The thickness of the floor insulation in a wooden house. Preparation for laying insulation. Now let's decide what is the best way to insulate the floor in a wooden house from the basement
Most wooden houses modern people associated with comfort and warmth. And in principle, this is true, because wood is a living, natural, breathable material. But many of my friends methodically step on the same rake, forgetting that floor insulation in wooden house no less important than the insulation of walls and roofs. In this article, I will first tell you how to insulate the floor in a wooden house with the three most accessible ways, and then I will personally go through the application of each type of insulation specifically for wooden buildings.
Design options for floor insulation in wooden houses
Let's start with the fact that modern wooden houses can be built on a light pile or strip foundation, and on a monolithic concrete slab, respectively, and the insulation scheme in all these cases will be different.
In addition, the floors in wooden houses can be insulated both from below, that is, from the basement side, and from above, from the living quarters. Naturally, it is easier to do all this during the construction of a house, but not everyone is so lucky and sometimes you have to insulate the floors in an old house, which leaves its mark on the technology.
Any major types of work in wooden houses, including wall and floor insulation, are recommended to be carried out only after the structure shrinks. And this shrinkage in a house assembled from a dry forest lasts about a year. If freshly cut wood was used for construction, then shrinkage can last up to 5-7 years.
Option number 1. Arrangement of thermal insulation in a house with a low underground
Low underground is a disease of most old houses and summer cottages. In my experience, almost all owners who bought or somehow got a cottage built in the old fashioned way, back in Soviet times, face a serious problem of cold, and often rotten floors.
I’ll hasten to reassure you right away, it’s not necessary to break everything, if the log house itself is still intact and strong enough, then you can insulate the floor in a wooden house with your own hands in a few days, and for this, it’s not at all necessary to be a real builder. It is enough to confidently use a hacksaw, drill and hammer.
As you probably already guessed, if in a private house there is a low underground, then the floors will have to be insulated from above. And for this we need to disassemble the entire structure completely, leaving only the supporting logs;
If the boards and baseboards of the finished floor are in good condition, and you are not determined to completely change them, then when you tear off the flooring, be sure to draw a sketch of the masonry for yourself and number each board. This will save you a lot of time and effort when you start to return everything to its place.
- When you have free access to the logs, the first thing to do is to carefully examine the condition of the wood. Lagi it Basic structure, respectively, they must be strong and reliable. If the number of rotten logs does not exceed 20-30%, then you should tinker with their restoration;
- In general, according to the rules, a damaged beam must be completely removed, and the same one should be installed in its place. But this work is not for an amateur, there are too many small, professional subtleties. When I first encountered the problem of partial replacement of the bearing beam, I did it simply. -I cut out the rotten sector, and in its place I inserted the same part of a healthy beam.
I fixed this sector on self-tapping screws using 4 standard metal corners 35 mm, making an overlap on the old beam of about 50 cm. But if there were no corners at hand, you can fill an ordinary board with a thickness of about 30 mm on both sides; - Now you can start arranging the subfloor. Opinions on how to do this correctly among builders vary. The classic technology looks something like this: on both sides of each lag, along the lower edge, the so-called bearing cranial beam is stuffed. I recommend taking a section of at least 30x30 mm, if you take it thinner, then it may not withstand the load or burst from a nail or self-tapping screw;
- The distance between the lags often fluctuates around 50 - 70 cm. In our version, the draft floor will be assembled from planks laid on the cranial timber, perpendicular to the lags. Therefore, we will first need to cut these boards and soak them well with an antiseptic, since they are located directly above the ground.
For these purposes, a non-edged board with a thickness of about 20 - 30 mm is well suited. The question of what can be impregnated is solved simply: the market is full of various impregnations, but I went the simplest way, dipped each board into engine oil; - I am often asked the question of whether subfloor planks need to be attached to the joists or to the cranial support beam. So, as far as I have seen and done myself, these planks simply fit on the cranial bar and that's it.
Moreover, when you measure and cut the planks, they need to be made 10 - 15 mm narrower than the gap between the lags. This tolerance is necessary to compensate for temperature and humidity deformations of wood;
- Further, the instruction prescribes to lay a layer of hydro or vapor barrier on the subfloor. The difference is this: if the soil under the house is dry and there is no heavy spring flood in your area, then it is necessary to install a vapor barrier membrane, and so that the steam freely escapes from the insulation, but in no case penetrates from the soil into the insulation.
Waterproofing is installed in places with a high level of groundwater and on wet soils. As a waterproofing, technical polyethylene or roofing material is most often used. Any of these membranes is covered with a continuous layer of overlap, over the log, so that the subfloor is completely covered, without any gaps or crevices. I usually fix such a canvas with a stapler; - In the resulting improvised boxes, the insulation you have chosen is laid. What is possible, and also the better to insulate the floor in a wooden house, I will tell you in detail a little later, now we will not dwell on this;
- The presence or absence of a vapor barrier sheet on top of the insulation is determined by what materials were chosen for insulation. But in any case, a small ventilation gap, 20 - 30 mm, should remain between the fine wooden flooring and the insulation layer.
To do this, if possible, the insulation is mounted a little, below the upper cut of the lag. If this is not possible and the material is laid flush with the joists, then you will have to stuff a wooden counter crate perpendicular to the joists, in increments of 30 - 40 cm.
Moreover, hydro or vapor barrier, if any, should be under the counter crate. Otherwise, if the finished wooden floor is not provided with proper ventilation from below, the boards will sooner or later begin to deteriorate; - The top layer, of course, is the finishing wood coating.
Option number 2. We insulate the floor above the cellar
Proper floor insulation from below in a wooden house, in general, is carried out using a similar technology but trust me, it's a lot easier to do it. After all, under the condition of the normal state of the finishing coating, you do not need to disassemble it. Otherwise, the technology is the same, only all actions are performed in reverse.
- According to the rules, in order for the insulation not to “stick” to the finishing coating and the necessary ventilation gap to remain, it is supposed to fill in the upper part of the log, on the border with the finishing floor, a small cranial bar of 20–30 mm. But to be honest, I never do that.
It is much easier to fix the vapor barrier membrane with a stapler, just below the finished floor. No one forces you to clearly measure everything, the main thing is that the ventilation gap remains; - To mount a cranial beam and hem a draft floor from planks using the previous technology on the basement ceiling, I also do not see much point. After laying the insulation in the niches, so that it does not immediately fall out, I stuff a number of small carnations on the logs and pull on several strings of fishing line or wire;
- Further from the bottom, with the same stapler, a waterproofing sheet is attached to the lags. And on top of this canvas, to strengthen the structure, an unedged board or an ordinary slab is stuffed. If the basement is damp and there is often water in it, then it makes sense to sew a galvanized profile under drywall instead of an unedged board on the ceiling. I usually fasten it in increments of 20 - 30 cm, in any case, it is only needed so that the insulation does not fall out.
According to a similar technology, the second floor is also being equipped, more precisely, a wooden floor between the first and second floors along the logs. The only difference is that instead of a subfloor layer, most often some sheet material, such as plywood or drywall, is sewn from below.
Option number 3. We insulate the floor of a wooden house standing on a concrete slab
Floor in a wooden house on a solid concrete base can be insulated using two technologies: mounting on logs and arranging a screed. The choice depends on what end result you want to see and how much money you are willing to spend on all this. Most often, the first option is used in such houses; according to it, at the finish you get a covering from a natural floorboard.
Compared to the two previous options, in my opinion, it is much easier to insulate a concrete slab. As a rule, such a base initially has an absolutely flat plane, in addition, the weight of the insulating structure itself does not matter here.
According to the first method, you need to mount a wooden crate on the stove. It will replace us with those same load-bearing logs.
Only at first the concrete must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. In this case, it is quite enough, technical polyethylene. The thickness of the bars under the crate depends on the type of insulation.
For a full-fledged floorboard with a thickness of 40 mm or more, the laying step of the batten guides varies between 50 - 70 cm. In the case when it is planned to sew up the floor with thick plywood or OSB, the step is about 30 - 40 cm.
The battens are attached to the concrete slab with anchors. After that, just like when mounting from above, a heater is laid in the niches, and a finishing coating is sewn on top of it.
Warming a concrete slab under a screed is made even easier. Looking a little ahead, I’ll say that the best insulation here is extruded polystyrene foam, which we better know as Penoplex. I will talk about its capabilities later, but now let's get back to the technology.
So this Penoplex is laid in a continuous layer on a flat concrete slab, attached to it and all the cracks are blown with foam. After that, you can choose: either lay a metal reinforcing mesh on it and fill it with a screed, or equip the flooring from plywood, OSB or drywall and mount a laminate on it using floating technology.
If you are interested in a blank for the "warm floor" system, then for both the electric and water versions, the extruded polystyrene foam base is perfect.
In addition to extruded polystyrene foam, such a floor can be insulated with expanded clay. Of course, you will have to mess around more, but the price of such insulation will be disproportionately less.
The technology here is about the same. Initially, the concrete is covered with a waterproofing film with a call to the walls, just above the finishing coating. Then a layer of expanded clay is filled up and leveled along the horizon.
You can put reinforcement on expanded clay and pour cement-sand mortar, it will be a wet screed. Or lay a double layer of plywood, OSB or drywall, this is already called a dry floating screed.
Choosing a heater
We figured out how to make the insulation itself, now it remains to find out which floor insulation in a wooden house is more suitable in a given situation. To make it easier for you to understand, I conditionally divided all the materials into 2 large areas:
- Budget, that is, not expensive;
- And what is now called new technologies, respectively, their cost is an order of magnitude higher.
Traditional budget heaters
- Wood sawdust is deservedly considered the patriarch in this direction. It is not difficult to guess that the price for them is cheap, if you try hard, you can even get it for free. But in order for this material to be used as a heater, it must be well prepared. Otherwise, after a couple of months, the sawdust will simply rot.
First of all, remember that sawdust must be aged in a dry place for at least a year, freshly sawn material is not suitable. And in order for the mice not to arrange a hostel in this heater, you need to add slaked lime there.
Since we are talking about self-cooking, then I will take the liberty of giving you the 2 most popular recipes:
- For the floor, the bulk option is best suited. Here, 8 parts of dry sawdust will need to be thoroughly mixed with two parts of dry powder of slaked lime, in stores such lime is called fluff. In principle, the material is ready, now it can be poured into the space between the subfloor and the finishing floor.
Only to achieve the expected effect, in the middle lane of our great motherland, this layer should be at least 150 - 200 mm. And in the northern regions, it can reach up to 300 and even 400 mm;
- It is much easier to work with plates. But these plates will need to be made first. In the composition of the solution, in addition to sawdust, the same fluff is present, and cement is added as a binder. Standard proportion 8/1/1 (sawdust/lime/cement).
Naturally, all this is abundantly wetted and mixed well. When the solution is ready, it is poured into molds and lightly compacted. In the warm season, after about a week, the plates will dry and be ready for use. It is possible to lay the raw mix directly into the floor, but in this case you will not be able to sew up the finish coat, because you will have to wait a couple of weeks until the mortar is completely dry.
- The second number we have is expanded clay. This material is widely used in our country. Expanded clay is a granule of foamed and fired clay. The material is porous, lightweight, strong and durable.
Its only drawback is its hygroscopicity, expanded clay is able to absorb moisture. Hence the conclusion follows, expanded clay needs mandatory installation of waterproofing.
As for the depth of insulation, it is about the same as that of sawdust. To equip the floor in a wooden house, 2 fractions of expanded clay, gravel and sand should be used. So your mound will be more dense;
- But perhaps the most popular floor insulation in the public sector is polystyrene foam. The material is comfortable in almost every way. In the underground, protected from all sides, the foam will lie indefinitely. Where sawdust or expanded clay needs to be covered with a minimum thickness of 150 mm, it is enough to install foam plastic with a thickness of only 50 mm.
This insulation is absolutely indifferent to moisture and waterproofing is installed here only to protect the wood itself. To install it, you only need to cut the slab exactly to the size of the niche, insert it and blow out the gaps with mounting foam.
In a wooden house, rodents are the weak point of the foam embedded in the floor. They really love to build their nests in it and fight it. folk methods almost impossible;
- It would not be fair to miss such a common insulation as mineral wool. You can’t call it really cheap, but there are several inexpensive models in the line. In particular, glass wool and soft mineral wool mats are not expensive.
But to be honest, I don’t recommend them to you, this material quickly caking, mice love it and when wet, it completely loses its qualities. No matter how hard you try, soft cotton wool will have to be changed about once every 10 years.
There are also mineral wool basalt slabs, they are more expensive, but their density and quality are much higher. I recommend that if you install cotton wool, then take only slabs with a thickness of about 100m.
Of all the above budget options for insulation, only sawdust and polystyrene are considered combustible. Expanded clay and cotton wool are the standard of fire safety.
New technologies
- Among the newfangled heaters, extruded polystyrene foam is now breaking all records of popularity. It is a modern derivative of foam, both materials are made from styrene granules, the difference is only in technology.
Extruded polystyrene boards have a closed cell structure. As a result, the material does not pass not only moisture, but even steam. In fact, we are dealing with a good waterproofing agent. Above, I already mentioned that Penoplex can be laid in a screed, this is due to the fantastic strength of extruded polystyrene foam.
If airfields, roads and concrete foundations can be insulated with this material, then there is nothing to say about the strength of a small wooden house. In addition, mice do not particularly favor him either;
- The next number we have is the so-called ecowool. It is approximately 80% cellulose, the remaining 20% are flame retardants and antiseptics. In the production of ecowool is not very expensive, because cellulose is obtained from shredded waste paper.
I think that the high price here is due more to the fact that the material is new. There are two ways to install such a heater. If you are interested in self-assembly, then the cotton wool is simply poured into the floor cells and fluffed up with a construction mixer.
But it is better to order machine blowing. In this case, cotton wool is blown onto any surface, including vertical and overhanging surfaces, with the help of a compressor. Ecowool has one advantage over other modern heaters, if you are sure of the high-quality installation of the rough and finishing floor, then in old houses you can simply make a hole and blow out the entire subfloor with ecowool through it;
- Polyurethane foam pleasure is quite expensive. It is impossible to apply this material on any surface with your own hands; professional equipment and specialists with the appropriate qualifications are needed here.
According to its characteristics, polyurethane foam approaches extruded polystyrene foam, only it will not withstand the screed. The best option here is to foam the floor from below in a wet basement. The fact is that the foam will hermetically close the tree from below, and the warranty period for the operation of such a heater starts from 30 years;
- Penoizol will cost less than polyurethane foam. But for its application also need specialists. Personally, in the case of floor insulation in a wooden house, I don’t see much point in paying for such material. Indeed, in fact, penoizol is the same foam, only in liquid form. Of all the advantages, only quick installation and a sealed continuous coating;
- Finally, I wanted to talk about the so-called isolon. In a nutshell, isolon is polyethylene foam. It can be coated on one or both sides with foil, and also go without a foil coating. But it is difficult to call it an independent floor insulation in a wooden house, most models have a thickness of up to 10 mm.
With such a thickness, isolon can only be used as an auxiliary coating. In particular, it is used in the arrangement of electric floor heating. Or they are sometimes additionally covered with cotton wool. Foil isolon is a good waterproofing agent, and personally, I often mount it instead of the top insulating layer under the finish coat.
Conclusion
Insulating the floor in a wooden house with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. If you choose the right insulation and prepare well, then the floors in a medium-sized house can be equipped in a maximum of a week. In the photo and video in this article, I have placed additional information on the topic of insulation. If you have any questions, write them in the comments, I will try to help.
September 7, 2016If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!
Many people prefer own house apartment. This is no coincidence, it is in the house that you can delimit the living space according to your own project, create an unusual interior, enjoy peace and quiet. But when building or repairing a private house, it is advisable to pay attention to many nuances: floor, foundation, and wall insulation.
A cold floor in winter and autumn increases the cost of heating a house, can cause mold and drafts. In order for the microclimate in the room to be comfortable and healthy, the floor must be insulated.
If a a private house is under construction, it is possible to think over the insulation system in advance in order to live in a warm and dry room in the future. Experts offer several solutions to this issue: dual system floor, "warm floor", carried out from the heating system.
Double floor system
The dual system consists in creating a finishing and rough coating, between which an environmentally friendly insulation is placed: sand, expanded clay, sawdust. When designing a house, one should take into account the height of the insulation structure, purchase finishing and rough materials, insulation.
The first stage of construction is the laying of the beams on which the subfloor will be attached. Cranial bars are nailed to the bearing lags, which will hold the rough coating. Then follows the laying of the rough layer of boards. The material must be at least 40 mm thick. It is important that the boards are tightly fitted to each other, a special groove system for fastening the board will help with this.
After the draft floor is laid, it needs to be insulated. To do this, sand, expanded clay, or other heat-saving materials are placed in the cells between the beams.
Attention: it is not recommended to use sand for floor insulation if the soil or air humidity is too high. Poor ventilation can cause condensation to form, which can lead to mold or mildew.
The next stage of warming - erection of the finishing layer of the floor and installation of the finishing coating. After the insulation is placed in the cells between the beams, the finishing floor is laid. For this purpose, a processed wooden board (pine, spruce, larch, cedar) is used, 40-50 mm thick. A locking or grooving system will make it easier to lay the board and help create a single coating, without cracks or gaps. The finish of the finished floor depends on individual preferences: wood painting, laying laminate, linoleum, carpet, etc.
Batten
Underfloor heating system
If in a wooden house the lower floors are made of concrete slabs, you can use a system to insulate the floor, carried out from gas or steam heating. This system allows you to create an optimal microclimate in the room, reduce humidity and the cost of heating the building.
When installing the system, a polyethylene film is laid on concrete slabs, which protects the insulation from an excess of moisture. Then a layer of insulation (polystyrene, foam plastic) is laid on the film. The layer can have a thickness of 3 to 10 cm. A damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the room, which has a thickness of at least 5 mm and serves as a special “buffer” that keeps the screed from deformation and expansion when heated.
Then a reinforcing mesh is mounted on the insulation, on which the pipe system is laid. Any pipes can be used: metal-plastic, metal, polyethylene, polybutane. poured over pipes concrete screed, not less than 30 mm thick. A topcoat is laid on top of the screed.
This floor heating system ideally distributes heat throughout the room, does not dry out the air, and maintains a healthy microclimate.
There is also a method of laying a warm floor on a wooden base. You can get acquainted with this method by watching the training video tutorial.
Video - How to lay a warm floor on a wooden base
Floor insulation during the repair of a wooden house
If the house is cold, damp, and drafts are walking on the floors, then it's time to think about floor insulation. It is not too difficult to insulate the floors in an already rebuilt house, the main thing is to choose the most high-quality and suitable material for the price.
This type of work is complicated by the fact that the distance from the ground to the floor is too small, which prevents the insulation from being attached to the beams. Because of this shortcoming, the old flooring must be completely dismantled. When removing floorboards and skirting boards, it is recommended to number them so that there is no difficulty or confusion when laying them back. After removing the boards, it is advisable to inspect the transverse beams for rot or other defects and replace the damaged wood with a whole one.
Further cranial planks are attached to each bar from below on the anchor, which will serve as a support for the rough flooring, on which the insulation material will be laid. The rough flooring itself can be made from a floorboard, chipboard, fiberboard.
Further dense polyethylene is laid on the subfloor that protects the insulation from moisture. On polyethylene between the beams insulation is laid. It is impossible for the material to protrude above the beams, it must be several centimeters lower than the edge of the beam. This is necessary so that the material "breathes".
Final stage - finishing board flooring. You can use old, numbered boards if they are in good condition. And you can put a new floor. Depending on the possibilities and personal preferences, the finishing coating is selected.
It is worth knowing that with this method of insulation, several layers of different materials are used, which increases the thickness of the structure by more than 20 cm. You do not need to touch the finish coating in the house, all work is carried out from the basement.
The first stage of work is to inspect the beams for the presence of rot or other damage.. If the wooden parts are well preserved, then to them with a stapler vapor barrier film attached. The film must be fixed under the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe room. It prevents the ingress of moisture and dampness from the floor of the room to the insulation. Then on the edge of the beams cranial planks are nailed on which the draft version of the flooring will be attached.
After the planks are nailed, insulation material is placed between the beams, which is cut directly to the size of the recess. The insulation is fixed with the help of a draft flooring attached to the cranial planks.
If the humidity in the basement is too high, you can place another layer of moisture-proof material between the insulation and the rough flooring.
Thus, it is possible to qualitatively insulate the floor in the house without violating the integrity of the existing floor covering in the room.
Overview of the most high-quality and reliable floor insulation materials
This material has a whole range of advantages: low price, ease of processing, incombustibility, increased heat and sound insulation. Mineral wool is divided into three types: slag, glass and stone. Each type has special characteristics. So, for example, glass mineral wool has an increased vapor permeability and absorbs moisture at high humidity, which leads to a loss of heat-preserving properties. This type of material is used for insulation only with hydro and vapor barrier and membranes.
This type of material is characterized by high environmental and heat-saving properties. This material is 80% cellulose fibers. Ecowool at high humidity can get wet, but after drying, the material completely restores its heat-saving functions.
Ecowool can be purchased in two forms: in the form of pressed plates and in the form of a solution, which is supplied under pressure like mounting foam, filling all the recesses and solidifying. The only drawback of this material is the rather high cost and the need to use special equipment for the liquid version.
Izolon
This modern material suitable for various repair and finishing works. It is considered environmentally friendly, goes well with all building materials, does not absorb moisture, is not subject to mold, rot, corrosion, and is not combustible. Good soundproofing properties with a sufficiently small layer thickness make it indispensable for soundproofing work. An isolon layer of two centimeters is comparable in soundproofing and heat-saving properties to a brick wall.
Penofol
Another modern material that has a number of undeniable advantages. Penofol is a rather thin material consisting of many layers. The top layers are made of thin polished aluminum foil, which is moisture and vapor resistant. Between the foil is a foamed multilayer insulation - polyethylene.
Depending on the application, the thickness of the insulation layer in different variations of the material may be different. Some types of penofol are equipped with one self-adhesive side, which facilitates the installation of insulation during construction and repair work. If penofol is used to insulate the floor, then it is not necessary to lay a steam and moisture-proof film, the foil does an excellent job with this task.
Video - Overview of various types of penofol and its analogues
This material is made from a mixture of cement with sawdust and granules. Also, to create heat and sound insulation properties, chemical additives are present in the material. The components are used to produce boards of various thicknesses. Despite the presence of cement, the material does not have a lot of weight and is perfectly deformed and can be processed during repair work. It is also worth noting the resistance to combustion. The only disadvantage of wood concrete is the ability to absorb moisture, which leads to the loss of heat-saving properties. When installing this insulation, the presence of vapor and moisture resistant membranes is mandatory.
Polystyrene foam under a microscope (200x magnification)
This type of material is known to everyone - it is ordinary foam. Polystyrene has good heat-saving properties, resistance to corrosion, rotting. This material does not decompose, does not contain volatile compounds harmful to health. It is also worth noting light weight, ease of processing, a wide range of sheet sizes and thicknesses.
Polyfoam at high humidity accumulates liquid, which affects its heat-saving properties. That is why when installing this material, additional protection against moisture is needed.
Properly carried out floor insulation in a wooden house significantly changes the indoor climate for the better. The house becomes warmer, more comfortable, moisture and dampness disappear, which spoils things and mood.
The floor is rightfully considered one of the coldest parts of the house. This is especially true for apartments and private houses. As you know, warm air tends to rise, while cold air tends to descend, moreover, drafts often make their way from under the floor covering. Heat loss can be prevented by insulating floors in wooden houses. The warming procedure is especially useful if the house has wooden floors. Over time, the boards, whatever they are, begin to dry out, cold air blows out of the resulting cracks. Such an omission can lead to the loss of 30% of all heat in the house, as a result of which the question arises - how to insulate the floor in a wooden house?
Insulation of floors in a wooden house is carried out according to a fairly simple technology, and in the process of thermal insulation, various heaters are used, the choice of which depends on certain circumstances.
Preparatory work
Before starting the insulation of floors in a wooden house, it is necessary to determine some parameters. So, we need information about the temperature and humidity in the room, as well as calculations of future loads on the floor and, in general, the purpose of the room. You will also need to approximately calculate the height of the thermal insulation layer and the entire structure.
Insulating the floor with your own hands is quite simple, the technology is quite easy and does not require a large investment of time. Thermal insulation of the floor is divided into the following layers: thermal insulation itself - vapor barrier - floor covering. The floor is insulated in a certain order, familiar in a wooden house.
First, wooden logs are laid. At the bottom of the log, boards or shields made of wood are fixed, these components will play the role of an additional base on which the insulation will be laid out. A heater is placed between the lags.
The material should be laid close, and possible gaps between the lags and layers of insulation should be sealed with foam or sealant. A layer of vapor barrier is placed on the laid out layer of insulation in the same way.
It is attached directly to the lags, and the joints and gaps can be glued with metallized tape.
The last step will be installation. When planning thermal insulation, it is necessary to first determine the required thickness, which is selected according to climatic conditions, as well as the type of insulation.
How to choose the right material
Can be carried out with the help of different materials, which are also often used for insulating finishes on walls and roofs.
Such materials are:
- Mineral wool of various types (glass, stone, slag);
- Ecowool, polyurethane foam insulation;
- Polystyrene, penofol, isolon.
Materials known since ancient times can also be used: sawdust, polystyrene foam or expanded clay. Choosing a floor insulation should be based on humidity, the purpose of the room, as well as on personal tastes and financial capabilities. In a wooden house, the possibility of waterproofing and resistance to insects should be additionally noted.
Wood insulation along the lags
Most often, for the thermal insulation of a wooden floor, the method of insulation along the logs is used. It is quite simple, but at the same time effective, as it allows you to avoid large heat losses. This method is most relevant when insulating a floor located close to the ground.
The technology is produced in stages. First of all, we install logs made of wood with a T-shaped cut into a log house, or put them on the foundation, observing a step from 0.6 to 1 meter. We fasten boards or wooden shields under the lags - insulation will be placed on them. Next, we lay hydro and vapor barrier, but only in the case of using a certain insulation (mineral or ecowool).
Vapor barrier sheets are laid with an overlap of 100-150 mm, and the edges must be bent to a height of up to 100 mm. Both special materials and ordinary polyethylene film can become a vapor barrier. At the end, we install the floor boards and finish the coating.
You can insulate the floor in a wooden house with the help of logs placed on brick columns. Logs are mounted on a brick pole through a wooden layer. A floor insulation is placed between the lags, which is immediately protected by a vapor barrier material.
The main argument when choosing thermal insulation in a wooden house along the logs is the simplicity of this method, as well as its high efficiency.
Using this insulation method, we do not subject the insulation to mechanical stress, so any heat-insulating structure is suitable as a material.
sawdust insulation
Floor insulation with sawdust is one of the most profitable ways of insulation.
The main advantages of sawdust as a type of insulation are:
- Low cost (compared to other materials);
- Ease of installation (sawdust is poured into the required place), thanks to which even the most inaccessible place can be insulated;
- Ecological purity of the material, as a result of the wood origin of materials.
Insulation can be not only sawdust in their pure form, but also building materials that include them in their composition. Wood blocks - made from sawdust, blue vitriol and cement, this material is cheap and effective, but is more often used for wall insulation.
Wood blocks.
Sawdust granules (pellets) - insulation in the form of granules, which consists of sawdust, antiseptic and glue. Thanks to these components, the insulation not only stores heat well, but is also resistant to fire, sawdust concrete is a mixture of sand, sawdust, cement and water. In terms of thermal conductivity, it is comparable to slag concrete, but more environmentally friendly. The presence of sawdust in the composition requires good waterproofing before installing sawdust concrete.
Arbolit - cement mixed with organic aggregates (wood chips) and chemical impurities. Arbolite slabs have high rates of noise and heat insulation, and are also fire resistant, easy to process and bend.
Before using wood concrete, it will be useful to check the waterproofing, because the plates made of this material are very unstable against moisture. Despite the abundance of materials from sawdust, floor insulation is most often made with sawdust in its pure form, especially in a wooden house.
The use of mineral wool
Mineral wool rightfully bears the title of the most popular insulation. Cotton wool is slag, glass and stone. The most important advantage of this heater is its fire safety. Mineral wool is also famous for its resistance to chemical and biological destroyers, and also has good insulating performance.
Mineral wool.
Minuses of mineral wool can be called its low strength and poor vapor permeability. The material perfectly absorbs moisture from the air, losing its properties of a heat-insulating agent. That is why when using cotton wool, special attention is paid to isolation from steam. Mineral wool is not included in the list of materials safe for humans, so it must be used very carefully.
Cotton wool is produced in tiles or in the form of a plastic mat. The hard board is made from hydrophobized mineral wool and the harder side is indicated by a blue stripe. During installation, the hard side must be facing up. Solid floor insulation is mainly used for thermal insulation of the floor in a wooden house and is placed in one layer.
Rockwool also has good soundproofing properties.
Mineral wool-based floor heaters - Izovol and Rockwool - are also very popular. Izovol has a low thermal conductivity, and its hydrophobic properties are much higher than in ordinary cotton wool. Izovol is also a biologically, chemically and fire resistant material, which makes floor insulation in a wooden house an excellent opportunity to make a video about the process, everything is so simple and easy.
Rockwool - basalt insulation based on mineral wool. hallmark rockwool is its high resistance to physical stress, due to which the material is not deformed during installation and operation. Due to the porous structure, Rockwool also perfectly absorbs sounds, so it can also be a soundproofing layer.
Penofol in isolation
Penofol - pretty new material in the insulation market, and therefore has not yet gained popularity. Penofol is roll material, having several layers, consisting of a heater and a reflective layer (foil). Any material can be used as an insulating layer, but it is preferable to use light-transmitting materials (polyethylene foam).
The classic Penofol, which was invented by the Russians, is a polyethylene foam that is thermally bonded to the foil. But this option is not suitable for all the nuances of construction, so now you can find a large number of varieties of penofol. As an insulating layer, different floor heaters can be used, which allows you to get an improved version of Penofol.
The classic version of Penofol has a high density, therefore it is suitable for insulating the floors of a wooden house with a high level of load. The insulation is universal, and can be used for the main heat, hydro and vapor barrier, as well as an auxiliary insulating layer.
Penofol can also have both one- and two-sided foiling. Penofol-2000, which can be found on the market in one- and two-sided versions, repeats the classic version of Penofol in everything, but at the same time it is cheaper.
There is also Penofol type C, which means self-adhesive. This insulation has several layers: sewn polyethylene foam, on one side of which aluminum foil is welded, and on the other side, waterproof glue with an anti-adhesive coating is applied. Thanks to the adhesive, the insulation is easily attached to almost any surface, which makes it a great way to insulate the floor in a wooden house.
Gluing joints.
Due to the small thickness and foil, the installation of Penofol is easy and fairly fast. The material is placed on the floor surface with an overlap or end-to-end, and the resulting joints are glued with metallized adhesive tape. When using Penofol, you can forget about the presence of hydro and vapor barrier, since this function is performed by foil.
Use of polystyrene
Expanded polystyrene (polystyrene) is also among the leaders in thermal insulation. This popularity is due huge amount pros and a minimum of cons.
Polyfoam has low heat-conducting qualities and is practically vapor-tight, durable and fire-resistant. Styrofoam never molds and does not attract rodents. The cellular structure extends the life of the foam and makes it more effective as a heat-insulating material.
Among the shortcomings of the foam, high moisture absorption can be noted, so attention should be paid to the organization of vapor and waterproofing.
Benefits of using ecowool
Ecowool is a natural insulation, consisting of 80% waste paper and 20% natural additives. It is a mixture of cellulose fibers with boric acid and lignin. Such a composition ensures the environmental friendliness of the material, and therefore safety for the human body.
Ecowool insulation process.
Ecowool is characterized by low thermal conductivity, fire resistance and the fact that if it gets wet, it is worth drying the material, and the thermal insulation properties will be restored. At the same time, ecowool is more expensive than most heaters, but with its use, there will be no repeated question of how to properly insulate a house, including its wooden floor.
New - Isolon
A new type of heat-insulating material was named Izolon. It is made from foamed polyethylene and has a number of advantages over competitors.
Izolon has a small thickness (from 2 to 10 mm.), Which ensures ease of installation, but despite the thickness, 1 mm Izolon corresponds to a brick wall in terms of thermal conductivity, and also looks like from a beautiful photo.
Isolon does not absorb moisture, and also acts as a vapor and water insulator. Isolon is also environmentally friendly, so it can be used in any room, both as a main and auxiliary insulator. Isolon, to all its advantages, also absorbs noise, so it can also act as a sound insulator. There are many materials for thermal insulation available on the market. They vary in cost, installation method, size and properties. before purchasing, it is worth considering all the steps, planning the progress of work, and only then acquiring the material.
But, despite the choice of material, wooden floor insulation is very important and will help keep the house warm, and after reading this material, you should have no questions about how to properly insulate the floor in a wooden house.
Construction success country house largely depends on the ability to properly plan everything necessary work. Including highlighting important, urgent, cases and cases that can wait, they generally appear as - "the final decision is postponed until the infrastructure is ready."
This is such a postponed matter and it may turn out to be a solution to the question of how to insulate a wooden floor in a private house. Warming requires a very serious and separate approach.
If you have already left the task of warming for later
As a matter of fact, insulation, as a stage of work, must necessarily be in the plan from the very beginning, and such works as:
- installation of double-glazed windows and putting in order and insulation of slopes;
- installation of a general heating system - pipes and radiators;
- wall insulation - should be very carefully spelled out in the plan from the very beginning.
Moreover, the organization of the so-called warm floors with the help of electricity or pipes from the general heating system requires a separate discussion - they say, the use of active methods of permanent floor heating. But if you decide to organize a passive one, you will be preparing for further work.
Floor insulation materials
Many materials have been developed that will successfully solve the problem of how to insulate the floor in a wooden house:
- Firstly, mineral wool is at your disposal. Possessing great heat and sound insulation, resistance to fire (and some types even resist it), this material has rightfully earned universal recognition and considerable prevalence.
The pluses include moisture resistance and the ability to retain their properties for a long time.
Let's not forget about such a great opportunity as the widest choice of mineral wool options, depending on the density, filler, type and country of origin, after all. But it must be borne in mind that working with mineral wool requires an increased attitude to the sanitation of the workplace.
The material itself, after several unpleasant years of misunderstanding for it, was “rehabilitated” by medicine - now it is not at all considered the “inspirer” of a carcinogen, but an urgent requirement from the seller of an official sanitary certificate for the purchased mineral wool is vital.
- Secondly, you can use the well-known glass wool for a long time.. Everything that is said about mineral wool, both positive and negative, can be safely attributed to glass wool.
It will perfectly add those 20% of the heat that the uninsulated floor takes from the room, but the sanitary standards for laying glass wool are even more stringent.
- Thirdly, let's not forget about. Here we mention this method of insulation only "for the love of the art of insulation" - how often it is used on walls, how rarely - on floors.
The fact is that the specific gravity of insulating plaster is 1.5-2 times higher than normal and 5-7 times higher than the same dense glass wool, and these are increased loads on the floor and foundation of the building.
So tearing into the construction of polymers
- Fourthly, there is a large class of insulating materials that you can successfully lay with your own hands - polymer. Of these, first of all, it is worth paying attention to polystyrene foam.
Its distinguishing feature is that it can be used on any surface and even on underfloor heating.
High thermal insulation, long service life, availability and low price are the main advantages of expanded polystyrene. The usual floor structure using this material is a layer of expanded polystyrene, a reinforcing mesh on top and, finally, a concrete screed above.
- Fifthly, a relative of expanded polystyrene is penoplex. He, but in addition, increased noise insulation and the ability to use between lags.
- Sixth, polyurethane foam. This polymeric material is applied by spraying, which guarantees the filling of the most "hidden" areas, the absence of seams and the high speed of work - in a working day, a team of craftsmen can finish a floor the size of one side of a volleyball court (10 by 10 meters).
In addition, the spray layer is very small (no more than 10 cm), but it has no equal in terms of moisture resistance, it is very resistant to temperature extremes.
- Seventh, let's not forget about the usual particle boards (DVP). The use of high-quality, mandatory, certified fiberboard provides quite acceptable thermal insulation with the active use of other traditional means of insulation in the room.
- Eighth, of course, expanded clay. Often this material is used as an additive to concrete, but may well be suitable as a separate layer. The effect of insulation is quite acceptable, if you do not forget to lay a special fixing mesh on top of the expanded clay layer, and add an additive to the concrete that protects the concrete from cracking.
Expanded clay - structure close up
The traditional ideal structure of an insulated floor
The photo below shows the structure of the insulated floor, which you should strive for, no matter what material you use.
- 1 - the lower thin layer of insulation (perhaps just a mesh), on which the main material is already located between the lags (not indicated).
- 2 - transverse, their width determines the width of the insulation boards. Choose the width of the plates a little more so that they enter between the lags under light pressure on the sides.
- 3 - vapor barrier film. A must-have layer that you can't forget about.
- 4 - panels of the main floor.
- 5 - a thin layer recommended for laying under warm linoleum.
- 6 - warm linoleum.
- 7 - logs, as the basis of the entire floor structure.
Sanitary standards
The choice of one or another material for floor insulation may be limited by sanitary requirements, which are as follows:
- The material must be resistant to temperature changes, it is unacceptable to change its structure at elevated temperatures. This disadvantage can be found in some types of mineral wool with a synthetic binder filler.
- The material must be non-flammable. Closely, in this regard, consider the possibility of using mineral and glass wool with special additives, even "extinguishing" the fire.
- In any case, under the influence of fire, the material must not emit toxic gases. Pay special attention to this when choosing polymers.
Glass wool requires very careful handling - personal protective equipment is indispensable here, but the insulation turns out to be ideal, of course, if everything is done with the utmost care
Useful advice!
When purchasing any building materials be sure to require sellers and suppliers to have health certification certificates.
All any well-known firms that value their name in the market must provide such certificates.
In fact, they are the only ones worth dealing with.
A special question arises when purchasing cotton wool.
Even if its anti-allergenicity is confirmed by a certificate, a thorough check “on oneself” is fundamentally necessary - the allergy is dangerous because they talk a lot about it and seem to know a lot, but practice always turns everything upside down.
Be sure to “test” cotton wool “on yourself”, stay with it for a day or two indoors.
Only in this way will you understand the expediency of its use and the price of this “anti-allergenicity”.
conclusions
Treat the choice of material for floor insulation very scrupulously. You will have enough time from the start of construction to explore the market and its offers. Instructions for the use of each material for the period of construction should become your "handbook". Only a careful and attentive approach will ensure the success of the whole business.
In the presented video in this article you will find additional information on this topic.
Additional floor insulation in a wooden house will reduce heat loss and thereby reduce heating costs. Despite the fact that wooden floors have low thermal conductivity, heat leakage can occur due to the high temperature difference in the basement and on the ground floor. In this article we will tell you what material is better to use for thermal insulation of the first and second floors in a private house with a wooden base.
Features of thermal insulation
How to insulate the floor in a wooden house? The process of installing thermal insulation is relatively simple. However, the quality of work is largely determined by technical features coatings used for insulation. Before purchasing material for sheathing a rough base, you need to consider several important nuances:
- the expected load on the coating;
- humidity level;
- temperature loads;
- height of thermal insulation.
The base insulation technology itself is simple and consists of several stages:
- lag installation;
- fixing from below on the logs of wooden sheets;
- installation of insulation on the logs;
- covering the base with vapor barrier material;
- finishing of the rough base.
When planning work, it is very important to take into account the microclimate in the room. For insulation of the first and second floors, various heat insulators are used, as it should be. Moreover, the technological process of insulation also has some differences, which we will talk about a little later.
Optimum heat insulators
What is the best material to use for do-it-yourself rough finish? For insulation of wooden floors, both natural and synthetic thermal insulators are used. The most requested of them include:
- sawdust;
- Expanded clay;
- mineral wool;
- Izolon;
- Styrofoam;
- Penofol.
Each material has its own technological features and thermal insulation parameters. To understand their disadvantages and advantages, consider all of the above heat insulators in more detail.
Thermal insulation with sawdust
Insulation with sawdust is one of the most budgetary options for thermal insulation of wooden floors. The environmentally friendly material is quite light, so it can be used to isolate interfloor floors. The thickness of the heat insulator layer can be easily varied due to its flowability. Thus, it is possible to regulate the level of heat loss in the room.
When finishing the base with sawdust, the following types of chipboard coatings can be used:
- Blocks of pressed sawdust. The material is produced from copper sulphate, sawdust and dry cement. As a rule, it is laid between the lags when insulating the first floor. Lightweight blocks of small thickness - up to 15 mm, can be used for wall cladding;
- Pellets with sawdust. Granular bulk material is made from sawdust treated with an antiseptic and glue. It is possible to insulate interfloor floors with hard-to-burn sawdust, since they do not create a large static load due to their low weight;
- Arbolit. In this case, the base material is mixed with synthetic and organic additives, after which it is molded into blocks. The non-combustible thermal insulator has high bending strength, while it is hygroscopic. Therefore, in the process of laying it is necessary to use waterproofing layers;
- sawdust concrete. Outwardly, blocks with sawdust resemble cinder blocks. They are made from a mixture of wood chip granules, cement and sand. Suitable only for thermal insulation of the first floor of the house.
Insulation of the floor along the logs with sawdust in any case involves the use of a waterproofing layer. Hygroscopic material is a good environment for the development of mold and pathogenic flora, therefore, during the operation of the coating, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of moisture ingress.
Thermal insulation with expanded clay
Expanded clay is a granular insulation with good sound and heat insulation. Why is it worth insulating the bases with expanded clay? The heat insulator has considerable advantages, which include:
- environmental friendliness;
- frost resistance;
- strength;
- low thermal conductivity;
- incombustibility.
When finishing the coating with expanded clay with your own hands, you need to take into account the low level of hydrophobicity. The material quickly absorbs moisture, although it does not deform at the same time. However, expanded clay insulation is fraught with the formation of mold under the floor. Therefore, in the process of laying it, it is necessary to think about additional waterproofing.
How to make thermal insulation with expanded clay?
- Before expanded clay, lay a layer of waterproofing on the base. It can be a plastic film or roofing material;
- The layer thickness should vary from 10 to 50 mm, no more;
- As can be seen in the photo, a vapor barrier is placed on top of the insulation;
- As a vapor barrier, coatings with a foil layer can be used. The best option would be Penofol.
If you want to insulate the plank floor with expanded clay with your own hands, under which the basement is located, it is advisable to pour a layer of sand from below. Thanks to him, condensate will not collect under the floor, which will significantly reduce the risk of mold or fungus.
Thermal insulation with mineral wool
Is it possible to insulate a wooden base along the logs with mineral wool? An environmentally friendly thermal insulator is made from fibers obtained from glass containers and slags. The advantages of finishing the rough base with mineral wool include:
- ease of installation;
- low cost;
- light weight;
- environmental friendliness;
- mold resistance;
- good thermal insulation.
However, in the case of processing the floor along the lags with mineral wool, several negative points, namely:
- Upon contact with water, the coating, insulated with mineral wool, loses its thermal insulation qualities;
- It is not recommended to use material for sheathing the second floor due to low vapor permeability;
- It is not advisable to insulate rooms with a high static load with mineral wool due to their low strength.
What is the work plan?
- Foundation preparation. From below, you need to mount a plank floor treated with an antiseptic;
- Waterproofing. It is necessary to make additional waterproofing using a plastic film, first clean up the house;
- Lining with mineral wool. In the process of laying, it is necessary to ensure that the layers of material are laid along the logs very tightly to each other;
- Installation of vapor barrier. It is better to make high-quality vapor barrier with Penofol;
- The final stage. At this stage, the installation of the finish coating is carried out.
The thickness of the mineral wool is determined by the microclimate in the room. If there is a basement below the room, the material can be laid in two layers.
Thermal insulation with ecowool
Why is it better to make thermal insulation with ecowool? 100% natural coating has good technical parameters and relatively low cost. It is made from cellulose and mineral additives, so even when heated, the ecowool coating does not emit caustic chemicals. The product impregnated with boric acid is practically invulnerable to fungus and mold.
What are the advantages of this type of insulation?
- Good heat and sound insulation;
- fire safety;
- environmental friendliness;
- Low thermal conductivity.
As you can see in the photo, finishing the rough base along the logs with ecowool can be done in two ways:
- Manual. In this case, finishing with ecowool involves the installation of insulation along the logs on the shields attached from below. To prevent heat loss, the joints are treated with mounting foam;
- Mechanical. To finish the base with ecowool, blowing machines are used: through a special hose, loose insulation is evenly distributed over the coating. In this case, the layer thickness should be at least 3-4 mm.
The process of thermal insulation of floors with ecowool is shown in more detail in the video clip.
Thanks to the glue that is part of the thermal insulator, it can be used to insulate not only the floor base, but also the walls. It is also worth noting that it is convenient to insulate with ecowool not only the first floor of the house, but also the interfloor floors. The vapor-permeable coating does not contribute to the accumulation of condensate and the development of mold.
Isolon insulation
Hermetic sealing of seams between sheets of foil Izolon
How to correctly carry out thermal insulation along the lags with isolon? The heat insulator made of foamed polyethylene has low thermal conductivity. Due to this quality, it has recently been used for insulation floor coverings. What are the benefits of Isolon?
- Small thickness (2-10 mm);
- Low thermal conductivity;
- High hydrophobicity;
- Environmental Safety.
As can be seen from the photo, the material is produced in rolls, which greatly facilitates the process of installation by one's own hands. When insulating a wooden floor with Izolon, you need to take into account the following points:
- The coating has good sound insulation, therefore, when laying it, it is not necessary to use additional soundproofing layers;
- To reduce heat loss in the room, when laying Izolon with your own hands, the material is not joined, but overlapped;
- The seams between adjacent sheets are treated with polymer glue or bituminous mastic.
Thermal insulation work can be seen in the photo below.
Insulation with Penofol
Is it possible to insulate wooden floors with penofol? Penofol is a new generation insulating coating, produced in the form of a roll. To be more precise, Penofol makes shielding that prevents the dispersion of radiant energy. Lightweight and easy to use, the insulation has a reflective layer that prevents large heat loss. That is why it began to be used everywhere for finishing interfloor ceilings.
What are the benefits of Penofol?
- withstands heavy loads;
- non-hygroscopic;
- has low thermal conductivity;
- easy to fit;
- does not require the use of vapor barrier.
Note. The technology of warming bases with Penofol is not much different from isolation with Izolon. As in the previous version, the sheets are overlapped to prevent heat loss.
Features of isolation by lags
How to properly insulate the draft base along the lags? In the process of laying the thermal insulator, the following scheme must be observed:
- The draft base is lined with boards, which must be attached to the logs;
- To prevent moisture from entering under the coating, a layer of vapor barrier is laid;
- Then the base is insulated with expanded polystyrene, mineral wool or other materials.
If it is necessary to make high-quality thermal insulation of a room above a non-residential and unheated room, then it is better to use mineral wool with a thickness of more than 40 mm as a heater. In this case, the "pie" obtained from the vapor barrier and mineral wool will keep the heat in the room, preventing heat exchange between the cold basement and the first floor.