Insulation of a non-residential attic of a private house. Insulating an attic in a private house with your own hands How to treat the attic before insulation

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Insulating the attic in a private house is a very important event that allows you to save internal heat. Today, you can insulate an attic using a variety of insulating materials.

And if earlier, the attic was insulated with sawdust and expanded clay, today, preference is given to such modern thermal insulation materials as mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, etc.

It is advisable to note that the properties and characteristics of all thermal insulation materials are different. Some of them are subject to combustion, others are not. Some insulation materials, for example, are “afraid” of moisture, while others are not afraid of it. Therefore, before insulating an attic in a private house, it is very important to choose high-quality and reliable insulation for these purposes.

Today the market offers consumers a variety of products, so, of course, there is plenty to choose from.

To insulate the attic, you can use insulation materials such as:

Mineral wool;
Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam;
Polyurethane foam;
Blown insulation.

More cheap materials for insulating the attic in a house are still:

Wood sawdust;
Expanded clay, and others.

As you can see, there is currently no problem with how to insulate an attic in a private house. The main thing is to choose the right high-quality and reliable insulation for these purposes. Well, when choosing one, of course, you should start from its characteristics and properties, which will be discussed in more detail below.

It is quite easy to insulate an attic using mineral wool, since this material bends easily and takes any shape. In addition, it has a high density, and most importantly, it does not burn, which is very important to consider when choosing insulation material for the attic.

In addition, mineral wool has a long service life, which is also important. It does not cake over time, so it is excellent for insulating horizontal surfaces.

The only disadvantage of mineral wool is that it can absorb moisture, and this has a detrimental effect on its thermal insulation properties.

In addition to mineral wool, to insulate an attic in a private house, you can also use modern thermal insulation materials such as. The advantages of using expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam when insulating an attic include:

A light weight;
Ease of installation and processing;
High thermal insulation performance;
Affordable price;
Absolute immunity to moisture, mildew and mold.

Of course, these two are also popular insulating materials, have their certain disadvantages.

First of all, they include high flammability.

Polyurethane foam is a completely new building material that has a number of significant advantages. Along with high degree adhesion with absolutely any type of surface, polyurethane allows you to better seal all joints, cracks and various types of defects.

Also, this thermal insulation material is quite light in weight, so you don’t have to worry about additional loads on the ceiling. In addition, polyurethane is environmentally friendly, it is not affected by moisture, but is afraid of harmful ultraviolet rays.

When ensuring insulation of a private house and insulation of the roof along the rafters, one must not forget that special attention should be paid to such a place as the attic.

Development of insulation attic floor mineral wool

Warm air tends to rise to the top, and therefore temporarily unheated room heat can escape through the cold attic space. Therefore, the issue of insulating the attic must be resolved without delay.

1 Why do you need attic floor insulation?

Insulation of a cold attic floor using stone or mineral wool, by and large, is needed in lightly used rooms that are properly equipped with special roof ventilation.

The attic, or rather its ceilings, serves as a kind of boundary between heat and cold. In such places, the attic floors are exposed to intense moisture due to the formation of condensation.

However, you can properly insulate the floors in the attic of a house with mineral wool with your own hands. The very process of insulating the floor in the attic with mineral wool is the creation of a durable thermal insulation coating, which will have a low degree of thermal conductivity.

The technology itself for insulating mineral wool floors in the attic, as well as Energoflex thermal insulation for pipes, implies strict adherence to its stages and requirements.

The technology itself is quite simple and understandable. Good attic floor insulation using mineral wool helps close unwanted gaps.

To do this, the insulation must be laid tightly. In most cases, mineral wool is used to insulate the attic of a house.

The presented insulation is the most suitable for this type of work; it can also be used to insulate the floor surface in the living areas of the house.

By organizing good insulation with mineral wool, the most optimal temperature will be maintained in residential premises.

If the procedure is performed incorrectly, moisture rising from the floor of the house will lead to the formation of condensation.

It will accumulate on the ceiling and then seep through the ceilings. The resulting temperature difference in those areas where the attic floors adjoin the walls of the house initiates the formation of mold and microscopic fungi, which can be causative agents of allergic diseases.

1.1 Requirements for attic insulation

The process of insulating the attic floor and insulating the roof of the house with your own hands, or rather the level of its quality, has a direct impact not only on the size of heat loss, but also on the duration service life all truss structure and roof coverings.

The fact is that water vapor located inside the heated room diffuses to the attic of the house. In order for the insulation used to provide a high degree of calculated efficiency of the thermal insulation layer, it must always be dry.

Based on this, the insulation must be protected from excessive humidification by vapors of rising heated air using a special vapor-proof material.

If the attic space is well insulated, it will not only provide high-quality thermal insulation, but will also help increase the service life of the entire roofing structure.

If there is no vapor barrier, steam will penetrate through the unprotected attic floors and condense on the floor surfaces.

This will lead to moisture flowing onto the rafters, which, under its influence, will begin to slowly rot from the inside.

As a result, the likelihood of destruction of the entire roofing pie increases. The thermal insulation performance of the structure is also reduced due to the fact that the tightness of the vapor barrier layer has been compromised.

Before insulating the attic, you need to drain the layer and remove moisture from the entire attic space. To do this, ventilation should be done through windows. They can be:

In order to ensure maximum ventilation intensity, the indicator of the total area of all ventilation holes should be equal to 0.2-0.5% of attic floors.

If all work is carried out correctly, then winter period Icicles will not form on the roof. The process of insulating the attic space itself is carried out not from the living quarters, but from the attic floor.

This is the most convenient way to lay insulation, the choice of which depends on the technology used and the design features of the structure.

1.2 Features of insulation of beam floors

When implementing such an insulation scheme using mineral wool, heat is retained in the space between the beams. Their usual height is almost always enough for this, but if necessary, several bars are packed on top.

Insulating the ceiling with mineral wool from the attic side

The lower part of the ceiling is sewn up using molded material, as when insulating the attic of a private house. For this, lining or sheets of plasterboard can be used.

The subfloor covering is laid on top of the beams. This can be a tongue and groove board, plywood sheet or OSB board. Mineral wool is placed on a previously prepared special vapor barrier layer.

An alternative to it can be an ordinary film made using polyethylene. If the vapor barrier material is foil-coated, then it is laid with the shiny surface down.

The intermediate distance between the beams is filled with mineral wool with the required thickness parameters. The surface of the beams must be equipped with an additional insulating layer.

This will lead to blocking the so-called cold bridges and will significantly reduce the overall level of heat loss. If timber was used to create beams High Quality, then the finishing material spreads directly onto their surface.

Mineral wool is placed between them as when insulating a roof using polyurethane foam, and the attic floor is laid on top. The use of this technology is especially important in houses that are made of logs or beams.

It is important to reliably protect mineral wool from the smallest drops of moisture, this is especially true if the roof has minor coating defects that cause leaks.

The layer of mineral wool must be reliably protected from the effects of wind from the eaves. For this purpose, mineral wool slabs with a high degree of density are used.

2 Why is mineral wool used to insulate an attic?

In most cases, when insulating attic floors, the consumer's choice falls on mineral wool. Its advantage is that its installation does not require special skills.

Mineral wool has excellent thermal insulation properties. Its structure consists of thin glassy fibers, the length of which ranges from 2 to 60 millimeters.

Insulating the attic with mineral wool

High sound insulation characteristics are ensured due to the presence of a large number of air pores.

These pores are located in the space between the fibers and can occupy 95% of the total volume of the insulation. Mineral wool is presented in three varieties; it can be basalt glass and stone.

Basalt wool is made using molten basalt rocks, to which binding elements are added.

This may be a carbonate type rock, which regulates the acidity level of the substance, which entails an increase in the service life of the insulation. Glass wool exhibits high heat-resistant properties and can withstand temperatures up to +450 degrees Celsius.

2.1 Technology for insulating attic floors with mineral wool

When carrying out work related to mineral wool, it is important to comply with all safety requirements and regulations.

This is due to the fact that in the process of cutting and laying such material, the air is filled with tiny particles that can enter the respiratory organs and thus cause harm to human health.

When carrying out installation, be sure to ensure the availability of funds personal protection. Goggles, a respirator and thick rubber gloves must be available.

The process of insulating attic floors begins with the selection of the necessary tools and additional materials.

The essence of insulation technology is that the insulation must be carefully laid in the space between the attic floors or beams.

To enhance the thermal insulation qualities, reliable vapor barrier protection should be used. Warm and moisture-saturated air will continuously rise from the living rooms and reach the top through the ceiling.

There, in the under-roof space, it will collide with a layer of insulation. Due to the fact that mineral wool is generally considered a vapor-proof material, it will absorb all the outgoing moisture inside itself.

If it is left without the necessary access to air and sunlight, it will gradually dry out and, ultimately, lose all its heat-insulating qualities.

Cold attic interfloor covering 20 cm min. wool

In order to avoid such destructive consequences, it is necessary to lay a vapor barrier material under a layer of mineral wool.

Before starting the main work, you will need to carefully calculate the required amount of insulation.

The amount of cotton wool purchased depends on how many layers are planned to be used when covering the attic space. In addition, the thermal insulation thickness parameter directly depends on the features climatic conditions in the region.

Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with mineral wool

Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with mineral wool - advantages. Features of insulation of cold attic floors with mineral wool.

Insulating the attic floor in a private house - effective ways to retain heat

Insulating the attic floor of a house allows you to retain more heat inside the room, rather than wasting it on heating a cold attic. It's good if it is used as utility room(technical attic) or like an attic, and what if not? Then it makes no sense to waste resources on heating an unheated attic space.

That is why it is worth insulating the ceiling of a cold attic using thermal insulation materials. Insulation can be done from the attic side or from the room side (inside/outside). It is best to do this during the construction of the building, or immediately before finishing rooms. But even during the operation of the house, there is no reason not to insulate the ceiling from the attic.

The thickness of the attic floor insulation is standardized using SNiP II-3-79 “Construction Heat Engineering”. This manual contains detailed recommendations regarding the choice and formula for calculating the heat transfer resistance of various thermal insulation materials. The calculations take into account not only the type of material, but also the average annual temperature, duration heating season, house wall material.

The technology for insulating the attic floor depends on the selected material.

Comparative characteristics of thermal insulation material with equal thickness

In this article we will look at the most popular insulation materials.

Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool

Mineral wool is an insulation material whose fibers are arranged in a certain way. It is this randomness that leads to the formation of an air cushion between the fibers, which imparts its properties to the insulation. However, this same feature of cotton wool increases its ability to absorb moisture. To avoid this, you need to know how to install mineral wool correctly.

Advantages of mineral wool:

high density;
long service life;
Fire safety;
ease of installation;
the use of mineral wool for insulation of horizontal surfaces does not lead to caking, sliding and, as a result, the formation of cold bridges.

Among the disadvantages: the ability to absorb moisture.

Technology for insulating attic floors with mineral wool

There are three main ways to lay cotton wool: completely, in grooves or in cells (see photo). The choice of method depends on what load will subsequently fall on the floor. The most stable frame is obtained in the latter case.

Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool

First stage

It starts with laying a vapor barrier film. The film will allow you to remove steam that rises from a warm living space into a cold attic. To lay the film correctly, you need to carefully read the markings on it. It is imperative to maintain an overlap of 100 mm.

Technology for insulating attic floors with mineral wool If insulation is carried out along wooden beams, then the film should go around all protruding elements. Otherwise, the beams may rot.

At the junction of the film and walls or other protruding surfaces, you need to raise it to a height equal to the thickness of the insulation plus 50 mm. and glue it with tape or wrap it on an insulation board.

Second phase

The insulation (cotton wool) is being laid. It's a pretty simple process. Plates or strips are easily cut with a construction knife to the required sizes.

When laying the sheet, you need to make sure that there are no gaps or the mineral wool material is not too compressed. Both will lead to a decrease in the quality of insulation. Typical mistakes in photos.

a) insufficient thickness of thermal insulation material;

b, c, d) the thickness of the attic floor insulation is incorrectly selected.

Useful tips for installing mineral wool

insulation with foil will increase the material’s resistance to heat loss. Place the sheet with the foil side down.

the insulation should not protrude beyond the beam. If this situation occurs, the beam needs to be lengthened wooden beam or additional lath to the thickness of the insulation.

Thin insulation laid in two layers retains more heat than one thick one. In this case, the slabs must be laid in a checkerboard pattern.

if there are protrusions in the attic structural elements, for example, a chimney pipe, you need to raise the insulation to a height of 400-500 mm. and secure it.

Third stage

Waterproofing is installed if the attic is not intended to be used and the rafter system is not protected by a waterproofing film. If the roofing material is separated from the attic with film, then you can proceed with the final stage.

Rough floor. It is laid on top of the insulation and serves as the basis for the final finishing.

Insulating the attic floor with foam plastic

The installation technology process is similar to insulating the attic floor with polystyrene foam.

The advantages of these materials:

Among the disadvantages: flammability.

Technology for insulating attic floors with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam

The process of installing rigid foam-based insulation is more than simple and can be done with your own hands. The work can be divided into two stages:

surface leveling. To ensure high-quality insulation, there should be no significant unevenness on the base floor. Such differences can be eliminated by screeding with sand-cement mortar.

The slabs are laid end-to-end or between beams. The presence of timber increases the strength of the floor.

Insulation of the attic floor with polystyrene foam Rough coating

Polystyrene foam must be protected from destruction with film in an uninhabited attic. In a frequently used or residential attic, you need to move somehow, so it’s better to install a subfloor made of OSB or sand on top of polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. cement screed.

Insulation of attic floors with sawdust

Sawdust is finely ground wood.

naturalness;
absence of toxic impurities;
light weight;
availability of material.

Technology of attic insulation with sawdust

Before you start insulating them with sawdust, you need to prepare them. Namely, mix cement and water with sawdust in a ratio of 10:1:1.

Pour the prepared mixture onto the attic floor and level it. It is worth noting that sawdust can only be used as insulation without using a frame in a non-residential attic. Otherwise, when walking on the floor, the sawdust will be compressed and the concrete screed will collapse.

build a cellular structure from timber. Pour a solution with sawdust inside each cell. The advantage of this method is that a subfloor can be laid over the timber. And the attic will be usable

Insulation of attic floors with sawdust

Insulating the attic floor with expanded clay

Expanded clay is produced by firing clay.

The disadvantage is associated with the difficulty of lifting expanded clay to the height of the attic.

Expanded clay is usually used when it is necessary to insulate the attic floor using slabs.

Technology of attic insulation with expanded clay

The work is carried out in three stages:

The slab is inspected for the presence of cracks and cracks. They are sealed with mortar or covered with thick paper. Protruding elements do not create difficulties with filling expanded clay.

install timber sheathing. In the future, a subfloor will be laid on it.

loose insulation is poured onto the slab and leveled using a regular rake. Layer thickness 250-300 mm. You can move on expanded clay without restrictions.

Insulating the attic floor with expanded clay Tip: when filling in expanded clay, it is better to combine granules of different sizes (diameters). This way you can avoid the appearance of voids.

Finally, a subfloor is installed or filled with sand-cement screed.

Please note that insulating an attic wooden floor has some nuances:

the tree is susceptible to rotting, which means the steam rising to the top must pass freely. Improper installation of films or the use of non-breathable materials, such as roofing felt, will lead to the destruction of wood in the future.

When using foil insulation, you need to place it with the foil down. This way the wood will be protected from water and at the same time will not accumulate steam moisture.

Errors in attic insulation

The “correct” way is to use a superdiffusion membrane or vapor barrier film

“Wrong” is to lay a special film without taking into account the markings or even ordinary film

The attic floor insulation diagram for various types of insulation is shown below.

Attic floor insulation scheme – 1
Attic floor insulation scheme – 2

Conclusion

In this article, we focused on the main stages and features of insulating the attic floors of a private house using insulation materials various types. We hope that this information will be useful to you.

Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool, polystyrene foam, sawdust, expanded clay

How and how to insulate an attic floor with your own hands. Review of insulation materials and installation methods. Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool, sawdust, polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam, as well as expanded clay

Insulation of cold attic floors: materials and methods

To understand why it is necessary to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic, let’s clarify a little why an attic is needed in a private house and what its purpose is. Our ancestors built houses that could stand for more than 100 years, while it was warm inside, and the wooden roof structure always remained dry.

Previously, they mainly built gable roofs with a slight slope of the slopes. This was done so that snow could remain on the roof in winter. Thus, snow was used as a natural insulation. One or two windows were made in the attic and kept closed in winter so that the trapped air acted as a heat insulator. In the summer, a slightly different situation occurred. Attic windows were opened at night so that the air cooled, and during the day, in hot weather, they were closed so that the air did not heat up too much, thus regulating its temperature.

When snow fell in winter, it fell as a continuous cover on the roof, simultaneously becoming a natural insulation. Even in severe frosts, the temperature in the attic did not drop below zero. Thus, the air in the attic and the insulation of the ceiling made it possible to maintain the temperature in the house at +20-25 °C. The roof slopes were not insulated to prevent the snow lying on the roof from melting. The rafter system remained open, allowing it to be inspected and repaired if necessary. Therefore, in a cold attic, only the ceiling is insulated.

If the roof slopes are insulated, then the attic becomes a heated room, i.e. an attic, which has a completely different functional purpose.

Now it remains to find out how to insulate the attic floor in a private house, and what materials are used for thermal insulation.

Materials for insulating attic floors

There is a wide range of insulation materials on the market. To make a choice, it is necessary to take into account the conditions in which the thermal insulation material will be used:

The material must retain its properties at temperatures from -30 to +30 °C. Should not freeze during severe frosts and should not emit harmful substances in hot weather.
It is necessary to choose fire-resistant insulation if there is electrical wiring in the attic.
It is better to choose a moisture-resistant material so that when wet it does not lose its thermal insulation properties.
The insulation should not quickly cake in order to fulfill its purpose for as long as possible.

Before deciding on the type of material for insulating the floor of a cold attic in a private house, you need to consider what material the ceiling is made of. If the attic floor is made of wooden beams, then you can use slab, roll and bulk insulation. In the case where the attic floor is made of concrete slabs, they resort to the use of heavy bulk or dense slab heat insulators. Their use makes it possible to make a cement screed on the floor.

Materials produced in slab and mat formats:

mineral wool (mineral wool) in mats;
Styrofoam;
extruded polystyrene foam;
seaweed;
straw.

mineral wool;
glass wool;
stone wool;
seaweed ladders;

Bulk materials for attic floor insulation:

expanded clay;
ecowool;
reed;
sawdust;
straw;
slag;
buckwheat tyrsa;
foam granules.

Insulating the attic floor in wooden house must be made with environmentally friendly, natural and breathable material.

How to properly insulate an attic floor with mineral wool

Mineral wool is a common and modern heat insulator. Available in rolls or slabs (mats). It does not rot or burn; rodents and various kinds of microorganisms are also not afraid of it.

Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with mineral wool begins with laying lining material on the floor. For a budget option, glassine is laid on the floor, but it is more expensive and quality option– flooring made of vapor barrier film. The film is laid with an overlap, and the joints are taped or secured wooden slats, which are fixed with a construction stapler.

The width of the insulation is selected based on the requirements of thermal engineering standards for each region. Mineral wool is placed between the joists tightly and without gaps. The joints are taped with tape. After the insulation is laid, level boards are simply laid on the joists, thus forming the floor in the attic. This simple solution for creating a floor allows the mineral wool to “breathe” and ventilate normally if it gets wet. To prevent moisture from entering the mineral wool, waterproofing material is laid under the roof.

Mineral wool is laid using personal protective equipment: thick clothing, goggles, gloves, respirator.

Insulation of attic floor slabs with extruded polystyrene foam

Expanded polystyrene or polystyrene foam, not very good dense materials, therefore they are used when the attic floor is a structure of joists and beams. If thermal insulation of the slabs is necessary, insulation of the cold attic floor with extruded polystyrene foam is used. This material is stronger and therefore denser than regular foam. Before laying it, the surface of the slabs should be leveled. WITH warm side The floor will not require a vapor barrier, since concrete slabs have almost no vapor permeability.

A vapor barrier film is laid on the leveled concrete slabs. Next, slabs of extruded polystyrene foam are laid in a checkerboard pattern. The joints are blown with polyurethane foam. After the foam has dried and hardened, the insulating slabs are poured with concrete mortar 4-6 cm thick. When the screed is dry, it is already suitable for use as a floor. Although you can go further and put any flooring.

Thermal insulation of a cold attic with ecowool

Ecowool is a cellulose, lightweight and loose insulation material, consisting mainly of waste paper and newspapers. Other components - borax and boric acid - are used as flame retardants.

Before insulation, it is necessary to place a film on the floor. The procedure for laying ecowool occurs using a special blowing installation. The insulation layer is applied as a continuous cover, without creating cracks. Since ecowool contains a large number of air, then a layer of 250-300 mm is usually enough.

Do not forget that over time, the material will shrink. Therefore, apply a layer of ecowool 40-50 mm more.

After the insulation of the cold attic floor with ecowool is completed, it must be moistened. You can do this with plain water or prepare a solution of 200 grams. PVA glue on a bucket of water. Moisten ordinary broom in this solution and moisten the cotton well. After drying, a crust forms on the surface of the cotton wool - lingin, which will not allow the cotton wool to move.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to insulate the floor in the attic. Which one to use depends on each specific situation. The main thing is to comply the right technology laying thermal insulation! Then your home will always be warm, and the materials used will last for many years.

Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with mineral wool, how to insulate the attic floor

How to insulate a ceiling in a cold attic. Insulating the attic floor with mineral wool and extruded polystyrene foam. How to properly insulate the floor in the attic.

How to insulate an attic in a private house with your own hands as efficiently and inexpensively as possible

I decided to dedicate this article to those people who want to insulate the attic of their house on their own without large financial costs. Next, we will get acquainted with thermal insulation materials suitable for these purposes and the nuances of their installation.

Stages of work

We will conditionally divide the insulation of an attic in a private house into:

Floor insulation

Floor insulation can also be divided into several steps:

Stages of floor thermal insulation

Preparation of materials

First you need to decide on the choice of thermal insulation material. There are quite a lot of options. However, our task is to insulate the ceiling with minimal financial costs.

sawdust – thermal conductivity is 0.07 - 0.095 W/mºC. The main advantage of sawdust is that if there are wood processing plants nearby, they can be purchased very cheaply or even free.

Sawdust is an excellent natural insulation material.

The only thing, keep in mind that before using the sawdust it is necessary to dry it and also treat it with an antiseptic composition. Also, to protect sawdust from biological influences, you can use slaked lime mixed with carbide.

If sawdust has traces of fungal infection, it cannot be used for insulation;

Reed insulation mat

reed is another one natural material, which can be obtained for free. The thermal conductivity of reeds does not exceed 0.042 W/(m.K).

Reeds for thermal insulation are harvested in late autumn with the onset of the first frosts, when the stems remain almost completely without foliage. Moreover, only mature plants can be used. Such stems are easily identified by their light yellow tint.

Penoizol is applied in liquid form

penoizol is a modified polystyrene foam that is applied to the surface in the form of foam. The foam hardens within a few days.

Penoizol has a lower thermal conductivity than all the materials described above - 0.028 - 0.040 W/(m*K). In addition, penoizol is not susceptible to biological influences, does not burn and is not afraid of moisture.

The disadvantage of this material is that insulating the attic with foam insulation requires certain equipment. Accordingly, it will not be possible to cope with the work on your own. The cost of the material with the work of specialists is 1450-1500 rubles per cubic meter.

True, you can use dry penoizol in bags, but in this case its price will increase to 2000-2300 rubles per cubic meter;

Expanded clay for thermal insulation of floors

Expanded clay is an environmentally friendly and fireproof natural material that is sold in the form of durable granules. The cost of expanded clay starts on average from 1000 rubles per cubic meter, which allows it to be classified as a budget insulation material.

The disadvantage of expanded clay is its higher thermal conductivity 0.1 – 0.18 W/(m*K). That's why For high-quality thermal insulation of the ceiling, expanded clay must be poured in a layer of at least 20 cm.

mineral wool is also an environmentally friendly and fireproof material with low thermal conductivity (0.038 to 0.055 W/m*K). Typically, mineral wool is sold in the form of mats or rolls. Its main disadvantage is the rather high cost - from 2300-2500 rubles per cube of basalt mats.

True, you can use stone wool in rolls, the cost of which starts from 1,500 rubles per cubic meter. But, this material is less environmentally friendly than basalt wool.

IN Lately Cellulose-based insulation – ecowool – has become widespread. This material is treated with an antiseptic and fire retardant, therefore it is fireproof and not susceptible to biological influences. The cost of ecowool is 1200-1500 rubles per cubic meter.

Everyone must choose the best way to insulate an attic in a private home, depending on the needs and availability of a particular heat insulator.

In addition to thermal insulation, you will need other materials:

vapor barrier membrane;
boards, OSB sheets or other material that can be laid on floor beams;
antiseptic impregnation for wood.

Floor preparation

You can begin insulating the attic floor only after completing the following preparatory work:

if there is a flooring on the floor beams, it must be dismantled;
then the wooden beams must be processed antiseptic impregnation. Instructions for the use of such compositions are available on the packaging;
if there is no bevel (lining) of the ceiling, it needs to be done. To do this, you can nail boards to the beams with inside, i.e. from the side of the room.

This completes the preparation.

Floor insulation

Insulation of the attic floor is carried out as follows:

A vapor barrier membrane needs to be laid on the joists and eaves. The stripes must overlap each other. For reliability, the joints should be taped;
Now the thermal insulation is being installed. Mineral mats must be positioned so that they fit tightly to the floor beams and to each other. The same applies to rolled material;

Example of laying mineral wool

lay another layer of vapor barrier on top of the floor beams and thermal insulation with your own hands and glue it with tape;
then boards or other material are laid on the floor beams. If the attic will be used as a living space, you can install joists to level the surface and lay a subfloor on top.

If the house has a concrete floor, to insulate the attic, you need to lay mineral mats or extruded polystyrene foam on the slab and pour a screed. In this case, the insulation on both sides must be covered with a waterproofing film, especially if mineral mats are used.

It must be said that the ceiling can be insulated not only from the outside, but also from the side of the room. True, in this case the choice of insulation is limited, since it will not be possible to use bulk materials.

Ceiling insulation with mineral mats

As an example, let's look at how to insulate a ceiling in a private house with isover, i.e. mineral mats:

First of all, it is necessary to dismantle the roll. In this case, it is advisable to lay boards on top of the beams and secure them;
a vapor barrier membrane is then attached to the beams and boards. To fix it, you can use a stapler;
Now mineral mats should be laid in the space between the beams. To fix them, you can use slats located across the beams. Also, nails are often nailed to the beams, and threads are pulled between them;

Fastening the vapor barrier with a stapler

after this you need to attach another layer of vapor barrier to the beams;
To complete the work, you need to roll up, after which you can start arranging the ceiling.

Roof insulation

In most cases, roof insulation is not required. But, if you are going to use the attic space as a living space, then you cannot do without this procedure.

Do-it-yourself roof insulation in a private house can also be divided into several stages:

Stages of attic insulation

Preparation of materials

Since it is inconvenient to use bulk materials for roof insulation, you can use mineral mats. To save even more, you can make mats from reeds.

In addition to insulation, you will need the following set of materials:

vapor barrier;
nails and threads;
wooden slats;
antiseptic impregnation.

Treating rafters with an antiseptic

Roof preparation

Before you start insulating the roof, you need to do some preparatory work:

First of all, inspect the rafter system for its integrity. If any parts are cracked or rotten, they must be replaced or repaired;
if the thickness of the insulation exceeds the thickness of the joists, they must be increased. To do this, nail beams or boards of sufficient thickness to them;
then that's it wooden structures must be treated with an antiseptic composition to protect them from biological influences.

Roof insulation

Do-it-yourself roof insulation in a private house is carried out as follows:

The vapor barrier membrane should not touch the roof waterproofing. To provide space between these materials, you need to nail nails to the rafters and stretch the threads between them in a zigzag pattern;

Attaching vapor barrier to rafters

Next, secure the vapor barrier membrane to the rafters with a stapler or small nails. Let me remind you that the smooth side of the vapor barrier should be facing the insulation. Tape the joints of the film with tape;

Insulating the space between the rafters with mineral wool

Now you need to lay the insulation in the space between the rafters. To avoid cold bridges in the thermal insulation, place the mats close to the rafters and to each other . If gaps do form, they need to be filled with scraps of insulation..

To fix the thermal insulation between the rafters, you can also nail nails and stretch threads between them;

after laying the insulation, you need to attach another layer of vapor barrier to the rafters;

to complete the work, you need to perform the sheathing using slats or boards about 2 cm thick, to which finishing materials can be attached.

Insulation of gables

Now all that remains is to insulate the gables, if, of course, they exist. It must be said that it is more expedient to insulate them from the outside in parallel with the insulation of the entire facade. However, if the facade will not be insulated, then thermal insulation must be done from the inside.

For this we will need the same materials as for finishing the roof. The only thing besides them is to prepare beams or boards. Their width should correspond to the width of the insulation.

The insulation work is similar to the thermal insulation of ordinary walls:

in order to provide ventilation space between the walls and the insulation, the slats must be secured to the gables in a horizontal position. The vertical step should be about half a meter, and the horizontal step should be several centimeters.

Installation diagram of slats on gables for arranging a ventilation gap

Keep in mind that the slats must form a smooth vertical plane. Therefore, if the gables are uneven, the slats must be leveled during installation;

then a vapor barrier membrane is attached to the slats. During installation, make sure that the film does not sag;
then vertical posts (beams or boards) are installed. To fix them, you can use self-tapping screws and metal corners. Make the distance between the posts a couple of centimeters less than the width of the mats;

An example of laying mineral mats in the space between the racks

Now the space between the racks must be filled with insulation. If the racks are installed correctly, the mats will fit tightly and no additional fixation will be required;
then attach a vapor barrier to the racks;

At the end of the work, install the sheathing.

Now all that remains is to complete the finishing. Choice finishing materials depends on the purpose of the home and the attic itself. If the house is used for permanent residence, and the attic will be heated, you can cover it with plasterboard and use any finishing materials.

Finishing a cold attic should be done with materials that are not afraid of low temperatures. Therefore, from using wallpaper and plastic panels It's better to refuse.

Insulating an attic yourself, as you can see, is not at all difficult. Therefore, you can safely get to work, the only thing I recommend is that you first watch the video in this article. If any nuances are not clear to you, contact me with questions in the comments, and I will gladly help you "width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”>

Insulating an attic yourself, as you can see, is not at all difficult. Therefore, you can safely get to work.

Insulating an attic in a private house with your own hands: the better to insulate, video and photo

Over time, every owner of a private house thinks about insulating the attic. After all, every year the materials lose their original qualities, which leads to a loss of heat that escapes through the attic.

Insulating your home is a top priority that needs to be addressed before the cold weather arrives. So, as everyone knows, a warm house is not one that is well heated, but one that does not allow all this heat to pass through.

It is also necessary to note the fact that insulating the attic of a private house with foam plastic or any other insulation will make it possible to significantly reduce heating costs.

That is why the question of how and with what to insulate an attic becomes extremely relevant.

Typically, this kind of insulation is necessary in little-used rooms. It is also important to note that they must be equipped with properly equipped roof ventilation.

The attic, together with its ceilings, performs a very important function, namely, it acts as a boundary between heat and cold.

A large amount of condensation accumulates here and this occurs as a result of intense exposure to moisture in the attic. And this must be taken into account when insulating your private home.

Many firms and companies offer similar services, but it often happens that the prices for their services are too high and many people think about insulating the house themselves. You can insulate your house with your own hands. However, for this it is important to take into account all the installation features of this or that insulation.

Below we describe in more detail all the materials that can be used as insulation for the attic. All the advantages, as well as their disadvantages, will be discussed here, so that in the end you can choose the most optimal option for yourself.

But first you need to determine the main types of insulation:
bulk;
slab;
roll;

sprayed.

It should be noted that each of the options has its own characteristics and can be used as insulation for the attic. It is important to understand that only the main materials that have received the largest number of positive reviews are listed here.

Insulation using mineral wool, ecowool

Mineral wool is perhaps today the most popular material for insulating a mountain. This is a kind of classic in the construction industry. After all, it is used by both professional teams and people who decided to tackle the issue of insulation on their own.

Such wide popularity of mineral wool was achieved due to its excellent performance characteristics. Especially if you take into account basalt mineral wool. It is fire resistant and easy to install.

It is also worth considering some more of its advantages, which include:
Simplicity in operation; when working with mineral wool, absolutely no problems arise, even for those who insulate the attic themselves.
It has a “breathing effect” and it is due to this that a good microclimate is created.
Not flammable.
Allows you to create good sound insulation.
Many note its property of not losing shape even over a long period of use.
It has a relatively light weight, which in no way affects the main structure.
Rodents and other pests cannot spoil it.
Minimum level of thermal conductivity.
One of the cheapest materials, which is suitable for insulating the attic of a private house.

It is also necessary to say that mineral wool is sold both in rolls and in slabs. And this makes it possible to choose the most suitable option, which will be easier for you to install.

Important! If you decide to insulate the attic with mineral wool, you will need to take care of both waterproofing and vapor barrier. This is due to the fact that this material is afraid of moisture. And if you ignore this point, then after some time the mineral wool will lose its original appearance and its performance characteristics.

Insulation of the attic with polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam

Anyone who wonders how to insulate an attic has the idea of using polystyrene foam. And this is not at all accidental, since this material is even more common than mineral wool. It is also used by professional builders in their work, and for independent work it fits perfectly.

The main feature that polystyrene foam has is its reasonable price. It is actually the cheapest building material that can be used as attic insulation.

It is also important to note that polystyrene foam is much denser than cotton wool, and therefore it is a pleasure to lay it, since it is an “obedient” material. It can be easily processed and placed in the right place.

In addition, a number of its advantages can be noted:

Keeps its original shape perfectly.
Unaffected by moisture.
Low thermal conductivity, an order of magnitude lower than that of mineral wool.
The ability to create excellent sound insulation.

But along with a large number of advantages, this material also has significant disadvantages, which include the following indicators:

Highly flammable, just one spark is enough for the foam to begin to smolder.
It does not allow steam to pass through, and therefore it is not possible to achieve the effect of “breathing walls” with this insulation.
If you don’t additionally protect the polystyrene foam, then rodents will “happily” chew on it, and therefore you may end up without attic insulation.

Despite all its shortcomings, polystyrene foam still remains one of the leaders in the field of attic insulation. After all, fires do not happen so often, additional protection of the material can be used against rodents, but the “breathing effect” is not so important in a mountainous area.

Therefore, we can conclude that for such a low price this is simply an excellent option.

Blown-in attic insulation

This method of insulating a hill in a private house is the most fashionable today. It is used by almost all companies that offer similar construction services.

The main advantage it has this insulation for the attic is that it independently fills all the space, voids and at the same time creates a uniform and continuous layer. You no longer need to cut blocks to fill all the holes.

In Russia today, two blown insulation materials are used: blown wool and ecowool.

The latter consists of 80% cellulose fibers. They are made from the most ordinary waste paper, but the remaining 20% are a wide variety of additives, which can be boric acid, which acts as an antiseptic, and Buran as a fire retardant.

Blown-in wool consists entirely of standard mineral substances that are intended for thermal insulation. It is important to note that it is highly crushed.

Insulation with bulk materials: expanded clay

If you are still thinking about how to insulate an attic in a private house, then you should pay attention to expanded clay. This is one of the most simple ways insulate the attic without turning to specialists.

Expanded clay consists of balls that are poured onto the floor, trying to distribute them as evenly as possible. As you already understand, they can only insulate the floor, the ceiling - it won’t work, in any way.

The advantages of the material include the following:

Not flammable.
Resistant to low temperatures.
Has high strength.
Creates excellent sound insulation.
Environmentally friendly material that does not in any way affect human health.
Has a long service life.
Provides good thermal insulation.

The material is poured over the roofing felt, the minimum layer should be at least 15 cm. In order to be able to walk through the attic, you will need to make concrete screed.

Sawdust as insulation for the attic

Specifications of this material are in no way inferior to modern synthetic insulation.

Important! Sawdust is used extremely rarely for insulation, since the market offers big choice other materials that are much easier to work with.

Advantages of sawdust:

Sawdust is an environmentally friendly material.
Low cost.
Long service life.
Low thermal conductivity.
To create such insulation, you do not need any special equipment or special tools.

Polyurethane foam

This material occupies a leading position in the environmental safety table, and therefore you can safely buy it.

Important! This material shows excellent adhesion and therefore can be used with absolutely any materials.

Characteristic properties of polyurethane foam:

not susceptible to moisture;
high level of sound insulation;
practically non-flammable.

Stages of attic insulation

In order for the insulation to serve for a long time and not cause any problems, it is necessary to strictly follow the technology. This is the only way to be sure of the quality of insulation.

Preparing the attic

The first stage is preparing the attic.

And first of all, it is necessary to restore order in it, by this we mean:

cleaning up all unnecessary items;
all wooden parts should be pre-treated with a special composition that protects the material from rotting, as well as from the formation of fungus;
if any metal surfaces, then you should take care of them, or rather treat them with a special primer or an anti-corrosion compound;
Old insulation, rags, and sawdust should be removed from all cracks.
If cracks are found in the attic, they need to be sealed with polyurethane foam.

Stage two - waterproofing

When insulating a hilltop, this stage is one of the most important, since many materials do not tolerate moisture well and may even lose their original characteristics. That is why it is necessary to take care of a good one. Waterproofing also helps prevent corrosion on metal floors.

The third stage - laying insulation

Depending on the chosen insulation, we begin to distribute it evenly over the floor, as well as the walls and ceiling, unless, of course, it is expanded clay or sawdust.

It is important to ensure that all layers are the same and that there is no gap between the insulation. At this stage you need to be as careful as possible.

The fourth stage - vapor barrier

Vapor barrier is prerequisite, both for and for reinforced concrete. It must be laid directly on the ceiling, only in this way can it protect the insulation from the resulting vapors that can accumulate in the heat insulator passing through the ceiling.

Fifth stage - counter-lattice

After the previous stages have been completed, you can begin to finish the walls (roof). For this you can use various materials: lining, drywall or plywood.

Stage six - insulation of utilities

To do this, you can purchase mineral wool and wrap it around the pipes, and then wrap everything with roofing felt and secure it with wire. This is the easiest way to insulate communications.

As you can see, there are no particular difficulties in insulating an attic. The main thing is to carefully follow the instructions and do everything consistently and then you will be able to do this procedure no worse than the professionals.

After all, now you can independently choose the most suitable material as insulation.

To understand how to properly insulate a roof, you need to understand its types. The most common types of roofing structures are the cold attic and the attic. In the first case, insulation of the ceilings of the upper residential floor will be required (the air in the attic space does not warm up, hence the name). In the second - laying thermal insulation along the roof rafters. In today’s article we will analyze in detail the process of insulating the roof of a cold attic.

Cold attic - the most common, time-tested roof structure, used all over the world for decades. It has become widespread due to its simplicity, availability of materials and ease of installation. In addition, in the cold attic there is access to inspect the load-bearing structures of the roof, so possible leaks can be easily localized and eliminated with improvised means.

Rice. 1. Cold attic insulation system: 1. Floor beams 2. Stone wool insulation 3. Vapor barrier film 4. Super diffusion membrane 5. Sparse lathing 6. Internal lathing

Wooden floor beams and reinforced concrete slabs are most often used as the base for the attic. Depending on the selected flooring material for the residential floor, the insulation system will differ. Wood is one of the best building materials, which has a number of undeniable advantages: lightness, strength and flexibility. However, wood is sensitive to humidity: over-moistened wood during use can bend in an unpredictable way if it picks up moisture and then dries out. Therefore, wet wood is not used in construction, and dry wood is carefully isolated from possible waterlogging during operation.

The ability of wood to absorb moisture affects the choice of all cold attic materials. So, when choosing insulation, you should give preference to a vapor-permeable material based on mineral wool: this material will allow all wet steam to pass through itself, leaving the beams dry. When choosing between glass wool and stone wool, you should remember the ability of the latter to protect the entire structure from exposure to open fire. The sintering temperature of glass wool fibers is only about 600 °C, and this temperature is reached within 5 minutes after the start of combustion. Therefore, only stone wool can protect load-bearing structures, extend the life of a house and, in the event of a fire, give more time to save people and property.

Here it is worth recalling that any organic insulation (foam, polyurethanes) burns, so it is better not to use them when building wooden or frame house. The combustion of some of them is also accompanied by the release of toxic vapors into the atmosphere, “splashing” of the melt, which poses an additional danger to people. The use of organic insulation in floor construction requires mandatory protection with a cement-sand screed.

The use of various construction films raises many questions in the insulation system. Due to their incorrect location in the structure, floor beams can begin to rot, which is why they subsequently lose their load-bearing capacity and collapse in a few years. To prevent this, when arranging a classic cold attic with wooden beams, it is customary to use two types of construction films, which we will conventionally call “Internal” and “External”.

The “internal” film is laid from the inside of the heated room and prevents water vapor from entering the insulation from the room. This film is called a vapor barrier. When installing it, it is necessary to carefully glue all overlaps with butyl rubber tape, achieving tightness over the entire area. Interior decoration performed with a technical gap of at least 3 cm - to prevent local moisture condensation on the vapor barrier.

Rice. 2.1. Cold attic ventilation diagram

The “external” film performs other tasks: it protects the insulation from moisture from the outside (snow, rain, fog), allows water vapor to escape from the system (if it suddenly appears there) and prevents heat from being blown out of the insulation. Some of these functions can be trusted to regular plastic film, but it won’t be possible to complete all tasks at the same time. Most films either have low vapor permeability - and therefore must be installed with a second ventilation gap, or low water resistance - and therefore do not protect against water getting into the insulation. The only type of film that can solve all the problems at the same time is called a “superdiffusion membrane”. Such a membrane has vapor permeability that significantly exceeds the parameters of the insulation, which allows it to be mounted close to it. And high water resistance allows you to protect the system from external moisture in any form.

Thus, the insulation must be protected by a vapor barrier film from the inside and a superdiffusion membrane from the outside. It is a good practice to lay sparse sheathing of boards over the “top” membrane to prevent damage to the film or crushing of the insulation when walking through the attic.

Figure 2.2. Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)

Figure 2.2. Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)

Concluding the consideration of the design of a cold attic, it is imperative to pay attention to the issue of ventilation. A properly organized roof ventilation system of a house (Fig. 2.1), despite the possible variety of designs, must have three mandatory components: an entry point, ventilation channels and an exit point. The entire volume of the attic will serve as a channel for ventilation in a cold attic. For normal operation The temperature inside the cold attic should be equal to the outside temperature. For these purposes, the filing provides entry points for cold air - the so-called “vents”. And in the upper part of the attic you need to create air outlets using dormer windows, ridge or point aerators.

Most often in practice we have to deal with a situation where ventilation is impaired: all vents are sealed with insulation, and air from the street does not get inside. The second common mistake is the absence of dormer windows or aerators in the roof covering. When arranging ventilation, it is worth remembering that the area of the outlet openings should be 10% larger than the area of the inlet openings. In this case, sufficient thrust will be created. If the roof ventilation is impaired, then the rafter system is subject to waterlogging, and the roofing material is subject to additional excess pressure from inside the room. This may lead to rotting rafter system and loss of its bearing capacity (Fig. 2.2.), premature destruction roofing covering. That's why effective work ventilation is a prerequisite for the normal operation of a cold attic system.

In the case of installing a cold attic on a base made of reinforced concrete slabs, the system can be simplified. Since reinforced concrete is vapor-proof and is not susceptible to exposure to open fire, insulation can be made from organic materials. Here you have to choose from two types of polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foams are increasingly appearing on objects, but sprayed compositions do not always have the declared stable properties after hardening, and their strength is sometimes insufficient for the dynamic effects of pedestrian loads. The well-known expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is still used in construction today. However, it has already been replaced by more modern extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), characterized by lower thermal conductivity (which reduces the required insulation thickness by 25%), reduced water absorption by 5 times and increased strength. When arranging a cold attic using reinforced concrete slabs using XPS, there is no need to spend money on the purchase and installation of building films: the material withstands all external influences and is not afraid of blowing or even soaking.

To determine the required thickness of thermal insulation, we will use the technique that is described in detail in TKP 45-2.04-43-2006 “Construction heating engineering. Construction design standards". According to this document, minimum requirements for the thermal resistance of the structure are established. For a roof, it is taken to be no lower than six, and is calculated by the ratio of the actual thickness of the construction material (in this case, thermal insulation) to its thermal conductivity. Thus, the answer to the question “How to insulate the roof of a house?” - obvious: the required insulation thickness is calculated by multiplying the thermal conductivity of the material by six. This simple mathematics will allow you to create a cold attic that fully meets all current standards. For complete insulation in our climatic zone 25 cm will be required stone wool. And when using extruded polystyrene foam, 20 cm will be enough. In a similar way, you can calculate the required thicknesses of other thermal insulation materials. For comparison: to obtain a similar indicator by filling with expanded clay, you will need a layer more than half a meter thick!

In the next part we will tell about the device and proper insulation attic (warm attic).

Text: Andrey Povarnitsyn

As many remember from school physics course, warm air in the room it rises, and the cold one, accordingly, falls. It is through an uninsulated attic and roof that a house loses from 15 to 30% of heat! Usually the attic is insulated during the construction of a house, but if necessary, the attic can also be insulated in a private old house.

Roof insulation

Insulating the attic of a new house

As a rule, they begin to insulate the attic after the work on the roof has been completed: the covering has been laid, wind insulation has been made. First, the floor is insulated, and if the layer of thermal insulation material is reliable enough, you can take your time with insulating the roof slopes and gables.

Please note that when insulating the attic wooden house You can start only after the building shrinks. Usually this is done no earlier than six months after completion of construction, although shrinkage can continue for more than a year. Sometimes, when shrinking, wooden structures warp or cracks appear in them. Before starting work in the attic, these shortcomings should be eliminated.

For work you will need

Insulation (chipboards, mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, expanded clay, sawdust with clay, etc.).
Materials for arranging steam and thermal insulation:
- vapor barrier foil (polypropylene or polyethylene film, metallized membrane or fiberglass membrane);
- single- or double-sided adhesive tapes for sealing seams between sheets of foil;
- felt or polyurethane insulating tapes for heat and sound insulation of the floor.
Tool for cutting insulation (mineral wool, polystyrene foam boards) and finishing materials (chipboard, lining, drywall, etc.).
Boards, plywood, lining or plasterboard.
Nails, hammer.
Construction stapler and staples.
Safety glasses, respirator and gloves for working with mineral wool.

Keep in mind that the following methods for insulating an attic are used in cases where it is not heated and is used as a warehouse, summer workshop, etc. However, if the attic will be heated or used as a summer residential attic, the slopes and walls should be additionally sheathed with slabs moisture-resistant plasterboard and paint, and lay expanded polystyrene or chipboard boards on the floor.

We insulate the space under the roof

Many people have probably noticed that in old village houses only the floor of the attic is often insulated, but not the roof. The point is that the inclined surface gable roof holds a layer of snow well - it serves as an additional “blanket” for the roof. Even in severe frosts, the temperature under the slopes rarely drops below zero degrees. In the attic there are small windows that open for ventilation in the summer heat.

In the attic, which will be used as a utility room, the space under the roof will have to be insulated. For independent insulation, it is convenient to use sheet insulation (expanded polystyrene, mineral wool mats) or rolled mineral wool. The density of mineral wool insulation is 10-55 kg/sq. m. Sometimes these insulation materials are used together: polystyrene foam is attached as the first layer, and mineral wool as the second.

Before attaching the insulation between the rafters, vapor barrier foil is nailed onto the sheathing with a construction stapler. The joints are sealed with insulating tape, but you can also overlap the foil. You can also use foiled mineral wool mats. In this case, additional vapor barrier will not be needed.

Typically, the required thickness of insulation sheets is slightly greater than the thickness of the rafter legs. Make thickening “stuffing” on them and nail perpendicular elements from wooden or steel slats. Place an additional layer of insulation between them, then secure it with thin slats, and stuff it on top wood covering. IN residential attics You can complete the finishing with plasterboard.

We insulate the floor

As in the previous case, before laying out the insulation, a vapor barrier is made (for example, from foil polyisol). When arranging a floor slab, the film is laid on top of it; when insulating a wooden floor, it is nailed with an overlap with a stapler.

Thermal insulation of concrete floor. If the ceiling is reinforced concrete slab, for thermal insulation, materials with high density (> 160 kg/sq. m) are used. These are mineral wool or cork mats, extruded polystyrene foam, and from bulk materials - expanded clay.
Thermal insulation of wooden floors. Insulation in wooden floors is laid between the joists. Usually these are cotton insulation with low density (< 50 кг/кв.м). Поверх утеплителя желательно настелить рубероид, а в качестве чистового пола уложить плиты ДСП.

Thermal insulation of the attic of an old house

Before you begin insulating the attic of an old house, inspect it thoroughly. Check for cracks in the rafters and gables, and check the condition of the ceiling. Some beams may need to be replaced, and the roof may need to be further insulated. Wooden parts must be impregnated with special moisture- and fire-resistant solutions and an antiseptic solution against fungus and pests.

It is also necessary to carry out a number of preparatory work. If the attic of an old house was previously insulated, and the insulation has not lost its properties, additional insulating materials can be laid on top of the existing ones. For example, on top of a floor insulated with clay and sawdust, you can install lathing and lay mineral wool. Thus, “the original floor level turns out to be “rough”.

Otherwise, the old insulation should be removed, and a new modern one with a higher complex should be laid on top of it. operational properties. After additional insulation, a new finished floor is laid.

Features of working with common insulation materials

Basic requirements for insulation materials:

relatively light weight (this is especially important in houses with wooden floors);
non-toxic;
ease of processing;
fire resistance;
moisture resistance;
good heat and sound insulating properties.

Modern insulating materials meet all these requirements to one degree or another. The most popular of them are polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, mineral (fiberglass and basalt) wool. In brick and stone houses with durable reinforced concrete floors Sometimes insulation is used “the old fashioned way”. This can be done using inexpensive, environmentally friendly expanded clay or clay mixed with sawdust

Mineral wool

Insulating an attic with mineral wool is the most inexpensive and, at the same time, acceptable quality method of insulating attic spaces. Mineral wool has excellent heat and sound insulation properties, and its elasticity makes it easy to install on rafters. In addition, it is non-flammable and not susceptible to biological pests. Mineral wool is sold in the form of mats or in rolls.

Insulation with mineral wool

The most effective thermal insulator is considered to be mineral wool slabs with so-called “randomly oriented fibers.” A mineral wool board with a thickness of only half a centimeter replaces almost a meter of brickwork in terms of thermal protection properties! At the same time, it is quite light and does not create additional load on the floors. Mineral wool is a durable material, its service life is at least 50 years.

When working with mineral wool, you need to remember that it contains a certain amount of formaldehyde. In addition, the smallest mineral wool “needles” are dangerous to the eyes and respiratory system and irritate the skin of the hands. Therefore, when cutting and especially laying mineral wool, you need to wear safety glasses, a respirator and gloves. You can also use construction respirator masks.

Polyurethane foam (PPU)

Polyurethane foam is a liquid heat insulator and is applied to any surface (wood, brick, stone, concrete) by spraying. Today it is considered the most effective thermal insulation building material. When treated with polyurethane foam, a durable base layer is created, so there will never be drafts in the insulated attic.

Insulation with polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam itself is an expensive material. However, before applying it you do not need to do a vapor barrier or waterproofing, and working with it is much easier than with other heat insulators. It can be used to treat the space under the roof between the rafters, the voids between the joists of a wooden floor, and reinforced concrete floors.

Polyurethane foam can reduce heat loss by almost 30% (compared to other materials for thermal insulation). Having spent a large amount of money on its purchase, in winter you will double save on heating.

Expanded polystyrene

Inexpensive, lightweight and durable, extruded polystyrene foam sheets are commonly used in older homes with wood floors. It retains heat well and does not weigh down the load-bearing structures; it is easy to cut (with a sharp utility knife or saw) and install. Its other advantages are moisture resistance (it does not absorb moisture) and environmental friendliness.

To insulate the space under the roof and floor, slabs 10-15 centimeters thick in two layers are used. The first is fixed between the joists, and the second is laid on top of them. The structure is secured with slats, a vapor barrier is laid on top (for example, Izospan), and then covered with plywood or clapboard.

It is worth thermally insulating the attic with polystyrene foam if you will use it as a technical or utility room. But if you are going to set up, for example, a workshop in the attic, it is not recommended to use it. This material provides virtually no noise protection and is not resistant to organic solvents, which can spill onto the floor or evaporate into the air. Some types of polystyrene foam are fire resistant, but in general it is considered a flammable material.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay is an inexpensive and fairly effective natural thermal insulation material that is used for thermal insulation of foundations and floors. It can be used in attics with reinforced concrete floors, as it creates a significant load on the beams. An effective layer of expanded clay on an area of 100 square meters, according to GOST, is poured in a layer of up to 60 centimeters, while the weight of the bedding is about 30 tons! In non-residential attics, the insulation layer may be smaller (25-40 centimeters), and in this case a concrete screed is not used, but it often turns out to be too much for the attic floor of a wooden house.

Insulation with expanded clay

Insulating an attic with expanded clay has some features compared to other materials. Since this is a porous material that absorbs moisture, not only a vapor barrier, but also a waterproofing layer must be laid under the expanded clay backfill. This can be roofing felt or ordinary polyethylene film, which is better to be laid as a single sheet rather than welded from several sheets.

It is not recommended to use polyethylene for a wooden floor, since the wood covered with it will not “breathe” - it is preferable to use Izospan as a vapor barrier.

For insulation, expanded clay of fraction 10-15 mm is used, which is poured into wooden frame(“box”) made around the perimeter of the room. A vapor barrier membrane is also laid on top of the expanded clay layer. Despite the good thermal insulation properties of expanded clay, experts do not recommend using it specifically for thermal insulation of attics. If the attic is already insulated with expanded clay, its layer is insufficient, but you do not have the opportunity to completely change the insulation, remove the subfloor and lay mineral wool on the expanded clay (under the upper vapor barrier membrane).

Sawdust and clay

In the days of our grandmothers, in order to “not blow from above,” dry leaves, straw, and hay were laid on the attic floor. But the most common and in an accessible way To make the house cozy was to insulate the attic with sawdust and clay. Insulate the attic village house or at wooden dacha the old fashioned way is very simple. It is important that this method of insulation will cost you almost free.

Insulation with sawdust and clay

Prepare the solution:

dilute the clay to the consistency of rich milk;
pour enough sawdust into the solution so that the solution can be mixed. In appearance it will be just wet sawdust, slightly smeared with clay;
pour the mixture onto the floor of the attic in a layer of 15 centimeters, level it and compact it.

After the mixture dries, you will get a very dense, slightly springy floor covering. You can add another five centimeters of wet sawdust on top and compact it again. A mixture of clay and sawdust retains heat well, and this type of floor “breathes.” Cover the floor with a thin layer of lime, and sprinkle straw, chaff or dry sawdust on top.

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