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How to insulate a house from the outside. Insulating the outside of your home yourself is a few of the most effective ways. Methods of external insulation

September 7, 2016
Specialization: finishing of facades, interior finishing, construction of dachas, garages. Experience of an amateur gardener and gardener. We also have experience in repairing cars and motorcycles. Hobbies: playing the guitar and many other things that I don’t have time for :)

Insulating a house from the outside is, on the one hand, a fairly simple procedure that you can handle on your own, even without any experience. But, on the other hand, this operation raises a lot of questions, and also requires strict adherence to technology, otherwise the result will not meet your expectations. Therefore, below I will describe to you several ways to perform external insulation as efficiently as possible and without damage to the structure.

Methods of external insulation

Many people who are faced with insulation for the first time do not know how best to place thermal insulation from the inside or outside. According to SNiP 3.03.01-87, in private houses, for a number of reasons, external thermal insulation should be performed:

• if you place the heat insulator from the inside, the walls will freeze even more than before insulation. Moreover, a heat insulator will form in the space between the wall and the insulation;
• It is impossible to provide thermal insulation of the ceiling from the inside, resulting in insulation that is inadequate;
• Internal insulation reduces living space.

Thus, the answer to the question posed above is unambiguous - internal insulation is carried out only in cases of extreme necessity.

So, if you decide to insulate the outside of your house with your own hands, you will need dry thermal insulation material in the form of slabs or mats for these purposes. As a rule, mineral wool or polystyrene foam is used as insulation. With their help, you can insulate the facade in several ways:

• wet facade– the technology consists of gluing insulation and applying plaster on top of it. This method is widely used due to its relative cheapness. Its disadvantage is the low strength of the facade and fragility, compared to other finishing methods;

• curtain façade– is a frame to which facade materials are attached (siding, lining, facade, etc.). The insulation is located in the space between the finishing material and the wall. This finish is more durable, but at the same time costs more;
• cladding with thermal insulation blocks, which can be made of wood concrete, foam concrete, gas silicate, etc. I must say that thermal insulation properties These materials are worse than polystyrene foam or, for example, mineral wool. But they have higher strength.

If, for example, you need to insulate an old wooden or country house frame house, That this method insulation is the best solution. Moreover, block insulation can be combined with other heat insulators.

Everyone must decide how and with what to insulate the house from the outside, depending on the situation, financial capabilities and wishes regarding the design of the facade. As you can see, each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Below we will consider in more detail all the insulation options described above.

Wet facade

First of all, I will tell you how to properly perform a wet facade. To do this you will need the following materials:

• insulation in the form of mats or slabs (mineral wool, expanded polystyrene or extruded polystyrene foam);
• special dowels for insulation (“fungi”);
• glue for insulation;
• aluminum perforated corners
• fiberglass mesh;
• primer;
• decorative plaster;
• dye.

Before buying a heat insulator, people are always interested in what is the best way to insulate a house from the outside? If the house is brick or made of other non-combustible materials, you can save money and use polystyrene foam. If the structure is wooden, it is necessary to use mineral wool, which will serve as fire protection.

The process of installing insulation with your own hands looks like this:

1. first of all, you need to prepare the facade for work - dismantle all elements that will interfere with the installation of insulation;
2. then you need to dilute the glue with water according to the instructions on the package;
3. Next, the glue is applied to the surface of the insulation using a notched trowel. If the walls are uneven, you can apply glue in “blobs” in the corners and in the center, which will give more opportunity to align the slabs relative to each other.

It should be noted that at this stage it is necessary to ensure a smooth vertical surface of the walls, therefore, in the process of gluing the insulation, you need to use a level and beacons (a horizontally stretched thread along the wall along which each row of heat insulation is aligned);

1. then the insulation is additionally fixed with dowels. To do this, holes are drilled in the wall directly through the slabs or mats. The dowels must be driven in so that they are recessed and do not protrude above the surface of the wall;

1. The slopes are glued over in the same way, the only thing is that they are not fixed with dowels;
2. after this, the evenness of the walls should be checked as a rule; if necessary, individual areas can be floated;
3. after that for everything external corners perforated aluminum corners are glued;
4. then the screw caps are covered with glue;
5. The next step is gluing the mesh. To do this, you need to use the same glue that is applied with a spatula to the surface of the insulation. A mesh is immediately applied to the treated surface and a spatula is passed over it, as a result of which it is embedded in the adhesive composition.

I note that the mesh must first be cut into sheets required length taking into account that it should be overlapped and turned at the corners;

1. After drying, the glue is reapplied to the surface of the walls in a thin layer. In order for the composition to lay down evenly, the solution must be made more liquid than for gluing;
2. when the glue dries, the surface is treated with a primer using paint roller. The composition is applied in two passes;

1. After the soil has dried, decorative plaster is applied to the surface and leveled with a fine trowel. When the composition begins to set, the plaster is rubbed with sandpaper in a circular or reciprocating motion;
2. the final stage is painting. There is nothing complicated in this procedure - the roller must be dipped into a bath of paint and then treated with it on the wall. The paint is applied in two layers.

This completes the work. It should be noted that using this technology it is possible to insulate not only a private house, but also an apartment.

Curtain facade

Making a curtain façade on your own is no more difficult than a wet one. To do this, you need to prepare the following materials:

• insulation in the form of mats or slabs;
• metal profile or wooden beam for mounting the frame;
• adjustable brackets;
• vapor barrier film;
• dowels for insulation;
• finishing material for the facade.

Many people are sure that the cheaper the heat insulator, the better. However, the same mineral wool or polystyrene foam comes in different qualities. For example, cheap mineral wool can be exposed to moisture, and polystyrene foam can easily ignite and sustain combustion, so it is better to use materials from famous brands, even if they are not the cheapest.

Insulation instructions look like this:

1. After preparing the facade, you must first carry out installation. There are quite a lot of options for its design and placement of insulation in it. Most often, racks are mounted on brackets, between which mats or slabs are placed.
   It must be said that installation of the frame is the most critical stage, since the evenness of the walls depends on it. Therefore, all racks must be placed in the same vertical plane;

1. then insulation is laid between the racks and fixed with dowels;
2. then a vapor barrier film is attached over the insulation. As a rule, it is fixed on a frame. To do this, you can use slats that are mounted horizontally, with the film located between them and the racks;
3. At the end of the work, the frame is sheathed with facade material, after which additional elements are installed - ebbs, corners, etc.

At this point, the installation of the curtain façade with your own hands is completed.

Cladding with thermal insulation blocks

If you need to insulate an old, for example, log house, then it is better to build additional walls for it, which will also serve as insulation. Of course, this will require more time and effort, but the result is well worth the expense.

There are quite a lot of options for covering walls. The most common materials are:

• blocks from Sibit (it would be more correct to say aerated concrete, since Sibit is the name of the enterprise, which people began to call the material it produces);
• wood concrete blocks - made from wood shavings, mixed with cement;
• gas silicate blocks - resemble aerated concrete, however, their composition is based on lime. In addition, this material is obtained by autoclave;
• made of polystyrene concrete – contain foam granules in their structure;
• from expanded clay concrete – contain expanded clay granules in their structure.

So that you can decide on the materials yourself and understand, for example, why a gas silicate block is better in comparison, for example, with aerated concrete, below I will provide a table with the main characteristics of these materials:

As we can see, some materials benefit in strength, others – in thermal conductivity. Eg, gas silicate block more durable than wood concrete, but at the same time it is more heat-conducting.

Certainly, important factor The choice is also the price of the material. Arbolite blocks cost about 4,000 rubles per cubic meter, and polystyrene concrete material costs about the same. The price of gas silicate is slightly cheaper - about 3,000 rubles per cubic meter.

The house cladding technology is as follows:

• A shallow foundation is laid around the perimeter of the house. On our portal you can find detailed information about the arrangement of such a foundation;
• then the foundation is waterproofed with several layers of roofing material;
• then a wall is erected around the perimeter of the house. Since blocks have big sizes, masonry is much easier to do than with brick. However, in any case, it is necessary to ensure that they lie flat and in the same plane, so during the work you need to use a level, plumb lines and beacons;

• If a wooden country house is being clad, pins are placed in the facing wall after several rows, which are first driven into the wooden wall. The pitch of the pins should be about a meter to one and a half meters.

Walls built from thermal insulation blocks require further finishing, for example, plastering. Therefore, this insulation technology is rarely used. Most often it is used in cases where it is necessary to strengthen and insulate a garden house.

If the same procedure is required for a residential building, you can line it with brick and place mineral mats between the walls. Of course, the costs in this case will be much higher, but additional finishing will not be needed, and the building will acquire a solid and presentable appearance.

Here, in fact, are all the options for external insulation of houses that I wanted to introduce you to.

Conclusion

As we found out, there are several methods for effective external insulation of houses, which have their own advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of the technology that is optimal for you, you can cope with this task yourself. The main thing is not to violate the sequence of actions described above and do the work carefully.

See the video in this article for more information. If during the insulation process you encounter any difficulties or some points are not fully clear to you, ask questions in the comments, and I will be happy to answer you.

September 7, 2016

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Is it possible to live in country house, which is insufficiently or not insulated at all? A dozen of the most powerful heaters will not help here, since the heat created will quickly evaporate through the cracks in the walls, floor covering, roof, foundation.

There is only one way to significantly reduce the loss of heated air, while saving on energy - insulating the house. Thanks to it, comfortable living conditions are provided, the service life of the building is extended and money is saved that could have been spent on electricity. How to properly perform insulation country house- Further.

Comfortable conditions - what does this mean?

Each person has his own opinion about the convenience and coziness of a living space. In accordance with regulatory requirements(GOST 20494-96 “Residential and public buildings. Indoor microclimate parameters”), comfortable conditions mean the following characteristics:

• air temperature inside - from 20 to 22, wall surfaces - from 16 to 18, floors - from 22 to 24 degrees;
• thermal inertia of the room (the ability to accumulate and retain heat);
• relative air humidity inside the rooms is about 55%;
• absence of through wind movements (the latter's speed is no more than 0.2 m/s).

The minimum deviation from the requirements listed above indicates that it is necessary to thoroughly insulate the house.

Basic principles of insulation work

If a beginner in the construction business is wondering how to insulate a private house, he needs to learn a few fundamental rules that guarantee the expected result. Violation of even one of the work requirements listed below contributes to violation of GOST requirements and, as a result, a decrease in the effectiveness of previously performed actions.

1. The presence of a vapor barrier layer as protection for the insulation (for example, when mineral wool gets wet, the binder is washed out of the composition; this entails a deterioration in properties - if 2% of the surface of the mineral wool slab gets wet, its effectiveness is reduced by 50%).
2. Removing the freezing point from the inside to the outside (the process has two goals - protecting the walls and foundation of the building from premature destruction, as well as warming up not only internal space houses, but also walls).
3. Tightly sealing the joints of steam, heat and waterproofing materials (to avoid frosty air getting into the cracks, the appearance of drafts or “cold bridges”).
4. Laying layers of steam, hydro and, in some cases, thermal insulation overlapping.
5. Mandatory protection of the building from the outside from moisture (for this, roofing material or material with similar properties is used).
6. Sealing gaps, insulating seams (sealants will help with this, polyurethane foam, fiberglass strips treated with silicone).
7. At final finishing It is advisable to provide a ventilation gap (to prevent excessive wetting of the structure).

Fundamental rules apply to both methods of cladding a country house - external and internal. However, they are not always used together. How to insulate a house made of cinder block, wood or brick? When is it correct to insulate a room outside and inside, and in what case can you get by with only the inner lining? This issue also needs to be dealt with.

The need for insulation outside and inside

• requires insulation of less thickness than for interior decoration(the purchase will be cheap);
• the volume of premises of a country house does not suffer at all;
• the likelihood of condensation forming inside the walls is reduced to zero;
• Double protection of the house from the cold is preferable, especially in frosty winters.

• imposing an administrative ban on external insulation;
• location of communications (gas pipeline, electricity) near or on the walls;
• the desire of the residents to keep the façade of the building unchanged.

In most cases it is enough to get by internal insulation, however, for houses located in the northern regions, it is still necessary to carry out both external and internal thermal insulation.

Selecting suitable materials

Having decided on the methods of insulating a country house, the next question that pops up before the consumer is choosing a suitable heat insulator. Ideal materials does not exist, however, the options under consideration need to be analyzed according to a number of criteria, including:

• thermal conductivity coefficient (indicates the ability of the insulation to hold or pass air; the lower the value, the better);
• liquid absorption coefficient (shows the amount of water absorbed by the material as a percentage of the mass; the lower the better);
• insulation density (allows you to calculate the weight required quantity and estimate how heavy this will make the structure);
• flammability class (there are four in total; class G1 is preferred - insulation that stops burning without a fire source, also difficult to ignite);
• insulation components (there are natural and synthetic; the former are more beneficial for health; the latter can release harmful synthetic mixtures into the atmosphere and home when heated);
• durability of the material (usually established by the manufacturer and indicated on the packaging);
• ease of transportation and installation (it is desirable that the material is supplied in rolls, slabs or blocks - this makes it easier to handle and easier to prepare the surface);
• soundproofing properties (not mandatory for country houses, but welcome);
• cost (there are materials available even to a person with average income; others cost an order of magnitude more, and also require expensive equipment and a team of qualified craftsmen for installation, whose labor is unlikely to be cheap).

The most popular insulation materials for external and internal lining walls are:

• mineral wool (basalt/glass/slag);
• polystyrene foam (extruded polystyrene foam);
• polyurethane foam.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of materials varies from 0.03 to 0.065, and most of the previously listed properties are inherent in them to a sufficient extent.

Proper thermal insulation on the outside

If possible, the insulation is initially installed on the foundation of the room. Through it, the house loses about 20-25% of heat. The ideal insulation for the foundation is polystyrene foam or foamed polyurethane foam (which, as is already known, is not so cheap). The slabs of material are secured with adhesive mastic until the soil freezes to the depth of freezing.

After insulating the foundation, it is logical to move on to thermal insulation of the walls. And here preference should be given to polystyrene foam. Walls lined with mineral wool are more susceptible to getting wet than inside the house, so you should forget about it at this stage.

Foam insulation can be done in three ways:

• ventilated facade;
• “well” masonry;
• masonry under plaster.

The first method is the most effective and common, but not the easiest.

Proper thermal insulation from the inside

All areas of the house are insulated from top to bottom, that is, in the following order:

• attic ceiling;
• attic floor (second floor floor);
• lower floor ceiling;
• walls;
• ground floor floor.

Preference should be given to mineral wool, polystyrene foam, and ecowool. If you need to make thermal insulation of walls as cheaply as possible, you can get by with compressed straw, and in the case of the floor - expanded clay or clay, after first excavating the soil to the required depth.

When insulating an attic, external or interior walls Lathing is required. It consists of cells into which sheets/plates are inserted thermal insulation material. In the case of foam plastic, their length and width should be 1-2 cm greater than the size of the slab, and with mineral wool, they should be the same amount smaller.

Almost any work on insulating a private country house can easily be done by one person without any experience. Using the recommendations listed above, a novice builder with his own hands will be able to create an architectural masterpiece that will protect his family from frost for many decades.

General provisions.

The point of insulation is not only to increase comfort in the home, but also to reduce heating costs. Therefore, it is worth choosing an economically feasible method of heat preservation. Special interactive calculators make it possible to calculate the heat loss of a house before and after its insulation.

When insulating, two important rules should be taken into account. Firstly, it is better to place the insulation on the outside of the walls. With this scheme, the walls will accumulate heat and release it into the room when the heating is turned off. The microclimate in the rooms will not fluctuate very sharply when the weather and heating and ventilation modes change. If the insulation is located from the inside, then the walls will freeze every winter, which will lead to a decrease in the service life of the entire building.

But this rule is true for houses permanent residence, as well as to country houses, regularly visited in winter. With rare visits, you will have to warm up the entire thickness of the walls of the house, which will increase heating costs.

Secondly, it is important to design the “pie” of enclosing structures in such a way that moisture does not accumulate in it. Condensation leads to the formation of mold that is harmful to health, building construction begin to collapse, and thermal properties Most insulation materials deteriorate in this case.

We start insulation from the top

The attic floor is an outpost in the battle to keep the house warm and reduce heating costs. After all, it is known that warm air rises, and if the ceiling is cold, the cooling of the air will be intense. Signs of insufficient ceiling insulation may include thawed patches on a snow-covered roof and large icicles on the eaves on the north side of the roof. The presence of condensation on attic structures is already a clear signal of distress.

How to insulate a floor wooden beams? First you need to remove old insulation and dry all structures. It may be necessary to clean them of mold and treat them with bioprotective compounds. Then you need to lay a vapor barrier film. It is better to hem it below the beams, on the rough ceiling. But if this is not possible, then you can cover the ceiling with it. As a vapor barrier, you can use ordinary thick polyethylene film, but it is better to buy a special one - it is not much more expensive, but stronger and more convenient to use. The vapor barrier layer must be made airtight. For gluing film sheets, butyl rubber is used. duct tape or, as a last resort, you can get by with metallized adhesive tape, which is somewhat cheaper. The edges of adjacent film sheets are glued together with an overlap, and the edges of the outermost ones are glued to the walls.

Now you need to lay the insulation. The choice of modern insulation materials is very large, but you can also use traditional materials. For example, the cheapest option would be dry sawdust, spread in a layer of 25-30 cm. To protect against mold and mice, they are mixed with lime.

Of the insulation materials produced by industry, the most inexpensive option- This is probably cellulose wool. It is made from waste paper with the addition of borax and boric acid. Thanks to these chemicals, cellulose becomes slightly flammable and resistant to rotting. Typically this insulation, also known as ecowool, is applied using blow-moulding machines. In order not to call a team of specialists for this, some craftsmen adapt garden vacuum cleaners to apply ecowool.

But the ceiling can be insulated manually. To do this, just pour the cotton wool out of the bag in small portions and fluff it up using a regular electric drill with a mixer attachment. The main thing is to stock up on a respirator, because there will be a lot of dust. For the Moscow region, the thickness of the layer of wool along the floors should be approximately 25 cm. Manufacturers of this material advise increasing the thickness of the layer around the perimeter of the attic to protect it from freezing top part walls.

Advantage backfill insulation the fact that they can be used on floors of any design and with any distance between beams. The insulation comparable in price to cellulose is glass wool. But it is produced in rolls or mats of a certain width and requires an appropriate distance between the beams. The more expensive analogue, basalt wool, also has this drawback.

But on a flat concrete floor you can use any of the above insulation materials. You just need to remember to put a vapor barrier under it.

Is it worth covering the insulation on top? Usually this is not necessary. In addition, open insulation dries better after accidental wetting. However, if necessary, the insulation can be covered with a superdiffusion membrane, which will allow the cotton wool to dry and protect it from accidental spilled water and from blowing.

Floor insulation

A wooden floor is insulated in the same way as an attic - either loose or cotton insulation. Only the vapor barrier here needs to be laid on top, on the side of the room, under the floor. From below, on the underground side, the insulated ceiling should be hemmed with a superdiffusion membrane. For such a design, it is very important that the underground is dry and well ventilated. If the vents left in the basement are not enough for this, then you need to increase the ventilation, for example, remove the pipe from the underground behind the roof. As a last resort, you can try to withdraw ventilation pipe from one of the vents and fix it on the wall at a height of two to three meters. You need to install a socket on top that will direct the air flow away from the facade.

To reduce the likelihood of moisture appearing in the underground, you need to cover the soil under the house plastic film or roofing felt.

The concrete floor of the foundation can be insulated without dismantling the floors. It is enough to glue foam plastic (usually polystyrene foam boards) 10-20 cm thick to the bottom of the ceiling. For such work, there are cement-based adhesives (they are designed for the “wet facade” system, but are quite suitable here too). Before starting work, you need to thoroughly clean and prime concrete surface ceilings

Instead of expanded polystyrene, you can use basalt wool with a density of 80 kg/m3, and reinforce the adhesive fastening with disc-shaped dowels.

Insulation of house walls

Work on external wall insulation will, willy-nilly, be associated with renovation of the facade. The insulation can be covered with a suspended facade ( vinyl siding or tongue and groove board) or plastered (the so-called “wet facade”). There are many subtleties in creating a “wet facade” that are difficult to take into account if you are taking on the project for the first time. So for independent work It is better to use curtain facades.

Most popular insulation under the curtain wall - basalt wool. It is ideal for insulating timber houses because it does not support combustion. High-quality basalt wool can get wet and dry several times without losing its properties. But it’s still better to keep it dry - wet cotton wool conducts heat well and ceases to serve as insulation.

Sometimes polystyrene foam boards are also attached under the curtain wall. But in this case, there is a risk that condensation will accumulate under them. It is better to use this insulation on walls made of sand-lime brick or concrete - materials with high thermal conductivity and low vapor permeability. The advantage of expanded polystyrene is that it is not afraid of getting wet, its fire-resistant types do not support combustion.

Under curtain facades Ecowool is also used. In this case, it is applied using blowing machines using the “wet-glue method” - before application it is moistened and mixed with glue. This mass adheres to the wall and, after drying, forms a seamless “fur coat”. This method is perhaps the most reliable for insulating a log house or uneven walls made of brick.

The use of all types of cotton insulation on the facade requires a ventilated gap. The cotton wool is covered with a superdiffusion membrane, and between the membrane and outer skin you need to leave a gap of about 3 cm, which is set by the thickness of the sheathing.

Insulating the house from the inside.

There are cases when the choice of insulation and methods of its installation is limited. For example, if you need to insulate the walls in an apartment on the ninth floor. Here you will need insulation materials that do not allow water vapor to pass through and do not accumulate moisture. The choice is small. These are foam glass blocks, extruded polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam.

Foam glass can be plastered - it will be durable and warm wall. Extruded polystyrene foam (EPS) has a glossy surface and does not adhere well to the wall using cement adhesive. If the plaster on the wall is smooth, then it is better to use not cement glue, but foam adhesive (similar in composition and packaging to regular polyurethane foam). It will ensure a tighter fit of the insulation to the wall and a more deformation-resistant connection. All seams between insulation boards must be sealed using polyurethane foam. There are also special adhesives for this material.

The top of the EPS can be plastered or covered with plasterboard sheathing.

The most affordable insulation for indoor use is polyethylene foam and its variety - foil PPE. The latter is practically indispensable for insulating walls and ceilings of temporary and technical structures (construction sheds, unheated attics, boiler rooms), heated infrared heaters. Radiant heat is not absorbed by the walls, but is returned back into the room. In addition, foil plays the role of vapor barrier, which is especially important for wet areas in frame and wooden buildings.

House insulation - drawings and diagrams:

Pictures – numbered from left to right

Rice. 1. OPTION FOR INSULATION OF THE ATTIC COVER:

2 - bulk insulation (along the perimeter of the ceiling the layer thickness is increased);

3 - additional insulation with expanded polystyrene in the Mauerlat area;

4 - vapor barrier film from the side of the room;

5 - rough ceiling cladding (OSB, plywood, etc.).

Rice. 2. OPTION FOR INSULATION OF THE FOUNDATION COVER:

1 - foundation; 2 - wall; 3 - concrete floor; 4 - blind area; 5 - insulation of the basement part from the outside with extruded polystyrene foam (the insulation can be plastered); 6 - it is recommended to cover the soil surface under the house with roofing felt; 7 - mineral wool insulation is mounted to the ceiling using cement glue, the fastening is reinforced with disc dowels.

Rice. 3. OPTION OF WALL INSULATION WITH EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE UNDER A WASHED FACADE:

1 - wall made of material with low vapor permeability;

2 - the first layer of polystyrene foam is attached to the wall using cement glue and disc dowels;

4 - the second layer of polystyrene foam is inserted between the guides and fixed with mounting foam;

5 - vinyl siding sheathing.

Rice. 4. OPTION OF WALL INSULATION WITH MINERAL WOOL UNDER A WASHED FACADE:

1 - wall made of material with high vapor permeability (wooden beams);

2 - horizontal sheathing;

3 - the first layer of basalt wool 50 mm thick (inserted between the sheathing bars);

4 - vertical sheathing;

5 - second layer of basalt wool 50 mm thick;

6 - superdiffusion membrane;

7 - sheathing slats for sheathing; 8-wood façade cladding.

Floral Print Chair Cover for Home Dining Elastic Slipcovers…

Insulation of houses is becoming more and more important with rising prices for public utilities. You can save a lot of money by doing everything yourself and first studying how to insulate private houses with your own hands. Considering that, for example, Moscow has rather cold and long winters, reducing heating costs can significantly affect the family budget.

What to insulate first?

Residents of high-rise buildings located next to the private sector see problems with insulation very well. So, at the beginning of winter, roofs where the snow quickly melts clearly indicate high heat loss in the attic. This can also be detected using a thermal imager.

Considering that warm air rises upward, and cold - from below, special attention should be paid to the ceiling and floor. Especially if the house has no basement and stands on the ground. When insulating a house externally, you should never forget about the base, so as not to create cold bridges between warm and cold surfaces.

Also, a lot of heat escapes through the windows. And if all the cracks around the openings are reliably foamed, you should carefully look at the batteries. Their length should be equal to the width of the window, and the window sill cannot overlap the radiator. After all, it is due to convection that thermal curtain, keeping out the cold from the street.

Calculation of insulation thickness

The thickness of the insulation should be selected based on the material of the walls, the thickness of these walls and the minimum temperature during the coldest period. According to SNiP, only 5 cm of polystyrene foam or 13 cm of vermiculite is enough to insulate a house.

But this is with additional insulation window openings and reducing the ventilation of walls.

If you need to ensure minimal heat loss, it is better to use a calculator and calculate individual thickness insulation. For example, for a wall made of one brick, you will need 10 cm of mineral wool.

This will allow you to get only 37.20 kW of ash loss during the heating season, instead of 166 kW without insulation.

The same 10 cm of mineral wool will be enough to insulate a house made of timber with a wall thickness of 150 mm, but the heat loss will be even lower - only 34 kW. But 35-centimeter walls made of aerated concrete can be insulated with just 5 cm of mineral wool to ensure 44 kW of ash loss.

Details about how to insulate private houses with your own hands

You need to insulate a private house wisely, because remodeling it will cost you more. You need to remember the basic rule - only insulate external walls. Insulation installed from the inside will not only reduce the area of ​​the rooms, but will also shift the dew point into the house.

Condensed moisture, which has nowhere to evaporate, will cause mold to form, harming not only the building, but also the health of those living in it.

The second rule for building a wall pie is to increase the vapor permeability of materials from inside to the outside. In other words, the frame must be protected as much as possible from moisture from the inside, and steam entering the wall and ceiling material must evaporate freely.

If vapor permeability is impaired and water microparticles are retained at some stage, this again leads to the development of fungi. Particular attention should be paid to the vapor barrier of the ceiling - warm and wet air rises up and, falling on the more hygroscopic inner layer of insulation, can no longer quickly evaporate through the ceilings.

Materials best suited for insulation yourself

Of course, for self-insulation of a house, materials that do not require additional equipment. Therefore, polyurethane foam and ecowool applied by spraying can not even be considered - the cost of the equipment will not pay off when used for one home.

So, the easiest to use:

• slabs and rolls of mineral wool - simply laid on a horizontal surface, they need to be pressed tightly to a vertical surface, for example, with self-tapping screws with “umbrellas”;
• polystyrene foam – glued to flat surfaces using a special composition and additionally fixed with “umbrellas”.
• vermiculite, expanded clay, sawdust - simply poured in the required layer into a pre-made formwork.

But to work with these materials, you will need a drill or hammer drill to make holes in the walls, a screwdriver to screw the frame, a saw or grinder to cut off the bars. So don’t think that insulation on our own- it’s a very simple matter, even if your hand is a little full of home construction.

Advantages, disadvantages and installation technology of mineral insulation

Mineral wool is universal - it can be used to insulate both wooden and brick buildings. Thanks to its high vapor permeability, it will provide an optimal microclimate in the house without creating a greenhouse effect. But it is precisely for the ability to “breathe” that houses made of timber are so valued.

Basalt slabs in this regard it is preferable. The insulation technology is extremely simple:

1. The frame is filled with 5x5 cm bars. wooden walls it is attached with self-tapping screws, and on concrete and brick with dowels. The bars are leveled and leveled using wooden pads.



2. The pitch of the bars in the frame is 1 cm less than the width of the insulation mat (so that it lies tightly, but does not sag). If a large layer of insulation is required, cross bars are placed on top of the first layer of laid mineral wool and the second layer is laid. The roof is also insulated in the same way.



3. Brick houses can be insulated without constructing a frame. Basalt slabs are attached using special glue and fixed with “umbrellas”.



4. For wooden houses a ventilated facade is used with a mandatory gap between the insulation and the siding. In this case, the mineral wool is closed windproof membrane, and puncture sites and all joints are taped with butyl rubber tape. Siding guides are placed on top of the windbreak; they will also provide the required ventilation gap.



5. For a wet façade, basalt wool is reinforced with reinforcing mesh and plastered. It is worth remembering that mineral wool is flexible material, so even a light blow to the facade can ruin the finish.

Disadvantages mineral insulation there too. In addition to the aforementioned love of mice, it is hygroscopic, so it requires good waterproofing. With improper ventilation, mineral wool begins to mold, and over time it erodes and cakes.

You need to remember safety precautions when working with glass wool - fibers that get on the skin cause severe itching. Basalt wool crumbles a lot. If it gets into the lungs, the dust is not removed, so the face must be protected with a respirator and goggles.

Pros, cons and techniques of foam insulation

The main disadvantage of polystyrene foam is its low vapor permeability, so it is not suitable for insulating wooden buildings. To avoid creating an effect plastic bottle When there is always high humidity in the house, it is advisable to pay special attention to ventilation.

The advantages of expanded polystyrene are obvious:

• easy to install - it is lightweight and does not require a frame or formwork;
• easy to cut - does not generate dust and is completely safe;
• does not rot or cake;
• inexpensive and durable.

PPS slabs are laid on a flat, prepared surface. There is no need to make a screed, but you will have to remove all protruding elements. The foam is attached with a special glue, and to improve adhesion, the walls are pre-treated with a primer.

Expanded polystyrene is fixed with “umbrellas” with slight indentation, and the caps are rubbed with cement mortar to ensure tightness. The seams are sealed with polyurethane foam, the excess is cut off and also sealed.

The video shows in detail the entire foam insulation technology:

Bulk insulation materials and their features

Natural bulk materials They are environmentally friendly and, in some cases, low in price. So, living in a forested area, there will be no problems with sawdust, but delivery of expanded clay can be expensive. Vermiculite, in terms of its qualities, is much more better than expanded clay, since the only insulation is capable of absorbing heat. So it is best used as insulation inside a wall frame.

For an industrial scale this is unprofitable, but private construction makes it possible to use bulk insulation even so.

If you need to insulate the attic floor, the easiest way is to pour 15 cm of sawdust. They don’t even need to be covered with waterproofing films.

They also have disadvantages:

• Due to its properties to absorb and evaporate moisture, the material itself does an excellent job of removing excess steam, reducing humidity in the house. Besides, everything bulk insulation materials are not suitable for mouse nests, which also speaks in their favor.
  They also have disadvantages:
• expanded clay is hygroscopic and heavy, so it is not suitable for large-scale insulation of buildings on light foundations;
• Vermiculite is also quite heavy, but does not absorb moisture.

Any bulk insulation performs best on horizontal surfaces, but for pitched roofs absolutely not suitable.

To build your warm house, it is enough to have the minimum required construction skills. And everything will definitely work out!

We can confidently say that every owner wants his home to be warm, to have no problems with freezing walls, condensation, the spread of mold, and wants the house not to cause any problems. In addition, well-insulated walls mean savings on heating and partially improve the internal climate in summer, which has a positive effect on air-conditioning costs. There are several options for how to insulate a house from the outside with your own hands. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, differences in cost, and some require a special approach to the design of the external facade.

Brief overview of advantages external insulation and ways to protect the thermal insulating layer from moisture

Insulating a house from the outside is quite popular because it has clear advantages for the user. A short list can be formulated as follows:

• there is no need to spoil the interior decoration;
• external insulation, for example, small country house, will not affect the usable area of ​​the rooms in any way;
• Carrying out work outside allows you to vary the thickness of the layer, as well as apply different design solutions.

In addition to the improved heat retention characteristics of walls, external insulation has several other advantages. The main and most noticeable of them is the shift of the dew point outside the building, which means solving problems with damp walls, excessive condensation, freezing and mold growth.

Depending on the used exterior finishing material, the question may arise about isolating the thermal insulator layer from direct or indirect (in the form of condensation) exposure to moisture. The most common protection methods (divided by complexity of work and level of financial investment) are as follows:

• surface finishing of the insulation layer with plaster, tile adhesives and other types of finishing, called “wet facade technology”
• covering the facade with materials that do not require large investments Money and not putting forward special requirements for the qualifications of performers ( plastic lining, wooden). In this case, before starting work on the insulation of the facade, it is necessary to provide for the construction of a frame for fastening the parts, which, most often, consists of wooden planks.
• construction of a ventilated facade. In this case, film is often used as a surface for the formation of condensation. A ventilated façade requires both the qualifications of the work contractor and significant financial investments. Based on the level of complexity of the design, it can be considered as a separate complex remedy insulation with various methods of forming the outer surface.

Despite some complexity and high cost of the latter method, it shows excellent results, preventing water from entering the insulation, as well as improving thermal protection due to its own properties (the presence of an air gap, ventilation and evaporation of condensate, compensation for rapid significant temperature changes, which shows good results in autumn period when the house is not yet warmed up).

What to choose as a layer of insulation

Any wall insulation can be divided into two groups:

1. applied as a composition various kinds, ideal for processing, for example, a small country house;
2. applied in the form of mats, shields, sheets, in the form of masonry made of various materials.

Depending on the qualifications of the homeowner, most of the work can be done by hand. In fact, using modern ready-made building mixtures, any operations to insulate a country house can be done independently. Let's carry out short review materials used for finishing buildings.

Mineral wool

A classic and very common material for insulation. It can be used both for finishing walls and thermal protection of foundations, which reduces the level of humidity inside and has a better effect on comfort, ease of use and other characteristics of the building that are priority for the owner. U similar material There are enough advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of use include the following:

• mineral wool is available in the form of mats of various thicknesses;
• there are several ways to fasten insulation to the wall surface, some of them are specifically specified (as recommended) in the manufacturer’s instructions;
• mats are easy to cut if you need a covering element of a certain size;
• working with mineral wool is very simple, creating both a continuous layer of insulation on the wall and laying it in various kinds frames or - forming multi-layer protection.

The last undoubted advantage for the consumer is the high prevalence and relatively low price mineral wool. However, its use is also associated with a list of disadvantages:

• the material is porous, therefore, although the wool fibers do not absorb moisture, the layer of material must be protected from the effects of water, both in the form of precipitation and condensation;
• You should work with classic (created by pulling glass melt into the finest threads) mineral wool very carefully, since the fibers are strong and brittle, dig into the skin, break off inside and cause severe itching. Application protective equipment- Necessarily.

To improve user performance, manufacturing techniques are constantly being improved. Basalt mineral wool is more durable when exposed to moisture, but is significantly more expensive. Slag wool has great thermal insulation properties, but is less common and very strongly retains moisture inside the insulation layer.

Classic plaster and fur coat

To the most proven and simple ways involves a thick layer of plaster and spraying a solution with slag onto the surface of the wall. If we describe the advantages and disadvantages of this insulation method, we can make the following list:

• the method is simple; when using ready-made building mixtures, you can do the work to insulate the facades of a country house yourself;
• with a small volume of operations, the cost is quite acceptable, especially if you use a classic cement-sand mixture;
• You can vary the thickness of the coating layer to achieve your goals. A minimum layer of 50 mm can eliminate internal condensation and freezing, and a thicker layer with a secondary fur coat will provide warmth;
• using steel mesh reinforcement, it is easy to achieve the required thickness of plaster when finishing facades;
• insulation can be formed on any type of wall, which is interesting when decorating a country house;
• plastering can be carried out even on surfaces with large irregularities.

To describe it briefly, classic plaster has the minimum thermal protection of all possible materials, is quite simple to work with, but will require a significant amount of material when processing the facades of a large building.

It is worth noting that ease of use and versatility of use gave impetus to the development of application methods and coating properties. Modern warm plaster has much better performance:

1. the level of thermal insulation is approaching that of mineral wool;
2. the finish is light, porous;
3. the application layer is small, the maximum recommended is 50 mm;
4. There are no contraindications for secondary finishing.

In fact, warm plaster can be a great additional method insulation of facades, leveling the wall and at the same time reducing the level of heat loss.

Polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam

Two materials obtained using modern technologies are very common - polystyrene foam and extruded polystyrene foam. In terms of characteristics, the latter is somewhat better (retains heat 30% better, is slightly vapor permeable, at least 5 times more resistant to fracture), but is significantly more expensive. The undoubted advantages of the materials include:

• low weight;
• good thermal insulation performance;
• ease of use;
• can be attached to the wall in several ways;
• complete indifference to the effects of moisture;
• do not serve as a breeding ground for bacteria; with certain surface treatment, the formation of mold can be prevented;
• fixed thicknesses of finished sheets, which speeds up design and work.

The availability of these materials has led to their widespread use in insulating facades. There is a list of shortcomings that cannot be considered decisive in most cases:

• fragility (applies primarily to polystyrene foam; polystyrene foam is much stronger and more technologically advanced);
• flammability, when ignited, carcinogenic toxic smoke is released with big amount soot;
• zero vapor permeability, which puts forward certain requirements for the organization of ventilation inside the building.

However, the listed characteristics are not the main limitations, therefore polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are very often used to insulate the facades of a wide variety of buildings. They can also be used when decorating a country house; it will be especially successful to create secondary cladding from plastic or wooden lining, which looks quite neat.

Thermal panels

One of the modern composite materials, actively promoted on the market of products for finishing facades - thermal panels. They are a layer of insulation (most often polyurethane foam) with clinker tiles applied to the surface. The result is an externally durable and good-looking finishing material that guarantees excellent insulation.
Working with thermal panels is quite simple. By applying the manufacturer’s recommended methods of fastening to the wall surface, you can guarantee long service, as well as excellent façade characteristics. The main advantage of thermal panels can be considered the choice of appearance options and speed of operation, and the disadvantage is the very high cost and application requirements special tool for forming parts the right size and configurations.

Insulating a country house using thermal panels can be very justified, but preliminary work on leveling the walls will be necessary - the finishing material is not flexible.

Foil penofol

Penofol is an excellent material, thin, easy to work with, the foil coating protects against moisture penetration and guarantees surface strength. However, such insulation is rare, since it literally “costs a pretty penny.” The use of penofol is justified only when creating additional insulation, since its use in “ventilated facade” type structures with a professional approach is simply technically inconvenient, ineffective, and sometimes not recommended.

Sprayed materials

There are several groups of ready-made products that can simply be sprayed onto a cleaned and primed wall surface. It is worth immediately noting some key characteristics that determine the use of such facade insulation only in rare cases. The list looks like this:

1. extremely low strength;
2. not aesthetic appearance;
3. it is necessary to protect some materials from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, otherwise they disintegrate very quickly;
4. zero vapor permeability.

A separate group, for example, foam glass insulation, can be characterized by extremely high cost with excellent durability and strength; others, on the contrary, have a very low cost, but it is advisable to use secondary finishing.
The leader in application is industrial polyurethane foam. It shows good results because it can provide the following benefits:

• good insulation;
• ease of application;
• low cost of coverage.

The formed layer looks unsightly, but when using secondary finishing in the form of lining, plastering or coating with tile adhesive - this disadvantage is completely neutralized.

Masonry materials

In fact, it is difficult to consider insulation using masonry materials only as thermal protection. Rather, it is a modification of the wall to obtain new properties, carried out using a separate layer of building material.

Some masonry insulation materials, such as aerated concrete, require UV protection using a secondary finish. If you combine all the characteristics of masonry insulation into one list, it will look like this:

• extremely unreasonable coating thickness, unacceptable, for example, for the facade of a country house;
• very high cost;
• average thermal protection indicators.

However, masonry materials can be useful due to interesting advantages:

• insulation has its own integrity and technological strength;
• available wide choose secondary finishing;
• zero flammability and excellent vapor permeability.

As a result, if it is necessary to carry out insulation and at the same time - structural transformation of the building, masonry materials for facades can be considered as a reasonable option.

Conclusion

As we see, modern market offers many options for materials that can be used to insulate any building, residential multi-story building or a small country house. Ultimately, each owner chooses an option that is characterized by an acceptable balance of price, insulation quality, speed and ease of operation.