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Recommendations for insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with mineral wool. Cold attic: instructions for insulation Technology of insulating the attic floor of a cold attic

When installing the roof of a private house, a space is formed between the roof and ceiling floors of the room, which is called the attic. It can be used as a storage room or arranged there living room or office. In any case, it is worth paying attention to the insulation of the attic space in order to avoid heat loss and the safety of the wooden roofing.

Useful insulation

In practice, no construction innovation in the field of insulation can compete with mineral wool, which has already been proven over the years, which is ideal for insulation country house. Due to the fact that mineral wool is made from hard rocks, its abilities reflect thermal insulation properties stone Meter thickness stone walls replaced brickwork, . It has the following characteristics:

• thermal insulation;
• sound insulation;
• fire resistance;
• vapor permeability;
• environmental friendliness.

The thermal insulation coefficient of insulation is 0.038–0.045 W/Km, which is a rather low figure. So protective layer mineral wool 100 mm thick can be compared in thermal insulation with brickwork thickness 1170 mm. In this case, the sound insulation coefficient is 0.95 with a maximum value of 1.

Insulation of housing with fiber insulation meets all requirements fire safety, since it does not burn at all and can withstand high temperatures.

For wooden house A very important indicator is the vapor permeability of the insulating material.

In this case, you cannot do without mineral wool. It has good vapor permeability and is used for installation of ventilated facades. And the last property of cotton wool is its environmental friendliness: the materials used in production do not have a harmful effect on humans and the environment.

If you plan to install mineral wool in the attic, then before starting work you need to decide on its type (glass wool, mineral wool, basalt slabs), the density of the material (varies from 30 to 200 kg/m3) and the required quantity.

All this must meet the requirements for attic insulation.

Nuances for work

The floor in the attic is also the ceiling of the house, through which heat is lost from the room. Moisture from the warm air below constantly penetrates into the attic and affects negative impact on fiber insulation.

When wet, it loses its thermal insulation properties, and with prolonged exposure to moisture it quickly collapses. Negative influence moisture is also noted on structural elements roofs. Condensed water on the inside surface of the roof flows onto the rafters and beams. This leads to the destruction of supporting structures.

For guard mineral wool And internal surfaces roofs against water vapor use a vapor barrier made of moisture-proof material. It is laid between the ceiling and the insulation. It is important that the integrity of the waterproofing is not compromised.

To avoid further formation and accumulation of moisture in the attic, you need to properly organize ventilation. It is arranged through vents placed on the ridges and cornices, as well as through slotted and dormer windows. Ventilation will be quite intense if the ratio of the sum of the areas of the ventilation openings is from 0.2 to 0.5% of the attic area.

Isolation process

Working with insulating wool requires compliance with safety rules and the use of special PPE. If attic space will not be used as a living room, then it must be made ventilated. Before you start insulating with mineral wool, you need to install ventilation gutters. They are attached under the roof with brackets to the roof frame.

If insulation is carried out roll material, then laying a vapor barrier is not necessary, since the cotton wool is in a polyethylene cover. The mineral wool strips should be laid tightly and the edges taped.

In the case of using slabs, insulation is carried out on a previously laid waterproofing coating.

You need to start insulating with cotton wool from the point farthest from the door, gradually moving towards the exit. If obstacles arise, the canvas or sheet must be cut, and in the next part of the insulation a cutout should be made in the shape of the obstacle. It cuts perfectly with a utility knife. If gaps appear, they need to be insulated with leftover material and scraps. Try not to be zealous when compacting and bending the mineral wool, as this will negatively affect its heat-insulating ability.

If lighting fixtures are installed in the attic floors, they must be covered with special caps. Although the cotton wool does not burn, the device heats up during operation, and conditions may be created for the wooden floor to catch fire. Next, all that remains is to cover the thermal insulation by installing the floor in the attic. It can be plywood, plasterboard, chipboard or OSB board.

Arrangement of the attic

Roof finished attic looks like a layer cake. The outer covering is roofing material, designed to protect the house from precipitation. From the point of view of thermal insulation, it does not provide any effect. The upper waterproofing barrier is roofing material or a special film that is capable of retaining water, but is vapor permeable. It is laid in such a way that water flows through it to the outside. Next comes a layer of insulation, which forms a thermal insulation barrier.

The vapor barrier is designed to completely protect the installed insulation layer from moisture and steam. This polyethylene film truly completely steam and waterproof. Everything ends decorative coating to provide aesthetic appeal and protection from mechanical damage.

The greatest difficulty in insulating an attic space is installing a waterproofing layer on the insulation complex shape. The difficulty lies in bypassing all the load-bearing elements of the roof and organizing its exit under the roof to discharge water. It is very important here to maintain the integrity of the layer. The joints and fastening points must be taped, and secured between the rafters with staples or vertically nailed slats.

The insulation is placed tightly between the rafters and, together with the hydrobarrier, is secured with slats, which will later serve as a support for the finishing. It is recommended to insulate with mineral wool formed into sheets or slabs, since it is more resistant to caking and shedding during operation compared to rolled wool.

Final finishing

As a material for final finishing any attic can serve sheet material, capable of protecting the insulation from damage. The most commonly used are plasterboard, chipboard or OSB boards, and wooden lining or plastic.

Installation is carried out on slats that secure the thermal insulation to the roof. You can dial a separate metal carcass from profiles, but this will require additional space in the attic, and will once again compromise the tightness of the waterproofing.

Properly installed attic insulation will not only help conserve heat, but will also protect roofing and ceiling elements from premature aging.

Insulating the roof from the inside is a mandatory measure, even if the attic space is not used as an additional room. Thermal insulation of the attic reduces heat loss - the heating does not work to warm the environment.

Insulation options are quite simple and do not require special qualifications from the performer. That's why thermal insulation work you can do it yourself. The main thing is to choose optimal type insulation and follow the technological process.

The need to insulate the attic of a house

Comfort and coziness in any living space largely depend on the feeling of warmth. Maintenance optimal temperature With minimum consumption for heating - important point maintenance of a private house. In order to minimize the heat loss of a living space, at the stage of building a house it is necessary to insulate not only the walls, but also the ceiling between the attic and top floor. However, insulation of a cold attic can also be done in an already used house.

Attic insulation prevents condensation from forming on the ceiling in living rooms. As you know, the humidity content in a warm room is higher than in a cold one. In case of insufficient insulation attic space warm air, in contact with the ceiling, forms condensation. Over time, moisture will accumulate on the ceiling and floor joints, and mold may form.

Basic requirements for roof insulation

Used as insulation various materials. Choosing the right one will not be difficult - construction market filled with similar heat insulators. It is important that the insulation meets the following technical characteristics:

Insulating the attic: mandatory preparatory measures

The procedure for arranging the thermal insulation layer depends on the selected material. However, in any case, before insulating the attic, a number of mandatory measures should be taken:

Technical and operational features of thermal insulation materials for the attic

Earlier rural houses insulated with natural materials. Hay, straw, shavings, sawdust or dry leaves were laid out on the floor of the attic. Mice lived in such heat insulators. In addition, the materials could catch fire if the chimney was overheated. Subsequently, natural insulation materials were replaced with roofing felt, expanded clay and glass wool.

Modern thermal insulators are selected taking into account the functional use of the attic, technical parameters material and climatic conditions region.

Let's look at the technical characteristics and installation features of the most common attic insulation materials.

Insulating the attic with mineral wool

Glass wool and mineral wool mats absorb water well, but the material is highly permeable to steam. Considering the structure of the heat insulator, it is necessary to protect it with a hydro- and insulating layer.

Characteristics of mineral wool:

• non-flammable material - does not melt even at a temperature of +1000°C;
• resistance to biological influences - microorganisms do not develop in mineral wool;
• low thermal conductivity;
• the material is produced in the form of rolls and mats;
• mineral wool is high in weight and increases the load on the load-bearing elements of the structure - before insulation, you need to make sure that the roof is reliable or provide for the use of insulation at the design stage of the house.

The recommended layer of mineral wool for insulating an attic is 20-25 cm. The insulation is placed between the rafters. This material requires ventilation gap(minimum 3 cm) and vapor barrier from the attic space.

Important! Getting mineral wool wet has a negative effect on the thermal properties of the material.

Insulating the attic with expanded clay

Expanded clay is the easiest way to insulate an attic floor. This option is usually used for concrete foundations, because wooden structures may not withstand the heavy weight of the insulator. Expanded clay is environmentally friendly, fireproof, moisture resistant and durable. The material withstands temperature fluctuations. The disadvantage of insulation is the difficulty of using it on an inclined surface.

Insulation of a cold attic with expanded clay is carried out according to the standard scheme:

• the first layer is a vapor barrier;
• the second layer is a mound of expanded clay (15-60 cm); insulation granules are poured into the created “frame”;
• third layer - wind insulation;
• fourth layer - flooring chipboard sheets, wooden floor.

To insulate the attic, a layer of expanded clay on top can be filled with a cement screed of dense consistency.

Insulating the attic with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam

Polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are economical types of insulation, produced in the form of compressed slabs of foam granules. Thermoplastic is 98% air and 2% polystyrene. The strength of expanded polystyrene is higher than that of polystyrene foam.

Advantages of polystyrene foam:

• resistance to fungi, rotting;
• low weight of material;
• ease of processing and installation.

The disadvantages of polystyrene foam include:

• the presence of cold bridges - polystyrene foam is a rigid material and it is difficult to lay it hermetically end-to-end with the rafters;
• if it leaks or gets wet, the insulation may fail;
• flammability of the material - during combustion, harmful toxic substances are released.

Polystyrene foam is used to insulate attic ceilings. The heat insulator is placed between the rafters, adjusting the dimensions of the slabs to the width of the openings. WITH inside Be sure to use a vapor barrier. Protective film fastened to the rafters with a stapler. Individual pieces of the vapor barrier are laid overlapping and secured with tape.

It is advisable to use between rafters external waterproofing. In this case, be sure to leave a ventilation gap.

Insulating the attic with polyurethane foam

Spraying polyurethane foam provides sufficient vapor barrier. The resulting layer is not afraid of water; thermal insulation foam seals all joints and cavities.

Polyurethane foam has a low thermal conductivity coefficient, so the thickness of the insulation can be no more than 12 cm. As a rule, spraying is carried out between the rafters on the sheathing.

The use of polyurethane foam has a number of advantages:

• simplicity and ease of application of heat insulation;
• formation of a monolithic insulating layer without joints and seams;
• suitable for different materials floors: brick, metal, wood, concrete;
• reliable protection of the house and attic from condensation;
• low thermal conductivity allows you to use a small layer of insulation, which allows you to save usable area attic.

The disadvantage of the material is its high cost. However, most experts agree that the price of polyurethane foam subsequently pays off long term operation and savings on vapor barrier materials.

Insulating an attic in a private house: step-by-step instructions

To insulate the attic with mineral wool, you should prepare following materials and tools:

• mineral wool;
• mounting stapler and staples;
• polyurethane foam;
• construction knife and tape;
• waterproofing film;
• facilities personal protection for hands and eyes;
• glue for mineral wool.

Preliminary activities:

• measure the insulated area - multiply the width of the surface by the length;
• determine the number of layers of mineral wool - for middle zone The RF insulation layer in the attic should be at least 20 cm;
• empty the attic of unnecessary items, remove debris and cobwebs;
• provide good lighting and lift the necessary tools/materials to the attic;
• cover the floor joists with sheets of plywood - for ease of work.

The procedure for insulating with mineral wool:

1. Installation ventilation ducts performed in a cold attic. Special ventilation gutters are fixed under the roof with brackets. If the attic space is to be converted into a living room, then there is no need to install such gutters.
2. Arrangement of waterproofing that will protect mineral wool from moisture. On truss structure stretch the film, leaving small overlaps. Secure the film waterproofing with a mounting stapler.
3. Placement of mineral wool. Laying is done from bottom to top:
   • Apply glue to the mineral wool slab on one side;
   • press the canvas between the rafters;
   • fix the insulation with screws or nails;
   • using the described technology, place the second layer in a checkerboard pattern relative to the first - this will reduce heat loss;
   • insulate ventilation shafts and communications in the attic.
4. Installation of vapor barrier. Using a stapler, fix the film on the mineral wool slabs. Tape the joints to ensure complete tightness.
5. Arrangement of sheathing under finishing. The frame is mounted flush with the rafter system. Subsequently, sheets of plasterboard or OSB boards will be attached to the sheathing.
6. Insulation of the attic floor is carried out by analogy with the described technology for insulating roof slopes. First, logs are installed on the floor to hold the entire thermal insulation structure.

How to insulate without access to the attic

If there is no access to a cold attic, then insulation is carried out from inside the living space. In this case, you will have to reduce the ceiling height.

Warming sequence:

1. Using adhesive-sealant, the vapor barrier membrane is fixed to the ceiling.
2. Set up under the ceiling wooden sheathing- slats are attached in increments of 50 cm.
3. Insulation (mineral wool, foam plastic) is installed between the slats.
4. A second layer of vapor-tight membrane is fixed.

After arranging the rough insulated ceiling, it is mounted decorative ceiling from plasterboard, PVC panels or tension fabric.

For comfortable operation of the building, it is necessary that the attic floor be well insulated to prevent a decrease in temperature ceiling surface below the dew point. Otherwise, moisture spots will certainly appear on the ceiling and walls, which will only worsen appearance rooms, but will also cause mold growth and the development of fungi, which are difficult to get rid of. Therefore, increased demands are placed on the thermal protection of the attic floor.

In accordance with the standards, the heat transfer resistance for the attic floor must be no less than the following value: Ro = 4.15 m 2 °C/W. The attic floor of a country house is insulated with slabs of mineral (basalt) or glass wool. Insulation boards must be laid in the spaces between ceiling beams or on floor slabs. Mineral wool is laid on a vapor barrier layer or on a plastic film.

Foil heat insulating material Place shiny side down. The space between the beams is filled with a layer of heat-insulating material. To reduce heat loss through cold bridges, another layer of thermal insulation is laid on top of the beams.

To reduce heat loss from lightweight fiber insulation due to drafts, it is protected with vapor-permeable windproof material. The use of such material makes it possible to increase thermal protection overlap the attic and protect the insulation from getting wet if drops of moisture get on it (if the roof is damaged or leaks).

From the eaves, the insulation layer should also be protected from the wind by high-density mineral wool slabs or boards that are installed on the edge.

An attic or attic space divided into compartments by partitions can be insulated in different ways.

• The first method: if the attic is non-residential, then only the floors should be insulated - ceiling building.
• The second method: if the attic has an attic, then you need to insulate the roof, in addition to the floors.

To insulate the roof of the attic and rooms, the following are usually used:

1. Construction felt.
2. Mineral wool in various designs.
3. Styrofoam.
4. Polyurethane foam.
5. Basalt, glass wool, ecowool.

Floors in the attic can be insulated with the following materials:

1. Construction felt, mineral wool, glass wool.
2. Foam silicate slabs.
3. Expanded clay, slag, ash, sawdust, straw, reeds.

Before insulating the attic, the joints of the floor and roof are checked, the cracks are sealed with tow soaked in lime mortar. You can also use polyurethane foam, silicone adhesives and sealants.

Before carrying out work, all wooden structures are coated with antiseptic and fire retardant compounds.

When insulating a roof made of asbestos-cement sheets, special attention should be paid to the gaps that are formed by the waves of asbestos-cement sheets. If there are cracks, they are filled with tow in lime mortar.

Availability is checked protective covers, collars and aprons in places where asbestos-cement sheets adjoin parapets, pipes and walls. The covering elements should be extended onto the protective ceilings by at least 15 cm.

Insulating the attic with various materials

To insulate attic spaces and the attic in a private house, different insulation materials are used:

• expanded polystyrene
• polyurethane foam
• expanded clay
• felt, etc.

The insulation process is the same for all materials, so let’s look at attic insulation using mineral wool as an example.

Before you begin insulating the attic, it is necessary to waterproof the roof. Mineral wool is universal and easy to use, has low thermal conductivity and density, and withstands well high temperature and insensitive to aggressive environments. Mineral wool is also an excellent sound insulator.

Attic slopes can be insulated with slabs and mats made of mineral wool. The slabs are more rigid, and the mats are more elastic; this property helps to lay them better and more densely. Mineral wool mats with foil coating are also used for vapor barrier.

Since the thickness of mineral wool is usually greater than the thickness of the rafters, overlays are made on them to increase the thickness. Also, the rafter system is pre-impregnated with an antiseptic solution.

Mineral wool is laid in the spaces between the rafters on the sheathing and covered with a vapor barrier film. The vapor barrier film is laid overlapping on rafter system. The width of the overlap of the canvas is visible on the film - a line is drawn along the edge of the canvas. The joints of the film are insulated with special glue and adhesive tape.

Floor insulation with expanded clay

Expanded clay should be laid on the attic floor on roofing felt. The thickness of the expanded clay layer is determined by the thermal conductivity of the floor, but in any case, the thickness of the expanded clay should be at least 15 cm, and better - 20-25 cm.

It is known that up to 15% of the heat from a house can escape through the ceiling. Therefore, to reduce heat losses, the ceiling is insulated with expanded clay and other materials. Expanded clay not only retains heat, but also increases sound insulation.

Expanded clay is usually used to insulate concrete floors. To do this, it is covered with a layer of 200-250 mm, and a cement screed up to 50 mm thick is poured on top. The screed will serve as the floor.

The cement-sand mortar for the screed must be of a dense consistency so that it does not flow into the expanded clay backfill.

Insulation with mineral wool

1. Mineral wool should be laid from the farthest point of the attic.
2. The insulation must be cut on a hard surface.
3. Beams, pipes, ventilation shafts, etc. should be covered with insulation.
4. Mineral wool should be laid in a layer of at least 25 cm.

When working with mineral wool, it is necessary individual means protection. These include safety glasses, rubber gloves, a respirator and long sleeves. Do not work near open food or drinking water. Contact of mineral wool on the skin causes irritation and itching.

Insulation with polyurethane foam

The attic is insulated with polyurethane foam by spraying onto the partitions, roof, gables and attic floors, so the thermal insulation layer is obtained without seams or joints, that is, a monolithic vapor-tight layer is obtained.

Polyurethane foam has a low thermal conductivity coefficient, so the thickness of the polyurethane foam layer is several times smaller than the layer of mineral wool or polystyrene foam.

The use of polyurethane foam increases the usable area of ​​the attic space.

An attic insulated by spraying a layer of polyurethane foam is not affected by humidity, condensation does not form on the walls, because the polyurethane foam retains warm air inside. Moisture does not pass through polyurethane foam and cannot settle on a cold roof.

Floor insulation with sawdust is used only in non-residential attics, since when walking, the sawdust will gradually become compacted, which will lead to the appearance of cracks in the concrete screed. The most common recipe for a solution using sawdust for insulating an attic floor:

1. Ten buckets of small sawdust.
2. One bucket of cement, grade no less than 300.
3. One bucket of fluff lime.
4. Ten liters of water with antiseptic. It could be boric acid, copper sulfate, laundry soap.

The volume of water varies depending on the moisture content of the sawdust. The finished sawdust solution is laid in layers 20-25 cm thick and compacted. All building materials used in the walls of the house must be vapor permeable. That is, you cannot use roofing felt, polyethylene, roofing felt and other materials that do not allow moisture to pass through.

When insulating, the top layer of sawdust is covered with panels made of plywood, fiberboard or boards. The thickness of the sawdust layer on the walls should be at least 15 cm, on the ceilings and on the floor - at least 25 cm. When insulating the floor, a cement screed 5-10 cm thick is placed on top of the sawdust.

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:

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.

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 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 prepared 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 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 is an environmentally friendly and fireproof natural material that is sold in the form of durable granules. The cost 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 Expanded clay ceilings 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.

Recently, 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 treated with 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 from the 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:

1. 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;
2. 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;

1. lay another layer of vapor barrier on top of the floor beams and thermal insulation with your own hands and glue it with tape;
2. 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 concrete floor, to insulate the attic, you need to lay mineral mats or extruded polystyrene foam on the slab and fill in the screed. In this case, the insulation on both sides must be closed 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 using bulk materials will not work.

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

1. 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;
2. a vapor barrier membrane is then attached to the beams and boards. To fix it, you can use a stapler;
3. 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;

1. after this you need to attach another layer of vapor barrier to the beams;
2. 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:

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.

Roof preparation

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

1. First of all, inspect the rafter system for its integrity. If any parts are cracked or rotten, they must be replaced or repaired;
2. 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;
3. then all 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:

1. 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;

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

1. 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;
2. after laying the insulation, you need to attach another layer of vapor barrier to the rafters;

1. 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 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:

1. 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.

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

1. then a vapor barrier membrane is attached to the slats. During installation, make sure that the film does not sag;
2. then installed vertical racks(bars or boards). 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;

1. 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;
2. then attach a vapor barrier to the racks;

1. 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 low temperatures. Therefore, from using wallpaper and plastic panels It's better to refuse.

Conclusion

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 be happy to answer you.

If you are finishing a house, almost finishing work have already been carried out and you don’t know whether to take on the attic or whether this matter can wait, and in general what is needed at this stage - this article will help you. Here we will look at the insulation of the attic floor with materials different types, with step-by-step illustrations, expert advice and helpful videos.

We will also reveal many important points why insulation is so necessary and what the attic floor pie should actually be like. wooden beams and on a reinforced concrete slab - step by step.

What insulation is suitable for the attic?

The attic floor needs to be insulated when the attic space is not planned to be used for housing. Those. we are talking about a cold attic, the roof slopes of which are not insulated at all. But not all the same materials are suitable for covering, so they are selected for slopes.

Mineral wool: no harmful dust

So, when insulating an attic floor with mineral wool, it is correct to use the so-called tension method. Its essence is that the insulating material is first laid - and so that it fits between the beams.

After this, a slab or roll insulation made of mineral wool, with a total thickness of about 150 millimeters, and is covered with a vapor barrier film on top. After that, it’s plywood, which should be no thinner than 18 millimeters.

Expanded polystyrene and polystyrene: ease of installation

The insulation of the attic floor using expanded polystyrene is also of high quality, the main advantage of which is that there is no need for vapor barrier, and all gaps are easily sealed with polyurethane foam.

Blown-in insulation: fashion and rationality

Recently, insulation of attic floors using the blow-in method has become especially popular.

The main advantage of blown-in insulation is that it automatically fills all the voids that exist and creates an even, continuous layer. In which there are no joints, no seams and no adjoining, and for which there is no need to cut separate small pieces of prickly insulation in order to plug something.

Today, to insulate cold attics in Russia, two types of blown-in insulation are mainly used: ecowool and blown-in wool.

Ecowool consists of up to 80% cellulose fibers, which are produced from ordinary waste paper, and 20% from additives such as Buran as a fire retardant and boric acid as an antiseptic. This insulation has high thermal conductivity.

But blown-in cotton wool is obtained by grinding ordinary mineral materials for thermal insulation, which for some reason did not pass product acceptance.

For example, they did not have sufficient density or correct fiber structure. And such material is crushed and packaged under high pressure, and therefore it is easy to transport it to the site, where everything will be loosened again upon arrival.

But still, ecowool is most often used as a material. The insulation process itself looks like this: one person must remain next to the installation and monitor its normal operation, while simultaneously loading the material. And the second person goes up to the attic with a hose, makes a cross-shaped cut on the vapor barrier (just between the beams), inserts the hose into this cut, and fills the cavity with material.

Plus, relatively inexpensive bulk materials are used to insulate a cold attic:

What insulation parameters should you pay attention to?

We in no way encourage you to purchase the most expensive thermal insulation materials to insulate your attic floor. But please note that the larger and longer any famous company produces materials for this purpose, the more it pays attention to quality, changing their volumetric weight, improving its products and increasing thermal insulation coefficients. And this already says something.

Otherwise, always pay attention to the parameters of insulation that are important for a wooden floor, and have no significance for a concrete floor - and vice versa.

Parameter No. 1. Biostability

The point is to ensure that such insulation, which often remains open, does not harbor bugs or other living creatures. This is especially true for mice, which love to live in a warm and dry (and, most importantly, deserted) attic.

Another important requirement for attic insulation is water resistance. Raindrops or simply moisture that accidentally fall into it should not lead to the process of rotting.

Glass wool is recognized as one of the most durable insulation materials:

Parameter No. 2. Thermal conductivity

The main requirements for attic insulation are the ability to maintain thermal insulation properties for a long time.

When purchasing insulation, also pay attention to this interesting point: modern manufacturers of thermal insulation materials always indicate technical specifications three coefficients of thermal conductivity of the material at once: in a dry state, at temperatures of 10° and 25°, and humidity categories A and B.

You need to look at the thermal conductivity coefficient in a dry state, or at a temperature of 10 degrees, because this is the normal climate in the attic. For a more accurate and detailed thermal calculation, you will need a SNiP table.

Now let's note this moment. When choosing when purchasing insulation, you will probably be advised to take insulation with the lowest possible degree of thermal conductivity. But in fact, this only makes sense for residential attics, because when you have to insulate roof slopes, you cannot lay too thick materials between the rafters. Therefore, here we need materials that will conduct heat as poorly as possible, but at the same time have a small thickness.

But for the attic floor, the thickness of the insulation is not a critical factor, and you can save on this. Just take cheaper insulation, but thicker, albeit with high thermal conductivity. Everything is compensated by the height of the insulation itself.

Parameter No. 3. Weight

Depending on the chemical composition, each insulation has its own volumetric mass. Thus, materials such as basalt, glass and any other inorganic and organic compounds are most often used as a basis for fibers. From their type myself heat insulating material becomes either light or heavy. And the shape of all these materials is ensured precisely by the elasticity of the fibers: how they straighten between the floor beams.

Note that heavy insulation materials hold their shape better due to the rigidity of their fibers. And they have the best stability for attic insulation foam insulation, which in this parameter are equivalent to hard stone wool. But there is a point: the same mineral wool insulation that was inserted between the floor beams can easily straighten out and press tightly against the wood, but foam insulation will not do this, and voids are formed - the bridges are cold. Therefore, you will have to additionally use a can of foam to close all the cracks.

But if you insulate the attic floor on a reinforced concrete slab with foam-based materials, then there will only be advantages. Not to mention the fact that the concrete floor of the attic itself already has considerable weight and creates a serious load on the walls and foundation of the house, and using lightweight insulation for it is just a big bonus.

And unlike a concrete floor, an attic floor can withstand a fairly limited load. Therefore, the weight of the insulation in this regard is also not the last point. After all, there are already many variations here: the same cubic meter of thermal insulation can weigh either 11 kilograms or all 350 - this is the norm.

One of the heaviest insulation materials is basalt wool:

Parameter No. 4. Moisture resistance

Rain moisture that accidentally gets into the insulation or roof leaks should not start the rotting process. It’s bad if after six months or a year new insulation begins to decompose from the inside, while emitting bad smell dampness.

Therefore, insulation of attic floors over wooden beams and concrete is quite often done using polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene, which are known for their almost zero hydrophobicity.

Parameter No. 5. Environmental friendliness

One more point: attic insulation should not emit any toxic or pungent odor substances, despite the fact that, perhaps, no one will walk in such an attic.

It's all about ventilation: sooner or later, insulation molecules are picked up by the air and carried into living spaces, which can be unsafe for the residents of the house. Therefore, choose insulation that meets sanitary standards.

Parameter No. 6. Saving the form

Another important point is the form stability of the selected insulation. Thus, special laboratory tests have shown that over time, heat loss through the cracks between the slabs or matte insulation can reach 40%. And this despite the fact that the material itself during the same time may not change its thermal conductivity coefficient at all, if it remains dry.

Therefore, the stability of the shape and size of the material over time is very important. For a concrete attic floor, such gaps will not be critical, because here the floor itself is quite heat-insulating, which cannot be said about the attic floor.

But the problem is that in technical information For modern thermal insulators, such parameters as shape or stability cannot be found.

Parameter No. 7. Fire safety

And the last point: attic insulation must meet all fire safety requirements. Take the same popular ecowool, which is made not just from ordinary waste paper and pieces of newspapers. It would seem that everything is simple and ingenious, why don’t you also cut the paper smaller and just fill the attic with it? Would it be worse? After all, the principle of looseness is also involved here, like in animal fur, when air molecules get stuck between small elements.

Let's put it this way: yes, the insulating properties of this method will be no worse, but it is old dry paper and wood that most often leads to unexpected fires. That is why modern cellulose insulation is necessarily treated with special chemicals against fire.

If we are talking about the flammability of materials, then it is important that the insulation not only does not burn, but also has attenuation. Just remember that at the epicenter of the fire everything burns, both iron and concrete, but if a spark falls on the attic floor, the insulation should not catch fire. That's what we're talking about.

This is what the attic insulation cake itself should look like:

Vapor barrier issues: how, on which side and is it necessary?

For insulation of wood and concrete roofing, the vapor permeability of the insulation is of great importance. Thus, all insulation materials that are manufactured today in the form of slabs and rolls can be divided into “cotton wool” and “foam,” as construction contractors like to do.

We will classify them as “cotton” thermal insulation materials made from organic and mineral fibers - this is mineral wool, stone wool and glass wool insulation. All these materials are formed by the hardening of plastic masses of various chemical origins. And all these materials have approximately the same thermal conductivity coefficient: within 0.04.

All these materials consist of fibers that are intertwined. They do not form any closed pores, and water vapor easily penetrates and escapes through them. Therefore, all cotton insulation materials are vapor-permeable materials. Why, during production, their fibers are additionally coated with a special water-repellent substance, and the insulation also turns out to be hydrophobized: the water molecule from water vapor is not allowed to penetrate inside and wet the insulation. It can only cling to its surface, and when a critical mass accumulates, it transforms into drops and rolls down. It turns out that hydrophobized cotton insulation is not a wet, vapor-permeable material.

Therefore, scientists from all over the world still cannot come to an unambiguous conclusion: vapor permeability construction insulation materials- Is this good or bad. Let's just say that if you are installing an attic floor on wooden beams, you better lay vapor-permeable materials on it so that wooden rafters, which took on moisture from the lower living spaces (and water vapor always rises upward), could easily transfer it to the insulation. And they will easily come out of the insulation - just through ventilation is enough. But in terms of insulation of concrete floors, there is not much difference. But there is a point here: when using vapor-permeable insulation, it is important that the ventilation of such an attic is organized according to all the rules, and a separate ventilation system would not hurt.

Note that there are no fibers in foam insulation, since such material is literally produced from thin air. All foam insulation consists of a cellular structure, with closed bubbles and not closed, like those kitchen sponge. Therefore, such heat insulators can be either vapor-permeable or non-vapor-permeable. For example, extruded polystyrene foam, which is better known to us as polystyrene foam, allows water vapor to pass between the balls, but extruded polystyrene foam does not.

What’s interesting is that you can use not only one type of insulation, but two at once to compensate for each other’s shortcomings. But at the same time, thermal insulation material with lower vapor permeability must necessarily lie in front of insulation with high vapor permeability. That is, first polystyrene foam, then cotton wool. Otherwise, in the opposite case, a material with less vapor permeability will become a certain vapor barrier for another material, which will simply begin to rot and the moisture will have nowhere to escape.

How to insulate a concrete attic floor

If we are talking about insulating an attic floor made of concrete, then the thermal insulation must necessarily be in the form of two or three layers with overlapping joints of each lower layer. Moreover, it is very important that the entire surface is leveled so that there are no irregularities of more than 5 millimeters anywhere - this is not difficult to achieve with the help of modern leveling mixtures.

For concrete attic floors, extruded polystyrene foam slabs are ideal for thermal insulation. They don’t need a vapor barrier, but if you’re putting in polystyrene foam, it’s not extruded polystyrene foam, and then, of course, it’s needed.

Additionally, if you then need to walk on such an overlap, you can do cement-sand screed up to 4 centimeters and put two layers plasterboard sheets. Just be sure to make paths for such a screed from masonry mesh on which you will walk. Be sure to seal the joints between the polystyrene foam boards with tape so that cement laitance does not leak between the boards.

The attic floor itself can be insulated both at the manufacturing stage and at almost any time during the operation of the house itself. Of course, for the attic it is much more correct to insulate the ceiling before you move into your new home.

More details about the process itself:

How to insulate a wooden attic floor

So, there are two main ways to insulate an attic floor: laying a heat-insulating layer inside the attic floor structure, and laying insulation on top of it. For cold and non-residential attic It is not necessary to cover the insulation with something on top and build a full floor. But then be sure to leave walking ladders - separate paths made of sparse flooring throughout the entire area of ​​the attic, this is necessary for roof maintenance.

A vapor barrier must be placed under the insulation, in the form of a trough, so that it can protect the insulation from water vapor that comes from the lower living quarters. But there is an exception to this rule: if the insulation was laid with good resistance, for example, it is foam or extruded polystyrene foam, then a vapor barrier is not needed here. But if we are talking about an attic with a particularly humid environment, for example, above a kitchen or sauna, then a serious vapor barrier layer needs to be installed here.

Another method is tension, when the vapor barrier only sags slightly between the beams. The disadvantage of this method is that the insulation between the beams is not inserted tightly enough.

And if the ceiling is also made of ready-made companies, then this option is not suitable at all, because such voids quickly become so-called cold bridges. Therefore, in Russia, the more popular method is in which the insulation is first laid, then a vapor barrier is covered, and only then - the finishing flooring.

So, here's what the whole insulation process looks like:

• Step 1. A vapor barrier is secured between the beams using a construction stapler.
• Step 2. Next, mineral wool slabs are cut so that their width corresponds to the pitch of the beams.
• Step 3. These slabs are carefully inserted into the gap between the beams.
• Step 4. While the ceiling below is not yet ready, so that the insulation does not fall between the beams, it is supported by rough bars or a strong thread stretched specially for this purpose.
• Step 5. Next, a diffuse membrane is quickly installed on top of the insulation - so that steam can easily escape through it, and drops from above from the slopes do not penetrate inside.

But let us also note the following point about the last step. Many experts believe that no diffuse membranes or windproof films are needed for insulation, because in a cold attic the thermal insulation will dry due to natural ventilation convection air currents that easily penetrate through openings and dormer windows.

How to leave walking ladders in insulation

If you use soft thermal insulation materials to insulate the attic floor, you need to make walking ladders over them - but only so as not to create cold bridges. Therefore, it is better to take either hard materials or insert the ladder legs directly into the insulation.

That's all the tricks for insulating attic floors of different types!