How to insulate a concrete floor in a private house with your own hands

Floor repair » Floor insulation

Published April 10, 2014 at 09:34 pm

When we talk about thermal insulation of apartment elements, we must remember that the base of the floor in most cases is a concrete floor slab. And, as practice shows, it is through this plane that the greatest heat loss occurs. And all due to the fact that this element is pure concrete, which is a cold material. Therefore, the question of how to insulate a concrete floor in your own apartment is asked today by many consumers who have decided to carry out the insulation processes themselves - without attracting qualified outside help.

What you need to know about thermal insulation? It is possible to properly insulate a concrete floor in a house only if you use multi-layer thermal insulation for this. This is the first one. Secondly, it is imperative to insulate the floor on the first floor. Third, special attention must be paid to the choice of thermal insulation material. Fourth, strictly follow the rules of the technological process. However, all this should not cause you any difficulties. The process is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance.

Thermal insulation materials

Insulation for a concrete floor must have certain properties.

Before choosing a material, you should understand which qualities are most important:

Taking into account the listed qualities, and depending on the location of the work, you should select a material suitable for a particular case.

Types of materials

Before making a concrete floor warm, you should not only become familiar with the properties of the materials in general, but also choose an option that optimally meets the given requirements. For working with concrete, there are several most common insulation methods.

Conventionally, they can be divided depending on the physical state of the insulation:

Each method has its pros and cons.

To understand how to more effectively insulate concrete floors, let’s compare the properties of thermal insulation materials:

Note! Material markings usually have three thermal conductivity values. The manufacturer specifies the value of this parameter for three cases:

1. when operating the insulation in a dry room at a temperature of 10 0 C;
2. dry room at a temperature of 25 0 C;
3. operation at different humidity levels.

After analyzing all the information, you can choose the best way to insulate a concrete floor, depending on the location and purpose of the room. In this case, you can take advantage of the experience of experienced builders.

Practice shows that it is better to use:

• Insulating a concrete floor with penoplex is suitable for rooms with large weight loads, or when insulation options are limited by height.

• It is better to insulate a concrete floor slab above the basement or between floors using mineral wool.

• If thermal insulation is carried out during the construction stage, use expanded clay during work. It will not only insulate the room, but also level the floor surface.

• Polystyrene foam, as concrete floor insulation, is suitable for balconies and loggias.

Thermal insulation of concrete is a multilayer structure, this is especially true for the floors of the first floor. In this case, the insulation can be located at virtually any level, and sometimes on several layers of the “pie” at the same time.

Thermal insulation on joists

Laying the floor frame

In private houses, thermal insulation is most often carried out along joists.

For this:

• On the base of the floor with a layer of moisture-proof materials applied, we install the so-called cranial bars - pieces of timber with a cross-section of 50x50 mm. To ensure better waterproofing, a strip of roofing felt can be placed under each block.
• We lay logs on the beams - thick boards or slats made of wood impregnated with antiseptic.
• We level the logs using wooden or plastic wedges. We fix the entire structure on the base, drilling through and securing with anchors.

Log system

Advice! If the configuration of the room allows, then bulk materials with a granule size from 4 to 10-15 mm can be laid under the insulation layer. The thicker the layer, the better the floor will be insulated.

Installation of thermal insulation and subfloor

When choosing how to insulate a concrete floor in a private home, experts most often choose mineral wool insulation boards.

This material is distinguished by good energy saving indicators; in addition, when installed under the floor on joists, mineral wool does not deform, which means it does not lose its characteristics.

• We lay mineral wool slabs between the joists on a layer of waterproofing . The thickness of the slabs must be known in advance, since the level of the heat insulator should be slightly below the level of the log.

Mineral wool covered with a vapor barrier membrane

• Having laid the mineral wool heat insulator on the floor, we cover it with a vapor barrier membrane . It is especially important to provide a vapor barrier when insulating the loggia - this way we will protect the mineral wool insulation from moisture.
• We attach the subfloor to the joists on top of the vapor barrier . To do this, you can use either an unedged board or thick plywood (minimum 15 mm). In technical rooms, oriented strand board (OSB) can be used instead of plywood.

Subfloor on joists: photo during installation

Advice! Under the tiles, as the most “capricious” floor covering, you can lay a multi-layer base: a plywood base and a rough plank floor.

This completes the insulation of the floors, and you can begin installing the finishing coating.

Possible options for insulating a concrete floor

Insulation under a concrete floor is the most preferable thermal insulation option, but is only possible during work during the construction phase. The material is laid on compacted soil, after which concrete is poured.

• Additive to concrete mortar. Occurs when using expanded clay. The most economical way.
• On top of concrete pouring. Such insulation is arranged in the case when a wooden floor will be laid on logs in the future. Requires a finishing layer. This method is remarkable in that it makes it possible to use any insulation.
• It is not necessary to limit yourself to one layer of insulation. For example, you can lay penoplex on the ground, and then fill in the screed with the addition of expanded clay. The combination of various thermal insulation materials will give the greatest insulation effect.

Technologies for installing various types of thermal insulation

Concrete floors always require additional treatment. Such measures include waterproofing, sound insulation and insulation. Sometimes, the materials used for insulation also have soundproofing properties. Thus, you not only insulate the floor, but also make your floor quieter.

How to properly insulate a concrete floor?

The answer to this question depends on the initial data:

Thermal insulation under concrete screed

This method of insulation is suitable for installation in houses where there is no basement. In fact, thermal insulation material is laid on the compacted soil, and the floor cake is poured on top. In this case, the floor slab can be an independent element, or it can be part of the foundation.

This arrangement of the insulating layer can significantly save the budget, but the capabilities of the device are greatly limited, depending on the type of soil and the topography of the site.

If the initial data allows you to lay the insulation on the ground, then the instructions for the device are as follows:

1. A layer of soil is removed to the required depth. The excavation of the lower layer should be done, trying to maintain the soil texture, as horizontal as possible.
2. The soil on the site is carefully compacted and a gravel bed is filled. The thickness of the backfill is at least 10 cm. The backfill is compacted layer by layer.
3. Sand is poured, preferably a fine fraction. The layer is spilled or compacted.
4. Work is underway to pour a rough screed or foundation slab.
5. The dried screed is treated with a deep penetration primer and laid with waterproofing material.
6. A layer of thermal insulation is installed from roll or slab material.
7. The film is covered with hydro- and vapor barrier. Please note that the film is laid with the metallized side facing the insulation.
8. Finish filling is carried out, and if necessary, a reinforcing layer is installed.
9. After drying, the finishing layer is poured.

On a note. When installing a concrete screed on the ground, you can lay foam boards before pouring the black screed. It is only important to reinforce the top layer of thermal insulation boards and lay waterproofing material.

Insulation of a concrete slab

How to insulate a concrete floor in an apartment?

When carrying out thermal insulation work inside an already used room, some nuances should be taken into account:

• The height of the ceilings in the room often limits the possibility of increasing the height of the insulating layer. Therefore, it is better to insulate a concrete floor in an apartment with polystyrene foam or mineral wool. These materials will allow you to avoid raising the floors significantly.
• You can also use slab penoizol, which in an apartment is laid on a concrete slab like parquet. Plates of this material have grooves and tenons for joining. You can secure the seams with tape to avoid possible movement of the sheets during further repair work.
• Taking into account the fact that apartments on the upper floors do not require enhanced thermal insulation, floor insulation on a concrete slab can be done using foiled polyethylene foam (penofol). The film is laid directly under the decorative finishing coating. Penofol should be laid with the metallized side up.

Preparatory work

Insulation of a concrete floor in a private house or apartment begins in the same way - with preparing the base:

• We remove the old flooring and subfloor, exposing the concrete slab.
• We carry out inspection of the concrete surface. We carefully clean all detected defects, embroider them using a grinder or a hammer drill, and fill them with repair solution.
• Large irregularities (sagging, protruding fragments of reinforcement, etc.) are removed, leaving a flat surface.

Advice! Before starting thermal insulation work, the concrete floor can be treated with sealing - a special strengthening impregnation.

Waterproofing with film

• For any insulation it is necessary to install a waterproofing layer. The base can be covered with a thick plastic film, or a water-repellent paint composition can be applied to the concrete. The price of painted waterproofing is slightly higher, but it also has a longer service life.
• When performing waterproofing work, it is necessary to provide protection from moisture not only to the floor, but also to the adjacent walls to a height of at least 150 mm.

Having completed waterproofing, it is fashionable to move directly to insulation. Below we will tell you how to properly insulate a concrete floor.

Separately about aerated concrete

Very often, when carrying out work on the construction of a house box from aerated concrete blocks, owners ask themselves the question: how to insulate aerated concrete floors and is it necessary to do it? The choice of thermal insulation material depends on the location of the floor: the first floor or the interfloor ceiling. The answer to the second question is: yes.

In most of Russia, the insulating properties of gas blocks are not enough for comfortable use of housing; the material requires an additional layer of thermal insulation. In addition, if the warmth of aerated concrete itself is not enough, and it is decided to insulate the floors, you should carefully consider the location of the dew point in the ceiling: from the inside out, the materials in the floor pie set should be more vapor permeable.

Aerated concrete flooring has a distinctive ability precisely due to its base material. Let's remember school physics. Air is perhaps the best heat insulator.

But the problem with aerated concrete blocks is that their porosity is open. This means they miraculously absorb water. And as we have already considered, the higher the moisture absorption, the worse the thermal insulation. This means that the surface of the blocks must be waterproofed.

Insulation technologies

Layered cake

Insulation along joists is one of the most common options for installing a concrete floor. The execution order is as follows.

A hollow lathing made of wooden blocks is installed on a concrete floor covered with moisture protection. Typically, standard bars with a cross section of 5050 mm are used. For maximum protection from moisture, when installing hollow sheathing, strips of roofing material are placed under them.

Logs are mounted on the bars - slats or thick boards of wood. Each of them is coated with a special impregnation that protects against fire, fungus, and mold. The thickness of the beams for the logs should be slightly larger than the width of the thermal insulation. It is important that after installation the hollow insulation does not protrude above the joist level.

The joists must be leveled using a level, plastic or wooden wedges. The structure is fixed to the deck by through drilling and driving in anchors.

Then you need to lay insulation and install the subfloor.

The selected thermal insulation material is placed in the voids between the joists for waterproofing. Having laid the insulation, a layer of vapor barrier membrane is laid on top. This is especially important if a material that quickly absorbs moisture is chosen for insulation.

The subfloor is attached to the vapor barrier layer to the joists. Chipboard, thick plywood, OSB, and unedged boards are ideal for this.

When the concrete flooring and insulation are completed, the final finishing begins.

If you decide to cover a concrete floor with tiles, it is worth installing a base on which a layer of plywood is laid, then a subfloor made of boards.

Concrete "warm floor"

Electric. Installation is carried out directly on the thermal insulation layer. The simplest technology is an electric cable floor.

It is a mesh mat of small thickness with a heating cable with a cross-section of about 2.8 mm. The installation process consists of laying them on a layer of concrete and securely fixing them. Insulation using this technology is universal, suitable for installation under laminate, linoleum, and tiles. If electric heating mats are placed under linoleum, laminate, carpet, there is no need to pour a thick layer of screed, 3-4 cm is enough. Electric heating mats are not placed in places where plumbing and furniture will subsequently be installed. When installing cables and wires, you should retreat 5-7 cm from the walls. Also, communications should not be laid near heating sources.

Vodyanoy . It is installed in private houses and multi-storey buildings on the first floors. If the system leaks after installation on the upper floors, there is a possibility of flooding the neighbors below. First, waterproofing and insulation of the base are carried out, for which polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam boards or penofol are used. The insulation material must be placed at a distance of 5 mm from the wall, otherwise it may become deformed. For installation, you will need metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes, which are laid on a layer of insulation and secured with special brackets, clips or brackets.

Infrared . The floor is a two-layer film 0.5 mm thick with carbon heating elements. It is attractive because, unlike other systems, it allows the configuration and height of the room to remain unchanged. This is the most energy-saving insulation option, allowing you to save up to 60% of electricity. The film covering with heating elements can be installed vertically, horizontally, or obliquely using “dry installation”. Installation is simple: strips of film are laid out without taking into account the areas where the furniture will be placed. After this, you can immediately lay the flooring layer without a preliminary cement screed. After this, the ends of the supply and return pipelines are removed, connected to the collector, and at the very end - to the water supply. Then you need to pour the concrete layer of the screed, filling the pipes with water before pouring. When the work is completed, you should let the surface dry, after which you can lay the flooring and use heating.

Which heating option to choose depends on the characteristics of the room and the financial capabilities of the home owner. It is important to carry out the work efficiently, using technology. If you have the tools and some experience in this matter, you can do the work yourself. Otherwise, you should trust the professionals, otherwise the rework will be very expensive.

Horizontal heating

Some people believe that for a comfortable life it is enough to install a warm floor, any of the possible systems. But before installing water, electric or infrared heated floors, the concrete slab or screed must be insulated and properly insulated. Otherwise, half the power of your heated floor will simply go down, which will significantly increase the cost of using such a system.

Therefore, before installing horizontal heating, all measures for thermal insulation of concrete should be carried out, and before the finishing coating, the system itself should be installed. Concrete allows for all kinds of possible devices. Only the installation methods differ.

Thermal insulation material, what should it be?

Based on the fact that repairs are expensive, the choice of insulation must be approached carefully. The insulating material can be varied, and the one you choose will determine how well it will perform its functions.

Density

In order for a material to protect a room from the cold, it must have certain properties. One of them is density. The denser the material, the stronger it is.

It is not worth choosing the densest material for thermal insulation, since the higher the density, the less porosity and the higher the load on the floor covering. For insulating a concrete floor, insulation with a density of 50-55 kg/m is ideal. sq. In this case, the insulation will be an excellent thermal insulation material, but it can increase the load on the floor covering and ceiling.

Strength

The floor is always subject to some kind of load, so the material for thermal insulation of the floor must be durable and not lose its shape after loads.

Thermal conductivity

This is a coefficient that indicates how a particular material transmits heat. You need to buy materials that have low thermal conductivity, so you can get the maximum result.

Moisture resistance

This is the ability of a product to absorb liquid. The ideal insulation would be a material that does not absorb liquid at all. Insulation of a concrete floor requires high-quality materials that will not deteriorate after being exposed to liquids.

Vapor permeability

The higher this indicator, the better. By passing steam through itself, the product regulates air exchange between the building and the environment. Thus, the insulation creates optimal conditions for human life.

Durability

This factor is one of the most important, because the period when the next insulation of the concrete floor will be needed will depend on how long the material lasts.

Ease

The lighter the material, the better, but you should not choose light and loose insulation. An indicator of how light the insulation is, affects the floor and floor covering. It is worth noting that the service life of the entire structure will depend on the quality of the insulation.

Options for thermal insulation materials

Today, there are many ways to insulate a concrete floor. The variety of materials for insulation will allow everyone to buy concrete floor insulation that will suit them.

Materials that can be used to insulate the floor:

• Expanded polystyrene;
• Styrofoam;
• Polyurethane foam;
• Kremzit;
• Perlite;
• Mineral wool;
• Stone basalt wool;
• Foam glass;

About insulation options

How to insulate a concrete floor in an apartment or house? All options are based on the principle of creating a coating in several different layers that isolate the access of cold from concrete, cracks, as well as covering the so-called cold bridges along the walls.

It should be noted that the best result can be achieved if thermal insulation is provided immediately when pouring concrete on the floor, from scratch. However, using a variety of technologies, it is possible to thermally insulate housing at any stage of operation.

The main insulation methods are the following:

• insulation with laying of roll insulation (roll type insulation is laid under the finishing coating);
• insulation over a wooden frame (otherwise known as a raised floor. The method involves laying a frame of wooden beams and joists, followed by filling the cells with insulating materials. Good for reducing loads on the foundation of a house);
• thermal insulation under concrete or insulation with a floating screed (usually done after complete dismantling of the old concrete base. The most durable, moisture-resistant and mechanically resistant materials are laid under the new screed);
• insulation using “warm floor” technology (the system is placed on top of the insulation, then everything is poured with concrete. Heated using third-party heat sources - water or electricity);
• the use of fillers in screeds made of cement and sand (fillers, which include, in particular, expanded clay or perlite, greatly reduce the thermal conductivity of concrete. This mixture is good to use as a screed and base on the ground);
• insulation of a concrete floor with floor coverings (on the finished floor you can use linoleum on felt and other insulation, carpet. Thermal insulation will be supplemented by polyethylene foam, cork or other thin-layer heat-insulating material that can be laid under a decorative covering).

The best materials for insulation

If you don’t know which insulation material to choose, we will help you decide. Below are the best materials for insulation and their characteristics.

Mineral wool

This insulation is moisture-resistant and has low thermal conductivity, which allows you to retain heat inside the room, does not allow noise to pass through, and is also an environmentally friendly material.

If you decide to choose this concrete floor insulation, you should know that this material allows moisture to pass through (does not absorb), and also has low strength and rigidity. Therefore, if you decide to insulate the floor with such material, then it is additionally necessary to use a waterproofing and vapor barrier layer. Despite its disadvantages, mineral wool is one of the most popular insulations and is often used as insulation in country houses with concrete floors.

What materials are used for floor insulation?

Material options

1. Mineral wool. Today it is one of the most sought-after and popular thermal insulators. Its advantages include low density and light weight, although today manufacturers also offer tile material with a fairly high density. In addition, mineral wool has low thermal conductivity, is an excellent sound insulator and is inexpensive. It is not without its drawbacks. The material is afraid of moisture, in contact with which its thermal insulation qualities decrease. Mineral wool can only be used if a joist structure is laid on a concrete floor under a wooden or other floor covering with a mandatory layer of waterproofing placed on top of the insulation.
2. Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. It is this insulation that is most often used for thermal insulation of concrete floors. It has good characteristics, but is very fragile. Extruded polystyrene foam is a type of foam with improved qualities in almost all respects. Polyurethane foam is an excellent insulation with excellent properties, but with one single drawback - it is not an environmentally friendly material.
3. Expanded clay. This heat insulator is very often used in such a process as do-it-yourself floor insulation. It has excellent qualities, but, like many other insulation materials, it is afraid of moisture. It can be poured over the entire surface of the base if the area of ​​the insulated room is small. Or place it in areas where you will have to separate the floor using slats or joists.
4. Cork. This is a natural insulation material with excellent qualities and properties. But today it is also one of the most expensive thermal insulators.
5. Perlite. This is sand, so it can be classified as “loose-fill insulation”. But in its thermal insulation qualities it is superior to expanded clay.
6. Foam glass. Of all the above, this thermal insulation material is one of the best and highest quality. But even here it is not without its drawbacks - it is very fragile.

Methods for insulating a concrete floor

Before choosing insulation, you need to consider which method is best for you to insulate concrete floors.

There are 2 ways to lay insulation:

Laying insulation on joists is much easier, since the load on the material when installed this way is much lower. When installing insulation on a concrete base, it is necessary to use only dense and hard materials that will withstand heavy loads.

Insulation of concrete floors along joists

It is recommended to carry out insulation of a concrete floor with the help of a specialist or according to instructions. If you are just building a wooden house, then laying insulation in this way will be much easier, since the height of the building can be calculated in advance. On average, the height of the logs is 10 cm, therefore, when planning the overall height of the premises, these parameters should be taken into account in advance. If you are installing logs for insulation in an already finished house, keep in mind that the height of the room will decrease.

Work order

The concrete surface is covered with a thick layer of polyethylene film, which serves as waterproofing. Using a level, logs are installed, which are laid at a distance of 50-60 cm.

Insulation materials are laid in the gaps formed between the joists, after which a raised floor made of boards, plywood or other materials is laid on the joists. After all the above has been completed, the floor covering is laid.

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Insulation of a concrete floor takes quite a long time, but following a certain technology, the time can be reduced. It is worth noting that when insulating concrete floors it is necessary to leave a gap of 1.5 cm.

Required Tools

Mineral wool Damper tape Plywood Corner Vapor barrier film Adhesive tape (scotch tape) Plasterboard sheet Self-tapping screws Dowels Show all
Proper insulation of a concrete floor in your own home makes it possible to improve the microclimate in all rooms, save precious heat and save a lot on heating costs.

• 2 Features of different insulating materials - choosing the ideal protector from the cold
• 3 Floor insulation with expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam - instructions
• 4 Using cotton wool for thermal protection of floors
• 5 Sprayed materials - new trends in thermal protection of floors

Installation of heated floors

You can install a heated floor using heating elements and thermal insulation. For this method, concrete floor insulation is used, which has the following qualities:

Instructions for laying “floating floors”

First, insulation is laid, as a rule, it is extruded polystyrene foam. Next, the heating elements of the warm floor are installed. They can be water pipes or electrical wires. The next step is to apply the concrete base and concrete screed, after which the substrate is laid. The final stage is laying the flooring.

How else can you insulate a concrete floor?

Still don't know how to insulate a concrete floor? Here are a few more materials that have excellent thermal insulation qualities:

• Chipboard;
• Plywood, which has moisture-resistant qualities;
• Isolon in rolls;
• Linoleum, which has a special insulating layer;
• Cork covering.

It is worth noting that the process of insulating concrete floors needs to be carried out only for the lower floors, if thermal insulation of a private house is planned.

Cork as floor insulation

If you are planning to insulate a concrete floor, you should definitely consider several methods, one of which is insulation using cork.

Technical cork has good characteristics, it does not allow heat to pass through and is an environmentally friendly material. Despite the fact that such a substrate is quite expensive, only one layer is enough to insulate the floor. If necessary, this material can be laid in several layers.

It is recommended to insulate a concrete floor with a material 0.3–1 cm thick. This way, you can get a warm floor and small “losses” in the height of the room.

This method of insulation is ideal for apartments in multi-storey buildings.

How to insulate a floor using isolon?

Izolon is a material that has excellent qualities and does not require additional installation time. Insulating a concrete floor in this way is an excellent way to save materials and your own time.

• Isolon is laid on the concrete surface;
• Secure with tape;
• Next, the floor covering is laid.

Insulating a concrete floor in this way will be fast, low-cost and reliable.

Before choosing one or another method of insulating a concrete floor, read several reviews from those who have already done it themselves. Regardless of which method you choose to insulate a concrete floor, you should strictly follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the insulating material.

Concrete floors are associated with solidity, durability and reliability. But they also have a drawback - they are cold. The high thermal conductivity of reinforced concrete removes heat from residential and domestic premises. Therefore, high-quality thermal insulation is necessary for concrete floors. For this, different materials are used - fibrous, foamed plastics, bulk plastics, etc. Having general construction skills, the homeowner can cope with insulation on his own.

How to insulate a concrete floor in a private house: secrets of the masters

Floor insulation, especially in a private house, is an important part of construction work, which simply cannot be done without. In difficult and often unpredictable climates, warm floors are a real salvation. Insulating a concrete floor allows you to retain heat and, thereby, significantly save on the heating system and other appliances.

Concrete slabs have their own characteristics, which are now known to almost every homeowner. The thing is that condensation appears on the colder side of the slab, which causes increased humidity on the basement and first floors of the building. Complete insulation in compliance with standards and rules allows you to eliminate this problem.

There is an impressive list of materials that will help insulate a concrete floor in a private home:

• Fiberglass, basalt wool. This fibrous material has been used for a long time and has proven itself as a high-quality insulation material, despite its low cost.
• Polystyrene or foam boards. It’s also an excellent option, but the procedure itself has its own peculiarities and nuances.
• Innovative polymer insulation. They are applied by spraying and have a number of advantages. These include penoizol.

The installation of a particular material depends on its type and properties, so there is simply no universal algorithm for floor insulation.

Material selection: what to look for

An inexperienced person may find it difficult to choose one material or another. In searching for an answer to this question, you should pay attention to the characteristics of insulation.

Fiber glass wool, for example, boasts excellent thermal insulation and, importantly, can increase the level of sound insulation. Cotton wool can be called a non-flammable material, but it is afraid of water, and this disadvantage can be called significant. Fiber insulation, when wet, decreases in size and completely loses its thermal insulation properties. Thus, this option is relevant for damp rooms in which the likelihood of any leakage is minimized.

Expanded polystyrene is also a non-flammable material and has impressive rigidity. It can be laid directly under concrete. Polystyrene foam is an excellent solution if you need to choose a material with the lowest price, but in this case you need to lay plywood or chipboard sheets on top of it in order to evenly distribute the physical load. Otherwise, the foam will simply crumble when a certain weight is applied to it. Polystyrene foam is also flammable.

Sprayed thermal insulation is gaining popularity despite the fact that it is an order of magnitude more expensive than the above methods. All thanks to the ease of application and enormous thermal insulation properties. A seamless coating created by spraying will perform its task on almost any surface, even a completely uneven surface. The high cost is due to the fact that to carry out insulation you will need to call a specialist with a special spraying unit. Despite this, the procedure itself cannot be called time-consuming.

Algorithm for insulation with cotton wool

Fiber insulation material is a common choice for homeowners. The thickness of the layer of such insulation is usually about 10 cm. It is important to follow the sequence of layers, but the installation features are usually written on the packaging with the insulation.

1. The surface must be carefully prepared. Substances with an aggressive composition, if any, are present on the floor surface, must be removed. In addition, it is necessary to seal existing cracks and cavities. The vapor barrier film must be secured with tape and overlapped.
2. The logs should be equal in height to the insulation layer. The distance between them is individual and completely depends on the width of the specific slabs. There should be no gaps.
3. A special membrane film should be laid on top of the cotton wool. Thanks to it, dampness will not appear in the layer, and it also protects against unexpected water leakage.
4. The top is lined with plywood, the thickness of which should be at least 1 cm.
5. The final layer is the floor covering. The choice of material is determined by the personal preferences of the homeowner.

Polystyrene insulation algorithm

If mineral and fiberglass wool are afraid of water and humidity, then polystyrene is not afraid of this disease. It is this advantage that can be called the main one, because thanks to it, polystyrene can be used in the bathroom, basement, kitchen and other wet rooms.

The stage of preparing the floor for insulation was described above. It is worth adding that small irregularities can be eliminated with a layer of sand. Usually a layer of modest thickness is required, which fills all small irregularities and cracks and makes the surface as smooth as possible.

Modern insulation materials, which involve laying them jointly, usually have special grooves that allow them to be laid like a puzzle. Thanks to puzzles, the likelihood of gaps appearing is reduced significantly and this has a beneficial effect on the quality of thermal insulation.

You also cannot do without damper tape, so it is applied to the lower part of the walls. In a modern hardware store, a consultant can offer special glue for this tape, but many builders prefer to use dowel nails for this purpose. Damper tape allows you to prevent deformation of insulating boards in the presence of moisture.

You also need to lay a plastic film on the resulting layer. In this case, it will allow the concrete screed, which will be poured on top, not to leak between the slabs. This is fraught with unwanted voids and deformation. Next comes a layer of reinforcement and, directly, a screed.

Insulation with expanded polystyrene is especially important when creating a warm water floor. This type of heating of a private home is now extremely popular due to its adequate installation cost and high functionality.

Sprayed materials for insulation

If we talk about an innovative approach to insulation, then we cannot fail to mention sprayed materials, which are now in demand. This insulation is a cellular foam, which after application expands significantly, filling the voids in the floor. You won’t be able to spray this solution yourself; it requires special equipment and the skillful hands of a professional. Despite the impressive cost, experts note that the price is justified and the quality of such insulation is truly at a high level.

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Why insulate the floor

Among the total heat losses, the floor occupies a prominent place - up to 15%. A cold floor not only “steals” kilocalories of heat - it significantly reduces the comfort for those living in the house. If your feet are cold, the general feeling of cold intensifies. Cold floors are especially dangerous for young children, who often play sitting and lying down, and for older people.

The cold coming from the floor harms pets and indoor plants. Large heat losses have a number of other unpleasant consequences: moisture can condense on cold surfaces and the relative humidity will increase. This will lead to the appearance of mold and mildew, which are extremely harmful to human health. Therefore, in addition to thermal insulation, it will be necessary to take care of the vapor and waterproofing of the ceiling.

Determining heat leakage paths

Heat leaves rooms in two ways - by heat transfer through concrete and with drafts through joints with walls. Accordingly, when insulating the floor, you need to block both of these paths by selecting and installing suitable thermal insulation materials.

Selection of material for floor insulation.

The thermal insulation material must have a low ability to conduct heat. It is characterized by the coefficient of thermal conductivity. The lower it is, the better the material insulates.

In addition, the material must:

• be durable;
• do not lose properties when moistened;
• easy to install;
• have a reasonable price.

Today the most popular thermal insulators are:

• Fibrous. Basalt, glass and slag wool.
• Monolithic. Foamed plastics in panels, plywood, OSB, etc.
• Sprayable. Polyurethane foam and ecowool, applied using the wet-adhesive method.
• Bulk. Dry ecowool and traditional - expanded clay, sawdust, shavings.

How to choose the most suitable material for thermal insulation?

Mineral wool

Basalt wool is made from volcanic rocks. Its fibers are short and stiff, and its density is high. Kt= 0.034…0.039 W/(m*K).

• Strength. Withstands heavy loads, used for flat roofs and interfloor floors under screed.
• Low hygroscopicity. When moistened, it does not lose its properties.

Basalt wool

• Low elasticity. Difficult to install by surprise.
• Large mass of insulation. It is necessary to calculate the load-bearing capacity of the floor and, possibly, strengthen it.

Supplied in the form of mats 1200*600 mm.

Glass wool is made from glass production waste; its fibers are long and elastic. Density is lower than that of basalt wool, Kt =0.032…0.041 W/(m*K)

• High elasticity makes cutting and installation easier.
• Low density makes it possible not to increase the load-bearing capacity of the floors.

Types and properties of floor insulators

Materials used for insulating floor coverings are produced in the form of:

• granules - expanded clay, foam glass, perlite, vermiculite granulated slag;
• rolls with and without a reflective layer - mineral wool, glass, slag, polyethylene foam, polystyrene foam, cork;
• foil and non-foil boards - polystyrene foam, penoplex, polystyrene foam, chipboard, OSB, plywood, wood concrete, basalt wool;
• liquids and foam - special insulating paints, polyurethane foam, ecowool;
• mixtures - foam concrete, polystyrene concrete, expanded clay concrete, slag concrete, sawdust concrete.

Mineral wool is an affordable material for insulation. Source giropark.ru
They have general technical characteristics that allow the materials to be widely used for thermal insulation:

1. Fire resistance - do not support combustion.
2. Low thermal conductivity coefficient - retains heat well in the room.
3. Environmentally friendly, safe for use inside a residential building.
4. Durability - with proper installation, materials retain their properties for at least 20 years.
5. Simplicity of the installation of the thermal insulation layer - no highly professional knowledge or complex operations are required.
6. Resistant to rot, mold, fungi.
7. Lightweight - does not additionally load load-bearing structures.
8. Low water absorption - they do not absorb or retain moisture in capillaries and pores.
9. Vapor permeability - air exchange is ensured in the room, a favorable microclimate is maintained.
10. Strength is especially important when constructing concrete pavements, where the load is transferred directly to the insulation.

Foam glass is another material for thermal insulation Source giropark.ru
Modern thermal insulation materials are inexpensive and effectively cope with floor insulation in a private house.

How to insulate a concrete floor

The technology for thermal insulation of floors is simple, but all the requirements of the technological process must be strictly followed. An attempt to save time will lead to ineffectiveness of the entire insulation. When choosing a method of insulation, you should take into account the method and degree of thermal insulation of the foundation, basement and blind area. How to properly waterproof and insulate a concrete floor? The technology depends on the selected material.

Fibrous materials

The main thing when working with mineral wool is not to forget about steam and waterproofing, joints and fits. The thickness of the layer is chosen depending on the climate zone; in regions with a mild climate, 50 mm is enough; in frosty places it is better to lay 150.

The recommended sequence of actions is as follows:

• Prepare the concrete surface. Seal cracks, crevices and potholes, and level out protrusions.
• Clean from oil and grease stains and other contaminants.
• Lay a vapor barrier membrane and connect the joints of the panels with metallized adhesive tape.
• Install logs. Their height should coincide with the selected thickness of thermal insulation, the pitch should match the dimensions of the slabs or rolls of mineral wool. Plates or rolls must fit between the guides without gap.
• Lay insulation. Particular attention to joints and abutments to walls.
• Place a vapor barrier membrane over the slabs, smooth side up. The membrane will remove moisture.

Laying basalt wool over a waterproofing membrane

• Lay tongue and groove or thick plywood. Secure to the joists with self-tapping screws.
• Next, you can lay the final finish: laminate, parquet board, cork or linoleum.

Expanded polystyrene

Foamed polystyrene is often used under cement screed. The material is not hygroscopic, it can be used in damp rooms - kitchens, bathrooms, bathrooms, saunas.

The recommended sequence of actions is as follows:

• Prepare the concrete surface. Seal cracks, crevices and potholes, and level out protrusions.
• Clean from oil and grease stains and other contaminants.

Important! Alignment requires more careful than in the previous case. It is necessary to either concrete the insulated floor with a leveling solution, or fill the surface with fine sand and carefully level it.

Then you can install the finishing coating - ceramics, tiles, moisture-resistant laminate, etc.

Sprayed materials

This method will require purchasing or renting expensive equipment. Most owners only rent out units with qualified operators. Manufacturers also produce disposable, non-rechargeable kits for self-use.

The recommended sequence of actions is as follows:

• Prepare the concrete surface. Seal cracks, crevices and potholes, and level out large protrusions.
• Clean from oil and grease stains and other contaminants.
• Careful alignment may not be necessary.
• Install a joist system on which the floor will rest. Secure with self-tapping screws and dowels or nails from a construction gun.
• Wet the concrete so that the foam adheres better.

Spraying polyurethane foam between joists

• Spray insulation for the concrete floor. The volume of foam when hardened increases by 5-10%. This needs to be taken into account.
• Wait until the foam dries completely.
• If the floor will not be laid immediately, cover the foam layer with light-protective material.

Other methods of thermal insulation of the floor are also used, such as filling with expanded clay followed by installation of a cement screed. This method also does not require careful leveling of the floor. If you add a sufficient amount of special polymer additives to the cement mortar, the screed itself will acquire thermal insulating properties.

Insulation for concrete floors

The thermal insulation of the floor directly depends on the insulation you choose - this is a law that you cannot argue with. Because all heat insulators differ from each other in technical and operational characteristics, as well as in the place where they can be used. And it, in turn, depends on the operational characteristics of the room.

So how to insulate the floor in an apartment? What should you pay special attention to when choosing insulation?

• High strength index. The floor is the most loaded element of the room, which means that the load on the thermal insulation layer will be the greatest.
• Density of the material. Firstly, this indicator will affect weight. The lower the density, the lower the weight. And this is very good. Secondly, it affects the porosity of the material. The lower the density, the higher the porosity, which means the higher the thermal insulation properties.
• Thermal conductivity. This coefficient should be as low as possible.
• Moisture resistance. Of course, this indicator plays an important role. But we note that the choice based on it will largely depend on the room in which the floor insulation is carried out with your own hands. If it is a bathroom, toilet, balcony or kitchen, then, without a doubt, moisture resistance will be of great importance. In other rooms this is not so important.
• Moisture permeability. Some may think that this characteristic is the same as the previous one. Don't confuse them! Moisture permeability is the ability of a material to absorb moisture. Again, the lower this property, the better the insulation.
• Long-lasting operation. Everything here is clear and without words - the longer, the better.
• Environmentally friendly. Currently, special attention is paid to the environmental friendliness of any building materials. This affects the quality of housing and meets the requirements of modern times. So be sure to pay attention to this indicator.

Before you start

For thermal insulation work in most cases (except for sprayed coatings), only the usual set of construction tools is required, first of all:

• circular saw or jigsaw;
• screwdriver;
• roulette;
• corner;
• level;
• construction knife.

Almost all floor insulation work can be done alone. But with an assistant, the time will be significantly reduced, especially if the screed is done.