expanded vermiculite and/or perlite.
Plasters based on these materials have similar thermal conductivity properties, but vermiculite plasters have high water absorption, therefore they require protection from water ingress and are not used in basements or on foundations...
There are also mixtures based on sawdust and cellulose. They have a lower cost, but their thermal conductivity is much higher and their specific gravity is greater.
To choose warm plaster, you must first determine the places where it can be used. Let's take a closer look.
Let's consider in order the advertising statements of manufacturers about the purpose of warm plaster.
Insulation of facades, walls, ceilings. First of all, walls made of large-format blocks - aerated concrete or porous ceramics. An increase in the thickness of the masonry of these materials entails a significant increase in cost, and not only the walls, the requirements for the foundation increase. Heat-saving plaster will help bring the heat transfer resistance of a wall made of warm blocks to the requirements of the standards.
The most important thing is that the wall will remain single-layer - only a load-bearing layer of blocks. A single-layer wall has very significant advantages over multi-layer walls with a layer of insulation, primarily in terms of durability.
In fact, it’s the same thing - both pipelines and walls need to be insulated to the maximum. Typically, pipelines are insulated with the best effect using a shell made of extruded polystyrene foam. But sometimes it is necessary to insulate already laid pipes, and this is usually easier to do only with warm plaster.
Warm plaster can be applied in a layer of considerable thickness, and therefore it can be used to level very uneven surfaces.
A significant layer can be placed where it is difficult to insulate - in hard-to-reach places, closed cavities...
Typical characteristics for warm polystyrene based plaster:
Thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.7 W/mK.
Flammability group - G1.
Specific gravity - 200 - 350 kg/m3.
Water absorption - 70%.
Cost - from $30/sq.m.
Warm plaster must be applied in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. But that doesn't mean it will work out The best decision from the point of view of insulation.
A specialist should make a decision about wall insulation (additional insulation) with warm plaster, or such a decision should be in the design documentation.
Also, warm plaster can be suitable for sealing any cracks, hard to reach places, joints of structures, where “adjustment” of the insulation is most problematic, and a tight fit cannot be obtained. 
The possibility of applying warm plaster on both sides - from the outside and from the inside - may also be considered. In this case, you can get a very significant insulating effect, for example, on a wall made of porous ceramics. On the inside, it is recommended to use plaster without expanded polystyrene, the environmental friendliness of which is questionable.
For a material such as warm plaster, with its significant cost, there are also places of application where it will be optimal and appropriate. First of all, this is an increase in the heat transfer resistance of enclosing structures made of heavy and light materials, while maintaining single-layer properties.
Also, insulation with warm plaster will save heat where it would seem that heat loss is inevitable...
How to apply warm plaster can be seen in the film
Construction of a warm and comfortable country house requires solving often very complex and contradictory problems. For example, to save on materials and, at the same time, not to increase your costs in the future when operating the house, to make the house warm and comfortable. Warm plaster can help in solving this problem.
The somewhat unusual name accurately reflects the purpose of the material. At its core it is mortar, which has thermal insulation properties. It acquires them through the use of materials with low thermal conductivity. The composition of warm plaster is usually as follows:
Familiarization with the composition of warm plaster allows you to understand what its good thermal insulation properties are based on. This is due to the presence of a porous filler, literally filled with numerous air bubbles. And it is known to be a good heat insulator. So it turns out that after applying warm plaster to the wall, it appears to be protected by an additional layer of heat insulator.
The advantages of warm plaster are not limited to thermal insulation. The composition of the mixture itself suggests what possibilities this material contains.
The properties of heat-insulating plaster are largely determined by the type of filler. The filler can be:
This is foamed quartz sand, the structure of which includes closed glass cells. Foam glass is a waterproof and fireproof material, very durable and does not shrink, and does not require additional protection. However, heat-insulating plaster based on it is inferior in its characteristics to materials using perlite and vermiculite. About application and protection Warm plaster is used for interior and exterior work. As already mentioned, due to the porosity of the filler, air bubbles act as a kind of insulation. Moreover, warm plaster is usually used as additional element thermal protection, and allows you to save on heating costs
winter time and air conditioning in the summer. This means that insulating plaster will be applied in addition to the protection included in the design of the building. It is irrational to use it as the main defense. According to calculations with a thickness
brick wall 51 cm, the insulating plaster should have a thickness of ten centimeters; with a smaller wall thickness, the thickness of the layer of heat-insulating material should be even greater. However, when using modern building materials plaster, since these materials, unlike brick, themselves have good heat-shielding characteristics. However, in this case, warm plaster will be useful precisely as additional protection, increasing the overall thermal resistance of the building.
At interior decoration This material is convenient to use in places with complex configurations, as well as to increase overall thermal protection. By the way, it is quite possible to make a mixture for additional thermal protection yourself. Do-it-yourself warm plaster can be obtained in the following way:
If it is to be applied to wooden surfaces, then it is necessary to fill the shingles, otherwise the material will not stick to the surface. The brick or concrete base must first be moistened before applying plaster to it.
The warm plaster obtained in this way, the reviews of which from those who used the described production method are very positive, appearance resembles cardboard. Its heat resistance is four times higher than that of conventional plaster.
Another method of making warm plaster with your own hands differs from the one described above, and gives universal material, suitable for indoor and outdoor use. For this we use:
All components are commercially available; PVA glue can serve as a plasticizer, fifty to sixty grams per bucket of cement. Everything is prepared very simply. First, PVA glue is diluted in water, then you need to mix dry cement with filler and add water with a plasticizer, achieving a thick but plastic mass.
After the mixture is ready, you need to let it stand for 15 minutes, stir again and you can start working. A similar heat-insulating plaster, the reviews of which are commendable from those who have used it, is successfully used in various options for interior and exterior decoration.
However, in addition to the possibilities self-made, you can use the finished product. The industry successfully produces various types of similar material, for example, Knauf Grünband heat-insulating plaster. It is a plaster mixture (dry), intended for any type of work, based on sand, cement, filler in the form of expanded polystyrene (pellets) and hydrophobic additives and has water-repellent and heat-insulating properties.
Another option would be Houncliffe insulating plaster. It consists of a composite filler (produced by the manufacturer), basalt fiberglass, sand, cement, and polymer binders.
A mixture, such as Knauf warm plaster, must be diluted before application. Dilute the entire volume (bag), observing the dosage and stirring time specified in the instructions. The result should be a plastic, lump-free mixture. It is ready to work within a few hours.
The surface must be cleaned of dirt and dust before applying the material to it; plastering can be done at a temperature not lower than plus 5°C. Apply the finished mixture with a spatula and level (rub in) using a grater or rule.
It is not recommended to make the layer thickness more than 2.5 centimeters; if you want to obtain a greater thickness, then you need to make several layers in succession. The surface can be painted after two to three days. After 28 days the layer acquires maximum strength, and thermal insulation capacity will reach its maximum value 60 days after drying.
High price utilities and energy supplies may push apartment and country property owners to carry out additional work on wall insulation. One of the options for increasing the thermal properties of such bases is the use of special warm plaster. What is it and what kind of coating is there - read about all this in our article.
In the formulations of warm plasters, some of the components of conventional leveling compounds are replaced with materials that can be used to enhance the thermal insulation properties of the hardened mortar. For example, quartz sand or part of it is replaced with perlite, vermiculite, polystyrene foam, etc. additives in bulk form. Cement or gypsum can be used as a binder. In the first case, the finished composition is suitable for external and internal finishing, in the second - only for internal work due to the high hygroscopicity of gypsum.
The main part of the dry mixtures presented on domestic market, is a perlite plaster. Expanded perlite is used as a filler, which in appearance may resemble coarse sand or fine crushed stone grayish-white color. The material is quite light - bulk density is around 200-400 kg per cubic meter. m. depending on the grain size. It is somewhat lower for expanded vermiculite. The density of this additive to plaster is approximately 100 kg per cubic meter. m. (bulk). Another property that must be taken into account when using thermal insulation solutions is the high hygroscopicity of hardened coatings. The hygroscopicity of the material is up to 5 volumes of water per 1 volume of expanded component.
Despite the high water absorption coefficients, vermiculite and perlite plasters can be used for external insulation of a building. The main thing is that they are not directly exposed to precipitation, and the steam passing through the walls of the house does not linger in the coating.
The low density of the solution components ensures a reduction in the mass of the finished coating, which can be taken into account when designing a house. There is an opportunity to reduce the load on the foundation and rely on a cheaper foundation for construction.
A short video about plaster based on polystyrene foam.
Two videos on how to prepare warm plaster with vermiculite.
You've probably heard about this finishing material like Teplon plaster. This is a ready-to-mix dry mixture based on gypsum binder. A special feature of the composition is the addition of perlite, a porous rock of volcanic origin. It is this additive that gives the manufacturer the right to call their plaster warm. Teplon mixtures can be used for interior decoration. The coating turns out to be relatively light, allows you to level the base and give it additional sound and heat insulation properties.
At the time of writing the review, the company produced four types of plasters under the Teplon brand. Moreover, three of them are intended for finishing dry rooms and actually have some thermal insulation properties, and the fourth, moisture-resistant modification is not positioned as “warm” (the thermal conductivity coefficient is not specified for it).
Remember that such coatings are highly hygroscopic, so we can talk about the advisability of their use only if the humidity in the room is normal. We are talking about “warm” compositions. And do not forget that you need to insulate the walls from the outside, not from the inside. Accordingly, using completely different materials.
To be fair, we note that the thermal conductivity coefficient of Teplon plaster is 0.23 W/(m×°C), and such thermal insulation materials as extruded polystyrene foam, ordinary foam plastic and mineral wool– 0.029÷0.032, 0.038÷0.047, 0.036÷0.055 W/(m×°C), respectively. And we remember that the lower this value, the better the heat-shielding properties are characteristic for the same thickness of the material. What does it mean? And the fact is that achieving the same thermal protection of walls when using warm Teplon plaster is more difficult than when installing a special thermal insulation material.
Some plaster mixtures Umka is also positioned as warm: UB-21, UF-2, UB-212. In addition to heat and sound insulation properties, the manufacturer is distinguished by the environmental friendliness of the compositions, their hydrophobic properties, non-flammability and frost resistance.
| Comparison criterion | UMKA | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| UB-21 | UB-212 | UF-2 | |
| a brief description of | For all types of stone bases for interior and exterior decoration | For walls made of gas silicate and hollow ceramic bricks. Thin-layer, for interior and facade work | Finishing layer for finishing any type of stone bases, inside or outside. Thermal insulation properties are an option. In general, plaster is decorative in nature. |
| Recommended layer thickness, mm | 10-100 | 5-7 | up to 20 |
| Volume of water per 1 kg of mixture, l | 0,53-0,58 | 0,58-0,64 | 0,45-0,47 |
| Consumption of dry mixture, kg/m 2 /layer thickness, mm | 3,5-4/10 | 2,5-2,9/5-7 | 1,1/2 |
| Viability of solution, min | 60 | 90 | 60 |
| Thermal conductivity coefficient of hardened plaster, W/(m×°C) | 0,065 | 0,1 | 0,13 |
| Price/packaging | €15/9 kg | €18/12 kg | |
All work is carried out in almost the same order as for Unis products. Because in essence it is a similar product.
Below is a short video about Umka plaster.
Warm plaster Mishka is suitable for finishing walls made of any materials, both for external and internal work. The thermal conductivity declared by the manufacturer is 0.065 W/(m×°C) - the same as for Umka UB-21 products, which gives rise to some thoughts on this matter. 7 kg of dry mixture is mixed with approximately 3-3.3 liters of water, the solution consumption is approximately 3.5-4 kg/m2 at a 10 mm layer. The cost of a bag (7 kg) is approximately 650 rubles.
Another option for a ready-made mixture from famous manufacturer. You can read more about it.
You probably already noticed that all compositions for warm plaster contain components that determine their thermal insulation properties. Most often it is perlite or vermiculite; mixtures with expanded polystyrene are also found. It is their low thermal conductivity coefficients that allow, on average, to obtain good values for finished coatings. By using such additives together with or instead of certain fillers, such as sand, as well as binders such as gypsum or cement, you can be sure of mixing a mixture with the desired properties.
Unfortunately, prices for ready-made mixtures do not inspire confidence. What if you prepare the solution yourself?! Moreover, individual components, such as cement, perlite, lime, are relatively inexpensive. For example, a ton of M500 cement can be bought for 3000-4000 rubles, 20 kg bags of slaked lime - 170 rubles each, perlite (grades M75 or M100) - approximately 1500-2000 rubles. per cubic meter If the amount of work is large and the budget for implementation is limited, then it’s time to get creative. We offer you several recipes for making warm perlite plaster with your own hands.
All these PVA and liquid soap can be replaced with superplasticizers, for example, from Poliplast. This component is very important, because it determines the behavior of the solution and the mixture’s need for the volume of mixing water.
You must understand that any recipes are given for guidance only. To achieve success, you will have to experiment with the ratio of components and test the resulting solutions in operation. And only after the mixture is ideal for your finishing conditions, you can mix large volumes. Special attention Pay attention to the water absorption capacity of thermal insulation components. They actively retain moisture, which, if there is a lack of mixing water, can affect the technology of hardening the cement mixture.
If you do not perceive warm plaster as the only solution for insulating a residential building, but only as an opportunity to bring the thermal characteristics of the building to the required values, then the result will not be long in coming. Using such a solution, you can simultaneously level the base and give it new properties. And don’t be afraid to experiment with making your own plaster – it will cost less than buying ready-made mixtures!
