How to insulate the floors in the apartment. How to insulate the floor in an apartment on the ground floor: types of heaters, the process of insulating floors with your own hands. Methods of floor insulation and properties of heaters

Everyone knows that concrete floors are the coldest surface - in any season, the coolness of concrete will be felt by the feet, causing irritation and discomfort. In addition, the concrete floor is not compatible with children playing on it, and accordingly, over time, you will begin to think about ways to insulate the coating. How to insulate the floor in an apartment and when to start insulating a concrete floor are two questions that are of interest to a large number of people. When to start? Everything is simple - during the next repair. But we will deal with the most effective ways of warming below. We advise you to look at roof insulation in the article. Tips can be useful in practice.

How to insulate the floor in the apartment?

When you need to insulate a concrete floor in an apartment, you should think in advance about materials that will visually transform it, as well as make it comfortable and warm.

In order to provide the above properties, the materials must have the following characteristics:

moisture resistance;
Light weight;
Long service life;
Low thermal conductivity (unless, of course, they are used).

Below is a list of materials that have these properties:

Mineral wool;
Expanded clay;
polyurethane foam;
Expanded polystyrene, including extruded polystyrene foam;
Styrofoam;
Stone basalt wool;
Perlite.

Each of these materials can be used depending on the characteristics of the room and the desired surface finish.

Warming methods

When deciding on a heater for a concrete surface, you need to decide on the method of laying a particular coating. There are two main ways:

1. Flooring on logs;

2. Flooring on a concrete base.

When laying the insulation along the logs, the load on the heat-insulating material is not provided, therefore bulk materials and mineral wool with a density of up to 50 kg / m³ will be most suitable. But if flooring is performed directly on a concrete slab, then the load on the material increases, which more dense materials, such as extruded polystyrene foam or mineral slabs, can withstand.

Floor insulation based on log

The flooring of the coating in a similar way is carried out at the very beginning of the construction of the house, or rather, at the stage of pouring the concrete screed. Floorboards, moisture resistant plywood or chipboard attached to the logs can be used. In one of our articles, we considered, look, maybe it will come in handy.

When using this method, keep in mind that it leads to a decrease in ceiling height by approximately 7-10 cm. In this regard, with low ceilings in an apartment, it is worth considering the advisability of using this method.

The process of high-quality laying involves the following steps:

The concrete base is cleaned of dirt and dust, and then covered with a waterproofing material, for example, with a plastic film, but not too thin;
Logs are installed on the floor using a hydraulic level. Logs are installed at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other;
The gap formed between the lags is filled with the selected heat-insulating material;
Plywood, boards or chipboard are laid along the logs. Laying should be carried out taking into account the distance from the walls at a distance of 15 mm;
A clean floor covering is being installed.

Floating floor installation

The method of warming a concrete surface, which is based on the use of durable and strong extruded polystyrene foam, is quite common and very popular. The technology involves the arrangement of several layers, the last of which will be a cement-sand screed, which will not be attached to either the base or the walls. As a result, this layer seems to “float”. Thanks to this feature, the floor gets excellent soundproofing properties.

Also a valuable investment of money will be the arrangement of the floor with a heated plate, which is made of extruded polystyrene foam. In such a case, the floors will act as a reflective screen. In this case, the insulation technology will involve the following operations:

Flooring;
Substrate laying;
Implementation of a cement-sand screed;
Production of a concrete floor base;
Laying of heating elements;
Extruded polystyrene foam.

In addition to the above methods of insulation, there are simpler, but no less effective options and materials which have a high level of thermal insulation. These include:

Chipboards;
Thick moisture resistant plywood;
Cork technical coating;
Roll isolon;
Insulated linoleum or carpet;
Innovative material - .

Before laying, the concrete surface must be leveled, as well as cleaned from dust and dirt. And after that it will be necessary to proceed to direct warming.

Insulation of the concrete floor with chipboards

The most labor-intensive and elementary option for insulation in an apartment is the use of chipboard.

The design of such a floor will look like this:

The foundation;
Chipboards;
Waterproofing.

Insulation technology in this way will include the following operations:

A polyethylene film is laid on the concrete base, which provides the required level of waterproofing;
A small deformation layer must be left between the wall and the slab, in which a number of slabs must be laid. This layer is intended to protect the plates from deformation during a possible change in temperature and humidity in the room;
The next layer is fastened taking into account the distance from the wall, while excluding cross-shaped seams. In a similar way, the floor covering is laid on the floor of the entire surface of the floor. Plates are fixed using dowels;
Upon completion of the laying of the plates, the docking points must be sealed with a construction mesh, which is treated with putty and paint of the required color. Other grouting materials can be crushed limestone or sawdust, which are mixed with parquet varnish. The mixture ratio should be 1:1. This mixture is perfect for sealing seams and crevices.
Immediately after laying chipboard, skirting boards are installed;
The resulting surface will be ready for laying a finishing coating - linoleum or carpet.

It should be noted that linoleum or carpeting are good heaters for a house or apartment. They are glued with bustilat to the concrete floor using a polyurethane foam backing or simply pressed tightly with skirting boards to the floor. When joints are formed, the coating must be overlapped by 5 cm and trimmed. In a similar way, you can create perfectly even and almost imperceptible seams.

However, it is worth mentioning the main disadvantages of linoleum:

Not a high service life;
With an uneven base and due to low density, it can be pushed through;
Made from synthetic materials.

By the way, if you are faced with a choice between, then look at the advantages and disadvantages of each material.

How to insulate the floor in an apartment with a technical cork

The thermal insulation of a concrete floor can be perfectly performed by using a technical cork with a thickness of 3-10 mm. Although it is quite thin, it has excellent heat retention properties for a long time.

The success of a technical cork in the process of warming a concrete surface is determined by its excellent performance and thermal insulation characteristics, its environmental friendliness and safety in operation, the admissibility of use in rooms with low ceilings, as well as an affordable price.

Floor insulation with isolon

Isolon is an inexpensive and popular heat-insulating material that serves for quick and high-quality insulation of a concrete floor in preparation for expensive coatings such as parquet or laminate. The laying process is quite simple - it is rolled out over the entire plane and fixed with adhesive tape. is also an easy task. A more complicated process will be, which you can find out by clicking on the link.

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How to insulate the floor on the first floor - 5 proven ways

The folk wisdom that has been proven for centuries, which says that you need to keep your head cold and your feet warm, is relevant for owners of housing on the ground floor like no other. These people know firsthand what the consequences can be if the floor is not insulated in time. The indestructible smell of dampness, constant colds in children and general discomfort in the house are just some of these problems. In this article, I decided to dwell on how to properly insulate the floors on the ground floor in a city apartment and in a private house.

Suitable types of insulation

Insulation for the floors of the first floor, in principle, you can use any. Here you need to look at your financial capabilities, professional skills and, of course, on what basis the material is chosen for. It is one thing to insulate the floor of the first floor in a wooden house, and quite another, the arrangement of a concrete slab in a city apartment. I selected the most popular materials and combined them into a table.

Type of insulation	Advantages	Flaws
Slabs of mineral wool (slag wool, basalt wool)	Low thermal conductivity; Easy installation; Affordable price; High density with good elasticity; Absolute fire safety; Environmentally neutral.	High hygroscopicity; The need to install the crate.
Styrofoam slabs	Low thermal conductivity; Easy installation; Low price; Light weight; Possibility of use in a humid environment; Environmentally neutral.	Styrofoam is afraid of rodents; In case of fire it emits caustic and rather harmful gases.
Plates of extruded polystyrene foam (Penoplex)	Low thermal conductivity; Easy installation; Ability to withstand high mechanical loads; Light weight; The material is an absolute waterproofing agent; Environmentally neutral.	High price. Penoplex is 2-3 times more expensive than foam plastic; It burns when exposed to an open flame and emits corrosive gases.
Expanded clay (bulk material, is a porous granules of baked clay)	Absolute ecological cleanliness; Low price; Absolute fire safety (baked clay does not burn); Low thermal conductivity.	Expanded clay is able to absorb moisture; The weight of expanded clay, although not much, is higher than that of plate heaters.
A mortar of sawdust mixed with cement	Ecological cleanliness; scanty cost; The material is considered fireproof with proper proportions.	Afraid of high humidity; Thermal conductivity is much higher than that of modern plate heaters; Relatively large weight.
Liquid heaters. (Polyurethane foam and penoizol)	Environmental neutrality; Light weight; Not afraid of moisture; Low thermal conductivity.	High price; Liquid heaters cannot be applied by hand, they require the involvement of third-party specialists.

Subtleties of installation of insulation

Since the wooden and concrete bases are quite different in their characteristics, accordingly, the methods of their arrangement will be different. Further, in order not to dump everything in one "heap", each instruction will be considered separately.

Method number 1. Floor insulation from below

The concrete floor of the first floor in multi-apartment city buildings from below, in the vast majority of cases, borders on an unheated, and often even a wet basement. Therefore, I am convinced that it is necessary to start work with insulation in the basement. Thus, you will completely cut off the access of moisture and at least half make your floor warmer.

It is not worth spending money on some sky-high expensive materials here, ordinary polystyrene is quite enough. The thickness of the insulation in this case starts from 50 mm. As far as I have seen, the ceilings in the basements are not covered with anything, this is an ordinary reinforced concrete slab. Therefore, the first thing to do is to blow out all the cracks around the perimeter of the ceiling and on the ceiling itself, especially between the floor slabs, with mounting foam;
The concrete slab itself is smooth, naturally the adhesion of such a coating is rather low. To increase it, we will need to walk along the ceiling with deep penetration soil;
Then everything is simple. We take foam boards and glue them to the ceiling. As an adhesive, you can use the same mounting foam, Liquid Nails construction adhesive or Ceresit CT83 dry mortar. Personally, I prefer Ceresit. After the glue has finally set, the remaining small gaps between the plates will need to be blown out again with mounting foam.

If you glue on mounting foam, then take into account the fact that it expands greatly, so every 15 to 20 minutes the plates will need to be pressed against the ceiling. Typically, the extension lasts about an hour and a half.

Some craftsmen prefer to mount the foam on the ceiling in the basement in 2 layers, with a shift relative to each other. Explaining this by the fact that a denser monolith is obtained, without gaps. I think it's redundant. More precisely, in the case when the facade insulation of the house is mounted, this measure is justified, and in the basement it is an extra waste of material, time and effort.

For an ordinary dry basement, this will be enough. But if there is water in the basement, then I recommend making additional waterproofing of the ceiling. This procedure is also inexpensive.

You will need to take Liquid Nails or some similar glue, apply it with a spatula to the foam and paste over the ceiling with technical polyethylene. So that the polyethylene does not fall off before the glue sets, it can be shot in places with a stapler to the foam.

The opinions of experts about whether it is necessary to install the so-called external insulation of the underground in wooden houses differ. Personally, I don't think it will get any worse than this. So you not only insulate the basement from below, but also protect the wood from moisture.

You need to act according to the technology described above. Only here it makes sense to fix the foam in addition to glue on the draft layer of the subfloor with plastic dowels-umbrellas. This is due to the fact that the tree is a living material, and when it starts to “walk”, the sheets may peel off.

Method number 2. Installation of insulation with a crate

For a novice master, this method is considered one of the easiest and most understandable. The only problem is that the thickness of such insulation starts from 50 - 70 mm. Therefore, in apartments with low ceilings, this can be a problem.

Work begins with the preparation of the concrete base. The old coating, if there is one, must of course be completely torn off and cleaned well to concrete. After that, all cracks and cracks will need to be caulked. This can be done using putty or the same mounting foam;
On top of any concrete base, you will need to lay a layer of waterproofing. Too powerful protection is not required for an apartment, especially if you have already hemmed the ceiling with foam plastic in the basement. Here it is enough to lay technical polyethylene in one layer. But only polyethylene should be overlapped around the entire perimeter of the walls. From the start, I do an overlap of about 10 - 15 cm, then the excess will be cut off;
The basis of the crate are wooden bars. Their thickness is selected according to the thickness of the insulation. The bars are usually laid parallel to the short wall of the room with a step of about half a meter. For fixing, anchors or self-tapping screws with “quick installation” dowels are used. I usually fix with an interval of no more than 1m, the support bars will not go anywhere anyway;

Next comes the stage of installation of the insulation itself. If the basement is not insulated from below, then the thickness of the insulation starts from 50 mm. But for mineral wool slabs, the minimum is 100m. Filler from sawdust-cement mortar, expanded clay and other loose insulation should be taken at least 150 mm. Only dense foam, foam plastic and liquid modern heaters (polyurethane foam, penoizol) can be laid with a thickness of 50 mm;
If you approached the matter thoroughly and first insulated the ceiling in the basement, then all these dimensions can be safely divided in half;
Styrofoam or extruded polystyrene foam is selected or cut clearly according to the size of the gap between the support bars. With such a calculation that the plates were butt. Slabs of dense mineral wool should be a couple of centimeters wider than the gap between the bars. They will press down a little on the sides and you will get a solid, dense insulation;

From above, a layer of such insulation can be sewn up with a tongue-and-groove floorboard with a thickness of 30 mm or more. If a top finish is planned, such as laminate, linoleum or parquet, then it is better to use plywood or OSB sheets. Moreover, under the laminate, one layer of sheets with a thickness of 12 - 16 mm is enough, and under linoleum or a package, sheets of 10 - 12 mm will have to be laid, in a double layer with a shift between the layers.

Method number 3. Floor insulation in a wooden house

The insulation of the floor of the first floor in a wooden house is somewhat reminiscent of the option using a wooden crate. In wooden houses, all interfloor ceilings, including those on the first floor, are made two-layer.

The design is based on massive wooden logs. From below, it is hemmed with a layer of subfloor, and from above, of course, there is a finishing coating. As you probably already guessed, in the middle we will have a heater.

When the bottom draft coating is hemmed and all the wood is impregnated with protective compounds, you can proceed with the installation of the waterproofing layer. Unlike the apartment version, waterproofing the subfloor in a wooden house is done more thoroughly. Moreover, it is laid not only on the subfloor, but also wrapped over the log, in a single monolithic layer;
If you have chosen technical polyethylene, then it is covered in 2 layers and fastened with a stapler. Roofing material or modern rolled waterproofing can be installed in 1 layer, but they sit on bituminous mastic, which in turn is also a good waterproofing agent;

In a wooden house, there is already enough to burn, therefore, in most cases, preference is given to non-combustible material. Dense basalt wool slabs are now considered the most popular. The depth of wooden logs, even in light country houses, is taken at least 150 mm. Accordingly, basalt wool is laid either in one layer of 150 mm, or in two layers of 75 mm, always with a shift between the layers;

Expanded clay is deservedly considered the second no less popular material. This is a popular, budget option. According to the rules, expanded clay should fall asleep a couple of centimeters below the finishing floor, that is, the upper cut of the log. But I always recommend from the start to fill up any loose insulation flush with the lags. In any case, over time it will shrink and you will get the same ventilation gap;

Expanded clay is produced in the three most popular fractions. The sand has a diameter of up to 5 mm, the diameter of the gravel does not exceed 2 cm, everything that goes beyond these limits is called crushed stone. So, in order for the insulation layer to be more dense and monolithic, before backfilling, you need to mix expanded clay gravel or crushed stone with expanded clay sand in a ratio of 1: 1.

As I already indicated in the table, mineral wool and expanded clay are hygroscopic materials. Therefore, from above such a heater in wooden houses will need to be covered with a layer of vapor barrier or simple polyethylene. This is especially true for country houses with seasonal residence. Otherwise, in a periodically heated room, the insulation will quickly become saturated with moisture and lose its properties;
The last stage of the arrangement of insulation, as usual, we are installing the final coating. In capital wooden houses, a tongue-and-groove floorboard is often used. In light country houses, plywood or OSB is mounted, and what is on top is laid.

Method number 4. Warming with extruded polystyrene foam

Extruded polystyrene foam is a special modern material, and its use should be discussed separately. To be honest, I think that as a heater for the floors of the first floor, this material is close to ideal. There are several variations of it, in our great power it is better known under the brand name Penoplex.

The uniqueness of penoplex lies in the fact that, in addition to all other characteristics, it absolutely does not let water through, and most importantly, it has a serious margin of mechanical strength. It is penoplex that now insulates highways and runways of airfields.

I have already mentioned that it can be laid in a crate, although, in my opinion, this is too expensive. In the case of a crate, it is quite possible to get by with dense foam sheets of more than 30 kg / m³. By the way, they are at least 2 times cheaper. There, after all, anyway, the lion's share of the load falls on the support bars.

Penoplex showed itself best in two cases. This is when arranging a laminate and as a heater under a screed. Thanks to the grooves located along the perimeter of each sheet, such flooring is mounted quickly and completely hermetically.

If you already have a basement insulated, then you can safely use sheets of extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of about 30 mm. Even in a harsh climate, this will be enough. The preparation of the base is the same everywhere. Theoretically, you can not lay a layer of waterproofing under the penoplex, but it will not be a mistake if you play it safe and cover the room with polyethylene.

The sheets of insulation are connected to each other through grooves, and these grooves are additionally glued with any suitable glue, this stuff is now more than enough on the markets;
As you know, the laminate is mounted using a floating technology, that is, it is not rigidly connected to the base. Therefore, further we cover the insulation with a polyethylene foam substrate and already lay our laminate on it.

Penoplex has one weak point, it can easily carry heavy loads only if they are evenly distributed over the entire plane. The material may not withstand point pressure. Laminate, in turn, provides a uniform distribution of this load.

By the way, using a similar technology, you can equip the base for linoleum or piece parquet. A foam layer is also laid there, a thin foam substrate is laid on it, and OSB is mounted instead of a laminate to evenly distribute the load. Sheet thicknesses up to 10 mm are sufficient here.

As I already mentioned, penoplex is perhaps the best option for screed insulation. Moreover, the screed can be either ordinary cement-sand or modern self-leveling.

The technology of arrangement here is also quite simple. After laying the waterproofing and the foam layer, a metal reinforcing mesh is laid on top. Too thick fittings for an ordinary apartment should not be used. I usually take wire with a thickness of 4 to 6 mm;
After all, the thickness of the screed itself often does not exceed 20 mm. This is only on large areas, from 50 to 70 m² in size, the concrete screed is made up to 40 mm thick;
If you are going to use a cement-sand mortar, then you will first need to fix the beacons, and between them already lay the reinforcement. Lighthouses are easiest to fix with a stapler. When everything is ready, the solution is thrown on top and aligned with the beacons by the rule;

A self-leveling screed is generally a “song”, you do not need to have any special talents and skills to install it. There are instructions on the package to prepare the mixture. Then this mixture is poured onto a layer of reinforced foam and slowly helped to level it with a spiked roller.

Important: Penoplex is allowed to be mounted exclusively on a flat floor. Insignificant, smooth differences in height within 3 - 4 mm are allowed.

Method number 5. Warming with a dry screed

The so-called dry screed is used exclusively for warming the concrete base. At a cost price, it comes out cheaper than many of its competitors. Expanded clay mixture (sand - gravel) is taken as the basis there.

The point is to align the loose base as evenly as possible along the horizon. After that, a rigid monolithic flooring is mounted on it, using floating technology. OSB sheets, waterproof GKL or thick, about 10 mm plywood are often used as flooring.

It is quite difficult to ideally level loose expanded clay without skill. Therefore, I recommend that you first mount the support beacons on the floor.

It is not worth biting into durable concrete with self-tapping screws. It is quite enough to plant beacons on alabaster pyramids. After that, you simply fill the room with expanded clay mixture and distribute it according to the rule over the lighthouses.

The sheet flooring is mounted in 2 layers, as usual with a shift between the sheets. Such installation will not be difficult, there you can safely drive through the screws, they will not damage the expanded clay pillow. And note that such flooring is called floating because it is not rigidly attached to anything. The gap between the wall and the flooring is left within 10 mm.

Conclusion

Now you know how to properly insulate the floors on the ground floor. In the photo and video in this article, I placed related information on the topic of floor insulation. If you have any questions, write them in the comments, I will try to help.

September 6, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!

The floor differs from other building envelopes in that it is constantly under load from the weight of residents, furniture and equipment.

Obviously, this should be considered before planning in an apartment with your own hands.

Foamed polymers are used in construction practice, this is an extensive group, which includes:

polyethylene foam;
polypropylene, etc.

Flaws:

combustibility: when burning, they also emit super-toxic smoke;
interest from rodents: use styrofoam as food.

If it is decided to make the floor concrete, then it is better to cast the base not from pure concrete, but from expanded clay - sawdust - or polystyrene concrete. Then the EPPS is laid on top.

Do-it-yourself floor insulation technology

The wooden floor is insulated in this order:

dismantle the finishing floor, exposing the logs, and inspect all lumber for damage and rotten areas. If necessary, beams and boards are changed, not forgetting to treat the new wood with fire protection;
nails are nailed to the lags on the side below or bars are screwed with self-tapping screws. A more expensive option is to attach steel corners, but there will be more space for insulation. That is, it can be laid in a thicker layer;
low-grade lumber is laid on bars or corners - sorted, slab or unedged board;
in the case of using mineral wool or other moisture-absorbing material, a dense polyethylene film (waterproofing) is laid. In the gaps between the lags, it is pressed in so that it touches the unedged board. The material is placed with a 10 cm approach to the walls;
lay the insulation in the gaps between the lags on the bedding boards. The thickness of the layer is selected so that there is a gap of 20 mm between the heat insulator and the boards of the finishing floor;
in the case of mineral wool, polyethylene is again spread on top;
they lay the boards of the finishing floor so that there is a gap of 1-1.5 cm between their ends and the wall. Subsequently, it will be closed with a plinth;
cut waterproofing.

The concrete floor is insulated like this:

knock down the old screed;
close up cracks in the concrete base, eliminate other defects;
insulation is laid - extruded polystyrene foam or expanded clay. The latter is leveled by the rule according to the lighthouses;
a wire mesh (reinforcement) is laid on top of special bosses or fragments of bricks;
on the walls, at the level of the future screed, a damper tape is glued. It will allow the screed to transform in volumes when the temperature changes without the occurrence of internal stresses;
install beacons;
pour the screed and level it over the beacons;
beacons are knocked out of a frozen screed with a chisel or cut out with a grinder. The recesses remaining from under them are filled with a solution.

It remains to lay on a screed or other fine floor covering.

A lot of articles have been found on the Internet about the insulation of a concrete floor, where it is recommended to lay Penofol under the screed. This is an unfortunate option: Penofol - foamed polyethylene, soft roll material. It is not only under load, even under the weight of the screed, it will flatten to a thickness of 1 mm and cease to perform its functions.

When is it necessary to insulate the floor on the 1st floor?

Floor insulation is used in the following cases, if:

there is no basement (floor on the ground);
there is an unheated basement;
the floor is located above the arch;
below is a non-residential premises: a shop, a hairdresser or, for example, a workshop.

It is imperative to insulate the floors on the ground and above the arch. In the first case, high heat losses are due to good thermal conductivity of the soil, especially clay soil - it retains moisture well. In the second - a draft, which is usually observed in an arched opening.

If the 1st floor is located above a heated basement and the same temperature is maintained there, it is pointless to insulate the floor. It is also impractical to do this on interfloor ceilings, if the dwelling is located below.

How to properly insulate the floor in the apartment

Let's imagine two main schemes for performing thermal insulation of floors in an apartment.

First of all, all existing structures are removed up to the overlap. Rigid insulation boards are installed on the cleaned and leveled surface. If the thermal insulation material is hygroscopic, an additional vapor barrier layer is required. On top of them, a screed (thickness 4 cm) is made, on which a reinforced wire mesh is laid.

To increase the resistance of the coating to thermal expansion, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of its contact with the walls, for example, lay a thin layer of polyethylene foam.

After that, in accordance with the accepted technology, a finishing coating is laid. The resulting design is able to withstand significant floor loads that are possible in an apartment.

An easier option in terms of loads on the floor slabs is the laying of thermal insulation between the logs, laid in increments of 60 cm. They are installed directly on the concrete floor slab. A vapor barrier layer is laid on top of the log, and a continuous “rough” coating is laid on it under the finish.

In houses of old buildings, insulation is placed between the floor beams.

Some simple ways to insulate

Izolon. Isolon, sold in rolls, is laid on the cleaned surface. It is glued with special adhesive tape to prevent its displacement during operation. The topcoat, say, a laminate, is laid directly on the heat-insulating layer. This method is very simple, but quite effective.

Expanded polystyrene or screened polyethylene foam. A high-quality polyethylene film is laid on the prepared surface with an overlap (15 cm), so that it goes onto the walls by at least 2 cm. The joints are carefully glued. Next, a heater is placed, and on top - a mounting grid. The resulting structure is poured with a concrete screed of 60–80 mm.

Fiberboard sheets. Sheet material is laid on the prepared surface and covered with a vapor barrier on top: plastic wrap or special foil.

Floor insulation will not be complete if you do not take care of the insulation of pipe connections and various electrical or water communications.

Water floor. A layer of waterproofing is laid on the surface, then a foil insulation is laid. Next, metal-plastic pipes are laid with a snake, as a rule, with a diameter of 20 mm. They are attached to the floor using special plastic cuffs, and the ends are connected to the riser. Performing a system health check is mandatory for at least 20 hours. The pipes are left to cool for a couple of days and the screed is poured.

Warm electric floors are mounted in much the same way as water floors, only the floor heating passes through an electric cable. Warm floors are also good because the heating temperature can be adjusted. In addition, the room warms up evenly, since the heat is evenly distributed over the floor surface and rises evenly.

According to the laws of physics, warm air always rises. From this it follows that it is always colder below. That is, floors are the surface with the lowest temperature in the room.

How to protect yourself from heat loss in the apartment? This question worries many residents of multi-storey buildings. Especially those who live on the ground floor. Let's figure out what causes the outflow of warm air from the rooms.

If painted boards serve as the main coating in the rooms, then heat will freely escape through the joints between them. In this case, neither careful puttying of the seams, nor applying a thick layer of paint on it will help. On the first floors, the loss of warm air can occur due to cracks in the main concrete slabs on the floor. Another reason for a cold floor can be open vents in unheated basements. As well as cracks in the basement of the building.

Types of floor heaters

There are many different floor insulation that are used in modern construction. All of them have different properties. Each of them is suitable for floor insulation in apartments, but it is not always possible to use one or another type of insulation due to its features. For example, due to the large thickness.

Here are the main types of heat insulators that can be used for floor insulation:

Expanded polystyrene (polystyrene). This material is widely used in modern construction. Its main property is excellent thermal insulation. Especially when compared to other heaters. The disadvantage is that rodents can spoil your insulation.
Mineral wool. This insulation is inferior to foam in terms of thermal insulation properties. But mice don't gnaw on it. There is a roll type and sheet. Sheet min. cotton wool is denser than in rolls. It is suitable for laying on the floor.
Underfloor heating system. It can be in two versions: electric and water. Warm electric floor is sold per meter. You can also buy various sensors and thermostats for setting a comfortable temperature for your feet. A warm floor using water pipes is mounted from polypropylene.
Expanded clay. Recently, this insulation is rarely used in apartments. This is due to the fact that its thermal insulation properties are much lower than those of modern "colleagues". Accordingly, its use implies the application of a thick layer, which is usually unacceptable.
Polystyrene concrete. It is used instead of a cement-sand screed. Its main advantage is low thermal conductivity. It is achieved due to the porous structure. It can also serve as a good sound insulator.
Underlay made of various materials. It happens on the basis of isolon, polystyrene and cork. Most often it is laid under a laminated parquet board. The cork backing is the highest quality. But its price is higher than the others. Izolon is the cheapest and most fragile material.

How to insulate a wooden floor

In apartments, wooden floors are laid on logs that lie on a concrete base. It is in the gap between the board and the reinforced concrete floor that the insulation is laid.

Scheme of wooden floor insulation

There are two ways to insulate a wooden floor:

Capital insulation. This method involves removing the boards and laying a heat-insulating layer under them. In this situation, you can insulate the floors with expanded polystyrene or mineral wool. At the same time, insulation sheets are stacked so that there are no gaps between them. Joints are glued with aluminum tape.
Surface insulation. This method is simpler, but the effect will be less. Since the insulation will be laid on the boards from above. Depending on the finish flooring, you can use different types of insulation:

If you plan to lay a laminate on the floor, then one of the types of substrate will be the best option for thermal insulation.
If you have “bare” boards on the floor in your apartment, then you can simply cover them with sheets of fiberboard or OSB. Linoleum is laid on top of them. You can buy a special linoleum with a heat-insulating base. In this case, the joints between the boards must be carefully puttied.
One of the insulation options is carpet flooring. Under it, you can additionally put a thin layer of foil.

How to insulate a concrete floor

Concrete floor insulation scheme

There are several ways to insulate a floor based on concrete:

The system of heat-insulated floors is applied. In this case, it is necessary to lay warm floors on a concrete base, and then apply a layer of screed (at least 20 mm). After that lays down ceramic tiles. Most often, this method of floor insulation is used in the bathroom, kitchen and toilet.
If the height from the concrete base to the upper level of the floor is from 50 mm, then the use of foam plastic 20 mm thick is possible. Next, a reinforced mesh is laid and a screed is laid. Its thickness must be at least 2 centimeters.
If the floor level is sufficiently even (differences less than 2 mm), then it is possible to insulate the concrete floor with a substrate, followed by laying the laminate.
Instead of a cement-sand mixture, polystyrene concrete is used for the screed. Its laying with a thickness of 3-5 centimeters will be enough to achieve good thermal insulation of the floor. In addition, this building material is almost five times lighter than a cement base!