Styrofoam floor insulation methods. How to insulate floors in a private house We insulate floors in a private house with foam plastic

Vapor-proof material can only be used for thermal insulation in floors on the ground. Moreover, low-density foam is not suitable for this, it is necessary to use high-density polystyrene grades - EPS or XPS. It is strictly forbidden to insulate a wooden floor with Penoplex due to a sharp decrease in the operational life of lumber.

Regardless of the cottage construction technology and the wall material used, the following factors influence the choice of floor pie design:

floor - the floor on the ground can only be made at the lower level;
planned flooring - for tiles and most facing materials it is more convenient to floor on the ground, it is better to lay parquet on a black wooden floor;
type of foundation - to reduce the construction budget, wooden buildings are erected on poles or MZLF, floating and insulated slabs are used on wet ground, in swamps and steep slopes, pile-screw grillages remain the only option.

Important! In any of these options, the insulation of a wooden floor with foam plastic leads to rotting of the elements of the power frame. It is forbidden to lay this material inside the floor screeds on the ground due to its insufficient density, the possibility of subsidence of the structure.

Floor decking on beams

In contrast to the floor on the ground and floor slabs, the wooden structure of the flooring on the beams is cheaper for the developer. Wooden floors can be made on any floor. However, wood protection, taking into account operational and structural loads, is much more complicated:

the wooden floor cake is closed with a vapor-tight film or membrane;
however, the protection does not cope with humid air inside the house by 100%;
some of the moisture penetrates the floors, is absorbed by the lumber;
after which, with a decrease in humidity in the cottage, the wood tries to evaporate excess moisture;
if the lumber is surrounded on all sides by a vapor-tight insulation, then this is impossible;
elements of load-bearing structures darken and begin to rot, fungus and pathogenic microbes start and spread on their surfaces.

After foaming the cracks, the evaporation surface of the lumber is sharply reduced.

The vapor permeability of mineral wool insulation 0.45 is an order of magnitude higher than that of foam plastics (0.03) and 15 times higher than that of extruded polystyrene foam (0.013 Mg / m * h * Pa), and hygroscopicity is at least twice.

A reinforced concrete floor cast at the place of operation, resting on the soil, is called a floor on the ground. The slab has a lower waterproofing, is cut off from the foundation by a damper layer, that is, it is floating.

It does not perceive structural loads, distributes to the ground only operational loads from the weight of furniture and people inside the room. However, even with a minimum thickness of 7 - 10 cm, the own weight of the structure is much higher than that of a beamed ceiling.

Therefore, the heater must have the following qualities:

high density - so that the floor slab does not sink on the ground over time;
low hygroscopicity - despite waterproofing, concrete can absorb soil moisture, so thermal insulation must retain its properties when wet.

These properties are possessed by foam glass and extruded high-density polystyrene foam.

Due to the large loads and the possibility of subsidence in the floors on the ground, high-density EPS is used, and not PSB foam.

Styrofoam breaks under the floor's own weight on the ground, mineral wool loses its thermal insulation characteristics when wet. Therefore, these two materials for flooring on the ground are not suitable.

The finished floor on the ground is a slab foundation, the easiest way is to make a 10 cm reinforced screed inside the MZLF. It is much more difficult to implement a floor on the ground inside the grillage:

grillage beams must necessarily be separated from the ground;
in high (hanging) grillages, this happens automatically;
in low (ground, underground) air gaps are protected on the sides with sheet materials so that soil does not crumble inside it;
the base inside the grillage must be compacted with a vibrating plate or vibrating roller to ensure normal bearing capacity.

Since it is difficult to make a floor on the ground in a hanging grillage, a slab floor is poured with support on the foundation beams.

In a hanging grillage, the soil will fall out from under the beams; when the base is compacted inside a low grillage, the probability of destruction of sheet materials increases, which closes access to the air gap when soil pressure increases on them.

Characteristics of foams and expanded polystyrenes

Despite the fact that the thermal insulation of polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are very similar visually, the performance characteristics of the materials are different. In comparison with the main competitors - Ecowool and mineral wool, they look like this:

These materials do not have the same structure, which also affects the scope:

ecowool is a bulk product, so it cannot be used inside a wet screed, but it is easy to pour it into a wooden floor on your own without the involvement of professionals;
mineral wool - ideal for ceilings along beams, additionally protects structures from fire, partially absorbs moisture, reducing the load on lumber;
polystyrene - not suitable for floors in principle;
expanded polystyrene is the best insulation for the floor on the ground.

Important! Ecowool completely fills the volume provided to it, does not shrink, is not tolerated by insects and rodents. Mineral wool has elasticity, fits snugly to surfaces. Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene do not have such properties; seams and joints have to be additionally filled with mounting foam with similar properties. Which increases the complexity of the work.

lumber compatibility

With overlapping on wooden beams, everything is exactly the opposite:

extruded polystyrene foams and foams are harmful here, as they interfere with the natural regulation of moisture by wooden structures;
mineral wool and cellulose chips - Ecowool, on the contrary, help wood in this process, partially absorbing moisture, then evaporating it.

For overlapping on beams, basalt or ecowool insulation is more suitable.

Important! The practice of operating frame cottages, inside the walls and floors of which foam plastic was used, shows that the repair of the floor along the beams and other elements of the building's load-bearing frame is required after 3-5 years.

Therefore, it is better to immediately lay in the project compatible, according to building physics, structural materials and thermal insulation.

Concrete compatibility

There is no loss of thermal resistance when placed in a humid environment (wetting without the possibility of evaporation) only for expanded polystyrenes and glass. The remaining materials, filled with concrete and absorbing moisture from it, lose at least 30% of thermal resistance with an increase in humidity by 10%.

Styrofoam does not have sufficient strength under load-bearing structures, therefore it is also excluded from insulation for concrete structures. Among the remaining heat insulators, extruded high-density polystyrene foam is cheaper than foam glass.

For flooring on the ground, high-density XPS should be selected.

Therefore, for slab foundations, screeds and floors on the ground, in 90% of cases XPS or XPS are used. Mineral wool will reduce the operating budget and make the floor covering on the ground vulnerable to excess moisture.

Thus, foam plastic should not even be considered for the floors of a wooden house. In floors on the ground, it is better to use high-density extruded polystyrene foam. And in the ceilings along the beams, use Ecowool, basalt or fiberglass plate, roll insulation.

Advice! If you need repairmen, there is a very convenient service for their selection. Just send in the form below a detailed description of the work to be done and you will receive offers with prices from construction teams and firms by mail. You can see reviews of each of them and photos with examples of work. It's FREE and there's no obligation.

If you decide to insulate the floor with foam plastic on your own, then this review is for you. In it, we will look at the simplest workflow technologies that anyone can do. You only need to follow simple recommendations to get the result no worse than that of professionals.

How to organize your workflow

Before starting work, you must decide what type of insulation will be used. It depends on the type of building and the base on which the work will be done. Just read the information below and choose the solution that best suits your situation.

Insulation for screeds and soil bases

Thermal insulation under the screed can be done in two ways:

Insulation of the concrete floor with foam plastic (or work on a flooded rough screed);
Warming of the soil base.

Let's deal with each of them and start with concrete floors. First, consider what materials are required.

Material	Selection Guide
Styrofoam	A material with a density of 35 kg per cubic meter should be used. It has high rigidity, and its thermal insulation properties are higher than that of less dense options. As for the thickness, it all depends on the object, 5 cm is enough in the interfloor ceilings, for the floor of the first floor of a private house it is better to put at least 10 cm
waterproofing material	A film is used under the screed, it must have a high density so as not to tear under loads. You can put waterproofing material on top of the foam, in which case it needs to be purchased twice as much
Reinforcing mesh	To strengthen the screed layer, you need to put a special metal mesh made of wire 3 mm thick or more. Cell size doesn't really matter.
Screed mortar	It can be made independently from 1 part cement and 4 parts sand. But you can buy a ready-made composition in bags, which is simply diluted with water, the price of such mixtures is low, but the process is greatly simplified and accelerated

The workflow in this case looks like this:

The surface is cleaned of dirt and debris. If there are irregularities on the plates or the rough screed, then they must be knocked down with a puncher or hammer. Cracks and cracks are sealed with cement mortar;
. Most often, a special film for screed is used, it is black in color and has a high density, which provides reliable protection of surfaces. When laying, make overlaps at the joints of at least 100 mm and glue the joints with adhesive tape, the film should go on the walls by 15-20 cm;

Lay a special tape along the walls, which will provide a deformation gap, it is sold in hardware stores.

Styrofoam insulation is very simple: the sheets are tightly laid on the surface. Where necessary, the material is cut into pieces of the desired size. The more precisely you cut off the elements, the less gaps there will be on the surface;

A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the foam. Some additionally lay a layer of waterproofing, but this is not necessary. The mesh is laid so that the sheets overlap at the joints by at least 5 cm, this will ensure the reliability of the floor over its entire area;

Beacons are exposed. You can use both specially designed for this product, and a drywall or wooden profile. The position of the guides is fixed with a solution. Work continues after the mixture dries and gains strength (usually it takes about a day);

The solution is prepared and poured onto the floor section by section. The process is very simple: the mixture is spread over the surface, after which it is leveled using a rule or a flat rail. The excess is removed where necessary, the mortar is added, and the leveling is done again. After carrying out the work, you can walk on the floor in a day, and you need to lay the finish coat no earlier than 1-2 weeks later, when the surface is completely dry;

Lastly, the flooring is laid.. If you have leveled the floor well, then no additional preparation is needed.

Now let's figure out how to insulate the floor with foam on the ground. To better understand the workflow, below is a diagram.

Sand for pillow device (layer thickness can be from 20 to 50 cm);
waterproofing material;
Styrofoam with a density of 35 kg per cube or more;
Reinforcing mesh;
Screed solution.

The work instructions look like this:

First of all, the soil base is leveled and compacted. It is better to do this in advance so that the earth settles down, and you do not have to wait a couple of weeks;
Sand cushion is poured. Its thickness depends on the level to which the floor should rise. The layer is compacted using a manual or electric rammer. The better you tamp the floor, the better;

In order for the sand to be better leveled and compacted, moisten the surface abundantly before starting work.

Laying waterproofing material. Most often, the surface is covered with plastic wrap, the joints are made with an overlap of 100 mm and glued, and the edges go onto the walls by 15-20 cm;

Styrofoam is laid on the film. The thermal insulation material is placed as tightly as possible so that there are no gaps through which cold will penetrate. Remember that the transverse joints should not match;

A film is placed on top of the insulation, and the surface is reinforced with a mesh. The easiest and cheapest way is to use a special mesh for the screed, which is simply laid out on the base. It is not necessary to additionally fix it;

Beacons are laid, and the screed is poured. Here everything happens in exactly the same way as in the case above, so it makes no sense to consider this part of the work in detail.

If you decide to make underfloor heating, then the technology will be supplemented by the following steps:

After reinforcing the surface, the underfloor heating system is laid. These works are described in a separate article, read it if necessary:
Beacons are exposed, and the screed is poured. Only one thing should be remembered here: the minimum layer of the solution above the heating must be at least 20 mm. This will ensure the strength of the surface.

Insulation of wooden floors

If you have a floor on wooden logs, then the workflow will be different from the above.

To begin with, consider what is needed to insulate a wooden floor:

Board and bar for the construction of rough flooring;
Waterproofing material for the base under the insulation;
Styrofoam, you can also use options with a low density, since in this case there is no load on the material;
Mounting foam for sealing all joints;

Vapor barrier material for laying on top of the insulation;
A bar for a counter-rail and a board or sheet materials for a flooring device.

The do-it-yourself process looks like this:

If you already have a floor, then you need to remove it. It is important to be careful not to damage the materials if you are going to put them back;
A cranial bar is attached to the bottom of the beams. Boards of rough flooring are placed on it, pre-cut to the required size. They are fixed with nails or screws;

Laying waterproofing material. The film is laid over the beams over the entire surface, in order to fix it in the desired position, it is easiest to use a construction stapler. For reliability, an overlap of 100 mm is made at the joints and the connection is additionally glued with adhesive tape;

The wooden floor is being insulated. Everything is simple here: the sheets are cut so that they fit as tightly as possible into the openings between the beams. If necessary, the heat-insulating material is placed in two layers, while the joints should not coincide;

The gaps between the insulation and the beams are filled with mounting foam. It allows not only to provide ideal thermal insulation of the surface, but also serves as glue, securely fixing each element;

Vapor barrier material is laid. Everything is simple here: the film is spread over the surface and fixed with a stapler. At the joints, laps are made; also, for reliability, they can be glued with adhesive tape;

Lastly, a bar is attached and the floor is laid on it.. The bar is needed in order to create a ventilation gap to remove fumes from the structure. The floor is attached to a bar, it can be a regular wooden board or sheet materials such as plywood or oriented strand board.

Insulation with foam solution

Styrofoam is sold both in the form of plates and in the form of granules. The bulk version is much cheaper and can be used to make a solution that will have good thermal insulation properties.

To work we need the following:

Granulated foam. It can be bought in the same place as sheet materials;
Cement, it is better to take the M500 brand option;
A concrete mixer, since you need to prepare a lot of mortar and it will be difficult to mix such volumes with your hands.

This option is suitable for floor insulation in houses of any type, the workflow consists of the following steps:

The surface is cleared first.. It is necessary to remove all debris and protruding elements that may interfere with the work;
Then the waterproofing material is laid. For work, a polyethylene film with a density of at least 100 Microns is used. It is laid in the same way as in the cases above - with overlaps on the walls and additional gluing of the joints for reliability;

Installation of beacons, this process is described above, so we will not dwell on it;
The solution is being prepared. To do this, first of all, a mixture of cement and water is prepared to obtain a semi-liquid mass. Then granular foam is introduced into the solution in the proportion of 3-4 parts of granules to one part of cement. All components are well mixed to obtain a uniform consistency;

The mass is distributed on the surface, primary leveling is easiest to do with a shovel or a wide spatula. The composition should be flush with the beacons;

. For this, a rule or a flat rail of sufficient length is used. The better you level the floor, the easier it will be to carry out subsequent work;

Final alignment in progress. For work, a cement-sand mortar or a self-leveling compound is used. The second option is preferable, since with its help it will not be difficult to bring out a perfectly flat plane.

This option can be used both in a private house and in an apartment, when you need to make a thin layer and it is not possible to use sheet materials.

Conclusion

After reading this review, you can easily insulate the floor with foam plastic without outside help. The video in this article will help you understand the workflow even better, and if you have questions, then write them in the comments at the bottom of the page.

To save heat in the house, a whole range of works related to the insulation of walls, roofs, windows and floors is needed. Insulation of residential buildings allows you to save money that is intended to pay for utilities, safe and sound. The primary task in carrying out insulation is to cover the floor with heat-insulating material. There are many thermal insulation materials for the floor in the network of construction points, but the most popular among domestic developers is polystyrene.

The qualities of foam as a heater

Underfloor heating, the absence of labor-intensive processes for laying insulation, significant financial costs, and, as a result, drafts - these are the main advantages of foam. Currently, over 60% of foam in Europe is used for thermal insulation purposes.

This material is a gas-filled polymer of white color, which consists of myriads (fine particles of foamed polystyrene) and is best suited for use in a floor insulation system, which is quite successfully implemented in practice.

Some developers are deeply mistaken because they believe that Styrofoam is just granulated polystyrene foam, which has been known since childhood for its ability to crumble into small balls. But this is not so in reality. There are polyethylene foam, polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, which belong to foam plastics and are cost-effective and good in practice.

Styrofoam consists of 97% natural heat insulator - air bubbles. This insulation is produced in the form of sheets of various thicknesses and strengths. It is recommended to purchase polystyrene with profiled edges for floor insulation in order to get rid of cold bridges in the future that form in the gaps between the foam panels.

In the manufacture of foam overheated by water vapor, which ensures a high level of moisture resistance. Good moisture repellent properties are good to use for floor insulation in a house that is located on a site with a high level of groundwater.

Wooden floor insulation

Insulation of wooden floors is a rather serious issue when repairing an apartment, a country cottage, a country house or a bathhouse. Wooden floors are very popular because they give the minimum load on the floor slab, regardless of the height to which the floor needs to be raised.

Wooden floors are a combination of an air gap that forms between the floor and the bottom of the boards and a layer of wood. The tree itself is an excellent heat-insulating material; it is not for nothing that in Russia the huts were built of wood. The only trouble lies in the fact that at the junction of walls and ceilings, blown gaps are formed that require insulation.

Insulation of a wooden floor with polystyrene foam is within the power of any owner of an apartment or a private house. It is not difficult to cope with its installation, it is just necessary to observe certain conditions in the process of work.

Of course, you can buy ordinary plastic film, but it is better to use a special material that is made on a water-repellent basis and has heat-reflecting properties. Pay special attention to this point, because the ingress of water on the heat-insulating material significantly reduces the heat-insulating functions and the useful life of the floor itself. After installing the waterproofing layer, fix the edges with tape.

Then you should watch a video about floor insulation with foam plastic and make a wooden crate from a log, where the heat-insulating material will be placed. With such an arrangement of the floor, the loads are evenly distributed on the frame, therefore, as a heat-insulating material, you can purchase not only extruded polystyrene, but also foam plastic in a traditional, granular form.

On the laid film coating, it is necessary to send sheets of foam plastic tightly to each other and to the walls using the dressing technique. Fill all joints and various gaps with mounting foam. Another layer of waterproofing film on the foam is able to insulate the floor from possible liquid penetration from above.

At the final stage of warming the wooden floor, with great care, so as not to damage the film, it is customary to install a metal frame and perform a cement screed, at least 5 centimeters thick. After such manipulations, you can safely engage in laying the main floor.

concrete floor insulation

The concrete floor in any case requires insulation. The best heat-insulating material is foam, as for a wooden floor. Remember that polystyrene floor insulation technologies are different for houses with a basement and buildings without a basement. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Insulation of the concrete floor in houses with a basement

Owners of apartments that are located on the first floors of multi-storey buildings are faced with the problem of having cold concrete floors. Styrofoam floor insulation will help to cope with them. It is better to cover the concrete floor with thermal insulation material from the basement side. In this case, the plate is in a layer of warm air. After that, the cold stops making its way into the home.

To insulate a concrete floor with polystyrene foam, you will need foam sheets 5 to 10 centimeters thick. Now manufacturers produce sheets with chamfers, which allow them to be installed with high quality. Masters in the process of work may encounter uneven walls, which is easily corrected with the help of mounting foam and the use of different thicknesses of foam to insulate the floor.

The foam is fastened with special plastic dowels, which have a length of 120-140 millimeters. Start work from remote areas of the basement. Attach a sheet of foam to the plate, drill a hole through it with a puncher, pre-marking the attachment points. Then remove the sheet and continue drilling a hole that matches the size of the dowel. For convenience, it is recommended to use 2 drills that have different diameters.

Before securing the foam sheet in place, apply foam adhesive, which is similar to ordinary foam, to the joint surfaces to fill in any uneven joints and provide reliable thermal insulation of the joints. The sheets are attached to the concrete slab with dowels and the joints are filled with mounting foam.

In the process of insulating the concrete floor with foam plastic from the basement, there are areas where it is not possible to use whole sheets of insulation. In this case, it is recommended to cut pieces of suitable size and shape from a whole foam sheet and stack them.

Styrofoam should not be left open, as it is flammable and easily damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to plaster it. Can be used as a plaster mix adhesive for laying ceramics with a reinforcing mesh. As a result, you will get a thin but durable layer.

Insulation of the concrete floor in houses without a basement

The procedure for warming the concrete floor in this case will be somewhat different. Before starting work, it is necessary to carefully prepare the base. First of all, remove the old flooring and check the floor for visible chips and cracks, if found, you again need to apply an adhesive for mounting ceramic tiles.

Cracks are recommended to be repaired with a thick mortar using a metal spatula, after which proceed to waterproofing the floor. For such work, you can use a special bituminous mastic or roll material. Remember that in this case it is necessary to capture 10-15 centimeters of the walls. Lay a reinforcing mesh on the film, you can take an ordinary masonry mesh.

After that, you can safely insulate the floor of the first floor with foam. The thickness of this material is different, it is best to choose a heat-insulating material with a thickness of 2-3 centimeters. Lay the foam on the mixture tightly, end-to-end, to prevent the formation of gaps and gaps, and also to get the best insulation effect.

Knead to a medium consistency with a mixer at medium spindle speed and spread directly on the floor, or on the foam every 10-30 centimeters. This is quite enough to carry out a reliable fixation of the foam. After you have laid the foam sheets, you can begin to install the beacons.

For extreme lighthouses, make marks on the walls using a water or laser level, and it is customary to mount the remaining elements using a linear building level. To fix the beacons, it is recommended to use the remains of the adhesive composition used earlier for the installation of heat-insulating material. The distance between the guide beacons should not be more than 1.4 meters.

The screed solution should be thrown between the beacons, its excess is removed with a flat rail or a rule that creates a perfectly flat floor surface. If in the future you are going to choose parquet as a floor covering, then after the screed has dried, it is worth pouring a thin layer (2-3 millimeters) of a self-leveling mixture on the floor, eliminating the slightest unevenness of the floor.

Styrofoam floor insulation on the ground

In private houses, industrial and public buildings, floors on the ground must be insulated with an additional layer of thermal insulation, which has a width of at least one meter along the perimeter of contact with the outer walls of the floor. The floor that is on the ground does not load the foundation, but it is in contact with the ground, increasing the likelihood of the detrimental effects of groundwater. To protect the floor from moisture, you need to correctly design waterproofing.

The floor that is placed on the ground is above or below ground level. Insulation of the floor with foam plastic in a house with a basement and a building without it differs in the thickness of the heat-insulating material used. In buildings with a basement, the layer of material may be thinner than in a building without basements, since the floor is located below the freezing level of the soil.

First you need to level the base. If the soil is loose, it must be compacted and allowed to settle for a month. Pour a pillow of crushed stone or gravel about 10 centimeters thick and tamp down mechanically. Lay a layer of sand of the same thickness, press it tightly and cover with polyethylene. The substrate for floor insulation with polystyrene foam under the tiles must be dry, clean and not have significant irregularities.

Floors on the ground must be waterproofed. As a moisture-proof layer, you can use a polyethylene film 0.2 mm thick or roofing material. Lay out the waterproofing strips with an overlap of 10 centimeters and an output to the walls 10 - 15 centimeters above the floor level.

It is customary to start laying out foam plastic plates from the corner, pressing tightly one to the other. Start the next row with half a slab to offset the seams between the slabs. It is recommended to lay the foam plastic in 2 layers with the creation of offset seams in levels to avoid the formation of cold bridges. To completely prevent the penetration of cold, it is worth using foam with milled tongue and groove edges.

Cut the last slabs a little large in size and lay with some effort. After laying the entire foam, it must be covered with a protective layer - a 0.2 mm thick polyethylene film or roofing material and bring the edges above the floor plane up the wall. To increase the stability of the floor on the ground, it is customary to reinforce the screed with a metal or alkali-resistant fiberglass mesh.

It is customary to pour a concrete solution onto the foam plastic slabs laid out in this way. The fill should be of a thick consistency and contain a filler that has a diameter of up to 8 millimeters. Make the screed with cement grade 200. The minimum thickness of the screed should be 4 centimeters. Pour the solution between the guide rails and rub after hardening with a rare cement mortar. A horizontal deviation of no more than 5 millimeters is allowed.

The base of the floor must be protected from stress during the first three days. During the hardening process, it is necessary to look after the floor for 10 days, moistening from time to time and not allowing it to dry out. Floors on the ground in rooms over 30 square meters are usually divided into segments of 10 square meters in order to avoid unwanted warehouses and deformations during work.

Thus, do-it-yourself floor insulation with foam plastic is an easy way to give warmth to the floor. In addition, the use of foam boards is an excellent tool for reducing impact noise. The advantages of polystyrene foam have long been appreciated by both professional builders and private developers.

A modern house is a building to which rather stringent requirements for thermal protection are imposed. A large number of highly effective heat-insulating materials are now on the market. They allow you to provide a comfortable temperature and humidity conditions in the premises. The most effective and reliable way to increase the heat-shielding characteristics will be floor insulation with polystyrene foam.

The need for thermal protection and requirements for insulation

If a person is told that it is necessary to do something, he has every right to know why it is necessary. If the house has insufficient thermal insulation of structures, serious problems arise during operation.

The heater performs the following functions:

prevention of freezing of the floor of the first floor and the penetration of cold into the premises;
protection against the appearance of condensate, which leads to the formation of mold, fungus and rotting of wooden house structures;
the house will require lower heating costs during the cold period;
improvement of soundproofing characteristics.

The following requirements are imposed on the insulation used in the floor pie:

good strength characteristics;
resistance to moisture;
resistance to decay and mold;
human safety;
incombustibility;
ease of installation.

All these requirements are met by extruded polystyrene foam, which can be used to insulate the structures of a concrete, wooden, brick and frame building.

What is polystyrene foam

Styrofoam consists of styrene granules filled with gas. Air is the most effective insulation, so a large number of cavities allows the material to have good heat-shielding performance. Currently, two types of expanded polystyrene are widely used in construction: polystyrene foam and extruded material. The second is preferable to use.

These two materials look similar in appearance, but differ in their characteristics and manufacturing method. Styrofoam is made from polystyrene foam balls by sintering. In the production of extruded polystyrene foam, the granules are mixed with a foamed reagent and forced through an extruder.

What's better? Styrofoam or extruded polystyrene foam?

Styrofoam has only one advantage over extruded material: low cost.

If the house is being built without strong financial constraints, it is better to choose the second option.

If we conduct a comparative analysis, we can come to the following conclusions:

extruded polystyrene foam has high strength and works better in floor construction;
foam plastic is characterized by higher water absorption (about two times);
in the presence of moisture and exposure to low temperatures, the foam may crumble into separate balls;
polystyrene refers to medium and low combustible materials and, when exposed to high temperatures, releases substances dangerous to humans;
extruded polystyrene foam, thanks to special additives, becomes resistant to fire.

For warming the floor of a wooden house is better suited extruded polystyrene foam. To reduce construction costs, you can apply floor insulation with polystyrene foam of two types at the same time. The lower thick layer of greater thickness is made of foam, and the upper one is made of a more durable material 3-5 cm thick. This method allows you to achieve a compromise between price and quality.

Pie overlapping wooden house

Depending on the strength, the material can be laid in two ways: without a lag and with their help. In the first case, the weight of the entire clean floor structure falls on the insulation, so a cement-sand screed is made on top of it. We have already discussed in detail earlier. Most often, this method is used for floors of brick and concrete buildings.

For a wooden house, insulation is made between wooden logs. It is important to take into account the location of the insulation in the building - the thermal protection of the attic floor is different from the insulation of the floor over a cold basement or underground.

Please note that the process is slightly different from the above method.

In the first case, the layers are stacked in the following order:

wooden floor;
vapor barrier;
insulation.

When used in construction first floor floor installation order is as follows:

wooden floor;
waterproofing;
insulation;
vapor barrier.

When using extruded polystyrene foam, the vapor barrier can be omitted.

For foam, it is important to remember that steam protection is located on the side of warm air, and moisture protection is on the cold side. Only in this case the house will be reliably protected from the penetration of cold air. As a vapor barrier and waterproofing, you can use an ordinary durable polyethylene film.

Mounting process

Depending on the method of laying, work can be carried out in different ways.

The minimum layer of insulation depends on the climate in which the house is located, but on average it is 10 cm.

Laying insulation without lag (under the screed)

The workflow begins with cleaning the base from dirt and dust. Further, if necessary, perform alignment. After preparing the base, the plates are laid out, taking into account the gap for thermal expansion. These gaps are filled with fiberglass or polyurethane foam. On top of the insulation with this method of installation, a cement-sand screed is performed. For fragile foam, it must be additionally reinforced.

Laying between lags

The process starts with installation lag, the pitch of which is selected depending on the size of the insulation boards.

This method does not require high strength, so foam can be used without fear.

Between the lags, depending on the structure to be protected, lays vapor barrier or hydroprotection. The plates are mounted, as in the previous case, with a small gap. After the installation of insulation, the construction of the structure begins. finishing floor.

Schemes for constructing a floor pie are given in this article above.

Insulation of the floor with polystyrene foam can significantly reduce the load on the building structure. This is especially important if the house is built on unstable soils with poor characteristics, as it allows you not to overload the foundations.

If you follow all the rules for laying polystyrene foam, then it is able to protect the house from the cold for 40-50 years. The right choice of materials and quality control of the production of works can reduce the cost of operating and repairing a home.

This video clearly describes the insulation by this method:

To make the house comfortable and cozy, it must be carefully insulated. Floors, along with walls, ceilings, window and door openings, are a source of large heat losses. This problem is especially relevant in buildings that stand directly on the ground, without a basement. In this case, even intense heating of the home will not help. The presence of a cold basement under the building will also not be a salvation.

In a private house, carried out competently, with your own hands, will save the homeowner from discomfort, save on the services of professional craftsmen and reduce heating costs.

Heat-insulating materials: advantages and disadvantages

Most often, owners of private houses insulate the floors with expanded clay, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. The popularity of these materials is explained not only by their quite democratic cost, but also by numerous other advantages.

Today, the building materials market offers a modern one, which also has many advantages, but is distinguished by a high price.

Expanded clay

It is a granular material based on clay. Due to its finely porous structure, it is very light. Its main advantage is that when moisture accumulates, it does not lose its insulating properties. The undoubted advantages of expanded clay include the following:

good thermal conductivity;
resistance to temperature changes;
fire resistance;
strength;
durability (extends the life of wooden floors up to 50 years);
environmental friendliness;
ease of installation.

For laying such a heat insulator, serious vapor and waterproofing is not required.

The disadvantage is that the expanded clay insulating layer must be at least 10 cm, and preferably even more than 50 cm. Otherwise, the degree of insulation will be insufficient.

Styrofoam

This is one of the most popular heat insulators used in private construction. High heat and sound insulation are the main advantages of this material. Styrofoam is obtained from various raw materials, so it may differ in density. The higher this indicator, the lower the level of thermal insulation and the higher the resistance to mechanical stress.

For the floor, a material with a low density is chosen, since it is protected from above by a rough and finishing coating. The foam is durable. Various microorganisms will not appear in it. Insulation of the floor in a private house with foam plastic is a simple process.

The disadvantages of polystyrene include a high fire hazard, as a result of combustion, it exudes poisonous smoke, and the “love” of rodents (they cause significant harm to the insulation).

Over the past decades, this material has become a traditional insulation for walls, ceilings, floors. It is produced in the form of plates, mats or rolls. With proper installation, mineral wool will last at least 30 years. It is not afraid of temperature changes, it is completely fireproof. Low thermal conductivity, good sound insulation, ease of installation are the main advantages of mineral wool.

The disadvantage is vapor permeability. A prerequisite for the installation of this insulation is high-quality waterproofing. Otherwise, over time, the mineral wool will become saturated with condensate, accumulate moisture and quickly lose its heat-insulating properties.

Also, when using this material, you need to use protection against rodents, which are not averse to settling in it.

The demand for this material in the Russian building materials market is high. Penoplex is a foamed polystyrene produced by extrusion of general purpose polystyrene. During the manufacturing process, airtight cells are formed in it; after solidification, the material acquires a homogeneous structure.

It is distinguished by durability, strength, ease of installation. Such quality as frost resistance allows using it in the most severe climatic conditions. Penoplex has a low thermal conductivity: 5 cm of insulation replace brickwork 1.5 m thick. Its advantages include a low level of moisture absorption and vapor permeability.

Disadvantages: afraid of high temperatures (melts), high cost, "love" of rodents.

When deciding how to insulate the floor in a private house, which insulation to choose for this, experts recommend focusing on the basic parameters of the materials present on the markings in the characteristics on the package:

combustibility coefficient (marking G1 - the material does not burn without direct fire);
water absorption coefficient (indicated as a percentage, the lower, the less water the insulation absorbs and better retains its insulating qualities);
thermal conductivity coefficient (a material with a lower index better insulates the floor);
the density indicator will indicate how much the heat insulator will make the floor structure heavier (the higher this coefficient, the more durable the subfloor and floors should be).

Warming technology

To lay the heat insulator, it is necessary to prepare the following materials: insulation in the required amount, film (with a density of at least 200 microns), cement, sand, water, beacons, reinforcing mesh.

The foam insulation process consists of several stages.

Training

Before that foam plastic with your own hands, it is necessary to remove excess soil to a thickness of 10-15 cm, or, conversely, make sand and gravel backing the same amount below the intended floor.

The surface must be leveled.

waterproofing layer

A layer of waterproofing is created from dense oilcloth: it will retain groundwater, prevent an increase in humidity levels and the occurrence of condensate.

Then you need to install beacons.

Rough screed and laying insulation

After that, a cement screed 40 mm thick is poured.

Styrofoam plates are laid in a checkerboard pattern on the solution, tightly fitting to each other. Insulation will not allow heat to escape and will not allow cold to penetrate into the house. Then take a break for 2 days, allowing the screed to dry.

fine finish

The final stage of work is a finishing screed. To create a flat surface, beacons must be attached to the heat insulator.

Then the entire structure is poured with cement mortar, the layer thickness is approximately 70 mm. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of it, which will prevent the screed from cracking and falling apart.
The surfaces are allowed to dry, after which they are cleaned of sags and leveled.

Expanded clay insulation

If expanded clay is used as a heater, then you need to carefully calculate the thickness of the heat-insulating layer and the size of the screed, since the floors in a private house are under heavy loads.
Experts recommend using expanded clay of different sizes, then the insulating layer will be more dense.

The whole process of work is similar to that described above. A layer of expanded clay with a thickness of at least 10 cm is poured over a rough screed. When laying, there should be no slope, the layer must be even, otherwise the floor insulation will not be reliable. A control measurement of the distance between the beacons and the backfill can be carried out using a special template or tape measure.

Before pouring the finishing screed, expanded clay is treated with cement milk: this will speed up the setting of the insulation, making it more durable. Reinforcing mesh, laid on top, will save the surface from movement, cracking.

The floor cannot be used for a week. The entire structure will reach its final strength in about a month. After that, you can lay the decorative floor covering.

Concrete base insulation

For floors in which the floor is a monolithic reinforced concrete slab, it is better to use rigid mineral wool slabs as a heater.

To make this design even warmer and more durable, you can use a concrete screed, poured over a heat insulator. The mineral wool must first be covered with a mounting grid.

If the house is old, then before insulating the floor in it, it is often necessary to dismantle the ceiling and go deep into the ground.

After that, a rough, most often wooden coating is laid. A layer of waterproofing is mounted on top of it: it can be mastics or rolled materials. They will protect the insulation and logs from moisture.

Then logs (boards or wooden bars) are mounted on the subfloor with waterproofing. All wooden elements must first be treated with an antiseptic.

Installation of mineral wool

To insulate wooden structures, it is better to use mineral wool (it does not burn). If the material is in a roll, then it is unfolded as a single sheet, and laid without first cutting it into pieces.

Fix cotton wool with a stapler. Mats or slabs are tightly laid in the gaps between the lags.

Vapor barrier and floor laying

A layer of vapor barrier is laid on the insulation. It can be a dense polyethylene film or professional membranes.

Then the finishing floor is mounted, leaving a ventilation gap between it and the insulation. Under it, experts recommend installing a fine-mesh metal mesh, it will not allow rodents to enter the house.

Warming the floor in your own home is a job that one person can handle. The main thing at the same time is to choose the most suitable and high-quality insulation and observe the technology of thermal insulation.