Insulation of the ground floor floor, choice of thermal insulation material and installation technology for each type of insulation.
The need for floor insulation on the first floor
Thermal insulation of floors on the ground floor is necessary both in a private house and in an apartment building. In the first case, insulation will help save a decent amount of money on energy, which is important for the cold season; in the second, it will make the apartment cozy and warm.
In multi-storey buildings, especially panel buildings, basements are always cold. As a result, in winter time, no matter how hot the radiators are, the floor always remains cool, and the temperature in the apartment often drops below the comfort level.
Thus, there are quite a few reasons to insulate the floors of the first floor in a house:
- Saving money. Up to 30% of the heat escapes through the floor. By insulating it, you can save a lot. The question is relevant for owners of private residential buildings.
- Improved tactile sensations. Walking on a cold floor barefoot is unpleasant. You have to wear slippers and socks to boot. The insulated floor is pleasant to the touch; you can walk on it barefoot without fear of getting sick.
- Eliminating dampness. On the ground floor of a private house, moisture penetrates from the ground, in a high-rise building - from the basement. Most insulation requires waterproofing of the base. After laying them, the floor will always be dry.
Selection of material for insulating the floor of the first floor
Before insulating the floor, you need to decide on the material that will be used. The insulation market is diverse. On sale you can find thermal insulation made from natural substances and synthetic ones. To choose the optimal material based on the technical characteristics/price ratio, you will have to look at each type separately and then draw conclusions.
To insulate the floor of the first floor in a private house or high-rise building, the following materials are used:
- Expanded clay. Made from pure clay, which is fired in ovens at high temperatures Oh. There are three fractions - crushed stone, gravel, sand. For best thermal insulation floors use a mixture of two fractions (gravel, crushed stone, sand is obtained by partial destruction of the material at the time of installation). The insulation varies in density. To insulate the floor, you need to choose a fairly dense material. Expanded clay absorbs moisture well and does not release it well, so waterproofing is required during installation. This can be mastic or thick plastic film. The thermal conductivity of expanded clay is 0.18 W/m*K.
- Ecowool. It is made from waste paper from the paper industry. Borax and boric acid are used as mandatory additives. Borax is a strong antiseptic that prevents moisture accumulation and rotting. Boric acid acts as a fire retardant, making ecowool less fire hazardous. The insulation goes on sale in highly compressed form in plastic bags. Before work, you need to fluff it up using a drill with a mixing attachment and first dumping the contents of the bag into a large tank. Thermal conductivity of ecowool is 0.032-0.041 W/m*K. The insulation is air and vapor permeable. Double-sided waterproofing is not required, since when wet, ecowool forms a thick, fairly durable crust and protects the rest of the insulation, while the thermal conductivity remains at the same level. Fire hazard class - G2, non-spontaneous. Ecowool is not interesting for mice.
- Mineral wool. Happens three varieties- glass wool, slag wool, basalt wool. The best technical characteristics The last one is different, it costs 30 percent more. Available in rolls, mats, slabs. Thermal conductivity depends on density: the higher it is, the better the material conducts heat. Technical characteristics of mineral wool: low thermal conductivity (0.032-0.045 W/m*K), good air and vapor permeability. The insulation does not burn; it melts at a temperature of +1000°C. Mineral wool is not interesting for mice.
- Expanded polystyrene. This includes regular polystyrene foam and the brand of extruded polystyrene foam that has become a household name, penoplex. Despite the same base, insulation differs not only appearance, but with technical characteristics. Penoplex better than foam for many of them: thermal conductivity - 0.032 W/m*K, water absorption - 0.4% (4% for foam plastic), flammability group - G1-G4. The insulation does not allow moisture to pass through and is easy to cut. True, it is expensive. It is cheaper to use simple foam plastic for a regular cement screed, and penoplex for a “warm floor” system.
- Polyurethane foam. It has low thermal conductivity (0.019-0.028 W/m*K), almost zero water absorption and low vapor permeability, fire hazard class - G2-G3 (GOST 12.1.044), absolutely inert to chemical media and natural solvents, uninteresting to rodents. It is applied using a special installation that sprays the material under pressure. If you purchase it (disposable ones are available), then all the work can be done with your own hands. Polyurethane foam comes in different densities (from 18 to 300 kg/m3), the lower this indicator, the weaker the thermal insulation layer will be in terms of mechanical strength. The material “grows” strongly when in contact with air, covering all cracks and pores, and has excellent adhesion to any type of substrate.
- Foil insulation. Presented on the construction market in rolls of thin mineral wool or foamed polyethylene. Such thermal insulation has two purposes - insulation and repulsion of heat back into the room. In order for the foil thermal insulation to work correctly, a counter-lattice is installed (the thickness of the timber is 3 cm or more), a tongue-and-groove board is laid on top as finishing coating floor.
Before floor insulation work, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the insulating material. If you lay too thin a layer, it will not be achieved desired effect protection from the penetration of cold, if you install too thick insulation, extra funds will be spent, which is impractical.
First floor floor thermal insulation technology
Each of the listed insulation materials is installed in its own way. It also matters what kind of base needs to be insulated - solid concrete, wood or a floor with joists. Expanded clay and expanded polystyrene are laid both under the concrete screed and under the finishing wooden floor. Expanded clay is also poured over the joists with mandatory double-sided waterproofing. Penoplex (extruded polystyrene foam) is always placed under “warm floor” systems, ecowool is poured into the cavity between the subfloor and the finished floor, mineral wool is laid along the joists and is never used in concrete screed due to insufficient strength characteristics and increased water absorption. Foil insulation is not used independently, as it is thin.
Insulation of the floor on the first floor with expanded clay
Several types of floors are insulated with this material: on the ground, in houses on screw piles, by lags. The first two options are similar in installation technology.
For work you will need: expanded clay, cement mixture(concrete screed), mixing container, drill with mixer attachment, trowel, reinforcing mesh, dense polyethylene (thickness 200 microns and above), rake.
The procedure for insulating the concrete floor of the first floor:
- Disassemble the finished floor. Carefully remove the wooden one, inspect each floorboard, remove the old paint, treat it with antiseptics, set it aside to dry, then lay it horizontally so that it does not become warped. Other types of flooring, tiles, plywood, chipboard, are dismantled and thrown away.
- Inspect the rough base, remove debris and dust, check for evenness with a level. This is necessary to pour expanded clay as evenly as possible, without differences in height.
- Treat the subfloor with an antiseptic and let it dry.
- Lay the polyethylene, be sure to place it on the walls, 5-7 centimeters above the level of the intended finished floor. Trim after installing baseboards. Secure the film joints with tape.
- Pour out the expanded clay, level it with a rake, check with a level in places where there were deviations from the horizontal. Add insulation there, if necessary, and level it again.
- Spray the expanded clay with cement laitance. This will strengthen the adhesion between the granules.
- Install the reinforcing mesh. The height of the installation posts is 3 cm.
- Mix the cement mixture with water according to the instructions, let it stand for 5 minutes and mix again.
- Fill the floor in parts, first carefully leveling each of them with a trowel and checking with a level.
- Allow the surface to dry and gain working strength. This will take about a month (28 days).
- Install the finishing coat. Don't forget to install baseboards and trim off excess plastic film.
We do the work like this:
- Disassemble the floor.
- Remove top layer ground and go deeper into the ground about half a meter.
- Compact the bottom of the resulting pit. For these purposes, either a small roller, or a special machine, or a homemade device consisting of a heavy handle and a dense, durable sole of any size is suitable.
- Fill the sand with a layer of 10 cm, spill it with water, compact it.
- Lay crushed stone on top of the sand in a layer of 15 cm, compact it. Here it is better to use a special tamping machine.
- Fill the sand again (10 cm), spill it with water, compact it. Check the resulting surface for evenness with a level.
- Lay plastic film, place it on the walls to a height of 5-7 cm above the level of the future finished floor, secure the joints with tape.
- Pour out expanded clay, layer thickness at least 15 cm, level with a rake and pour in cement laitance.
- Install the reinforcing mesh.
- Pour the concrete screed and let it dry for a month.
- Apply the finishing coat. Install baseboards. Trim off excess waterproofing film.
Important! For houses on a pile foundation, digging a pit is not required. The thickness of the sand-crushed stone cushion, insulation and concrete screed should reach the level of the finished floor in the house.
Thermal insulation of the first floor floor with mineral wool
For such thermal insulation it is convenient to use rolls. They are cut to size before installation. The width of the roll should be half a centimeter greater than the pitch of the log. You can also use mats. Mineral wool is used to insulate the wooden floor on the first floor along the joists.
Work order:
- Remove old wood flooring. Inspect the boards, remove old paint, sand, treat with antiseptic. Leave to dry, then lay horizontally.
- Remove debris and dust from the subfloor. Carefully inspect the logs and replace any rotten ones.
- Treat all joists with an antiseptic and let dry.
- Lay thick polyethylene, insulate the joints with construction tape, and secure the waterproofing with a stapler to the joists.
- Cut the mineral wool and place it between the joists. The insulation must lie tightly!
- Cover the top of the material with a vapor barrier membrane, also connect the joints with tape and attach them to the joists with a stapler.
- Lay the prepared old boards. Install the baseboard.
- Trim off excess waterproofing.
- Paint the finished coating.
Floor insulation on the first floor with ecowool
This insulation is laid in several ways: blown, sprayed (water or adhesive composition), fall asleep. For independent work Only one option is suitable - backfilling.
It is convenient to insulate wooden floors in this way:
- Disassemble the finished floor.
- Treat the boards in the same way as with mineral wool.
- Clean the base from dust and debris.
- Open the bag of insulation and place it in a large tank.
- Fluff the material using a drill with a mixer attachment.
- Lay a layer of waterproofing, dense polyethylene will do. Secure the joints with tape. Don't forget about climbing the walls.
- Place ecowool in the first compartment between the joists. Start tamping using a wide trowel, or make some kind of tamping plane with a trowel-type handle.
- Press until you feel significant force under your hands.
- Add insulation and repeat the steps. The final option is tightly laid insulation flush with the level of the joist.
- Repeat all steps with the remaining cells between the lags.
- Lay down the finishing coat, install skirting boards and trim off excess waterproofing.
Thermal insulation of the floor on the first floor with polystyrene foam
For thermal insulation of the floor on the ground or in a house on a pile foundation, it is recommended to use polystyrene foam (under a concrete screed). If you need to insulate a concrete base, polystyrene foam is also poured into the concrete screed. It is important to consider the height of the room here. In standard apartments with a ceiling height of 2.3-2.4 m, such insulation will “eat up” at least 10 cm.
Polystyrenes are sensitive to the quality of the base on which they are laid. If there are obvious bulges and large horizontal deviations, this insulation may crack under load. Therefore, it may additionally be necessary to level the subfloor, and this will take another 3-5 cm of the height of the room.
If this is the only option, follow this plan:
- Remove the final finish - remove the wooden floorboards, knock down the tiles.
- Inspect the base and check for evenness with a level.
- If the height differences are more than 1.5 cm per linear meter, there are humps, the base needs to be leveled. Knock out any uneven surfaces, dust off the floor, and pour a self-leveling cement screed of the required thickness (3-5 cm). Let it dry and gain working strength.
- Next, proceed directly to insulation.
- Cut the foam using a small hacksaw.
- Lay thick polyethylene on the subfloor, connect the edges of the panels with construction tape, place the film on the walls and secure.
- Lay the foam in two layers. This way you will avoid cold bridges. Place the first layer with ligation of vertical seams. The second is similar, but above each seam of the first layer there should be a whole slab from the second. Also, observe the dressing.
- Install the reinforcing mesh. The height of the racks should be 3 centimeters.
- Prepare the mixture for the screed: mix with water according to the instructions, stir using a drill with a mixing attachment.
- Concreting the base. Fill the floor in parts. Smooth each section with a trowel and check for evenness with a level.
- Allow for complete drying and hardening (approximately 28 days, depending on conditions).
- Carry out a clean finish. The best option- tiles, laminate, linoleum, carpet. A wooden floor on joists will “take up” additional centimeters of height, so this option is unacceptable for standard rooms.
Brief technology:
- Disassemble the floor, remove the top layer of soil, and go half a meter into it.
- Make a sand and crushed stone cushion.
- Lay polyethylene on top of the insulation board, observing the dressing.
- Install the reinforcing mesh and pour the concrete screed.
Its height should completely cover the distance between the soil and the finished floor in the house. A recess below the soil level may be required only if there is not enough space from the ground to the floor to install a fully insulated concrete screed.
Combined thermal insulation of the ground floor floor
It is optimal to insulate the floor with penoplex on the first floor in combination with foil insulation (it is better to take foil insulation, it is thinner than foil mineral wool in rolls). In the case of such thermal insulation, the finishing coating can only be a tongue-and-groove board laid along the joists, otherwise the foil will not work.
Installation technology of a combined thermal insulation cake:
- Remove old topcoat.
- Clear the rough base of debris and inspect the joists.
- If necessary, replace rotten joists, lay new ones, and treat all wooden parts with an antiseptic.
- Lay foam boards. The thickness of the insulation is flush with the joists. The material should be placed in the niches as tightly as possible. The slabs should not hang around!
- Cover the insulation with foil insulation on top, overlap and secure the joints with metallized tape, attach to the joists.
- Install the counter-lattice. Use timber at least 3 cm thick.
- Lay the tongue and groove board (finished floor).
Insulation of floors on the first floor with polyurethane foam
This material gives a lot of scope for action. They can easily be insulated both from the inside (from the side of the living room) and from the outside (from the basement side, or to fill the space between the ground and the floor with material if the house is on stilts).
Typically, professionals are hired for such work. This is due to the fact that spraying polyurethane foam requires special installation. However, progress does not stand still. Disposable installations have appeared on sale; they are not cheap, however, if you make a full calculation, there will still be a certain benefit.
If you decide to insulate the floor on the first floor with polyurethane foam yourself, choose the Foam Kit system. Attached to the equipment detailed instructions according to the sequence of actions, so no special skills are required. Such installations do not need to be connected to the electrical network, which is very convenient when insulating the floor in a country house if there is no electricity.
The second problem that will have to be solved is the polyurethane foam (PPU) itself. He must be high quality, only in this case the insulation layer will be durable and will have excellent technical characteristics.
PPU spraying technology:
- Prepare the base in a standard way- remove debris, prime with antiseptic.
- If the base is concrete, without joists, install a system of wooden beacons (they are similar to joists, their height is equal to the thickness of the thermal insulation layer). If there are logs, insulation is carried out directly along them.
- Spray polyurethane foam in one cell. Apply the composition evenly. It expands in size when exposed to air, so take your time. If in any place the layer thickness is insufficient, add a little material.
- Process the remaining cells in the same way.
- After the polyurethane foam has hardened, cut off the excess flush with the joists and lay the finishing coating from tongue-and-groove boards.
Important! Do not work with polyurethane foam at low and negative temperatures. This will have a bad effect on the quality of the thermal insulation layer. The optimal temperature for working with polyurethane foam is +10+40°C.
How to make a heated floor on the first floor
The ideal and most expensive option is to install a “warm floor” system on the ground floor. This work is not labor-intensive, but you must have knowledge of electrical engineering. If you don’t want to understand this, but still want to save money, carry out preliminary combined floor insulation with penoplex (insulation plus foil thermal insulation), and invite professionals to lay the heated floor.
In this case, the installation of penoplex will be carried out not along the logs, but as under a concrete screed:
- Carry out preparatory work to clean the base and level it.
- Lay the penoplex in two layers, seal the joints with tape or a special sealant.
- Cover the top of the insulation with thin foil thermal insulation, and cover the joints with metallized tape.
To properly insulate the floor on the first floor, you need to have an idea of thermal insulation materials, be able to choose them correctly and calculate the required thickness. All types of work can be done with your own hands; all you need is the desire to do everything efficiently and save the family budget.
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As is known, warm air tends to rise upward, as a result the floor remains the coldest place in the apartment or house. This especially applies to the first floor, under which there is often a basement or subfloor. In our article we will talk about how to insulate the floor on the first floor and more.
The most reliable way to protect against the cold is to use insulation, which can be in the form of blocks, rolls or bulk materials. When deciding on the best way to insulate a floor, you must choose between cost, thermal insulation properties and durability of the material.
Insulation of the basement space
Builders don't really care about airtightness when laying floors. Gaps most often remain in the basement space. You can even see them from the basement. The first thing to do is to seal the cracks in the ceiling. Small holes can be filled with putty from below. In a private house, insulation boards can be glued to the floor from the bottom side.
Suitable here assembly adhesive for foam plastic. How to make an insulated floor from below so that the slabs do not lag behind? To do this, they are additionally secured with parachute dowels, and the joints are foamed.
The obvious advantage of this method is that there is no need to break anything. Everything will remain as it was, and the house will become warm.
Insulation of a wooden floor
old floorboard can be replaced with a new one. If it is in good condition, then the floor is carefully disassembled. In this case, you need to mark the boards so that you don’t waste time and effort on adjustment later. This is especially true for half-floors. Disassembly is done in order, so that you can put it back together in the same way. The nails are removed carefully so as not to damage the boards. When assembling the floor, it is advisable to use self-tapping screws, which create stronger connections and are easy to remove.
Before insulating the floor on the first floor, the cracks on top must be carefully sealed using polyurethane foam, putty and cement-sand mortar. The joists should be checked with a level and further strengthened. Otherwise, the floorboards will continue to creak as before. IN construction stores There are racks on sale that are screwed into the joists and rest against the ceiling. They can also be made from steel studs.
The floor slabs are tightly laid with mineral wool, which should extend onto the walls. A budget solution is to use mats made of straw or sawdust, but they decompose over time. You can also use expanded clay, foam chips or slag. In principle, any insulation is suitable if it fulfills its functions. A layer of vapor barrier is laid underneath the ceiling to prevent moisture from accumulating, which will significantly deteriorate the properties of the insulation.
How to insulate a floor with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam
If the floor is covered with ceramic tiles or cement screed, it can be insulated using thin sheets of polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam.
Fiberboard and GVL plasterboard are also used. But their thermal insulation properties are much lower.
A layer of vapor barrier is placed on the concrete floor, and a layer of insulation and polyethylene film are placed on it. Then a screed made of cement or a special mixture is laid on top. It must be reinforced with mesh. To compensate for temperature fluctuations, an edge strip is laid around the perimeter of the wall. A new floor covering is installed on top: tiles, parquet, laminate or linoleum.
Insulating underlay for linoleum
The problem of how to insulate the floor on the first floor can be solved by in a simple way due to linoleum with a backing. It is the most common, cheap, easy-to-install and maintain coating. It is enough to cut it correctly and insert it under the baseboards.
The material consists of layers of PVC with a pattern, fiberglass and a substrate, which is often used as the same material on both sides, which prevents the coating from deforming when the temperature changes.
There is also insulation for linoleum floors. It represents the bottom layer, which can be made of jute or fabric.
Additional backing for linoleum
If the coating does not have necessary protection from the cold from below, then additional substrates are used under the main coating: cork, linen and polystyrene foam. Cork is a good insulator, but it can also be used as self-covering. Ordinary plywood or fiberboard also have heat-insulating properties, but the effect will be much greater if an additional layer of expanded polystyrene is placed underneath them. Insulation for floors under linoleum is best laid under plywood or fiberboard.
This is done as follows:
- an insulating underlay is laid on a dry and level floor;
- plywood is laid and secured to the floor with self-tapping screws;
- linoleum is covered on top and the edges are hidden under the baseboard, which protects the substrate from water penetration.
This method is used in rooms with high ceilings.
How to connect a heated floor
Makes it possible to create uniform heat in the room. It is a heating system located under the covering, which gives the most favorable temperature distribution in the room along the height.
The problem of how to insulate the floor on the first floor using electric heating can be solved in one of the following ways:
- with applied polymer it fits under any floor covering. It does not require pouring screed.
- the power of which varies depending on the temperature. It heats cold areas more, and warm areas less. It requires pouring a screed.
- Carbon fiber rods mounted on a fiberglass mesh can be filled with regular tile adhesive.
After installation, you need to know how to connect the heated floor. This requires a thermostat to which a heating cable is connected. All connections should be made according to the instructions, carefully following all steps.
Water heating is carried out using pipes with circulating hot water. They are laid under the floor or filled with screed. Heating is carried out through copper, polypropylene or metal-plastic pipes, which are connected to the space heating system.
Floor heating can be distributed in such a way that individual areas are connected. To do this, a manifold with control valves is placed at the top.
Conclusion
Floors can be insulated by installing heat-insulating materials, used separately or as a backing for floor coverings. Thermal insulation panels at the bottom of the floors are especially effective. When installing them, there is no need to disassemble the floor above. In addition, you can install a heated floor system, which can be autonomous or part of the home heating system.
Apartments located on the ground floor suffer more than other apartments in the building from moisture and cold. This is due to the direct contact of the floor covering with the floor slab, which separates the apartment from the unheated basement. As a result, the floor is always colder than the air in the apartment, and if in the summer this is not so noticeable, then in the winter such a cold floor will cool the entire room, also causing the appearance of dampness.
Therefore for normal temperature floor covering, it is necessary to insulate the floors. This can be done by carrying out repairs yourself or with the help of hired workers. The essence of floor insulation is to lay a layer or several layers of insulation on the floor between the basement and the apartment. In addition, a vapor barrier is needed, since due to temperature differences, condensation is inevitable, and moisture has a negative effect on insulating materials. Next we will look at various options insulation, insulation, we’ll tell you about materials, prices, and explain how to do all the work yourself.
Types of insulation
Expanded polystyrene
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Expanded polystyrene, better known as polystyrene foam or its modified counterpart penoplex, has excellent thermal insulation properties, is lightweight and easy to use. There is also extruded polystyrene foam. Its difference from the usual one is that it is waterproof. If ordinary polystyrene foam can absorb a certain amount of liquid and become deformed due to temperature changes, then its more technologically advanced form is almost completely waterproof. The only disadvantage of polystyrene foam is its flammability.
Expanded clay
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This bulk material has attractive price and is universal. Can be used for dry floor screed or mixed with cement mortar. You can also use it to create a floating screed with your own hands.
Polystyrene concrete
Unlike expanded clay, polystyrene concrete requires a much smaller layer to create acceptable insulating properties. You can lay almost anything on it, including tiles. In addition, it has excellent sound insulation properties. You will learn more about this material from the video.
Mineral wool
Mineral wool, as well as glass wool, are some of the most popular insulation materials, which are made in the form of tiles or rolls. The advantages include thermal insulation properties, reasonable price and vapor absorption. The disadvantages are that the composition is hazardous to health. When installing it yourself, you should use respirators and avoid contact with exposed parts of the body. Therefore, mineral wool and glass wool need careful insulation to prevent dust from penetrating into the premises.
Cork
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Cork material is perhaps the most expensive on our list. It is environmentally friendly, durable and moisture resistant. It can be used even for fine finishing, because in addition to its insulating properties, it looks beautiful as a topcoat. Disadvantages include instability to cuts and other mechanical damage.
Ecowool
It is made on the basis of cellulose, which means it is environmentally friendly and not hazardous to health. It has high heat and sound insulation properties, but does not tolerate moisture. Therefore, it is used in areas where there is no risk of contact with moisture. For more information about the advantages and disadvantages of ecowool, watch the video
Penoizol
This is liquid polystyrene foam, all the advantages of which we talked about above. The advantageous difference between the liquid form of such material is its ability to penetrate into the most inconvenient places.
Warm floor
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The option of installing underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular. The only thing that puts me off is its cost. There are several variations:
- Water;
- Electric;
- Infrared.
Water heated floor, heats using hot water communications under the subfloor. Electric underfloor heating is also installed and heats by converting electricity into heat. Infrared is the most modern, simplest option and can be installed with your own hands without the involvement of specialists. Thin underfloor heating elements are laid under the finishing flooring. Only this type of floor can be realized with your own hands, without special skills.
Insulation from the basement
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If the apartment is on the ground floor, then most likely there is a basement underneath. The obvious solution to insulating the floor would be to make repairs from the basement side, if there is no need to carry out repairs inside the apartment. In this case, the big advantage will be that the floor in the apartment will not rise, and also, if the repairs have already been done, you will not have to open the floor and redo it again. When insulating from the basement side, there is no need for careful finishing, which makes it possible to do the work with your own hands, even for an inexperienced builder.
The best materials for such repairs are ordinary polystyrene foam or mineral wool, but installing it yourself is more labor-intensive and the price is higher.
- At the first stage, you need to find floor plans and make markings along the perimeter of your apartment. It is better to do it with a margin, so that the insulation area extends several centimeters beyond the boundaries of the walls.
- Then conduct a survey of the basement walls. Most likely, they will have cracks and chips, and maybe even holes. They should be sealed with cement mortars or simple polyurethane foam.
- The first layer of vapor barrier is glued to construction adhesive or tape. The material used is polyethylene. The joints must be sealed tightly with tape.
- Then a frame is constructed from wood or aluminum profiles for attaching insulation.
- Next is installation insulation material. If you use polystyrene foam, it is mounted in the frame and secured with special dowels with a wide plastic cap as shown in the photo below.
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If your choice fell on mineral wool, then logs made of timber are installed on the ceiling, in increments of 5 cm less than the width of the insulation, so that the wool fits in more tightly. The last step of the repair will be to install plywood sheets on top of the insulation on the joists for greater reliability.
Insulation in the apartment
Before carrying out repairs to insulate floors with your own hands, you need to calculate how high the floors can be raised. The higher, the thicker layers of insulation can be used.
- If work will take place indoors after renovation, then the first step is to dismantle the base.
- After removing all floor coverings, a thorough check of the supporting slab is carried out for cracks, chips, and holes. If any are found, they are sealed with cement mortar or ready-made mortar for repair. After hardening, it is recommended to treat the surface with sealing, a special strengthening impregnation.
- The next step is waterproofing. This layer consists of polyethylene or a special primer with water-repellent properties.
- A layer of roofing material is laid on top of the vapor barrier, timber is laid on it, and logs are placed on the timber. The entire structure is attached to a concrete base. Detailed description DIY lag devices on video
Often residents on the first floors apartment buildings facing the problem of icy floor surfaces in winter. Therefore, the relevant question is how to carry out thermal insulation correctly, what methods exist and what is best to use in a given situation. Practical recommendations How to choose the optimal insulation for the floor of the first floor, as well as instructions for doing the work yourself are designed to help solve this problem.
Materials to choose from
There are two types of coverings in apartment buildings: wooden and concrete. Depending on this, the appropriate type of insulation is selected.
Basics for warm covering on the floor there are liquid, bulk, as well as in the form of blocks and rolls. They can be used together with each other or separately.
Liquid
The insulation can be a cement mixture filled with expanded clay, polystyrene foam or other materials. Currently, polymer penoizol is widely used.
However, in order to work with it, special equipment is needed.
Bulk
Among the insulation materials of this group are expanded clay, foam chips, sawdust. They are suitable for insulating floors in apartments with an unheated basement.
Expanded clay is strong and durable, has low thermal conductivity. But, having chosen it as insulation, you need to take care high-quality waterproofing, since its granules absorb moisture well.
Block
They come in the form of slabs and mats of mineral wool, polystyrene foam, and basalt fiber.
Polystyrene foam has low thermal conductivity, costs little and is environmentally friendly. But it is fragile, and when heated strongly, it melts, releasing harmful fumes.
More modern version polystyrene foam - expanded polystyrene. It has better density and does not burn. Sheets of such insulation are convenient because they can be used to install a heated floor, install a plank floor, fill a screed, and so on.
The most environmentally friendly material among blocks is vermiculite, which is obtained by processing mineral products.
However, it is by no means cheap and in order to save money, you can use its analogue, granulated vermiculite.
Rolled
Insulation materials are made in the form of rolls from polystyrene, cork, mineral wool and foil bases. When the thickness of the insulation roll type not enough, they are placed in two layers or used together with blocks.
Mineral wool, being a cheap insulation material, guarantees low heat transfer. But, you need to take into account that over time it can become denser, causing its properties to decrease. In addition, during installation, mineral wool crumbles and forms dust that is harmful to health, so it requires the use of a respirator and special clothing when working with it.
Concrete floor
Concrete is durable and therefore very often used as a floor. However, this material is very cold. Therefore, in those houses where it is used, careful thermal insulation is required on the first floors. Otherwise, any heating will not be able to warm up properly.
Apartment owners must do the insulation of the concrete floor of the first floor with waterproofing, since dampness often forms in the basement, as a result of which, without appropriate work, mold will appear on the walls.
Instructions for carrying out work
The process begins by preparing the base. To do this, you need to remove the entire coating and check the slabs for cracks, chips and cracks. If there are defects, they are eliminated special solution based on concrete or cement. After the surface hardens, it is treated with a special impregnation that strengthens the layer.
Next, waterproofing should be done. Polyethylene film is quite suitable here. It should extend onto the walls by about fifteen to twenty centimeters. A special deep penetration primer will also cope with the task.
To install the insulation, a frame is made. To do this, beams are laid, and under them - pieces of roofing felt. Logs are placed on the bars, and the entire structure is attached to concrete.
After this you can install bulk insulation alone or in combination with a liquid version. Mineral wool is placed on top of it in the cavity of the structure. You can also use foam or other material.
Then a vapor insulating film is laid, which is secured with staples to the joists.
The process ends with the installation of the subfloor. Depending on the type of finishing coating, it can be made of boards or thick plywood.
Wooden floor
Modern high-rise buildings no longer have wooden floors. But they can often be found in old-type houses.
Wood is a warm and environmentally friendly material, but over time it tends to dry out, causing gaps to form in the floor. And they cause drafts. Therefore, it would be correct to further process such coatings.
Insulation technology
To carry out insulation on the first floor, you need to perform the following steps:
- dismantle the old coating, check and, if necessary, replace it, and if it is in normal condition, it can be put back in place;
- treat the surface with antifungal antiseptics and allow to dry;
- install insulation and cover it with a vapor barrier film;
- A board is laid on top of the surface.
Work from the basement
It is possible to insulate an apartment on the ground floor from the basement side. For this purpose, thermal insulation material is attached to the ceiling in the technical room. It can be polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam, which are simply glued on. Mineral wool is also suitable for this purpose. But attaching it will be more difficult. To do this you need:
- fix the bars a couple of centimeters thick than the insulation layer;
- lay mineral wool between the elements of the installed structure;
- Using a stapler, install a vapor barrier membrane on the surface
- cover the structure with plywood or fiberboards.
Heated floor system
This type of insulation is becoming increasingly popular. Thanks to it, the floor surface on the ground floor will always be warm, the humidity in the apartment will decrease, and its microclimate will improve. The system is:
- electric, mounted in a screed or on top of a rough covering;
- infrared, from a special film installed under the final coating;
- water, when the liquid is constantly heated and pumped into the heating system.
It is best to lay such structures in a leveling screed. A water floor can also be used for wood flooring. But this will be more difficult to implement, since polymer pipes must be placed in the grooves made for them and covered with foil. The finishing is installed on top of the system.
Self-leveling floor
This coating is used not only as decorative, but also as insulation for the floor, especially on the ground floor. Special mixtures guarantee thermal insulation and waterproofing, as well as fire safety.
They are made from environmentally friendly pure materials, which you can install yourself.
Installation instructions
Before starting installation, it is important to properly prepare the base.
- whatever the rough surface - concrete, wood, ceramic tiles or cement screed, it is necessary to check it carefully;
- seal cracks, cracks, loose elements, dismantle and replace;
- clean the entire coating;
- sand wood and concrete;
- Prime the floor generously so that all pores are completely closed;
- a day after this you can start laying.
The prepared mixture is simply poured out of the bucket and leveled with a spatula. The entire room is covered at once to create flat surface. At the end, to avoid the appearance of bubbles, you need to go over the entire coating with a roller with needles. Polyurethane varnish is applied to the dried floor.
In order for the floor insulation work in the apartment to be successful, you need to take into account some points:
- the basement walls are examined to identify cracks, holes and chips that must be repaired;
- Ventilation holes in the basement can be covered for the winter, but not completely;
- installation of a vapor barrier is required.
x-teplo.ru
Thermal insulation wisely: how to properly insulate the floor on the first floor
On the ground floor you almost always feel discomfort from the cold floor - no matter whether it is a high-rise building or a private building. Is it worth fighting this? Definitely. After all proper insulation Flooring will not only make your home more comfortable, but also significantly save money on electricity and gas bills. It is no secret that with poor heat conservation of “resources” to maintain optimal temperatures Much more will be spent. In addition, a weakly or not at all insulated floor of the first floor can become a source of many diseases - this is perhaps the main reason why you should definitely work competently on the thermal insulation of this surface. Contact with a cold floor is especially dangerous for young children who tend to run around barefoot.
Video instructions for floor insulation
The modern construction industry offers a variety of materials that can be used to insulate the floor of the first floor efficiently and effectively:
- Foam plastic The main advantages of polystyrene foam are good thermal insulation, affordable price and durability. The material is suitable for installation on any type of surface - concrete, wood, ceramic tiles, etc.
- Penoplex This is foamed polystyrene with low thermal conductivity, excellent sound insulation, and a long service life.
- Expanded clay Insulating floors using expanded clay is one of the most affordable and reliable technologies. The material can be added either directly to the concrete screed or used as bedding.
- Mineral wool The material has excellent sound insulation and heat insulation properties, is resistant to high temperatures and chemicals.
- Gypsum fiber sheets The material is easy to use and non-flammable.
![](https://i0.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_16.jpg)
Today, manufacturers offer many options for floor insulation.
Preparation for thermal insulation measures
Insulating the floor of the first floor is an incredibly responsible job, so it must be approached with the utmost seriousness. Redoing “blunders” is difficult not only financially, but also physically. If you live in apartment building with a cold basement, it is necessary to determine which method of floor insulation will be the most appropriate - only internal, from the housing side, or also external, from the basement.
Take the time to go down to the basement and inspect the basement and concrete floor under your apartment for cracks, potholes, and crumbling elements. All defects found should be eliminated using cement-sand mortar, polyurethane foam, brickwork. You can stick foam plastic or polystyrene foam boards(a special adhesive composition is used for these purposes), and fill the gaps between them with polyurethane foam. Please pay attention to the fact that such “amateur activity” is not always welcomed by service organizations, so before you begin insulation works in the basement, be sure to consult the appropriate authority.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_17.jpg)
First of all, the old floor covering is dismantled and the surface is thoroughly cleaned.
Concrete floor insulation technology
Insulation concrete floors inside an apartment (house), with a sufficient “margin” of room height, it is recommended to do this according to the following algorithm:
- laying a waterproofing membrane on a cleaned base;
- installation of lathing on the floor made of bars as thick as a layer of the selected insulation (expanded polystyrene is preferable);
- laying thermal insulation slabs in the sheathing cells;
- laying a vapor barrier layer;
- installation of a subfloor made of plywood, boards, fiberboard or chipboard sheets;
- installation of the finishing coating.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_18.jpg)
This is how GVL is installed when insulating the floor.
It is better to choose foil vapor barrier, but dense polyethylene is also acceptable.
You can insulate the concrete floor of the first floor in a simpler way by resorting to gypsum fiber sheets. The technology for carrying out work in this case will be as follows:
- removal of old flooring (if any);
- elimination of all surface irregularities and cracks;
- waterproofing membrane decking;
- laying gypsum fiber boards(to strengthen them better, adhesive mastic is used) in two or three layers so that the joints in the layers do not coincide;
- GVL putty and primer;
- installation of finishing floor covering.
One of the most modern methods of insulating concrete floors is undoubtedly the installation of an “electric heated floor” system, consisting of the following stages:
- laying insulation on the prepared base;
- laying a layer of aluminum foil;
- styling electric cable;
- pouring screed;
- finishing surfaces.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_19.jpg)
Installation of heated floors on the first floor
For many owners who do not want to sacrifice the height of the room, the most acceptable way of thermal insulation is square meters Underfoot is a layer of isolon, a modern material with a spongy structure. Insulating a floor with isolon is quite simple: to do this, it is enough to correct defects in the concrete floor, lay out the panels, and tape their joints with tape. And then proceed either immediately to the installation of the finishing coating, or to start arranging the subfloor.
How to properly insulate a wooden floor
To insulate a wooden floor in an apartment located on the ground floor, you must first remove the existing flooring (number the boards if you do not plan to replace them) and inspect the open space. If there is a waterproofing membrane, its integrity should be checked. Fill the defects found, lay mineral wool slabs between the joists, and install the boards in place.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_20.jpg)
Mineral wool is often used to insulate wooden floors
In old private houses, it is quite common to see wooden floors on joists laid on top of compacted soil. How to insulate it?
- Remove the flooring.
- Place waterproofing in between the joists.
- Make a backfill with expanded clay.
- Install a vapor barrier.
- Lay insulation - mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
- Place bars on the joists and then use them to build a wooden floor.
If you decide to abandon lag altogether, you will be faced with the following tasks:
- Completely clear the soil surface.
- If necessary, compact the soil.
- To arrange a waterproofing layer - glassine and roofing felt are suitable.
- Form layer sand and gravel mixture.
- Add a layer of expanded clay.
- Lay the reinforcing mesh.
- Spray the expanded clay with cement laitance.
- After it hardens, fill the screed completely.
- Install a vapor barrier.
- Set up the draft.
- Mount any wood covering to your taste.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_21.jpg)
Insulation of the ground floor floor with expanded clay is one of the most affordable and effective ways
How much will it cost to insulate the floor on the first floor?
The cost of work on insulating the floor of the first floor directly depends on the selected material. Expanded clay and polystyrene can be considered the most affordable option.
Modern method of thermal insulation - the use of polyurethane foam
Do the above methods of thermal insulation of the floor on the first floor seem extremely difficult and not entirely reliable to you? Then your choice is insulation with sprayed polyurethane foam.
A layer of polyurethane foam as insulation has many advantages:
- low heat conductivity coefficient. Thanks to this, its height does not exceed 10 centimeters;
- High resistance to steam and moisture. This eliminates the need to install vapor barriers and waterproofing;
- durability. PPU can effectively perform its functions for up to 60 years;
- excellent sound insulation properties;
- safety for human health.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_22.jpg)
Spraying polyurethane foam for floor insulation
Polyurethane foam is not subject to rotting, mold and other microorganisms never appear on it, and small rodents are indifferent to the material. And, perhaps, the most important spraying of polyurethane foam is carried out in the shortest possible time - stretch thermal insulation measures you won't have to for a week. The final screed can be built directly along it.
The thermal insulation polyurethane foam layer is completely seamless - the appearance of cracks and cold bridges in it is excluded.
The importance of making the right choice
As you can see, there are many ways to insulate the floor of the first floor, but the optimal choice should be made based on an analysis of many factors (apartment or private house this, the state of the structures, the estimated budget, etc.). Only an experienced specialist should help the owners in this matter. By entrusting the floor insulation procedure to a professional, you can be sure that warmth and comfort will live in your home forever, and your feet will never freeze again. Agree, understanding that the money was spent on a truly tangible result is priceless!
teploguru.ru
How to insulate the floor in an apartment or private house on the ground floor - choice of thermal insulation and installation technology
Since energy resources are not cheap, we all try to insulate our homes. For this purpose they are used different materials And various techniques. However, in order to insulate the floor on the first floor, it is necessary to take into account some nuances.
Technical features of the process
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_24.jpg)
Before you start processing the base of a panel or brick house, you need to consider some features of the work:
- Any material chosen for thermal insulation should be fixed outside the living rooms. Its choice largely depends on the type basements and their purposes. Naturally, if the house does not have a basement, then it is necessary to insulate it from the inside.
- Before starting work, you need to carefully inspect the room for holes and cracks in the ceiling and walls. If they exist, it is advisable to eliminate them.
- Please note that styling vapor barrier film required.
- Since the basements of every house have ventilation holes, they can be closed for the winter. Please note that you should not do this completely, some part fresh air should go inside.
- If you choose foam plastic for insulation, then you need to glue it without gaps. In this case, the joints can be additionally sealed.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_25.jpg)
If you take these features into account, your apartment will be warm and cozy in winter.
What insulation materials are most often used?
So, to install thermal insulation, you should choose suitable material. You can insulate the floor of the first floor using the following products:
- Foam plastic. It has very low thermal conductivity and does not allow condensation to form. In addition, the material is low cost and relatively safe for health. However, despite the ease of installation, foam plastic is not always used in the apartment. The fact is that it is quite fragile when exposed to low temperatures. Please note that the influence of aggressive factors may reduce the quality of the material presented.
- Mineral wool. It is used to insulate floors in apartments quite often. This is dictated by the low price and low level of heat transfer. However, it should be noted such disadvantages as questionable safety for health, the possibility of compaction under the influence of mechanical load (in this case, the properties of the material deteriorate).
- Vermiculite. This product practically does not accumulate moisture and is completely safe for health. The material is sold in bulk or in the form of slabs, the thickness of which ranges from 20 mm to 120 mm. Please note that vermiculite is an expensive product, although it is ideal for insulating floors in private houses and apartments.
- Polyurethane foam. This material is simply sprayed onto the base, creating uniform protection without gaps that could allow penetration. cold air. An ideal heat insulator, but the cost of its installation is steep.
You can also protect yourself from the cold using the system heated floors.
Selection of material and preparation for installation
Before starting work, you need to purchase the material that will effectively protect you from the cold. If the floor of the first floor is insulated in an apartment, then everything depends on the type of floor covering, as well as the distance from the ceiling to the maximum possible floor level.
If you have a plank base and you do not plan to change it, then mineral wool is best suited. If there is a cement screed would be better suited expanded polystyrene. If thermal insulation is carried out with outside buildings, then a material with the most suitable technical characteristics is suitable. The insulation scheme for a private house is shown in the video:
Features of room insulation from the basement side
Insulation of the floor of the first floor in this case is carried out as follows:
- Fix it on the ceiling wooden blocks, the thickness of which should be only a few centimeters greater than the thickness of the insulation.
- Attach mineral wool or other selected material to the ceiling between the fixed beams.
- With the help construction stapler Attach a vapor barrier membrane to the structure.
- The last step is to cover the frame with plasterboard or plywood.
![](https://i0.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_26.jpg)
The walls in the basement can also be insulated. Please note that the vapor barrier must be attached with an overlap (10-15 cm). You can connect the canvases with special tape. The film should also extend onto the walls. This will help to completely protect the insulation from the harmful effects of steam and moisture.
Features of laying insulation indoors
If in an apartment located on the ground floor it is not possible to provide external thermal insulation, then the protective material should be installed inside. Here the technology depends on the type of base. So, if a concrete screed is planned for the apartment, then the installation of thermal insulation involves the following actions:
- Laying a waterproofing layer on the floor slab.
- Laying the selected thermal insulation. Please note that sheet material need to be laid so close to each other that there are no gaps.
- Installation of vapor barrier film.
- Laying reinforcing mesh over the rough base.
- Pouring concrete solution.
Sometimes the apartment, which is located on the ground floor, has a wooden floor. Installation of thermal insulation in this case has some features:
- First you need to install the logs, maintaining the specified distance between them (approximately 40-50 cm). For this job use wooden beams, the size of which is 70x50 mm.
- Next, mineral wool can be laid in the gaps between the joists. This insulation is best suited for wooden floors. In addition, it is easy to install.
- Arrangement of the rough foundation. To do this, you should purchase plywood or floorboards. Possible option with using chipboard. All materials must be moisture-resistant or impregnated with a special water-repellent agent.
- Laying finishing cladding.
As you can see, the floor of any house can be insulated fairly quickly. At the same time, you do not have to hire craftsmen, since all the work can be done yourself. Follow the technology and have a successful repair. Leave comments, share your opinion and experience!
polprofy.ru
How to insulate the floor in an apartment on the first floor with your own hands?
Almost all owners of apartments located on the ground floor are faced with the problem of cold floors. This is due to cold and unheated, and often damp basements. In such cases, it is necessary to insulate the floor of the first floor with modern materials.
For this purpose, a fairly large number of different insulation materials and methods of their installation are used. In this article we will get acquainted with the most effective methods of how to properly and reliably insulate a concrete floor.
Insulation from the basement
The best solution is to insulate the floor slab on the basement side. In other words, it is necessary to insulate the ceiling in the basement, thus moving the cold and dew point away from the floor in the apartment.
To carry out such work, it is better to coordinate with the housing office. There are usually no problems with this. Having received such permission, you can begin thermal insulation work. The following methods are available for this:
- The simplest, most inexpensive, but at the same time quite effective method is to insulate with foam plastic. The foam sheets are glued to the concrete base with liquid nails. At the end of the work, all the gaps remaining between the sheets should be filled with polyurethane foam. Since the basement is often damp, and polystyrene foam tends to become saturated with moisture over time, it is necessary to waterproof it. To do this, a thick polyethylene film is glued to the insulation sheets with the same glue. The edges of such waterproofing must be overlapped by at least 10–15 cm.
- You can spray polyurethane foam - one of the most reliable and durable insulation materials known today. After hardening, this material has high strength and excellent thermal insulation properties. Also, polyurethane foam does not burn and does not absorb moisture at all. The only disadvantage of this option is its rather high cost: spraying is carried out using special equipment and requires professional operator skills.
Advice! If you have insulated the concrete floor on the basement side, this does not mean that the floors in your apartment will automatically become warm. This technique only allows you to “push away” the cold. In any case, thermal insulation of the floor on the apartment side is necessary.
Insulation of the floor from inside the apartment
This method has a large number of materials used. Let's look at the main materials and their installation technology in more detail.
Mineral wool
This option works best if you have wood floors, but can also be used if you want to lay wood over a concrete base. Having chosen this option, you need to follow the following technology and sequence of work:
![](https://i0.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_31.jpg)
Advice! It is possible to insulate the floor of the first floor using this method using other heat insulators. For example, instead of mineral wool, you can use polystyrene foam. This material has slightly worse thermal insulation properties, but is cheaper.
Insulation with expanded clay
This method of insulation concrete base in an apartment on the ground floor is perhaps the most popular. This is due to ease of installation, durability and high performance of the materials used. To insulate a concrete floor in an apartment located on the ground floor using expanded clay, you should follow the following technology for carrying out thermal insulation work:
- Old flooring, including cement screed, must be removed.
- Having carefully removed all debris, it is necessary to inspect the floor slab and repair any detected cracks, crevices and other defects with polyurethane foam or cement mortar.
- The next step is laying thick polyethylene film as a waterproofing layer. Its installation is carried out with an overlap, and the seams must be taped on both sides.
- Now the entire floor surface can be covered with expanded clay. The thickness of the layer depends on the height of the ceilings. Here, the thicker the layer, the better its thermal insulation properties will be, but the minimum permissible layer of expanded clay is 10 cm.
- After backfilling, the expanded clay must be compacted. It is strictly prohibited to moisten the insulation!
- A reinforcing mesh is mounted on top of the expanded clay and a cement screed is poured with a layer of 5 cm.
- The screed is carefully leveled and covered with polyethylene to proper drying.
- After the cement mortar has dried, you can begin installing the flooring: laminate, linoleum or other material.
Advice! To enlarge thermal insulation properties floor, foam granules can be added to the cement mortar at the stage of its preparation. This will significantly insulate the floor in the apartment.
Extruded polystyrene foam
This thermal insulation can be used in both floor insulation methods: with wooden joists and under cement screed. Expanded polystyrene has almost ideal properties:
- low thermal conductivity,
- high density and mechanical strength,
- doesn't burn
- practically does not absorb moisture,
- long term operation.
When insulating a wooden floor, slabs of extruded polystyrene foam are laid between the joists, like any other material. The use of a waterproofing layer, despite high performance insulation, definitely.
After laying and filling the cracks with foam, the heat insulator is covered with another layer of waterproofing. For these purposes, it is better to use penofol. Then the floor covering is installed: plywood, chipboard or boards. Insulation with expanded polystyrene under a cement screed is carried out as follows:
![](https://i1.wp.com/kapremlo.ru/img/kak-uteplit-pol-na-1-etazhe-kirpichnogo-doma_34.jpg)
Advice! Electric heating cables can be laid on top of the thermal insulation material. After all installation work, you will have truly warm floors that consume very little electricity.
Having studied all the options for how to insulate the floor on the first floor, given in this material, you need to choose the most suitable one in your case. Having some skills, you can do all the work yourself, without the involvement of expensive specialists.
Cold floors are the weak point of all apartments located on the first floors. Residents of these premises every day are forced to deal not only with the cold coming from below, but also with the spread of dampness, mold and mildew. The question of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor is relevant both for owners of apartments in multi-storey buildings and for residents of private houses with an unheated basement under the first floor. Work on insulating the floor structure helps solve the problem of cold and constant dampness: if this is done as efficiently as possible, then the temperature in the rooms will be winter period time will be comfortable, and the mold will disappear forever.
Concrete floor insulation work
The cold penetrates into the apartments of the lower floors of high-rise buildings due to the location of the room above the basement, as well as due to poor thermal insulation characteristics the floor slabs themselves. Insulation of the concrete floor of the first floor is carried out using cement-sand screed and insulation materials characterized by high material density.
In what order are floor installation works carried out? The old coating is dismantled and removed, the remaining base is leveled and covered with sand or expanded clay. This backfill is used for three purposes at once: it not only makes the surface smooth, but also partially acts as thermal insulation, and also raises the level of the future floor covering. Many experts recommend using a loose cushion when insulating floors on the first floor, as it will prevent deformation of the thermal insulation layer under heavy loads.
A damper tape must be glued along the perimeter of the ground floor floor. If there is no adhesive layer on the tape, then it can be attached to the walls with self-tapping screws. The tape is needed for two purposes. She serves as additional method heat and, and also protects the walls of the room from the expansion of the cement screed, which will be poured from above.
On top of the expanded clay backfill work surface a layer of waterproofing is spread - a dense polyethylene film, its joints are firmly held together with construction tape. Then you can begin installing the insulation. It is best to lay expanded polystyrene on the cold floor of the first floor, since its high density provides the best thermal insulation qualities. As a replacement for expanded polystyrene, you can consider options for insulating floors with mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
The material for the thermal insulation layer must be chosen carefully; the desire to save money can lead to the fact that everything renovation work will not provide a good result, and the temperature in the apartment during cold periods of the year will remain uncomfortable.
![](https://i2.wp.com/pol-inform.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/penopolistirol.jpg)
Expanded polystyrene tiles should be placed tightly on the surface; it is not necessary to attach them to the ceiling. When the installation of the thermal insulation layer is completed, the insulation of the floor of the first floor moves to the next stage of work: preparation for pouring the screed begins. In order to be able to lay a decorative floor covering on the surface of the screed without any problems, it must be very smooth. For these purposes, before pouring cement mortar, experts advise installing beacon profiles.
![](https://i0.wp.com/pol-inform.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/perekrytie-pola-pervogo-jetazha.jpg)
The profiles must be set strictly in level and secured. For fastening, you can use both self-tapping screws and the cement mortar itself. When mixing cement mortar, you can add fiber fiber and a plasticizer to it. These special additives have great value to increase the strength of the future concrete screed. The finished solution is poured onto the work surface in the direction from the walls to the door and leveled using the rule. After the screed has completely dried, you can lay the selected floor covering on it. At this point, the insulation of the concrete floor of the first floor can be considered complete.
Concrete or cement-sand mortar can be replaced with dry screed. Dry mixtures are laid quickly and quite simply. Drying the cement screed lasts about four weeks; if you do not have such a long period of time, then a dry screed remains the only possible option. There is no need to wait for it to dry; it is almost immediately ready for installation of the top layer of the floor.
Floor insulation in a wooden house
How to insulate a wooden floor? Floors on the ground floor very often require thermal insulation work. Cold and dampness enter the room from the cold underground, making staying in the rooms on the lower floor of the house uncomfortable. To insulate the floor structure, insulation is placed between the rough and finishing coatings.
Before starting work, it is necessary to select insulation, since the distance between the logs will depend on the type of material. The sequence of work when arranging the floors of the first floor is such that a frame of joists is first installed, and then heat-insulating material is placed between them. So that you have to do as little cutting and adjusting pieces of insulation as possible, the step between the joists should be equal to the width of the material.
Experts recommend installing double joists across, as this will greatly raise the floor, and nailing the bars under the insulation floor onto the floor beams. Using this method will save ceiling heights, which is most important in small spaces, where there is no way to sacrifice extra centimeters.
After installing the log, the surface should be covered with thick plastic film.
The arrangement of the waterproofing layer cannot be neglected, since the effect of all other work in its absence will be minimal. If the thermal insulation layer is exposed to moisture and becomes wet, then almost all of its heat preservation characteristics will be lost.
After the bars on the joists and thermal insulation are installed, the first level of the raised floor is attached to them using self-tapping screws. It can be made from boards or plywood, or from OSB sheets. If you are making a heated floor in an apartment on the ground floor, then install an additional rough coating not required, the base for the entire structure will be a concrete floor slab.
Insulation of the ground floor floor can be done using polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. The material should be laid between the joists in a checkerboard pattern close to each other. Most often, mineral wool, produced in rolls or tiles, is used for insulation purposes. As a replacement for the listed thermal insulation materials, you can consider a mound of expanded clay or sawdust. They can also be used as thermal insulation, but in exceptional cases, since the filling of expanded clay and sawdust is accompanied by a large number dust. Backfill made of expanded clay or sawdust is afraid of moisture and loses its properties when wet.
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Another layer of waterproofing is laid on top of the laid insulation, which can be firmly attached using a construction stapler. If waterproofing material cannot be laid with a single sheet, then at the joints parts of polyethylene are laid with an overlap of at least 10 cm wide. Then it is necessary to stuff small bars onto the logs to leave a gap between the insulation and the finished plank covering to ensure ventilation of the entire floor structure.
After thermal insulation work, the floors of the first floor can be sheathed with any material you like. The flooring can be made from floorboards, plywood or chipboard. When installing the finishing coating, you must remember about the gaps near the walls: between the flooring and the wall of the room you should leave a space of 1.5 - 2 cm wide.
One of alternative options insulation of wooden floors is the use of penoizol, which many call liquid foam. Insulating the floor of the first floor when using penoizol is different in that it does not require removal of the sheathing. This significantly saves your time on repair work. The cost of insulating a floor using foam insulation depends on how much material you need to fill the space between the joists.
The sequence of work is quite simple. IN wooden floor Holes are drilled in several places, or you can simply remove one or two boards from the decking. Through these holes, penoizol is supplied under pressure into the structure. The material fills the entire space between the lags, regardless of what shape it needs to take.
The advantage of this method of insulating the floors of the first floor is not only the ease of its implementation, but also the protection of the entire floor. Penoizol increases in volume during polymerization and comes out through the cracks boardwalk. As a result, it fills absolutely all the voids and cracks that can contribute to heat loss.
When choosing a material for floor insulation, you should be guided by financial capabilities and adhere to a rational approach. If you have enough time to dismantle the old floor and lay a new covering of boards, then you can choose mineral wool or expanded polystyrene as insulation. Both materials can be installed with your own hands, without using the services of specialists.
The use of rolled mineral wool is one of the most common ways to insulate a floor, which is used by many. Thermal insulation of the floor in the premises of the first floor using expanded clay is undesirable, since the result of the work carried out will not be different high efficiency. If you have the opportunity to spend a serious amount cash If you don’t have the opportunity to purchase thermal insulation material, you should pay attention to insulation using polystyrene foam. Using penoizol requires significant costs, but will save your time.
How to insulate a floor on the ground?
In some private houses, the floor is installed directly on the ground, and therefore also requires serious insulation. Thermal insulation of such structures should be considered at the stage of building a house.
When building a house, the top layer of soil is removed and removed, and crushed stone and sand are poured in its place. Each layer is poured to a height of about 10 cm and compacted well. Insulation of the floor of the first floor in this case can be carried out using sand or concrete screed. In the first method, the thermal insulation material is laid directly on compacted sand, in the second, a concrete slab up to 12 cm thick is first poured.
It is best to use polystyrene foam as insulation, which is not afraid of moisture. The perimeter of the room is being processed damper tape, and waterproofing in the form of polyethylene film or vapor barrier membrane. Then a cement screed with reinforcing mesh is poured over this entire structure. After the solution has dried, the floors of the first floor can be covered with a decorative coating.