Correct floor insulation is necessary to keep the entire house warm and dry, reduces heating costs, and helps maintain a cozy atmosphere in the room. To carry out the work efficiently, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic technologies, and then master the procedure for laying the material and install the insulation, following the recommendations.

Cold concrete floors, even with a basement, can be easily insulated with foam. It is important to create a layer of insulation from the basement side, since an uninsulated basement is a source of cold. Well-equipped insulation becomes an obstacle to the penetration of cold into the building.

For proper insulation, sheets of polystyrene slab are usually used, the thickness of which is 5-12 cm. You can purchase sheets with chamfers, since their installation is easier than the classic version. If the walls in the room are uneven, you need to mask the deviations from the norm with polyurethane foam. To level the unevenness of the floor, foam plastic of different thicknesses is used.

The foam is attached to the base with plastic dowels, the average length of which is 150 mm. Their size should be selected for the specific parameters of the selected insulation. Work should start from distant, hard-to-reach areas. The sheet is applied to the base, the holes necessary for further fastening are drilled with a perforator. The sheet is removed, the designated places are drilled further until the required depth is obtained for the full installation of the dowels.

If whole sheets cannot be adapted to specific floor contours in certain places, you need to carefully cut out parts that fit in shape and continue laying. Upon completion of the installation, the surface of the insulation is plastered. You can lay a thin reinforcing mesh, and apply a plaster mixture on it and wait until it dries.

The floor surface must be leveled. A concrete screed is poured, if necessary, a slight slope is artificially created. If any cracks are noticed in the base of the floor, they should be completely repaired.

Mineral wool must be protected with a sealed vapor barrier layer. You can use plastic wrap or choose the material individually. The layer is laid with a large overlap, which extends to the walls, and is fastened with thin anchors.

The installation of the guide beams is necessary to create a clear framework for the installation of each rock wool tile. The distance between the lags should be equal to the width of the insulation plates or be slightly less than them so that the mineral wool is additionally held without fasteners.

The mineral wool slabs fit into the slots between the grooves. If roll material is used, it must be pre-cut. If the decision is made to lay the mineral wool in two layers, then the joints of the second should, if possible, be located on the middle part of the elements of the first.

A layer of waterproofing should be applied to the mineral wool, which must reliably seal the coating. It is necessary to prevent the absorption of moisture into the insulation, since it will linger in the material, and it can come out of it extremely slowly. After installing all layers of preparatory materials, you can lay the finishing floor.

An expanded clay pillow is poured onto the previously prepared, leveled floor. The thickness is 15-30 cm, depending on the required reliability of the insulation, the layer may change in massiveness, but it should not be lower than 10 cm, since a too thin coating will bring a minimum of benefit.

Expanded clay is filled in with an even, uniform layer, therefore, additional beacons must be installed. Metal profiles divide the working space into several equal parts. The distance between them should not exceed 70-80 cm. If necessary, wood lining is constructed under the metal profile, since the material should be filled as evenly as possible.

For waterproofing, you can use plastic wrap. It should slightly exceed the floor area. The edges are fixed at the top, the material rises slightly on the walls. A concrete screed can be made on the waterproofing layer. Sand, cement and water are thoroughly mixed in a 3: 2: 2 ratio. When pouring the mixture onto expanded clay, you need to carefully level the coating.

Waterproofing can be done in another way. For her, they equip an expanded clay screed. A pillow made of insulation is not covered with a film, but is immediately poured with a homogeneous liquid solution - "cement milk". This is necessary to prevent the possibility of moisture exposure to expanded clay granules. The solution should envelop the insulation, therefore, it should not be made too liquid, so that it does not go into the thickness of the material.

If necessary, additional components are added to the solution after the mixture has been created. Typically, this cement is made in a 1: 3 ratio with sand. To properly mix the mixture, use a construction mixer.

Foil materials can also help to reliably insulate the floor. The finished surface is poured with a concrete screed or laid with a layer of any insulation. Isolon or penofol is glued to it. These materials do not allow moisture to pass through, therefore, in order to avoid its settling, they should be mounted so that there is a small, ventilated cavity above them for excess moisture to escape.

To form a corresponding cavity, thin wooden slats are placed on top of the insulation, the height of which is not less than 1.5 cm, the pitch is 30-50 cm. The level of laying is controlled, if necessary, slats can be placed under the bending logs.

Floorboards are laid on the logs perpendicular to their location. Their thickness may not exceed 4 cm. On top of them, you can lay an even layer of plywood, for which sheets of 8-14 mm in thickness are suitable. If very thin sheets are selected, then the coating is laid in 2 layers. The floor covering is laid on the insulated floor structure. To make a warm floor on a foil base, the selected insulation is laid, the heating systems are laid out on it. Logs and the finishing part of the floor are installed.

If a cement screed is to be poured onto penofol, it is necessary to purchase the "ALP" type, it is equipped with a protective coating that does not allow the cement to act on the penofol. This condition must be observed, since cement is an aggressive environment to which aluminum reacts, acting as a coating for this insulation.

Video - Izolon

Due to the possibility of floor insulation with foam, it is possible not to use special protective films, there is no need for additional leveling of the surface, its restoration after a few years. The frame is built by building guides and modeling profiles. Foam is sprayed on. The floor covering is being installed.

If it is necessary to carry out thermal insulation of an already finished floor, then foam insulation will reduce the volume and duration of the work. The old coating is dismantled, the foam is sprayed on, swells almost instantly. To complete the work, it is enough to install a new floor covering. If repair work is being carried out on additional insulation of an already built wooden floor, it is possible to only partially dismantle the boards in order to obtain the access to the inside of the floor necessary when spraying foam.

Warming the floor with foam allows you to provide hermetically sealed thermal insulation, since the material forms a homogeneous consistency.

There is no need to install waterproofing and any vapor barriers, since the foam independently performs their functions. The foam hardens in a few minutes after application, so it can be covered with the flooring on the same day. It does not contain nutrients, so there is no risk of deformation by harmful insects or rodents. Does not emit harmful substances, and its base is water. When buying, you can get a manufacturer's warranty for 50 years of operation, respectively, the real terms are much higher.

Experts advise using the method of spraying ecowool from a special dispenser. Insulation is distributed from a previously rented or purchased installation. After drying, it can be covered with a floor covering. The thickness of the insulation should not be less than 30 cm so that heat loss does not occur.

Without the use of a special installation, ecowool can be laid manually if a small coverage area is required. Material consumption for manual installation exceeds the amount for a similar installation from a spray gun up to 50%. Hard-to-reach areas are not easy to fill, so there is a risk of being empty. The positive side of this method is that there is no need to purchase a blow molding machine.

After opening the package, the insulation is placed in a large container. It needs to be fluffed using a special drill with a stirring attachment. When choosing a suitable container, it should be remembered that when fluffing, the volume of ecowool increases three times.

A vapor barrier is being laid, for example, lined kraft paper. Ecowool is laid out on the surface, a bucket or other capacious, but not heavy object can become a dispenser. When laying ecowool by hand, wait a while before covering the finished floor until a moisture-proof crust forms under the influence of lignin. After finishing the work, you can lay the floorboards.

Video - Blowing out ecowool

It is recommended to lay polystyrene foam plates using a lag, since in this case they will take the greatest load. The thickness of the coating should not be less than 10 cm. The cavity between the expanded polystyrene and the logs, a special technological gap along the perimeter of the walls can be closed using fiberglass insulation, since its price is less than that of polyurethane foam.

When laying a heat-insulating layer on top of a concrete base, you should select a material with the maximum strength characteristics available to the developer. To level the base, you can restrict yourself to laying slabs of various thicknesses, however, the best option is to create an even screed that will hide all the unevenness of the concrete, ensure the most even position of the slabs, therefore, increase their resistance to heavy loads. If necessary, using the leveling screed, you can change the angle of inclination by a few centimeters.

The prepared base is covered with a waterproofing film, which is fixed along the walls, slightly spreading to them, therefore, when calculating this material, one should take into account the margin required for bending. When laying polystyrene foam, the fixing solution is applied to the entire surface of the insulation, its thickness should be about 2 cm, if possible, it spreads evenly. The structure is fixed with a reinforcing mesh.

A finishing screed is applied after the glue has completely dried, its thickness is 6-8 cm. All gaps formed for technical reasons or as a result of delamination, cracking of the material are sealed with polyurethane foam. In the absence of, you can use fiberglass. Roll waterproofing is laid. It should be fastened with an overlap of at least 10 cm. All strips are fastened with construction tape, sold in strips. A floor covering is applied on top of the insulating layers.

Video - Floor insulation with expanded polystyrene

Thermal insulation with polyurethane foam avoids seams. It is profitable to save space, since the thickness of the insulation layer does not exceed 10 cm. A layer of vapor barrier and waterproofing is optional. Polyurethane foam resists the appearance of condensation, does not pass or absorb moisture. The entire floor can be covered in one day, as the application speed is record-breaking compared to other insulation materials. All components for the preparation of the solution are stored and purchased in liquid form. The service life of the material is from 60 years.

The use of polyurethane foam is environmentally friendly. The components of the composition do not evaporate, therefore it is completely harmless to human health. The material is not susceptible to decay, mold cannot appear on it, since it is not a favorable environment for bacteria. Rodents and other pests also do not settle in polyurethane foam, as it is not suitable as food. The mixture must be prepared immediately before carrying out work on its filling. After application and drying of the polyurethane foam layer, the final screed can be made without the use of additional coatings.

For high-quality floor insulation, an analysis of the loads that will be carried out on it should be carried out. The insulation must be installed, observing the rules, since working according to the instructions will help ensure its long service life and protect the floor as much as possible from heat leakage.

In domestic climatic conditions, the need to insulate residential buildings is beyond doubt. Owners of private houses have to solve this problem on their own. Wooden boards, from which in most cases the floors in suburban households are made, deform over time, and gaps appear in the coating tightly knocked down at first.

It is hard to imagine, but through these cracks in the cold season, up to thirty percent of the thermal energy can go away. As a result, heating costs increase sharply, and the comfort of living in winter decreases. To prevent these consequences, it is necessary to insulate the floors with high quality.

The list of materials for floor insulation is wide enough

Variants of wood floor insulation technologies

The procedure for thermal insulation of a wooden floor should be foreseen at the stage of design and construction of a house, and then minimal labor and financial resources will be required. If it is necessary to perform this manipulation, when the overlap is already ready, the technology for performing the work becomes much more complicated. In this case, you can do the job correctly and insulate the floor from above, directly along the old coating, or with its partial dismantling. There is also an option for insulating the flooring from the bottom from the basement side.

In this case, it is more convenient to insulate the floor from the basement side.

Floor insulation is done from above if the house has a low basement. If at the same time the flooring is dismantled, only the logs are left. The procedure is very laborious. In the event that the basement is of sufficient depth, the insulating material can be laid from below. This is much easier and faster, since in the process of performing the work you will not have to dismantle and disassemble the flooring if it is in good condition.

The better to insulate the floors in a private house

Do-it-yourself floor insulation in a private house is quite realistic. In this case, a variety of heat-insulating materials are used. Which one is better is determined after analyzing their performance and the specific conditions in which they will be used. The insulated floor significantly increases the comfort of living in the house at negative ambient temperatures and reduces heating costs.

Ecowool - one of the options for insulation for a wooden floor

Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene are widely used, glass wool and mineral wool have their own characteristics. The simplest and cheapest method of warming the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay or with sawdust. The so-called dry screed has good performance characteristics.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Styrofoam and Styrofoam

Many people know that you can insulate the floor with foam. Expanded polystyrene flooring is also popular with professional builders and DIYers. Polyfoam and expanded polystyrene, due to their excellent performance, are most widely used as insulation materials. Except for minor differences, their specifications are comparable to each other. The use of these thermal insulation materials has the following advantages:

• low cost;
• low thermal conductivity;
• small mass;
• wide area of ​​use;
• long service life;
• resistance to pathogenic microflora;
• ease of installation.

Quite often, the floor is insulated with foam.

In addition to the above advantages, these materials also have operational disadvantages. Their list is also quite impressive, the following negative qualities can be noted:

• emit harmful substances when ignited;
• prevent the passage of water vapor;
• afraid of exposure to direct sunlight;
• attractive to rodents;
• collapse on contact with solvents;
• have low mechanical strength.

Characteristics of "Dry screed" for floor insulation

The so-called "dry screed", which is made from gypsum fiber, is excellent for thermal insulation of a wooden floor of a private house. The use of this composition suggests the following positive aspects:

• excellent thermal insulation;
• fire safety;
• ease of styling;
• compatibility with all topcoats;
• small thickness;
• good noise absorption characteristics.

The process of laying "dry screed" for floor insulation

At the same time, since we are insulating the floor with a dry mixture of factory production, we should take into account its high consumption: it takes twenty kilograms of the mixture to process one square meter of surface. In addition, when water penetrates, the geometric dimensions of the dry screed change, which can lead to damage to the finishing coating.

Possibility of using mineral wool

Mineral wool is widely used to provide thermal insulation for wooden floors. The material is made in the form of slabs, which are easy to lay on the floor with your own hands.

Mineral wool is well suited for floor insulation

Mineral wool has many positive properties. The material is distinguished by excellent noise-absorbing and heat-insulating qualities, fire safety, prevents the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, and is resistant to aggressive chemical environments.

However, when water enters, deformation and partial loss of heat-insulating qualities occur. In addition, mineral wool has low mechanical strength and does not belong to environmentally friendly materials.

Features of the use of glass wool

Glass wool is similar in its characteristics to mineral wool. A feature of its use is that when performing work, you need to carefully monitor so that it does not get into the organs of vision or on the skin.

Glass wool - a common option for insulating a wooden floor

The production process is complicated by the need for the employee to use personal protective equipment. The negative quality of this material is its significant shrinkage over time, as a result of which, if improperly laid, the thermal insulation is disturbed.

Pros and cons of using expanded clay

Expanded clay is a clay-based foamed and fired granules of a porous structure. The big advantage of this material is its low cost, environmental friendliness, low weight and long service life of about fifty years. Expanded clay has excellent soundproofing and insulation properties. Thus, thermal insulation of the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay will not break through the family budget.

Warming the floor with expanded clay - simple and inexpensive

The downside of its use can be considered the need to perform a layer of backfill that is significant in thickness, otherwise the wooden floors will remain cold, especially at sharply negative ambient temperatures. In addition, it absorbs moisture well, although it does not lose its insulating properties.

Sawdust is the cheapest material

The cheapest material in terms of cost is finely ground sawdust. They do not pose any danger to human health, the technology for performing the work is extremely simple: the space between the rough and final floor covering is filled with sawdust. Before use, this material must be thoroughly dried for at least twelve months, otherwise it will quickly deteriorate. Waste cut from freshly cut trees must not be used immediately.

Apparently, sawdust is the most budgetary option for floor insulation.

By increasing or decreasing the layer thickness, the level of thermal insulation is regulated. In northern regions with very cold climates, a very thick layer has to be poured. It is necessary to take into account the attractiveness of this material for rodents and to scare them away add two parts of hydrated lime in a dry form to the composition. The disadvantage of sawdust is the occurrence of decay processes in them when wet.

Modern choice - isolon and penofol

Undoubted operational advantages are distinguished by the use of such modern materials as isolon and penofol as a heater. Izolon is a polyethylene foam covered with a foil layer and has excellent sound insulating qualities with a very small thickness. The material does not support combustion, prevents the development of pathogenic microflora and corrosion processes, a two-centimeter layer is comparable in sound-insulating and heat-saving properties to laying in one brick.

Fragments of laying penoizol for floor insulation

Penofol produced in the form of rolls consists of several layers of insulation, on top of which there is a reflective foil. It acts as a screen that prevents large losses of thermal energy.

When using penofol, it is not required to carry out additional work on waterproofing or arranging a vapor barrier layer.

The easiest way is to lay a double floor.

The easiest way to carry out insulation is to provide for laying a double floor at the stage of building a house, which is a rough and a finish coating. This insulation system should be used in a room with high ceilings, as it takes up useful space.

The construction technology provides for laying logs on which the subfloor will be strengthened. The covering can be made of wood planks, particle boards, OSB or other similar materials, it is only important that the structural elements fit snugly together without forming gaps.

Arrangement of a double floor is a reliable option for insulation

Insulation material is laid on the surface of the subfloor between the guides. At the same time, sand should not be used as it with high natural humidity, since in this case condensation may form. On top of the insulation, a finishing coating of wooden planks about five centimeters thick is mounted. The new coating will have to be painted, as described in the article.

Of course, you can also insulate the old floor in the same way, but this should take into account the decrease in the relative height of the ceiling.

The most correct floor insulation is along the logs

When building a new house or dismantling a covering, the most correct floor insulation is the method of performing work on logs. In this case, the insulation is placed between the logs, which serve as the basis for the finished floor. Depending on the structure of the building, the basis for the installation of logs and insulation can be a subfloor made on their own logs, as well as a concrete coating or even soil. In the latter case, it is useful to equip a clay castle to protect it from moisture with a layer of about 5-10 cm.

Thick insulation can be held between the lags on ordinary nails

In the technology under consideration, the height of the lag and the distance between them must correspond to the height of the insulation and its width. Before installing the floor covering on top of the insulation, a vapor barrier layer should be made of a waterproof film fixed to the logs. The joints of the film can be fixed with tape.

How to insulate floors with your own hands from below, without removing the old floor

If a private house has a deep cold basement, the most correct way would be to insulate the floor from below without removing the old coating. At the same time, you do not need to choose a material that can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and other mechanical loads. In this case, not only the finishing surface will be protected, but the entire overlap as a whole, and the dew point of the overlap will shift outward, and the coating will not rot.

When performing such a task, some difficulties lie in the rapid fatigue when working with constantly raised hands. There are also restrictions on the types of heat-insulating material and the need for its fastening with increased reliability.

Schematically, insulation from below is performed as follows:

• first, a waterproofing layer is equipped;
• then a heat insulator is located;
• on top of it, insulation from water vapor;
• then an overlap is made to ensure the retention of the floor insulation.

Styrofoam can be secured from below with nails with spacers and polyurethane foam

Adhering to this technology when doing work with your own hands, you can get the most comfortable temperature regime in the living quarters of the house. The heat insulator should be lightweight, since it will exert a constant load on the fasteners; bulk materials are not suitable in this case.

Insulation of the floor in a wooden house from the inside with foam or glass wool

Good results are obtained by insulation from the inside with foam or glass wool. These materials are lightweight and have excellent thermal insulation properties. First, waterproofing is fixed to the lower surface of the floor with a stapler. Further, the thermal insulation boards can be laid in such a way that they are held during installation by frictional forces. To do this, their width should be slightly larger than the distance between the lags. When working with glass wool, be sure to use personal protective equipment for the respiratory system, eyes and skin.

Penoplex is a reliable insulation of a wooden floor

A vapor barrier film is applied over the insulation, which is attached to the logs with staples and a stapler. Further along the logs, a frame is mounted that holds the insulation. It can be made of any material that suits you in appearance and durability. Gaps are allowed between the retaining elements, through which the insulation is guaranteed not to fall out.

Step-by-step instructions for thermal insulation of a wooden floor with polyurethane foam

Currently, thermal insulation of a wooden floor with polyurethane foam has become widespread. To perform this work, it is necessary to first prepare the base on which the ecowool will be applied, and spray the composition on the lower surface of the floor. The step-by-step instructions are as follows:

• the coating is cleaned of dirt and thoroughly degreased;
• the base is dried to a moisture content of no more than five percent;
• the high-pressure unit is connected with hoses to containers with mixture components;
• polyurethane foam spreads evenly over the floor surface;
• drying time of the coating occurs within two days from the moment of application.

It is quite possible to insulate wooden floors from below with polyurethane foam

The high pressure equipment used to spray polyurethane foam is very expensive. It is irrational to purchase it for arranging thermal insulation in a private house and it is better to rent this equipment.

In order to protect the room from the cold and keep it warm, it is necessary to insulate the floor. To decide what to insulate the floor and what technology to choose, you need to know what its base consists of. The modern building materials market provides a wide range of floor insulation products. The most common of them are expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex), expanded clay, glass wool and mineral wool, cork insulation, reflective insulation (penofol, izolon), cellulose insulation, self-leveling floors, stone wool, gypsum fiber, foam glass, and linen ...

Before deciding which technology to choose for thermal insulation of the floor, you need to know what its base consists of.

All heaters are divided into natural and synthetic. Natural ones include cork, cellulose, flax, sawdust insulation. All other materials are classified as synthetic. By type, thermal insulation materials are divided into roll (cork, mineral wool, linoleum, isolon), bulk (expanded clay, sawdust insulation, granular slag), sprayed (cellulose insulation, liquid foam), bulk polymer mixtures and tile materials (mineral, stone wool, polyurethane , penoplex and polystyrene).

The technology of this process also depends on what you decide to insulate the floor with.

The main advantage of electrically heated floors is high efficiency and easy temperature control in automatic mode.

For mineral wool, expanded clay and penoplex, it is necessary to put logs and make a screed. Cork insulation or warm linoleum is just enough to lay on the floor, covering it with a hard floor covering (laminate, wood flooring, parquet and linoleum). Linoleum itself can play the role of insulation.

Heat-insulating bulk mixtures take up a minimum of space. It is possible to insulate the floor with expanded clay at the stage of performing a rough version in a private house, when laying a wooden floor on logs or in combination with gypsum fiber boards. All layers will be about 10 cm high.

In order to insulate the floor in an apartment, you will need slightly different materials than for a private house. In the second version, insulation is carried out on the ground or logs, which makes it possible to use even heaters that take up a lot of space. For thermal insulation of concrete floors in an apartment, it is better to choose ultra-thin heaters (linoleum, fiberboard, isolon, cork, bulk mixes and polyurethane foam).

Before determining how you will insulate the floor, find out the height of the ceilings of your house or apartment and the allowable value allocated for floor insulation. The higher the ceiling, the more different materials can be used for thermal insulation. The humidity level in the room should also be taken into account. Some insulating materials cannot be used in damp rooms, and some require additional waterproofing.

If you want to achieve 100% of the result, you can install an electric heated floor using isolon and the ability to regulate the floor temperature in the house using a switch. Next, we will consider the technologies of insulation and the materials used for thermal insulation of the soil base, wooden floor and concrete screed.

How to insulate on the ground

A feature of this process is that the heat-insulating layer will be in contact with the ground, as a result of which groundwater can act on it. Therefore, the insulation must have not only good thermal insulation properties, but also be moisture resistant and waterproof. It is necessary to take into account the presence of a basement in the house. If there is one, a thinner layer of thermal insulation can be laid than in its absence. Insulation is placed on top of a special waterproofing film.

For thermal insulation of the floor and its leveling and further installation of the floor, it is necessary to fill in a layer of gravel, sand or slag and compact it. After that, wooden logs are fixed. The gaps between the logs are covered with expanded clay or slag, sheets of foam, mineral wool or polyurethane are laid in them. Another option is to lay sheets of expanded polystyrene or mineral wool, cover them with roofing material or plastic wrap and then fill with concrete or sand-cement screed.
Thus, thermal insulation of the floor with polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene is much simpler and more effective than the use of bulk and labor-intensive expanded clay and slag. Insulation materials such as foam glass and polyurethane foam are superior to others in their thermal insulation qualities and durability. All of these materials are not afraid of water.

For floor insulation, you may need the following materials and tools:

• waterproofing film;
• gravel;
• expanded clay;
• wooden beams;
• mineral wool, polystyrene, expanded polystyrene or mixtures with thermal insulation properties;
• construction knife;
• self-tapping screws;
• nails;
• hammer;
• screwdriver;
• concrete solution;
• building level;
• rule.

How to insulate a wooden floor

For thermal insulation of a wooden floor, natural materials are used: cellulose and sawdust.

In this case, thermal insulation is carried out already during the construction of the house. To do this, sand, expanded clay or granular slag are poured into the underground. When choosing a heater, someone pays attention to its naturalness, for someone fire safety is important. Natural materials are most often highly flammable and susceptible to decay and microorganisms. Sawdust and cellulose are usually used for thermal insulation of wooden floors with natural materials.

To increase the service life of ecowool, which is blown into all holes, and sawdust heaters, antiseptics and fire retardants (substances that prevent combustion) are added to their composition. The most practical materials for wood floors are glass wool, mineral wool, expanded polystyrene and dry screed. Wooden floors can be laid on logs, between which insulation is laid. The wooden floor can also spread over a rough or pre-poured insulated screed.

To install and insulate the floor, the logs are fixed in increments of 60 cm, placing them on a level on the floor covered with waterproofing. The gaps are filled with insulation, after which they are covered with either plywood or boards.

Expanded clay is used not only as a filling under a cement screed, but also inside it.

If a concrete or cement screed is to be made, slabs of stone wool, expanded polystyrene can be placed under the mortar, or a layer of expanded clay can be covered. Such a screed itself will be considered thermal insulation. And if you lay on top of a wooden floor with additional insulation, the result will surpass all expectations.

During operation, a dry screed can be laid on the wooden floor. For this, bulk insulation is used, which is poured onto the waterproofing layer, aligned along the previously provided guides and covered with gypsum fiber boards. This method is the easiest for leveling and thermal insulation of the floor, but it cannot be used for rooms with high humidity. Bituminous paper must be used for waterproofing.

Excellent thermal insulation and fire safety are provided by foam glass plates. They are 6 to 12 cm thick and can be installed on both wood and concrete floors.

How to insulate a concrete floor

For thermal insulation of a concrete surface with polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, ecowool, mineral wool or liquid materials, you will need to lay logs, and a floor covering is placed on top of them: plywood, parquet, laminate, linoleum or boards. This option of thermal insulation is quite laborious, and it also reduces the height of the room.

Sometimes expanded polystyrene is combined with laying a concrete or cement-sand screed with a thickness of about 5 cm.If you add another 5 cm to this value on the lower layer of insulation, you get the thickness of the required layer of 10 cm, excluding the decorative coating. If necessary, pipes of a warm water floor are built into the screed layer.

A dry screed made of expanded clay and GVL boards can be laid on top of the finished concrete pavement. With a perfectly flat surface, only GVL sheets can be used, the layer thickness in this case will be no more than 2 cm. If we are talking about an apartment, then it will not work to make a layer of insulation that is too thick, especially with low ceilings.

In this case, methods such as thermal insulation with isolon and the subsequent installation of an electric underfloor heating are suitable. They will not only become good thermal insulation, but will additionally heat the room. A water-heated floor is usually installed in a screed, which leads to a decrease in the height of the room by 8-10 cm. This method is suitable for rooms with high ceilings.

Another way to insulate and level the floor is to pour a polymer mixture with thermal insulation properties. The mortar must be kneaded and poured onto the floor, spreading evenly with a wide spatula. The result is a coating with a thickness of about 1 cm, which can serve as a base for flooring.

The most popular and easiest way to insulate floors is double decking. To begin with, a layer of wooden boards is mounted, secured with tongue-and-groove piles. It is covered with a backing and insulated linoleum or laminate. Linoleum on an insulated base can creep directly onto a concrete surface. If the finished concrete floor is covered with two layers of polyurethane foam, it will be possible to save up to 40% of heat. This material has not only good thermal insulation, but also noise and waterproofing properties. On top of this substrate, you can lay a screed, gypsum fiber board or finishing materials.

After building a house, to keep warm, floor insulation will be required, especially when it comes to a wooden structure. It is necessary to prevent the penetration of cold coming from the ground, or from the basement. Before choosing the technological process of floor insulation with your own hands, you need to choose a material based on the characteristics of the base to be insulated.

Now on the market there are a lot of insulating materials for insulation, and every day there are high-tech ways to keep warm. To understand the best way to insulate the floor, consider the types of insulators.

The most popular are:

• Styrofoam;
• expanded polystyrene;
• glass wool;
• expanded clay;
• mineral wool;
• penofol or isolone;
• cork insulation materials;
• ecowool, consisting of cellulose;
• fiberglass or gypsum fiber;
• "Thermo Plast" - bulk material;
• foamed glass;
• stone wool;
• linen in mats;
• slag;
• polyurethane foam.

These insulators are categorized as synthetic and natural. Natural - ecowool, cork, sawdust, flax. The rest are synthetics.

Floor insulation material is divided into types:

• loose- sawdust, expanded clay, slag, foamed glass;
• jellied- polymer compositions applied by filling;
• sprayed- polyurethane;
• in the form of slabs- penoplex, mineral wool, linen in mats, gypsum fiber layers, glass wool, polystyrene, stone wool;
• roll- penofol, cork, isolon, flax, linoleum with an insulating layer.

The technology that will be used for thermal insulation directly depends on the type of insulation chosen. If expanded clay or penoplex is chosen as an insulator, then you will have to mount logs, or equip a screed.

Rolled cork insulation, or izolon, can be simply rolled out over the surface and covered from above with facing material, such as parquet, laminate, or rail car. As for linoleum with an insulating layer, then insulating material does not need to be laid under it, it itself is a good insulation.

If the height of the room is small, then it is better to use a bulk heat insulator, which will take a minimum of height. If we consider bulk or plate insulators, then it is worth remembering that they will occupy about 5-10 cm in height.

For a wooden house, it is mono to apply thermal insulation using a log, or on the ground, this makes it possible to use a thick slab or roll insulator. As for the apartment, it is better to use thin materials, since the height of the ceilings in apartments is usually 2.5 meters.

Before choosing a heat insulator, it is worth assessing the humidity of the room and measuring its height.

The higher the ceiling height, the wider the choice of insulators that can be used for floor insulation.

You can get one hundred percent insulation by using an electric underfloor heating in a duet with isolon, in this case, you can regulate the temperature of the floor covering by switching the heating power.

How to properly insulate the floor, there are several methods of insulation that are used to insulate the floor, depending on the type of base - it can be wood, soil and concrete.

Floor insulation on the ground

When building a house, many private developers save on insulation by pouring a concrete screed directly onto the ground, and this is not entirely correct. Firstly, the ground can freeze in winter, and the concrete pavement will be cold, and secondly, the screed will not only come into contact with the ground, but also be exposed to bottom waters, which will quickly disable it. Therefore, it is important to carry out high-quality waterproofing and floor insulation on the ground.

It is advisable to carry out floor insulation along the ground only if the bottom waters are at a sufficient depth from the surface. Otherwise, it is better to install beams and a double floor with insulation.

Warming of the floor on the ground is carried out during the construction process, the finished coating will have to be disassembled, which will lead to a waste of additional funds. The floor cake begins to form after the foundation of the building is completely dry. It is worth noting that the latter structure should rise 20 cm above the ground.

Several layers should be arranged:

• directly the ground;
• coarse river sand, for leveling the plane;
• waterproofing layer;
• thermal insulation material;
• mesh, chain-link, for reinforcement;
• screed.

The first option for insulation

How to properly insulate the floor on the ground, we will consider in detail:

• The soil under the house, you need to level, remove debris and weeds, fill in the depressions and compact the entire surface well.
• Fill the entire plane with river sand, you can mix it with crushed stone, to a height of more than 5 cm.If a decision is made to insulate the floors with expanded clay, then it can be filled directly on the ground, but such floor insulation will cost much more. The sand needs to be leveled with a rule and tamped well.
• Lay a layer of waterproofing, for this you can apply:
  • membrane material based on polymer;
  • roofing material;
  • polyethylene film 200 microns, in two additions - the cheapest option for waterproofing.
• After that, you can start laying the slab heat-insulating material - it can be expanded polystyrene, or polystyrene.
• Then you can start pouring the finishing screed, just before that, lay the reinforcing mesh.

The second option for insulation

Better quality, although it will cost more, for this they equip a rough screed, on which a waterproofer is laid - in order to save money - a plastic film. It must be pressed with bars to the foundation, while the material should go on the walls by at least 15 cm. The insulated floor in this way has very good thermal insulation characteristics.

As soon as the waterproofing is ready, the insulation is laid, for example:

• penoplex;
• expanded clay;
• Styrofoam.

These are cheap types, but at the same time they are good heat insulators.

How to insulate a floor in a wooden structure?

At the stage of building a house, the process of floor insulation begins. First of all, the place under the floor is covered with sand by 5-6 cm, then expanded clay is poured onto it.

When choosing a heater, you need to take into account many points, for example, if you opt for natural materials, then it is worth remembering that they are susceptible to combustion, while they rarely resist moisture, and various microorganisms and rodents can start in them.

Sawdust is often used to insulate the base, cellulose - processed for fire safety.

As for the plate heaters, the following are considered to be in demand and of high quality:

• mineral wool;
• expanded polystyrene;
• glass wool;
• dry screed.

The finishing floor is mounted on logs, and a heater is installed in the intervals. The finishing coat can be installed over the screed. The screed is additionally insulated with expanded clay.

How to insulate the floor along the logs? For this, the structure is assembled with a step of 40-60 cm, while the subfloor must be well waterproofed from below. A vapor barrier is laid on top of the boards and logs. After that, insulating, board material is placed in the gaps, the width of the boards is just 60 cm, and they are covered with a finishing coating - plywood, OSB or a board.

If during construction it is decided to fill in a rough screed, then it is better to perform it using expanded clay. This will give the effect of additional thermal insulation of the floor. Then logs are arranged on top of the screed, on top of which the finishing floor will be laid, under which there will be a layer of heat-shielding material. Thanks to this cake, you will get the perfect floor insulation as a result.

If the floor in the house is wooden, then a dry screed on the floor is well suited as insulation. To equip such insulation, you need to fill in expanded clay along the guides set at the level. Then a gypsum-fiber insulation plate is laid on the expanded clay. This method is simple, but not applicable in high humidity.

Not so long ago, a practical, durable and fireproof material appeared on the market - foam glass. The thickness of this material reaches 12 cm. These slabs can be laid not only on a wooden floor, but also on a concrete one.

How to insulate a concrete floor

The concrete floor can be insulated with the following materials:

• expanded polystyrene;
• Styrofoam;
• ecowool;
• liquid insulation;
• mineral wool.

But this heat insulator will take away precious centimeters from the height of the room, since logs need to be mounted on top of the base, on top of which plywood or OSB will have to be laid, and only then the final floor covering. Moreover, this is a very labor-intensive process and very expensive.

You can equip the screed by combining it with expanded polystyrene. At the same time, pipes for a warm floor can be built into the screed - the thickness of the coating will be more than 10 cm.

You can arrange a cake from expanded clay and gypsum plasterboard, then the thickness of the insulation will be 7 centimeters. If the base is initially flat, then only gypsum fiber sheets can be used, while the thickness of the insulation will be only 2 cm.When insulating the floor in an apartment with not very high ceilings, it is not advisable to choose thick insulation, since the useful space for life will decrease.

If the floor in the apartment requires insulation, then it is better to use Isolon, followed by the arrangement of a warm, infrared, electric floor. This option will not reduce the height, and will make living in the apartment more comfortable, due to the fact that the floor temperature can be regulated.

The most effective option for high ceilings is the arrangement of a water heated floor. In this case, the height of the cover will be 10-12 cm.

To save space, you can use a screed with an insulating effect. This is a fairly new material, but has already established itself as high quality and reliable. In this case, the insulation layer will be only 3 cm.

You can use the simplest and most common method - double decking. Planks 2.5 cm thick are fixed directly on the concrete base with tongue-and-groove piles. After that, a substrate and a laminate, or linoleum with an insulating layer, are laid on the wooden base.

Linoleum on a substrate is often applied directly to a concrete base, while the thermal insulation properties are quite good.

Fiberglass or wood can be laid on top of this insulation. Some ordinary people directly on polyurethane foam, in order to save money, lay a clean floor covering.

In custody

Warming the floor in the room - each master has his own way. Some people prefer time-tested materials, equipping them with a thermal insulation "pie". Some people prefer innovative heat insulators. But the main factor when choosing a material is the cost and quality of floor insulation.

It would seem, what an unprecedented thing - do-it-yourself floor insulation? I poured expanded clay or put styrofoam in the lathing crate - that's all.

But it happens, and not infrequently, that winter comes, and the warming in the room is something that is not felt. And then - spring, and from the floor along the walls, mold or bite crawl. And then the floor starts to play, and then it starts to fall.

All this means that the floor was insulated in a hurry, ill-considered and without taking into account all the circumstances. Floor insulation technology is based on knowledge of floor thermodynamics, which is by no means simple. Let's try to figure it out and we.

Heat transfer mechanisms and their significance for the floor

As you know, there are three mechanisms of heat transfer: direct heat transfer, infrared radiation and convection. For the outflow of heat through the floor, the first two are of primary importance. Convection either does not take place at all, or is very weak. But if it has already appeared, then its smallness is more than compensated for by its harmfulness: convective currents will find a way out somewhere, even a microscopic crack, and it will become a hotbed for the spread of rot and mold. In such cases, the floor is said to "whistle".

Heat transfer is reduced by using materials that do not conduct heat well, but heat radiation is more difficult to cut off: materials that are completely opaque for it are most often either good at conducting heat by themselves (polished metals), or not strong and short-lived (foamed materials and plastics). Meanwhile, the transfer of heat through the floor via infrared radiation can exceed the direct transfer of heat.

The most effective way to deal with infrared radiation is with multilayer shielding. The principle is simple: the screen absorbs infrared radiation from one side, from the side of the fall of its flux, and re-radiates in both directions. Even if the screen is an absolutely black body (reflection coefficient = 0), then through itself it will pass only half of the thermal radiation flux, and will reflect half back.

Let's say the screen is plastic-coated aluminum foil; the reflection coefficient is approximately 70%. This screen will save 70% in the room right away, and half of the remaining 30%, 15%, will be returned back. Only 15% will go outside, i.e. the screen will weaken the heat outflow by 6.67 times. The second layer - another 6.67 times, total - 44.4 (6.67x6.67). If the initial heat flux was 1 kW / m2, which is more than from the Sun on a clear summer day in mid-latitudes, then only 22.5 W / m2 will go outside, and the screening efficiency will be 97.75%.

The matter is facilitated by the fact that many materials and substances reflect infrared radiation well enough. For example, soot photographed through an infrared filter appears light gray, while nearly black tropical foliage appears silvery. But any granular and fibrous materials, on the contrary, absorb heat radiation well: being repeatedly reflected in the cavities between the granules and fibers, the rays give their energy to the material, heating it. At least half of the heat will still return back, but it will take a lot for good shielding of the layers.

Conclusions:

1. Any materials of suitable strength and poor heat conduction are suitable for thermal insulation of the floor.
2. The floor should be insulated in layers.
3. Loose, porous and fibrous materials in the heat-insulating floor structure should be placed on the cold side so that the previous layers have time to return as much heat radiation back into the room as possible.

Dew point

Let's remind: the percentage of humidity that the hygrometer shows is the relative humidity. It shows how saturated the air is with moisture before it condenses and forms fog (100% relative humidity). Absolute humidity is the volume percentage of water vapor in the air. For example, 1% absolute humidity means that 1 cu. m of air contains 10 liters of water vapor.

As the temperature rises, the "moisture capacity" of the air increases; if relatively dry warm air is cooled, it can become saturated with moisture to the point that it condenses and falls out. That is why the hot, drying air of the desert, carried to the surrounding mountains by the wind, feeds the glaciers with moisture, and these, in turn, give rivers that moisturize the desert oases.

The temperature at which, at a given absolute humidity, its condensation begins, is called the dew point. For heat engineering calculations, it is convenient, on the contrary, to tie the absolute humidity to the temperature. In this case, they talk about the dew point temperature.

The dependence of the dew point temperature on the absolute humidity is described as a whole by a logarithmic function, but for the "conditionally room" temperature range it can be approximated by three straight line segments at four points:

• 0 degrees Celsius - 0.7% absolute humidity;
• +20 degrees - 1.8% absolute humidity;
• +32 degrees - 3% absolute humidity;
• +38 degrees - 4% absolute humidity.

Dew point and floor

If the dew point gets inside the insulated floor, even with microscopic voids, then condensation will fall out in them. Due to the "empty bottle effect" (this is an interesting thing, but it will not be very appropriate to describe it in this article), condensation will accumulate in the floor, it will cease to insulate and become a source of dampness in the room. That is why it is strongly recommended to insulate the premises first of all outside, but there are no external floors.

Dew point and health

The dew point temperature is important not only and not so much for the floor. The comfort of the room and the state of health of its inhabitants very strongly depend on it:

• A dew point temperature of +26 degrees Celsius is fatal for asthmatics.
• At a dew point temperature of +24 degrees, physically strong healthy people breathe heavily and become unable to work.
• At a dew point temperature of +21 degrees, bed linen and clothes become damp, all objects seem sticky. For no apparent reason, colds begin.
• At a dew point temperature of +18 degrees, the room is stuffy, you want to open the window even in frost, which is fraught with the same colds.
• The dew point temperature is +12 - +16 degrees - a comfortable range for humidity.

Conclusions:

1. When calculating floor insulation, first of all, you need to ensure that the dew point does not get inside the room.
2. Floor insulation should be made thicker if possible. Then the temperature gradient (the temperature difference per unit of floor thickness) will become less, "stretched", and the absolute air humidity in the floor micro-voids will level out to insufficient for condensation due to the diffusion of moisture vapor.
3. Look again at output 3 from the previous section.

Now, having familiarized ourselves, in principle, with the physical processes in the insulated floor, let's move on to the materials and methods that can ensure proper floor insulation in the apartment.

Materials (edit)

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is an environmentally friendly and absolutely harmless product of processing mineral raw materials: burnt secondary minerals formed during the weathering of dark micas - biotite and phlogopite - pressed in a mixture with silicates (liquid glass) and carbonate (limestone, dolomite or marble flour) filler.

Vermiculite is produced in plates with a thickness of 20-60 mm, in the form of powder and paste for coating. Vermiculite slabs can be cut with a metal hacksaw or a sharp cutting knife. Vermiculite is not very heavy: one person can carry out the laying of the slabs. In terms of strength, it is close to foam concrete, and the picture gives an idea of ​​its heat-insulating properties. The structure is dense, closed microcavities, convection and condensate accumulation are excluded. Durability is geological.

Unfortunately, this wonderful material, which has literally no drawbacks as a heater, is quite expensive. And yet, for warming the floor in a private house of a sufficiently wealthy owner, it can be unambiguously recommended, and in other cases, the possibility of warming with vermiculite should be thoroughly considered, especially since granular vermiculite is cheaper and quite suitable for preparing granuloconcrete (see below).

Note: Expanded vermiculite is also produced - a loose plate material. It is great for expensive but highly effective wall insulation and is used in potted gardening as an absorbent and dispenser for irrigation water.

Mineral wool

Aluminized mineral wool

There are no conditions for convection in the mineral wool: the microcavities, although open, are too shallow, and the air gets stuck in them due to its own viscosity, therefore direct heat transfer through the mineral wool is negligible, but its cost is low. However, health hazards from openly laid mineral wool are well known. In addition, from a constant vertical load, even if it is insignificant, the mineral wool collapses and loses its heat-insulating properties, and it draws moisture into itself quite intensively and at the same time also collapses.

Nevertheless, mineral wool, due to its low cost, resistance to external influences and durability, is often used for thermal insulation of residential premises. There are cases (similar to the insulation of a wooden floor in a prefabricated panel house described below) when an alternative to mineral wool is only expensive vermiculite.

Thermal insulation of the floor in residential premises with mineral wool is carried out with special mats, sheet or roll, or plates, closed on one or both sides with aluminum foil or metallized film (see Fig.). Warming with open blocks of mineral wool is permissible only in non-residential premises or from the side of the basement. But all the same, aluminized mineral wool, with an insignificant increase in its price, has important advantages:

• Each layer of metal is a highly efficient heat shield. One layer of mineral wool, aluminized on both sides, almost completely eliminates heat transfer by radiation.
• The re-reflection of infrared radiation from the screens, combined with absorption in the mineral wool array, equalizes the temperature gradient in the insulation. Put three layers - the dew point can be thrown out of the head.
• Aluminized mineral wool, subject to the technology of its laying (see below), does not require a separate vapor barrier.

Mats made of aluminized mineral wool are thinner than open ones - from 6 mm, so in some cases they can be used without lathing.

Laying mineral wool should be done without fail in a petal respirator and protective gloves. Under the marmoleum or floating floor made of cork, mineral wool is laid in a continuous layer; between the lags - it is highly desirable with slabs in the size of the lathing cell. In any case, the joints and edges of the slabs are carefully glued with special tape in order to exclude the ingress of microneedles into the air of the room, which are harmful to the respiratory system. Over time, the scotch tape will weaken, but the mineral wool will stop peeling off.

Styrofoam

When laying a finished floor on logs (about the device of such a floor, you can) one of the best materials for insulation is polystyrene. Its advantages in this case are as follows:

1. Convection is excluded - the material is dense.
2. The reflectivity in the infrared region is the same as in the visible - up to 90% or more, so no shielding is required.
3. No condensation: solid material.
4. Polyfoam is cheap, environmentally friendly, harmless.

However, the foam is fragile and not resistant to external influences. And in every barrel of honey there is a fly in the ointment: just the "too good" insulating properties of polystyrene do not guarantee against moving the dew point into the room in buildings built of aerated concrete, shell rock, cinder blocks, etc. Therefore, floor insulation with polystyrene foam can be recommended only as an additional measure in rooms that are sufficiently dry, and always with a plywood covering under the finishing decorative flooring.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay - aluminosilicate pellets; simply rounded pieces of fired clay. Environmentally friendly, harmless, cheap, very poorly conducts heat, strong, durable. The most common insulation under the screed (about the formation of all types of floor screeds).

The main disadvantage is high hygroscopicity: its own moisture absorption is from 8% to 20% by weight, therefore expanded clay floor insulation requires a well-thought-out and carefully executed vapor barrier. It can be used both as backfill and as a lightweight concrete filler instead of gravel.

The indisputable advantage of floor insulation with expanded clay is that in combination with a concrete screed, the dew point does not get into the room, and if the walls and ceiling are without cracks and are not porous, you can safely use cheap and highly effective foam for final insulation.

Fibrous organic insulation

Heaters of this kind are made from synthetic organic fibers, linen or jute fibers, often aluminized. Available in slabs or in rolls, woven or loose. In terms of mechanical and thermal properties, they are identical to mineral wool and are completely harmless, but natural ones rot from moisture, and synthetic ones over time (5-12 years) age and fall off.

Scope of application - additional insulation and a cushion-damper for laminate flooring, floating cork flooring or marmoleum on plywood flooring without logs in rooms that meet sanitary standards. Advantages - ease of work: the room can be insulated in literally an hour, using only an assembly knife and tape.

Gypsum fiber

Gypsum fiber () is specially designed for underfloor heating. It is inapplicable for insulation by itself: after a year or two it gains moisture and loses its qualities.

Polyurethane foam

- a natural variation on the "theme" of polyurethane foam

Insulation with polyurethane foam is carried out by spraying. A good way for everyone, but it requires professional equipment with skills and expensive finishing.

Bulk insulation

An extremely simple way, and you can immediately lay a decorative coating without logs. But the ThermoPlast mixture used for this is very expensive. Basically, floors in private elite class housing are insulated in this way.

Foam concrete and aerated concrete

Foam concrete is, in essence, "boiled" and immediately frozen soda in a suddenly open warm bottle. This is achieved either by preparing a cement-sand mortar on gas-saturated water and heating at the beginning of setting, or by setting the mortar under reduced pressure in a vacuum chamber. Aerated concrete is prepared not in air, but in nitrogen, which gives it additional durability and strength. Aerated concrete blocks and slabs can be used in load-bearing structures of low-rise buildings.

As a heat insulator, foam and aerated concrete is somewhat inferior to vermiculite, but stronger than it. For the price - cheaper, but for insulation it is still expensive and quite hygroscopic, approximately like expanded clay. For floor insulation, it can be used in the presence of remnants from construction and battle as a substitute for expanded clay when backfilling under a screed.

Granulo concrete

Foam concrete

Granulo concrete is in some way a terminological contradiction, since any concrete is granules with a binder. Granuloconcrete is usually called a cement-sand mortar with "unusual" granules: foam, vermiculite, expanded clay, marble chips, etc. Granuloconcrete with light crushed stone substitutes is called lightweight concrete.

For thermal insulation, granuloconcrete with foam or vermiculite granules is most often used. You can prepare it yourself, with a concrete mixer in a bucket or trough. Thermal insulating properties are high, convection and condensation of moisture are excluded. Strength is slightly higher than that of foam concrete. Foam concrete is also inexpensive.

The preparation and use of granuloconcrete requires a full cycle of concrete work, so it is advisable to use it for thermal insulation in difficult cases, such as floor insulation on the first floor in a house with a wet basement, etc. as the top layer of a two-layer screed.

About vapor barrier

The vapor barrier of the floor should be carried out at the same time as the thermal insulation, since the comfortable temperature and humidity in the room are inextricably linked. The vapor barrier film is placed either under the bottom of the insulation, or on top of it, or between its layers. Its exact location requires a heat engineering calculation according to the parameters of a particular room, we will give further only general instructions. In any case, the vapor barrier must be laid in a solid layer, carefully gluing the joints of the pieces of film with construction (not household!) Tape, and wrapped on the walls 10-15 cm above the level of the base floor.

About insulation thickness

The best way to maintain a safe temperature gradient in the floor is to stretch it in height. Therefore, floor insulation should be made as thick as possible. If the height of the room and the thresholds, taking into account the final flooring, allow you to lay insulation of 12 cm or more - great, there will be no problems. To increase the thickness of the insulation, it is better to increase the thickness of the backfill, and make the thickness of the concrete layer as usual. Otherwise, a cushion made of fibrous aluminized insulation should be provided under the finished floor; in extreme cases - from a cheaper mineral wool with scrupulous adherence to technology.

Floor insulation methods

First floor

Insulating the floor of the first floor is the most difficult type of work of this kind: heat transfer is high, and the likelihood of dampness from the basement is also. If there is access to the ceiling from the basement, it is very good: first of all, you need to insulate from there with mineral wool. The basement is not a residential area, so the cheapest mineral wool can be used. It is necessary to lay mineral wool mats in a crate of galvanized U- and C-profiles, arranged in the same way as the frame of a plasterboard ceiling (cm. ), with vapor barrier. A timber frame in a wet basement will rot quickly and cost more.

Two or three people will have to work: when attaching the profiles to the ceiling (which in this case is underneath your floor), you need to hold the film; profiles fall on her. The mats in the cells are held either by a galvanized metal mesh slipped under the shelves of the frame, or by a fishing line stretched in the form of a mesh - it does not rust or rot.

At the beginning and at the end of the heating season, it will be necessary to revise the insulation: correct sagging mats and replace unusable ones. With this method, further insulation of the floor in the apartment is carried out using conventional methods.

Sheathing the ceiling in the basement with a heater is what it is worth starting work on the insulation of the floor of the 1st floor (why - it was said at the beginning of the article)

If it is impossible to get to your floor from underneath, then everything depends on the condition of the base floor: if its screed is cracked and crumbled, it is necessary. If the base floor is in a satisfactory condition, the recommended insulation methods are as follows:

1. Remove the flooring and put aluminized mineral wool (strictly according to the technology!) Into the lathing cells, or vermiculite and lay it again. If the base is dry, only cold, and moisture condensation in the room was not noticed, organic insulation or foam can be used.
2. Remove the flooring with a crate, lay an additional vapor barrier directly on the base and fill in the second layer of foam concrete screed 30-40 mm, then completely reposition the floor; possible without lag, as described below. It will take more work, but will solve the problem once and for all.

Upper floors

Insulation of the concrete floor in the apartments on the upper floors is easier – it is performed according to item 1 of the list in the previous paragraph or as follows:

• Removing the old flooring.
• We put aluminized insulation mats in the crate.
• We lay 12-16 mm plywood on the logs; with a lathing step of 600 mm or more - 18-20 mm.
• We are restoring the flooring.

Note: if the new flooring is self-adhering (cork, marmoleum), then the mats can be laid on plywood. This is convenient if the plywood cushion on the crate was made earlier.

Under floor heating

Under a warm floor on any floor, additional vapor barrier will be required, above it a layer of warm screed of 20-25 mm and two layers of insulation with aluminized mats. The reasons are more economic: not a radiator, why should you warm your neighbors from above for your money. Also, this method of preparing a room for installing a warm floor does not require expensive gypsum fiber and is available for independent execution.

Wooden floor

The wooden floor should be insulated not only in a private house of prefabricated panel construction, but also in the country: leveling the temperature-humidity gradient along the thickness of the lower flooring will not allow fungi to roam. In this case, the main condition: the vapor barrier is laid ON TOP of the insulating material, freely and with sinuses - the tree must breathe (see Fig.).

The only suitable material is aluminized mineral wool. Vermiculite, of course, is even better, but such a luxury for buildings with a service life of no more than 20 years is hardly justified. The floor of the country house can be insulated in autumn with ordinary mineral wool - it is cheaper. During the winter, peeling of the material will stop, and CHNE (the amount of solid particles per unit volume of air) will fall to a safe value for premises of this class.