Insulation of non-residential attic of a private house. How to insulate an attic How to properly insulate an attic roof

To reduce heat loss in a private house, one effective heating system is not enough - to minimize them, it is necessary to insulate all elements of the building. The same applies to the roof. If it is not planned to equip the attic, insulation of the cold attic floor will be required.

A bit from the history of roofing

Since ancient times, people have built private households with such high quality that they could stand for 100 years. At the same time, it was not cold to live in them, and the natural wood roof frame was always dry. As for the shape of the roofs on such buildings, they were most often built with two slopes, and had a slight slope.

This choice was explained by the fact that the snow that fell in winter had to linger on the roof and act as a natural insulation. In the attic of the building, one, less often two windows were made. They were closed for the winter and then the air in the under-roof space played the role of a heat insulator.

During the summer, the windows were opened slightly at night to cool the temperature in the attic. In the heat they were closed, and the air did not heat up. So in the attic they regulated the temperature.

In winter, when snow fell, it covered the roof with a continuous carpet and thus was a roofing natural heat insulator. Even in severe frosts, the temperature in the under-roof space did not drop below zero. As a result, the house was warm in cold weather.

At the same time, the roof slopes were not insulated so that the snow on them would not melt. The rafter system was left open, thereby allowing its inspection and maintenance. Therefore, in such attics, only floors were thermally insulated.

If the roof slopes are insulated, then the attic becomes a heated attic, which has a different functional purpose.

Building materials for floor insulation - the better to insulate

A large selection of building materials is presented on the domestic market. To decide how to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic, it is necessary to take into account the conditions in which the heat insulator will be operated.

There are a number of requirements for a heater:

• preservation of its original qualities at temperatures from -30 to +30 degrees;
• in hot weather, the material should not emit substances harmful to people and freeze in severe frost;
• you need to choose a fire-resistant heat insulator if lighting is planned in the attic;
• products must be moisture resistant so that when wet, their original properties do not decrease.

Before you purchase materials for insulating the floor of an unheated attic in a private household, you need to consider what the floor is made of. If these are wooden beams, then bulk, roll or slab heaters are used. When the ceiling was created from concrete slabs, bulk or slab insulators that are heavy in weight can be used. Often a cement screed is poured on the floor.

In the form of plates and mats they sell:

• mineral wool;
• extruded polystyrene foam;
• Styrofoam;
• straw;
• seaweed.

In the form of rolls are made:

• mineral wool;
• stone and glass wool;
• algae ladders.

One of the most popular options for arranging thermal insulation is the insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool.

Bulk materials include:

• expanded clay;
• sawdust;
• straw;
• reeds;
• ecowool;
• granular foam;
• slag.

When laying insulation in the attic in a wooden house, you need to use natural, environmentally friendly and breathable materials.

Mineral wool attic insulation

This modern and popular insulation is produced in rolls or mats. Mineral wool does not burn, does not rot, various microorganisms and rodents are not dangerous to it.

Insulation of the attic floor with mineral wool is carried out in stages:

1. First lay the lining material on the floor. In the case of an economy option, inexpensive glassine is laid on the floor. A more expensive and high-quality device will be a flooring device made of a vapor barrier film, which is mounted with an overlap.
2. At the same time, the joints of the segments are glued with adhesive tape or fastened with wooden slats, fixing them with a stapler.
3. The width of the thermal insulation material is selected taking into account the technical standards for a particular region. The mineral wool between the lags is laid out tightly, leaving no gaps. Tape is used to seal the joints.
4. After the installation of the insulation is completed, even boards are placed on the logs and this is how the floor in the attic is formed.

The above solution on how to insulate the attic of a private house with mineral wool gives the material the ability to "breathe" and ventilate when moisture gets on it. To prevent the penetration of moist air into the insulation, waterproofing is mounted under the roof.

When working with mineral wool, you need to use protective equipment, such as a respirator, goggles, gloves and overalls.

Application of extruded polystyrene foam

Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) refers to loose materials, so it is used if it is necessary to insulate a floor made of logs and beams. For thermal insulation of plates, extruded polystyrene foam is used, which is denser than conventional foam.

Before laying it, the surface of the base is leveled. On the warm side of the floor, vapor barrier is not needed, since concrete slabs have practically no vapor permeability. A vapor barrier film is laid out on the prepared base. Then, slabs of extruded insulation are laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Mounting foam is blown into the joints.

After it dries and becomes hard, the thermal insulation slabs are poured with a concrete mixture about 4–6 centimeters thick. After hardening, the screed becomes suitable for use as an attic floor. If desired, you can lay the final coating on the screed.

Insulation of a cold attic with ecowool

Ecowool is a lightweight and at the same time friable heat insulator, consisting of cellulose, it also contains flame retardants, such as boric acid and borax. Before starting work, a film is laid on the floor. For laying ecowool, a special blowing machine is used.

The heat-insulating layer is applied continuously, without leaving even the slightest gaps. Ecowool contains a large volume of air, so a layer of 250-300 millimeters is enough. When performing insulation, it should be remembered that shrinkage of this material occurs over time. Therefore, a layer of ecowool is applied with a margin of 40-50 millimeters.

Then the insulation must be moistened with water or with a solution. It is prepared from 200 grams of PVA glue and a bucket of water. The broom is moistened in the solution and the cotton wool is well moistened. After drying, lignin is formed on the heat-insulating layer - a crust that prevents the insulation from moving.

Which method of attic insulation from the above options to choose depends on the specific situation.

To understand how to properly insulate a roof, you need to understand its types. The most common types of roof structures are cold attic and attic. In the first case, insulation of the ceilings of the upper residential floor will be required (the air in the attic space does not warm up, hence the name). In the second - laying thermal insulation along the roof rafters. In today's article, we will analyze in detail the process of warming the roof of a cold attic.

The cold attic is the most common, time-tested roof structure that has been used around the world for decades. Widespread due to its simplicity, availability of materials and ease of installation. In addition, in the cold attic there is access to inspect the load-bearing structures of the roof, so possible leaks are easily localized and eliminated with improvised means.

Rice. 1. Cold attic insulation system: 1. Floor beams 2. Stone wool insulation 3. Vapor barrier film 4. Superdiffusion membrane 5. Sparse batten 6. Internal batten

As the basis for the attic, wooden floor beams and reinforced concrete slabs are most often used. Depending on the material chosen for the ceiling of the residential floor, the insulation system will differ. Wood is one of the best building materials that has a number of undeniable advantages: lightness, strength and flexibility. However, the wood is sensitive to moisture: waterlogged wood during operation can bend in an unpredictable way if it picks up moisture and then dries. Therefore, wet wood is not used in construction, and dry wood is carefully isolated from possible waterlogging during operation.

The ability of wood to absorb moisture affects the choice of all cold attic materials. So, when choosing a heater, preference should be given to a vapor-permeable material based on mineral wool: this material will pass all the wet steam through itself, leaving the beams dry. When choosing between glass wool and stone wool, one should remember the ability of the latter to protect the entire structure from the effects of open fire. The sintering temperature of glass wool fibers is only about 600 °C, and this temperature is reached already 5 minutes after the start of ignition. Therefore, only stone wool is able to protect load-bearing structures, extend the life of the house and, in case of fire, give more time to save people and property.

Here it is worth recalling that any organic heaters (foam plastics, polyurethanes) burn, so it is better not to use them when building a wooden or frame house. The burning of some of them is also accompanied by the release of toxic vapors into the atmosphere, the "splashing" of the melt, which poses an additional danger to people. The use of organic insulation in the floor construction requires mandatory protection with a cement-sand screed.

Many questions in the insulation system are caused by the use of various building films. Due to their incorrect location in the structure, the floor beams can begin to rot, which is why they subsequently lose their bearing capacity and collapse after a few years. To prevent this, when arranging a classic cold attic with wooden beams, it is customary to use two types of building films, which we will conditionally call “Internal” and “External”.

The “internal” film is laid from the inside of the heated room and prevents water vapor from entering the insulation from the room. Such a film is called a vapor barrier. When installing it, it is necessary to carefully glue all overlaps with butyl rubber tape, achieving tightness over the entire area. Interior decoration is carried out with a technical gap of at least 3 cm - to prevent local condensation of moisture on the vapor barrier.

Rice. 2.1. Cold attic ventilation scheme

The “external” film performs other tasks: it protects the insulation from moisture from the outside (snow, rain, fog), allows water vapor to escape from the system (if it suddenly appears there) and prevents heat from blowing out of the insulation. Some of these functions can be entrusted to ordinary plastic wrap, but it will not work to complete all the tasks at the same time. Most films either have low vapor permeability - and therefore must be installed with a second ventilation gap, or low water resistance - and therefore do not protect against water ingress into the insulation. The only type of film capable of solving all the tasks at the same time is called the "superdiffusion membrane". Such a membrane has a vapor permeability that significantly exceeds the parameters of the insulation, which allows it to be mounted close to it. And high water resistance allows you to protect the system from the ingress of external moisture in any form.

Thus, the insulation must be protected by a vapor barrier film from the inside and a superdiffusion membrane from the outside. It is good practice to lay a sparse lath of boards on top of the "top" membrane to prevent damage to the film or crushing of the insulation when walking in the attic.

Figure 2.2 Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)

Figure 2.2 Consequences of lack of ventilation (1 year, Minsk region)

Concluding the consideration of the design of a cold attic, it is imperative to pay attention to the issue of ventilation. A properly organized roof ventilation system (Fig. 2.1), despite the possible variety of designs, must have three mandatory components: an entry point, ventilation channels and an exit point. The channel for ventilation in a cold attic will be its entire volume. For normal operation, the temperature inside the cold attic must be equal to the street. For these purposes, the filing provides entry points for cold air - the so-called "vents". And in the upper part of the attic, you need to make air outlets with the help of dormer windows, ridge or point aerators.

Most often, in practice, one has to deal with a situation where the ventilation is disturbed: all the vents are filled with insulation, and the air from the street does not get inside. The second common mistake is the lack of dormer windows or aerators in the roofing. When arranging ventilation, it is worth remembering that the area of ​​​​the outlet openings should be 10% larger than the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe inlet openings. In this case, sufficient traction will be created. If the ventilation of the roof is broken, then the truss system is subjected to waterlogging, and the roofing material is subjected to additional overpressure from inside the room. This can lead to rotting of the truss system and loss of its bearing capacity (Fig. 2.2.), Premature destruction of the roofing. Therefore, effective ventilation is a prerequisite for the normal operation of a cold attic system.

In the case of installing a cold attic on a base of reinforced concrete slabs, the system can be simplified. Since reinforced concrete is vapor-tight and is not afraid of exposure to open fire, insulation can be made from organic materials. Here you have to choose from two types of polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foams are increasingly appearing on objects, but the sprayed compositions do not always have the declared stable properties after solidification, and their strength is sometimes insufficient for the dynamic effects of a pedestrian load. The well-known granular expanded polystyrene (EPS) is still used in construction today. However, it has already been replaced by more modern extruded (extrusive) expanded polystyrene (XPS), which is characterized by lower thermal conductivity (which reduces the required insulation thickness by 25%), reduced water absorption by 5 times and increased strength. When arranging a cold attic on reinforced concrete slabs using XPS, there is no need to spend money on the purchase and installation of building films: the material endures all external influences, is not afraid of blowing and even soaking.

To determine the required thickness of thermal insulation, we will use the method, which is described in detail in TKP 45-2.04-43-2006 “Construction heat engineering. Building design standards. According to this document, the minimum requirements for the thermal resistance of the structure are established. For a roof, it is taken at least six, and is calculated by the ratio of the actual thickness of the construction material (in this case, thermal insulation) to its thermal conductivity. Thus, the answer to the question "How to insulate the roof of a house?" - obvious: the required thickness of the insulation is calculated by multiplying the thermal conductivity of the material by six. This simple math will allow you to create a cold attic that fully meets all applicable standards. For full insulation in our climate zone, 25 cm of stone wool will be required. And when using extruded polystyrene foam, 20 cm will be enough. In a similar way, you can calculate the required thicknesses of other heat-insulating materials. For comparison: to get a similar indicator by backfilling expanded clay - you need a layer more than half a meter thick!

In the next part, we will tell about the device and proper insulation of the attic (warm attic).

Text: Andrey Povarnitsyn

The under-roof space is one of the risk areas, therefore attic insulation is a mandatory and necessary process to maintain a comfortable temperature in the premises of the house, save energy spent on heating, and extend the life of the entire residential building.

Through a cold attic, according to statistics, up to 20% of the heat from the lower space can go away, and this is 1/5 of the family budget. It is all the more important to insulate the attic space, since the bulk of hot air always rushes up, which means that all joints, cracks, and surfaces must be carefully insulated. A natural problem arises, how to do this so that the insulation of a cold attic in a private house does not become an empty undertaking and a waste of money. Warming with mineral wool

What insulation technology, method or technique is the most popular and cheapest, we will consider in the article below, based on the use of environmentally friendly and natural building materials.

Varieties of attic structures

Starting attic insulation in a private house, you need to choose one of the three areas of operation of this space, the implementation of which will help to maintain the desired temperature and humidity:

1. Unheated attic, where the temperature in winter must be maintained (due to properly carried out thermal insulation measures) within 5-10 0 C.
2. A comfortable temperature is provided by the influx of hot air through the ventilation ducts from the living quarters of the house. Such an attic (warm, but without an attic) is typical for low- and high-rise buildings.
3. Attic space in the attic of a heated type: works like a normal living space with heating, like the rest of the rooms in the building. To insulate such a room, fewer layers of insulation are needed without laying a vapor barrier layer, but the sealing of joints and gaps in the joints of structures must be complete.

How to choose the best insulation material

Before deciding how best to insulate the attic of a private house, it is necessary to identify the range of proposed insulation operations. Some refer to insulation as the need to insulate only ceilings and roofs to reduce heat loss without insulating the under-roof space. A group of owners has also been identified, which believes that it would be more correct to insulate the attic of a private house only from the inside along the slopes of the roof, and leave the floors partially insulated, for example, lay a layer of clay. But building trends are increasingly leaning towards insulating the entire attic so that you can live in it, and here the choice of materials is much wider than in the previous two options. But let's start with how to insulate a cold attic inexpensively. This can be done using materials such as:

1. Expanded clay and blocks from it.
2. Waste woodworking industry (wood chips, sawdust, shavings).
3. Mineral wool in various designs - glass wool, basalt or stone wool (rolls, slabs, mats).
4. Foamed Resins: Extruded Styrofoam, Styrofoam, NPE, etc.

Which of these thermal insulation materials are the best and which can be successfully used for sloping attic surfaces? Expanded clay will be discarded immediately (it is only suitable for horizontal surfaces), therefore, first of all, slab heaters (foam plastic and polystyrene foam) remain. These are fairly cheap materials, but due to flammability, they will have to be protected with other layers that prevent the main heaters from igniting.

According to the combustibility group, it is best to choose mineral wool, although it must also be covered with a layer of durable draft or decorative materials. In addition, mineral wool absorbs moisture faster, so a layer of vapor or waterproofing is simply necessary to preserve the main insulation.

Glass wool is not quite the best material, it should not be chosen for attic insulation, if only because glass microparticles quickly enter the air and harm people.

Sawdust or shavings must be laid in such a way that it is possible to replace them - over time, a layer of such insulation is compressed, losing its insulating qualities.

Stages of insulation

The process of attic insulation in a private house can be divided into several stages:

1. Laying heat-insulating materials on the surfaces of floors.
2. Roof internal insulation.
3. Insulation of roof gables, installation of insulation and finishing. In this case, the insulation can immediately play the role of a decorative surface, for example, a sandwich panel.

Preparation of materials for insulation

Briefly about what materials can be used for insulation, based on their characteristics:

1. Wood chips or sawdust have a thermal conductivity of 0.05-0.095 W / m 0 C, if they are laid in a layer no thinner than 20 cm.
2. The folk method of insulation is reed, its thermal conductivity is 0.042 W / m 0 C.
3. Penoizol is a liquid insulation, excellent for any surfaces, has a thermal conductivity in the range of 0.028-0.040 W / m 0 C. In practice, laying occurs by spraying.
4. Expanded clay is the most common of environmentally friendly and fireproof insulating materials, thermal conductivity is 0.1-0.18 W / m 0 C. The expanded clay layer for good insulation should be ≥ 0.2 m, but they can only insulate the floor surface.
5. Mineral wool has a thermal conductivity in the range of 0.038-0.055 W / m 0 C.
6. The most modern material is ecowool. It does not rot, does not burn, does not attract rodents and insects, but on top of ecowool it is required to make protection against mechanical damage.

Auxiliary materials for insulation:

1. Membrane for vapor barrier.
2. Sheet material for flooring - boards, chipboard, fiberboard, OSB, etc.
3. Wood preservative.

Floor surface preparation

1. The old flooring on the ceiling must be removed.
2. Soak the beams with an antiseptic.
3. Collect the overlap of the floor - the boards are nailed to the beams from the side of the house, that is, from below.

Floor insulation

1. Before insulating the ceiling in a private house, a vapor barrier layer with an overlap of 10-15 cm is laid on the beams and boardwalk.
2. Thermal insulation is laid on the vapor barrier layer, for example, a mineral wool slab or EPS expanded polystyrene sheets. Plates, sheets, rolls or mats are placed close to each other.
3. The next layer of vapor barrier is laid on top using the same technology as in the first case.
4. On the logs, a roll is assembled from boards or any sheet material on which the draft floor of the attic will be equipped.

In the attic with a concrete floor, insulation is carried out using mats of mineral heat-insulating material or XPS, and a concrete screed is made on top with a layer of 5-10 cm.

The thermal insulation layer is covered with waterproofing on both sides, especially if mineral heaters are used, which can absorb moisture faster than other materials.

The overlap of concrete slabs and wooden beams is recommended to be insulated on both sides - outside and inside, but not all materials are suitable for such a multiple purpose - expanded clay and other loose materials cannot be used, since they can only insulate the attic on the floor.

To make the process itself clear, consider the laying of Izover mineral mats:

1. The existing reel is removed from the boards.
2. A layer of vapor barrier is attached to the beams. The membrane film must be fixed, and the easiest way to do this is with a stapler and 14-16 mm staples.
3. Mineral mats are laid in the space between the beams and fixed with transverse wooden slats with a section of 2 x 5 cm.
4. Another layer of membrane vapor barrier is attached to the rails.
5. A boardwalk is mounted on top, after which the ceiling is arranged.

Roof insulation in a private house

Before insulating the attic in a private house, it is prepared:

1. Check the integrity of the rafter system, if necessary, repair or change parts and elements.
2. If the insulation is thicker than the logs, they are increased to the required size with bars or slats. Thus, all the space between the rafters will be filled.
3. All wooden elements are impregnated with an antiseptic. Such work will extend the life of materials and structures.

Do-it-yourself roof insulation in a private house is carried out approximately as follows:

1. The vapor barrier membrane in rooms located in the attic space must not come into contact with roof waterproofing. To maintain the air gap between these layers, nails are hammered into the rafter legs, between which thick synthetic threads are pulled.
2. The vapor barrier membrane is attached to the rafters with a stapler, while the smooth surface of the material is laid on the insulation, and the joints of its strips are fastened with construction tape.
3. Thermal insulation fits tightly into the space between the rafters. To prevent the formation of "cold bridges", mineral mats must be laid close to the rafter legs and to each other. When cracks appear between the layers, they are clogged with the same material. Such a layer of insulation is fixed again with thick threads stretched between the rafters.
4. A vapor barrier layer is applied on top of the laid insulation, which is fixed with adhesive tape.
5. On top of all layers of the cake, a wooden crate is made of inlays or bars with a section of 2 x 5 cm. Decorative finishing materials will be attached to the crate on one side.

conclusions

In practice, the number of new and traditional materials and technologies for insulating the floor and walls of the attic is much greater, but those described above in the article are the easiest to implement with your own hands. To date, mineral wool and polystyrene are the most popular and affordable heaters.

Every child from a school physics course knows three things: distance is equal to speed multiplied by time, a photo actually draws light on paper, and warm air is much lighter than cold air and, accordingly, in a room will rise up anyway. And at the top of a private house, under the very roof, of course, there is an attic. If you do not insulate the attic on time, then as soon as the autumn-spring cold sets in, the residents of the house will feel that a chilly wind is blowing from the ceiling, and the heat is lost to no one knows where. But this is the case if the attic is not insulated.

Surely, many people remember such a problem of modern architecture: buildings that were built in the 20-21 centuries are fragile and short-lived, while stone churches, cathedrals, old mansions stand for centuries, millennia, and at the same time it is always dry and warm inside. The fact is that earlier, in the absence of modern materials and technologies, such tasks had an architectural solution: the air itself maintains the desired temperature and humidity in such places. This idea is well implemented in many modern materials, for example, in ecological cotton wool. The roofs of buildings, in the old days, were most often made gable, so that in winter the snow lingered longer on the surface and prevented the penetration of cold air into the rooms; attic spaces were made with special small windows on the sides - with their help they controlled the temperature in residential premises both in winter and in summer. There was no need to insulate the roof slope. But in the 21st century, relying on the thermal insulation properties of snow alone (very weak, although there were enough of them at that time) is unreasonable, and the need for comfort from mankind has increased significantly since then, so the temperature in the room is +15-20 degrees in winter no longer considered acceptable.

The price, quality, time of work will directly depend on what material the owner of the house chooses for thermal insulation. With scientific progress, it has become possible to synthesize many new materials, some with specially enhanced thermal insulation properties. And someone, in the old fashioned way, prefers to insulate the attic with straw or environmentally friendly reeds. There is room for fantasy.

Almost always, thermal insulation is laid in three layers: the first is the processing of floors - sometimes it is required to lay, sometimes just smear a layer of clay; the second is a layer of heat-insulating material, the thickness of which can vary from two to five centimeters; the third, optional, layer may be a cement-sand screed, on which the floor will then be laid.

It is already difficult to call an insulated attic space an attic, it is quite suitable for the title of an attic. The one who decided to insulate the ceiling will no longer have an attic, but will have an attic, a warm room that can eventually be turned into a guest room, a bedroom for a child or a cozy winter garden in which the whole family will gather in the evenings. Attic spaces are a good find for creative people and just for those who like to surround themselves with a cozy atmosphere.

Material classification

Before the owner, who thought for the first time how to insulate the ceiling of the attic, there is another difficult question. ? It is not enough to lay the material, it is also important to choose it correctly. After all, there are a huge number of materials on the market today, and it is not always clear whether they are suitable for the area in which the house is located; in some areas the temperature is lower, in some it is higher.

Often, if the owner uses bulk materials, he encounters difficulties afterwards if he decides to turn the attic into a full-fledged attic and lay the floor. With plate and roll materials, such problems, as a rule, do not arise.

The choice is wide enough, so you can choose the material of the desired price category, affordable and high quality. In terms of importance, the first factor is thermal insulation properties, the second is resistance to temperature extremes, and the third is ease of use. In addition, each material has a number of additional properties that must be considered when choosing.

It costs nothing to choose an eco-friendly or even natural material, the use of such materials, which is important, will not adversely affect the health of residents, which cannot be said about toxic substitutes. In addition, the same foam will contribute to the rapid decay of the wooden roof. The material must be chosen carefully.

Many dishonest sellers tend to sell as much material as possible and at a higher price, without caring whether this type of thermal insulation is suitable for a particular owner, which is why you should be careful when choosing a material.

Insulation of the ceiling from the attic is a rather simple process, even a non-professional can handle it on their own.

Warming with bulk materials

The oldest method of insulation is considered to be backfill material. Suitable if the floors are made of wood.

As bulk materials, you can use sawdust, straw, reeds, glass wool, expanded clay, flax. They are inexpensive and widely available. Ecological wool will cost more. Sometimes algae, slag, polystyrene are used as bulk materials for insulation. On top of bulk materials, as a rule, the floor is not laid; for ease of movement, several boards can be laid.

Sawdust is one of the cheapest materials, you can even get it for free if there is a working sawmill nearby. Sawdust as a heater was used hundreds of years ago. A significant disadvantage is that mice often like them, and they arrange their holes in sawdust, so when working, you should first pour a layer of slaked lime with carbide or use some other folk remedy. Sawdust is poured in a layer of 1-2 cm. Sawdust is a material so combustible that in order to prevent the layer from igniting, it should be sprinkled with slag processing or similar material on top. Be especially careful when using sawdust near chimneys and other heat sources.

Bonfire (flax) is a cheap material, resistant to decay, light, loose. Linen is not liked by rodents and insects, since it is inconvenient to move in linen layers - the material quickly crumbles. Warming the ceiling in the attic with a fire has a number of disadvantages, for example, this material sometimes cakes, but you can always fill up a new layer! Also, the material is highly flammable, which is both a plus in disposal and a minus in operation. Linen is covered with a layer of 1.5-4 cm. If the owner decided to insulate the attic with a fire, then it will not be possible to make a full-fledged floor there, but you can lay boards for ease of movement. Linen needs drying, so it is suitable if ventilation is provided in the attic.

Straw is poured in a layer of 2-5 cm. On top, in order to avoid fires, before pouring the material, the floors should be smeared with a layer of clay. Straw, like sawdust, is prone to attack by rodents, so it will also need protection.

Eco-friendly wadding is made from recycled cellulose (recycled paper) and additives that reduce flammability. Ecowool is the most reliable and fireproof material among bulk ones, its soundproofing properties will be a nice bonus. In general, soundproofing is never superfluous in the house. Owners of private houses can sometimes hear, in windy weather, how loudly something falls and rolls somewhere upstairs, in the attic. In fact, these are just wind games, a frequent coincidence. Ecowool is laid on a vapor barrier film, so that there are no gaps left, with a layer of 2.5-5 cm. On top of the ecowool, soon, after two weeks, lignin appears, a protective crust.

Glass wool is an old proven way to insulate an attic. Glass wool has many advantages: safety, moisture resistance, etc. and one significant disadvantage: high toxicity. Laying should be done only in tight clothing, a respirator. After laying, the clothes are burned. In addition, glass wool quickly caking, and it will often have to be replaced. Glass wool is laid in a layer of 2-2.5 cm.

Expanded clay, although bulk material, is also suitable for insulating concrete floors (read also: ""). It is convenient in that after laying it, it is possible to make a full-fledged floor in the attic, which is difficult to achieve with most bulk materials. Expanded clay is laid with a layer of 2-2.5 cm, a cement-sand screed is placed on top with a layer of 0.5 cm.

How to insulate the attic ceiling with bulk material, technology:

1. Lay kraft paper on the floors. As a substitute, you can use cardboard, glassine or something else like that. The second preparation option: smear the overlap with clay 2-3 cm and sprinkle with sand - so that in case of cracks in the clay, the sand fills them up.
2. Fill up the material. The thickness of the layer depends on the material itself and the expected temperatures of the area.
3. It is best to produce thermal insulation not in one, but in two layers.
4. Lay boards on top of which you can move around.

Do not forget that the hatch to the attic also needs to be insulated!

Mineral wool is no less toxic than glass wool, so work should be carried out with similar precautions.

Algae practically does not burn, and with the help of special treatment, flammability can be reduced to almost zero;

Algae have the same thermal insulation properties as synthesized materials. Algae ladders are laid with a layer of 2-3 cm. It is quite possible to lay a real floor on top. Perhaps, algae are the most environmentally friendly and most useful material for thermal insulation, such a coating will have a positive effect on the health of residents, mainly due to the high iodine content, installation is simple, algae will last a long time and with benefit.

Linen insulation

Linen insulation outperforms mineral wool by the fact that it is much more environmentally friendly than the latter. It is perfect if the house is built from natural materials, such as wood, etc.

Laying the material is very easy. Before laying linen rolls, the gaps of the ceilings are covered with clay, after which the material itself comes. There should be no gaps at the joints.

Insulation of the ceiling with sawdust, more on the video:

Insulation with board materials

The slab material will completely block the access of oxygen to the ceilings, so it makes no sense to use ceiling insulation from the attic side with the help of slabs if the house is built from natural materials.

Foam polystyrene, mineral wool in plates, straw, algae, reeds are popular as board materials.

Lay slab materials only on a flat surface, if there are flaws, it is better to fix them. A vapor barrier film is placed on top of the ceilings. After laying the slab material, it will be possible to lay a real floor in the attic.

Dense extruded polystyrene foam (otherwise polystyrene) is well suited for attic insulation. A significant disadvantage is flammability and toxicity. When laying the gaps at the joints of the plates, it is necessary to fill with mounting foam. A cement-sand screed is placed on top of the slabs with a layer of 4-5 cm. The screed is quite capable of replacing a full-fledged floor, but if you wish, you can lay boards, etc.

Reed is an eco-friendly natural material that has appeared on the market of heaters quite recently. It is absolutely non-toxic, of course, safe, it burns weakly, after processing it is possible to achieve complete fire safety. Reeds are one of the few board materials that are suitable for insulating houses made of natural materials.

The choice of material for thermal insulation is a serious matter, it is better not to be mistaken in it. After all, the temperature in the house, the quality of life of the family living in it, and the life of the building as a whole depend on the thermal insulation, so the insulation of the ceiling from the attic is an important and necessary thing.

Through an uninsulated attic, a large amount of heat escapes, for which money is paid. As a result, the room temperature does not rise, and utility costs rise. The only way out is to insulate a cold attic with inexpensive building materials. If you have time and extra money, you can insulate the roof, but this is not necessary, because it is enough to insulate the ceiling from the side of the attic and all the heat will remain in the room.

Why is attic insulation needed?

If the attic is not insulated, the likelihood of mold growth in the room increases.

The floor area in a private house is equal to the ceiling area, through which most of the heat escapes. In a cold living room, more moisture is formed, so the likelihood of fungus formation increases, which leads to respiratory diseases in the future. The most unpleasant sensations occur in the bathroom, the floor and walls in which do not have time to dry out, discomfort is created, in addition, the cold in the bathroom contributes to colds when there is a sharp change in temperature. Children in such conditions are more likely to get sick.

Insulating materials, for the most part, drain water well, so when insulating, condensate will not accumulate on the walls. Warm air dries out excess moisture, while the walls and floor warm up.

If the roof slopes and the gable are insulated, moisture will not form in the attic and the smell of mold will not be heard. This is a more difficult job, but doable, as the materials are light in weight.

It is best to carry out work on the insulation of the attic with your own hands, so as not to spend extra money on wages. It is necessary to choose a heater according to technical characteristics, calculate its quantity and lay it according to available technologies. All work may take 1 day.

Materials for thermal insulation

In the market of heaters you can find both natural and artificial materials. Their difference lies in cost, efficiency, service life, thermal conductivity.

Mineral wool

Basalt wool

Mineral wool or its varieties - glass wool, basalt insulation, slag wool - are characterized by an increased coefficient of thermal conductivity due to the structure of randomly arranged fibers. Cold air in winter does not penetrate into the room from the outside, and in summer it is cool in it, since the cotton wool does not allow the air streams cooled by the air conditioner to pass through.

• The material does not crumble and does not cause an allergic reaction. You can work with stone wool without protective equipment.
• Service life is about 50 years.
• Mineral wool from volcanic rock comes in different densities - you can choose the appropriate option for any region, including the coldest.
• Basalt wool is a lightweight material, so one person can handle its installation.
• Mineral wool from basalt does not burn. It can be melted at very high temperatures, so the attic will be safe.

Additional advantages of basalt insulation is the reduction of the noise level in the room, since sound waves cannot pass through the layer of air that is among the fibers. At the same time, the denser the material, the smaller the air gap and the more sounds it transmits, so the insulation can be chosen with average thermal conductivity and sound insulation.

Basalt insulation can be used to insulate the chimney, then even more heat will remain in the room where there is a stove or fireplace.

When using glass wool and slag wool, you will have to wear a protective suit, goggles and gloves, as thin fibers break and can get into the respiratory system, eyes and skin. These materials are also non-combustible, but melt at much lower temperatures. In this case, the material loses its structure and useful properties.

Styrofoam

Styrofoam does not weigh down the ceiling structure, but has a low strength factor

Insulation of the attic in a house with a cold roof can be done using foam. This material also has advantages:

• Low weight and cost.
• It does not emit harmful substances when heated, therefore it is chemically neutral and safe.
• Contains a flame retardant that does not support combustion.
• Microorganisms and mold do not start in the foam.
• Does not weigh down the structure of the ceiling.

Of the shortcomings:

• Low coefficient of strength, therefore, additional protection of the material is required in the form of boards laid on top supported by logs. This will require additional costs and time.
• The material does not allow air to pass through, so dampness and condensation may form in the room.
• Rodents that are found in private homes damage the foam, build burrows out of it, so additional coverage is needed.

Styrofoam is used most often for outdoor work under plaster. As a heater for an attic in a private house, it is not profitable - it requires large investments to protect the material itself.

Styrofoam ceiling insulation in a house with a cold roof is more profitable from the inside, but it can lower the ceilings.

Penoplex (expanded polystyrene)

Thanks to the spongy structure, foam is easy to cut

Penoplex insulation is made from granules of synthetic material polystyrene or expanded polystyrene. This is a heater, which is a porous structure with separately located cells. Cells do not touch each other, which on the one hand is a positive quality, on the other - a negative point. The fact is that polystyrene foam does not pass moisture well, it will accumulate inside the room, causing dampness.

The advantage of polystyrene is its cost and small thickness. The air inside makes up 98% of the total volume of the material, which is why it is so cheap. Compared to stone wool, the thermal conductivity is lower. To achieve good thermal insulation, it is necessary to buy polystyrene foam of greater thickness, which will cost more.

Penoplex is combustible, therefore, in terms of fire safety, it is absolutely useless. The melting point is 75 degrees, so it can not be laid next to heating appliances. In the attic it can be a chimney from the stove.

polyurethane foam

Insulation with polyurethane foam

In terms of service life, as well as heat-retaining characteristics, it is worth paying attention to polyurethane foam, which is applied by spraying. In this case, there is no need to build logs for laying mineral wool or expanded clay, save money by purchasing cheap fragile materials.

In a short time, you can create a monolithic floor in the attic, in which rodents will not settle, mold will not start, and cracks will not appear. When using polyurethane foam, you do not have to buy additional vapor and waterproofing.

Expanded clay bulk

Expanded clay is resistant to ignition and exposure to a humid environment

You can insulate the attic with expanded clay. This is a durable material that is used in bulk with prepared cells. If you need to move around the attic, you will have to build a floor on wooden logs from above. Advantages of expanded clay:

• strength;
• durability;
• does not absorb moisture;
• retains heat well;
• passes air;
• can be used in combination with other materials, which is preferable.

Most often, expanded clay is combined with mineral wool or polyurethane foam is sprayed onto it so as not to waste time building a frame.

Thermal insulation layer thickness

To insulate the attic in a house with a cold roof, you can use heat-insulating materials of any density, since the room is not residential. If you plan to lay mineral wool on the roof slopes, you can prepare a material of lower density and thickness, since as a result the ceiling insulation will be double, but laid in two places.

For ease of movement on soft insulation, it is necessary to build paths made of wood or other material so as not to violate the properties when compressing the heat-insulating layer.

Preparing the attic for insulation

Attic ready for insulation

Before starting work, it is necessary to calculate the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room and the amount of building materials. The main thing is the thickness of the insulation, which is needed in the middle lane, where the temperature can drop to minus 30 degrees. The thickness of the mineral wool must be at least 20 cm.

After calculations:

• Remove all debris and dust so that the seal does not absorb it.
• Seal the cracks in the roof with construction foam.
• Remove sharp objects. They can damage the protective layer of cotton wool.

After cleaning, you can bring in building materials, tools, as well as an additional lamp for illumination.

vapor barrier

Vapor barrier is a must when working with mineral wool

According to the laws of physics, warm air saturated with steam will always rise up, passing through walls and ceilings. This process is called diffusion.

Different materials have different degrees of vapor permeability. High resistance to the diffusion process can be provided by the formation of condensate or the accumulation of moisture between floors. In such places, floors are usually made of wood, and wood, saturated with moisture, loses its strength.

When the lower room is warming up, and the upper one is cold, a vapor barrier is a must. In the case of stone wool, you can buy a material with a hydrophobic coating that will not allow steam to pass into the cold room above, where water droplets form from it.

In technical documentation, there are two concepts: steam resistance and vapor permeability coefficient. These are different concepts.

To organize the vapor barrier, two materials are used - a film to cover the entire area and adhesive tapes to connect the layers of hydrophobic insulation so that steam does not penetrate into the cracks.

The characteristics by which the vapor barrier is chosen should take into account strength (plastic film is not suitable), UV resistance, since the sun's rays sometimes enter the windows, which can damage materials.

Waterproofing

Installation of a waterproofing layer

To protect the attic from flooding, and ceilings and repairs from water drips, it is recommended to lay a layer of waterproofing material on the roof slopes.

• Built-up - overlapped and connected with a burner. The cheapest option is synthetic materials.
• Sprayable. A solid film-membrane is created.
• Powder. Water is added to it immediately before installation.
• Liquid - suitable for concrete floors, soaking into their surface.
• Coating on a bituminous basis.

Before you buy waterproofing, you need to re-read the properties: the material must pass air, but retain water. Some cheap films create a greenhouse effect in a cold, unheated attic, causing mold to form on the walls.