Properly done thermal insulation of a wooden floor can significantly reduce heat loss and ultimately significantly save on heating bills. Wood is an excellent material, very well suited for arranging floors in residential premises. But over time, its structure changes, the material begins to gradually deform, which leads to the appearance of cracks through which up to 30% or more of the heat can escape from the house.

The technology for insulating a wooden floor is extremely simple; it can be mastered even without such skills. You just need to understand the main stages of thermal insulation and additional features of working with the most popular insulation materials.

The procedure for installing thermal insulation on a wooden floor remains virtually unchanged for different materials. However, before starting work, you should determine the conditions under which the floor will be used in the future. By them we must understand the expected load on the surface, the main purpose of the room, temperature and humidity indicators.

Be sure to determine the possible height of the floor “pie” in general and the thickness of the insulation in particular.

Insulation work is carried out in the following order:

• first mounted wooden joists;
• boards or wood panels are attached to them from below;
• The selected heat insulator is installed between the lags. It is recommended to lay the material as tightly as possible. It is customary to use sealant to seal gaps. You can also use foam;
• A vapor barrier is laid on the laid insulation. Typically polyethylene film is used. The material must be fixed on the joists, and any kind of gaps, various joints, etc. glue with metallized adhesive tape;
• Finally, it is necessary to lay the plank flooring and perform the finishing touches.

In the process of preparing for work, you should determine optimal thickness heat insulator. Usually it ranges from 5-15 cm and depends mainly on the climate in the region where the building is located and the type of insulation chosen. This parameter is determined individually and is one of the most important.

The procedure for self-insulation by joists

An extremely simple, but very effective and popular method of insulation in private construction is a technology that involves laying insulation boards along joists. This method is especially good for floors that are located a short distance from the ground (first floors and basements).

Having mastered the procedure for installing joists, you will be able to perform insulation using almost all existing insulating materials used for thermal insulation of wooden floors.

First you need to prepare or buy ready-made logs with a special T-shape . They are installed on the foundation or secured by cutting into a wooden frame. Elements should be placed at a distance of 60-95 cm from each other.

After installing the logs, proceed to securing boards or wood panels. Thermal insulation will be laid directly on them in the future.

These elements can be secured using special cranial bars or hemmed from below. Thermal insulation material is placed on the flooring. Afterwards it is laid layer of hydro- and vapor barrier.

Depending on the chosen insulation, a heat and moisture protection device may not be necessary. For example, mineral wool needs such protection.

The vapor barrier material should be laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm, bending the edges onto the wall by about 10 cm. The vapor barrier can be done using ordinary polyethylene, or you can buy special materials for this; it all depends solely on the budget and desires of the developer. Lastly, the floorboards are installed. and the planned finishing.

There is also a method in which wooden logs are placed on brick posts. A wood gasket is fixed between the contacting elements. The space between adjacent joists is tightly filled with the selected insulation. It is most convenient to use the material in slab format.

What materials are suitable for floor insulation?

For high-quality insulation of a wooden floor, you can use a wide variety of materials. The most popular and most frequently used thermal insulation materials.

1. Sawdust.

2. Mineral wool and its varieties.

3. Penofol.

4. Foam plastic.

When choosing a specific material, you need to take into account not only the owner’s personal preferences and the thickness of his wallet, but also a number of other significant factors, ignoring which will not allow you to obtain high-quality thermal insulation.

Special attention should be paid to the insulation of such an element as the subfloor. Thermal insulation is carried out along logs. First, wooden blocks are attached to their sides. Next, the boards are fixed using self-tapping screws or ordinary nails. The craftsman needs to cut the boards in advance to the size corresponding to the distance between the lags to be fixed. After installing all the boards and obtaining a complete surface, a vapor barrier material is laid and secured. Polyethylene film is usually used, glassine also works well.

Next, thermal insulation material is placed in the space between the joists. It must be placed without gaps, as tightly as possible. After filling the entire planned space with insulation, a second layer of vapor barrier is laid on top of it and the work is considered complete.

A vapor barrier does not need to be used in all situations. Some insulation materials feel great without it. All these points are clarified individually and depend on the properties of the specific insulation.

Guide to DIY insulation using sawdust

Sawdust is the most affordable and simple view thermal insulation for wooden floors. Their main advantage is relatively low price, ease of installation, environmental friendliness and absolute safety for human health.

Can be insulated with sawdust even in a clean state. But sometimes various special materials made on the basis of sawdust are used for thermal insulation.

1. It is based on sawdust mixed in certain proportions with cement and copper sulfate. In the case of floor insulation, they are practically not used; they are more suitable for wall finishing.
2. Granular thermal insulation material made from sawdust and various additives that increase its fire resistance and other important properties.
3. Made from sawdust, water, sand and cement. The most environmentally friendly of all materials considered in this list. Needs high-quality double-sided waterproofing.
4. It is made from various grades of cement, sawdust (chips) and chemical additives. Sold in the form of slabs with good sound and heat insulation properties. It does not burn, is extremely easy to pre-assemble, and has good strength properties. It does not tolerate contact with moisture well, so it needs thorough waterproofing.

“Clean” sawdust is most often used. Direct insulation is extremely simple. First, the logs are fixed, as described earlier, and then the space between them is filled with insulation. The material is very convenient, it can be used to fill even the most difficult to reach places. The thickness of the layer should be selected taking into account the climate of a particular region.

Using mineral wool as insulation

Mineral wool is the most common thermal insulation material. Available in many varieties. It does not support combustion, withstands biological and chemical influences, and has good heat and sound insulation characteristics. Disadvantages include weak mechanical strength and mediocre vapor permeability.

Mineral wool must be protected from contact with water, because... under its influence, the thermal insulation qualities of the material deteriorate. In view of this, vapor barrier should be given Special attention. Another big disadvantage is that mineral wool is not environmentally friendly. It is because of this that its use has been actively abandoned recently.

Sold as rigid or flexible slabs, ready to install. You just need to first cut them into elements of the required width. On the harder side, a marking is applied to the slab, usually in the form of a blue stripe. When laying insulation between the joists, this strip should face upward. The insulation is laid in 1 layer.

The advantage of using mineral wool is that this material, in addition to its thermal insulation properties, is characterized by excellent noise-absorbing properties, which is especially important when finishing floors in a multi-story building.

It is one of the most modern, available in the form roll material, consisting of a layer of thermal insulation and reflective material in the form of thin aluminum foil. The thermal insulation layer can be represented by almost any existing insulation. The most the best option is foamed polyethylene.

The insulation can be fixed to almost any base using glue without any problems. Installation is carried out as quickly as possible and without unnecessary difficulties. Places directly on the floor surface. Sheets can be laid end-to-end or overlapped. The joints should be fixed using metallized adhesive tape. Penofol eliminates the need to use moisture and vapor barrier materials, because The material of the second layer – aluminum foil – copes well with this function.

Foam plastic has long been one of the leaders in the insulation market. It is also well suited for insulating wooden floors. It has many advantages, including: good thermal insulation qualities, resistance to rotting, mold formation, damage by insects and rodents. Thanks to its cellular structure, insulation using foam plastic is as effective and durable as possible.

The disadvantages of this insulation include its poor tolerance to contact with moisture, which reduces its thermal insulation properties. Therefore, the installation of insulation must be carried out with a parallel device of high-quality moisture and vapor barrier.

Also, a big disadvantage of polystyrene foam is that it is not environmentally friendly. Here everyone must decide for themselves which thermal insulation properties are more important to them.

Thus, there is nothing complicated about insulating a wooden floor yourself. All work comes down to fixing a certain number of lags and fixing the selected insulation. Knowing the properties of the most popular insulation materials, you can choose the most suitable option specifically for your case and ensure the highest quality insulation of a wooden floor.

Good luck!

A wooden house requires especially careful thermal protection, since if the temperature and humidity conditions are violated, the wood begins to rot and lose its strength characteristics. Effective insulation will help prevent this. Before you begin work on protection from the cold, you need to figure out how to properly insulate the floor in an individual wooden house.

Why insulate a wooden floor?

Wood compared to concrete is enough warm material, but when building a frame private house or a house made of timber with your own hands, it is not always possible to achieve a rational balance of the thickness of the structure in terms of strength and thermal conductivity. To reduce the consumption of materials on walls and foundations, thermal insulation is necessary. It is possible to carry out insulation work both in an old building that has been commissioned for a long time, and in new construction.

Insulating the floor in a wooden house can prevent the following problems:

• the appearance of excessive dampness in the room;
• reducing the temperature in the task;
• condensation, which causes mold to appear;
• the appearance of fungus and other microorganisms dangerous to humans;
• increased heating costs;
• destruction wooden structures from the inside.

By doing the work yourself you can significantly reduce costs. Now there are many materials, the use of which does not require special skills and high qualifications.

Diagram of all heat losses wooden house.

Which floors require insulation?

The following structures need protection:

1. cold basement floor pie;
2. attic floor;
3. interfloor slab design.

In the case of an interfloor option, the material is used as sound insulation. In this case, you need to provide a layer 3-5 cm thick.

Insulating the floor of the first floor in a wooden house allows you to ensure comfortable conditions accommodation. Most heat loss occurs through the ceiling of the upper floor, so it is necessary that the insulation is selected and installed correctly.

Materials for work

To properly insulate the floor in a wooden house, you need to choose high-quality insulation that has all the necessary properties. Insulation can be carried out both from the inside of the room and from the cold air side.

To insulate an attic floor from the inside or a basement floor with your own hands, it is better to use lightweight materials that can be easily attached to the floor pie from below. In this case, it would be correct to use:

• mineral wool in rolls;

These materials will ensure maximum convenience when insulating the ceiling with your own hands.

When insulating frame house, in houses made of timber or logs, work can be carried out from the inside of the room for the floor of the first floor and from the outside for the last. In this case, it is better to insulate the floor along joists or beams, since this will prevent the load from being transferred to the fragile material. For this type of work you can use the following materials:

Styrofoam

Extruded polystyrene foam

Polyurethane foam

More information about insulation with sawdust and expanded clay can be found in the articles and. These materials have such advantages as natural origin and low cost, so if you need to reduce construction costs or insulation in an old building and ensure complete environmental friendliness, it is better to use them. However, they are less technologically advanced compared to other materials.

Recently, the method is also gaining popularity. This method is good for its low labor intensity and high efficiency.

Floor insulation technology

It is important to lay the insulation correctly, observing the correct order of all layers. The floor pie when insulating the attic floor, the floor of the second floor or the first has not always noticeable, but significant differences.

Insulation of the floor of the first floor from below

In this case, when carrying out work with your own hands, the materials should be correctly laid in the following order:

1. waterproofing;
2. insulation;
3. vapor barrier;
4. ceiling design.

When building a house from timber or frame, the material is secured along the beams. After which the filing is performed. As a protection against moisture and steam, you can use ordinary polyethylene film. As a second option for waterproofing, moisture-proof membranes are used. If all layers are laid correctly, the structure will be reliably and competently protected from the cold from the point of view of heating engineering.

This method is very labor-intensive and is used only if it is not possible to insulate from the inside.

Also, the method is perfect for insulating from below.

Insulation of the ground floor floor from the inside

Insulation wooden floor

Combined insulation

Insulation under a warm screed

Carrying out work under the ceiling is quite inconvenient, therefore, when constructing a frame house or a building made of timber, insulation of the first floor ceiling is often carried out using beams from above. In this case, in addition to the previously mentioned materials, you can use bulk materials such as sawdust and expanded clay. When carrying out insulation with your own hands, correctly lay all layers in the following sequence:

1. floor design;
2. waterproofing;
3. insulation;
4. vapor barrier;
5. clean floor.

The vapor barrier must be placed from the inside of the room, so it will work correctly, preventing damage to the floor along the timber beams.

Insulation of interfloor ceilings

Mineral wool insulation between joists

Soundproofing of interfloor wooden floors

In the first case, the insulation dampens airborne noise: human speech, music, etc. In the second case, the structure is also perfectly insulated from impact noise - steps, jumps, etc.

Proper sound insulation of interfloor ceilings is the key to comfortable living for all family members.

Insulation of the ceiling of the upper floor from the inside

Installing insulation from the inside does not provide maximum protection for structures, but it can be used as a second option for laying insulation. In this case, the insulation is mounted on the beams from below the floor. It would be correct to arrange the layers in this order:

1. vapor barrier;
2. insulation;
3. waterproofing;
4. beam-based floor structure.

Insulating the attic floor

When constructing and repairing a frame house, a house made of timber or logs, it is better to insulate the attic from above. This method has the following advantages:

• ease of installation;
• the possibility of using inexpensive bulk materials;
• competent thermal protection;
• insulation of not only the room, but also the ceiling along the beams of a house made of timber or frame;
• prevention of condensation in the thickness of the ceiling.

To ensure proper protection, the layers are laid in the following order from bottom to top:

1. floor design;
2. vapor barrier;
3. thermal insulation material;
4. waterproofing.

Calculation of insulation thickness

To perform a full-fledged thermal engineering calculation of the structures of a frame house or a building made of timber, it is not necessary to have a construction education. When performing calculations, it is important to know the thickness of all layers of the cake and their thermal conductivity. It's quite easy to find out.

The calculation will allow you to perform proper insulation of a house made of timber and prevent excess consumption of materials. All calculations, taking into account the search for source data, are unlikely to take more than half an hour. Typically, layers such as waterproofing and vapor barrier are not taken into account.

A competent choice of insulation method, type of material and its thickness can eliminate many problems during operation. When constructing multi-storey residential buildings, the question of insulation does not arise: it is required. The correct selection of thickness and the presence of measures for thermal protection of the floor, attic floor and walls are checked by an expert, which considers these calculations on a par with calculations of strength.

In private housing construction, no one checks the presence of proper insulation, but this does not make it any less important.

To make your home feel comfortable and cozy, it is not enough to have a roof and walls. You also need to think about insulating the floor.

It is extremely important that the house has a dry and warm microclimate. In a wooden house, you need to take floor insulation especially seriously. This will not only create coziness, but also reduce the cost of unnecessary heating of the house, thus reducing heat losses. After all, in this way, about twenty percent of the heat leaves the house through the floor.

How to insulate floors in a wooden house

The quality of floor insulation will depend directly on the right purchase materials. Today the industry is able to offer a wide choice various types thermal insulation.

Popular materials for thermal insulation are stone wool, penoplex, polystyrene foam, fiberglass, mineral wool and so on. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. ?

Mineral or stone wool, fiberglass

These materials have high level sound absorption and thermal insulation. When performing single-layer insulation, roll insulation or mats made from these materials are used. Thermal insulation options in mats are more resilient, and they are also more durable.

Floor insulation mineral wool

Mineral wool and fiberglass are great for... They are laid between the joists. It is also possible for these materials to be laid under the subfloor.

Expanded polystyrene and penoplex are used for insulation of the most different designs. At the same time, their cost is low, they are durable and can provide sufficiently high thermal insulation of structures. Thermal insulation from these materials is carried out using spraying. This method is fast, effective and economical. Most often, such insulation is used in new houses.

Cutting fiberglass mat

Useful properties of mineral wool:

1. low material density;
2. low level of thermal conductivity;
3. durability of insulation;
4. high level of water repellency;
5. environmental cleanliness;
6. affordable price;
7. non-flammability;
8. high chemical resistance and so on.

Expanded polystyrene is one of the most effective materials for insulation

Useful properties of polystyrene foam:

1. low level of water absorption and moisture resistance;
2. high level of thermal insulation;
3. high strength of the material;
4. volume stability and shape stability;
5. durability of use;
6. high biological stability;
7. resistance to various microorganisms;
8. ease of processing and installation;
9. environmental cleanliness.

People who choose usually prefer environmental friendliness. It is important to preserve the quality aura that wooden floors and walls create. That is why thermal insulation materials must also be environmentally friendly and meet environmental requirements.

1. Usage mineral wool or fiberglass allows you to enter the framework of environmental friendliness, but only if these materials are used to connect harmless resins. The use of phenol-formaldehyde resins in mineral wool insulation can be detected by a brownish tint. In fiberglass, the same additives will give yellowness.
2. Environmental friendliness expanded polystyrene for the floor will depend on its quality. It must be well dried so that no volatile compounds remain in the raw material. Otherwise, when the temperature rises, they acquire the ability to poison a person. For example, styrene can cause leukemia, toxic hepatitis and other diseases.

Calculation of the cost of insulating a house with ecowool

When choosing a material for insulation, you need to carefully read their composition and environmental safety certificates. This is important, even though today most thermal insulation materials must be produced taking into account international environmental requirements. They most often use a combination of latex and acrylic, which is harmless to health, as a binding element.

Durability of thermal insulation

Today it is quite difficult to determine how durable this or that floor insulation will be. Therefore, when choosing them, you need to take into account their various qualities.

For example, after applying pressure with some load on some materials, they cannot restore their original volume. In other words, some of the fibers simply break. That is why these materials do not fit tightly to floor beams and joists. As a result, they can create conditions for cold bridges to appear on structures. Also, in places where the thermal insulation does not fit tightly, condensation may appear.

Scheme of floor insulation on joists

To select high-quality insulation, you need to press (for example, step on) a small piece. If after pressure it returns to its original shape, then it is suitable for purchase. If the insulation remains flat, then it is better to abandon it.

How can you improve the thermal insulation properties of a floor? When insulating, thermal insulation mats alone are not enough. For example, insulated finishing options are often used: double carpet flooring, heat-insulating linoleum.

Wood-fiber tiles, wood-fiber boards and other materials are laid directly under the finishing surfaces, for example, parquet.

A wooden house, especially, is insulated through additional insulation of the foundation. It is also necessary to carefully check basements for ventilation holes.

Double floors

Quite often the insulation option using double floors is used. In this case, a subfloor is used as the first layer, for example, made of rough boards, which are carefully attached to the beams. There should be no gaps, so the boards are placed tightly against each other. A regular finished floor is laid on top; if necessary, a finishing coating made of decorative materials can be used.

Often, instead of a subfloor, various floor coverings are used, including smooth or embossed coverings (not carpet), which have a high level of thermal insulation. Such materials do not accumulate debris; any debris from them can be easily swept away or collected with a vacuum cleaner.

Such coverings are glued to the floor with bustylate glue, spread on the material in the form of strips. In this case, you need to firmly glue the joints.

Insulation using fiberboard

Wood-fiber materials can often be found when insulating floors. Fiberboards can be placed both under the finishing coating (carpet, parquet, linoleum, or other materials) and under the main floor boards.

Floor insulation using fiberboard

Laying the slabs on the floor is carried out sequentially, avoiding cracks and maintaining the accuracy of the joints. For such work can be used different types slabs Among them, the most popular are M-20 and PT-100. They prevent cold from penetrating into the house from under the floor.

Fiberboard insulation can also be used in combination with mineral wool and other thermal insulation.

Warm floor system

At the moment, the “warm floors” system is considered one of the popular technologies. It is often used when arranging floors made on the basis of cement screed that require heating. This system can be used in combination with traditional insulation materials.

Water heated floor in a wooden house

Heated floors allow the floor surface to be heated evenly. As a result, a comfortable temperature is created throughout the room, and not just under the ceiling. The humidity in the house decreases significantly. Particularly relevant for the first floor of a wooden house.

Scheme of wooden water heated floors

Creation of a water heated floor system

1. Poured cement strainer(floor base) or concrete slabs are being laid.
2. Lay insulation of any type with a thickness of two to ten centimeters.
3. Reinforcement mesh is installed.
4. A pipeline system is attached to the reinforcing mesh with plastic clamps.
5. In progress.
6. If necessary, apply a substrate.
7. Laying finishing floor coverings.

Electric heated floors

Installing electric heated floors is much easier. Cable structures are also used here. In this case, the cable can be stretched to metal mesh, which is installed on logs.

When used, they can be attached directly to the screed, which is insulated with heat-insulating materials.

Electric heated floors

The variety of thermal insulation materials can lead buyers to a dead end. Therefore, we present the possibilities of use and features of basic materials. Thermal insulation materials offered by the market:

1. Insulation- heat-insulating material produced in rolls. It is produced in China. However, at a low price, the quality of the material is very high. Insulation is used for thermal insulation of a wide variety of structures.
2. Ursa is one of the most popular thermal insulation materials. It is widely used for horizontal surfaces. It has excellent soundproofing and thermal insulation qualities.
3. Thermolife- a material used for light loads on the thermal insulation layer. Often used to insulate interfloor spaces, roofs and walls. Can be used on inclined, vertical and horizontal surfaces.

Materials for floor insulation

Other thermal insulation materials are also popular, such as:
Penoplex, Theplex, Isovent, Isolite, Rockwool. It is extremely important to do for your wooden house right choice according to the above recommendations.

There are several flooring systems for a wooden house, both standard and quite specific. Today we will analyze the most popular of them from the point of view of the most profitable method of insulation. Let's talk about materials, cake and supporting system.

Classic floor design

Initially, the floors in wooden houses were loose, which did not have a very good effect on the life of the residents and the efficiency of cleaning. Therefore, they began to deepen the floor inside the house and prepare a dense, incompressible bedding. Logs or sleepers were laid on top of it with a half-timber hem and a checkerboard ligation pattern, and a plank board of the main covering was laid on top, which was then leveled, simultaneously sealing the cracks.

Such a floor, despite the simplicity of its design, has one drawback: it is cold and in terms of heat conservation it is little better open ground. Therefore, more and more often, a system of transverse lathing or digging under beams began to be installed for free air circulation. The floor did not adjoin the walls and the stove closely, due to which room air circulated underneath it, leveling the temperature difference between the wood and the soil to an average value of 15-20 ºС.

Unfortunately, this approach only works if fuel is abundant and accessible. Modern systems Fireplace and radiator heating, designed to save energy, do not provide proper heating. In addition, the floor level in the house was below ground level, which caused problems during floods, and the need for free circulation near the walls prevented the junction from being covered with a plinth.

Yet such primitive systems served as the basis for two typical wood flooring techniques that are used in most construction projects. Their main difference is the use of highly effective insulation techniques, which would be impossible without a well-thought-out supporting system that allows you to correctly place and secure the heat-insulating material without losing the height of the premises.

Floor with subfloor on stilts

The transfer of heat from the plank flooring to the ground can be slowed down by increasing the air gap and covering the ground with even a small layer of material that does not transfer heat well.

In this case, the floor is constructed in the same way as a floating one on a solid fill, but a rigid support is installed under each intersection of the joists. IN modern construction The implementation of such a system is undertaken by piles: screw or made using TISE technology.

At the same time, the ground in the building is significantly lowered, which is quite normal for an old, established log house without a foundation with logs in girth. In the more modern MZLF, exposing one face of the foundation is unacceptable - torsional and lateral loads arise, for which working reinforcement is almost never provided. Therefore, the floor joist system is installed in two levels: the first with beams in the spacer inside the tape, and the second with boards on the edge, on top of the tape and the log.

If heating the underground by circulation room air is not planned, the top row of joists is covered with synthetic burlap, supported by slats stuffed onto the bottom row. The cells of the floor joists can contain insulation, including loose insulation. If necessary, increase its thickness by adding a counter-lattice.

To reduce the volume of soil removed and support the foundation, a blade one meter wide and 40-50 cm high is left underneath, but no closer than 20 cm to the back surface of the boards. Expanded clay or perlite mixed with lime can be used as a heat-cutting filler, or more natural materials. For example, reeds, straw or moss, dried and sprinkled with dry sand, then laid over a layer of waterproofing.

Frame floor system

When constructing a wooden house on a pile-grillage foundation, the option of an underground floor disappears by itself. What is required here is a system that can reliably lock the heat inside and allow the use of floor heating, at least under the influence of natural convection.

The problem is solved by installing a crown of logs on the foundation, built like a frame for a floating floor: with hemming and running. These logs play the role of a second grillage, but their cell is smaller - about 100-120 cm versus 4-5 meters for concrete beams under load-bearing walls. When laying logs on top of a grillage, they are separated by several layers of waterproofing and tensioned windproof membrane with good vapor permeability.

The next task is to attach the windbreak with slats to the bottom surface of the joists. Although you can get to the joists through the ventilation gap under the grillage, working in cramped conditions and in poor lighting is quite a challenge. Do not screw the strips with self-tapping screws, they will wrap the wind protection around themselves. Instead, use 10mm shingles and small rough nails.

The floor insulation has the same thickness as the logs of a wooden grillage. A low-density mineral filler is usually used here; in the classic version, these are several layers of rolled wool. To support heavier materials, the cell can be lined from the inside with a polymer mesh or wire can be wound onto press washers.

1 — wind protection trim strips; 2 - logs; 3 - wind protection; 4 - mineral insulation; 5 - vapor barrier; 6 - sandwich panel

If the thickness of the beams is from 120 mm, after laying the insulation, they can be covered with a vapor barrier, and then the floor can be laid with sandwich panels with a mineral or polymer core. The floor system can also be provided with logs made of boards on edge, if the thickness of the insulation is not enough based on the results of thermal engineering calculations.

Bathroom floors

The biggest problem in a wooden house is the need to cast a preparatory screed. And if, to heat the floor, the accumulating screed is cast after installing a compensation layer on top of the subfloor with total waterproofing, then how to lower the floor in the bathroom by the required 50 mm?

This cannot be done without intervention in the floor system. In frame houses, the bathroom is located in a separate grillage cell, but it is cast solid, possibly with transverse ribs. The depth of the cell should be sufficient to lay the required amount of synthetic insulation, lay out the drainage system and, at least partially, rough plumbing.

Next comes the classic scheme of a frame floor with a screed: joists and flooring or SIP, waterproofing, pouring a cement-sand mixture or expanded clay concrete with lightweight reinforcement. A separate advantage of such a system is the ability to easily arrange a common floor drain.

1 - cranial block; 2 - boardwalk; 3 - lags; 4 - vapor barrier; 5 - insulation; 6 - OSB flooring; 7 - waterproofing; 8 - reinforced screed

In houses on strip foundation same principle. If the walls of the bathroom are solid, at least a tape is poured under them, separating the insulated screed in the bathroom from the main floor system. If we are talking about prefabricated partitions, they are built on the subfloor, the end is covered with a board and the insulated screed is poured over the ground again.

The difference in the use of insulation

Since mineral and foam polymer insulation is now being promoted by manufacturers equally diligently, the specifics of working with them are modestly kept silent. The key criteria for choosing a material for insulation are resistance to heat transfer, resistance to getting wet, fire hazard and the likelihood of pests settling under the floor.

Expanded polystyrene and polyurethane foam provide benefits in durability and insulation efficiency. They can harmlessly absorb the condensation point even when sealed in a cake. The only negative is the price: insulation will cost about a third more, and the more affordable PSB is toxic when heated and requires protection from rodents.

Mineral insulation materials are very sensitive to moisture saturation. If they are operated at the border of two temperatures, then on the room side they must be insulated with a vapor barrier and the circulation of outside air through the wool must be limited.

In domestic climatic conditions, the need to insulate residential buildings is beyond any doubt. Owners of private houses have to solve this problem on their own. Wooden boards, which in most cases are used to make floors in country houses, become deformed over time, and gaps appear in the initially tightly packed coating.

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

The list of materials for floor insulation is quite wide

Options for wood floor insulation technologies

The procedure for thermal insulation of a wooden floor should be provided for at the stage of design and construction of a house, and then minimal labor and financial resources will be required. If it is necessary to perform this manipulation when the ceiling is already ready, the technology for performing the work becomes significantly more complicated. In this case, the job can be done correctly and the floor can be insulated from above, directly over the old coating, or by partially dismantling it. There is also the option of insulating the flooring from below on the basement side.

IN in this case It’s more convenient to insulate the floor from the basement side

Thermal insulation of floors is done from above if the house has a low basement. If the flooring is dismantled, only the joists remain. The procedure is very labor intensive. If the basement is of sufficient depth, the insulating material can be laid from below. This is much simpler and faster, since during the work you will not have to dismantle and disassemble the flooring if it is in good condition.

What is the best way to insulate floors in a private house?

It is quite possible to do the insulation of the floor in a private house with your own hands. In this case, a variety of heat-insulating materials are used. Which one is better is determined after analyzing their performance characteristics and the specific conditions in which they will be used. An insulated floor significantly increases the comfort of living in a house when negative temperatures environment and reduces heating costs.

Ecowool is one of the insulation options for wooden floors

Polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are widely used; the use of glass wool and mineral wool has its own characteristics. The simplest and cheapest method is to insulate the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay or sawdust. The so-called dry screed has good performance characteristics.

Advantages and disadvantages of polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene

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

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

Quite often the floor is insulated with polystyrene foam.

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

• release harmful substances when ignited;
• prevent the passage of water vapor;
• afraid of exposure to direct sunlight;
• attractive to rodents;
• are destroyed upon contact with solvents;
• have low mechanical strength.

Characteristics of “Dry screed” for floor insulation

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

• excellent thermal insulation;
• fire safety;
• ease of installation;
• compatibility with all finishing coatings;
• small thickness;
• good noise absorption characteristics.

The process of laying “dry screed” for floor insulation

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

Possibility of using mineral wool

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

Mineral wool is well suited for floor insulation

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

However, when water gets in, deformation and partial loss of heat-insulating qualities occur. In addition, mineral wool has low mechanical strength and is not an environmentally friendly material.

Features of using glass wool

Glass wool is similar in its characteristics to mineral wool. The peculiarity of its use is that when performing work, you must carefully ensure that it does not get into the organs of vision or on the skin.

Glass wool is a common option for insulating a wooden floor.

The production process is complicated by the need for workers to use personal protective equipment. A negative quality of this material is its significant shrinkage over time, as a result of which, if installed incorrectly, the thermal insulation is damaged.

Pros and cons of using expanded clay

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

Floor insulation with expanded clay - simple and inexpensive

The disadvantage of using it is the need to make a significant thickness of backfill layer, otherwise wooden floors will remain cold, especially at sharply negative ambient temperatures. In addition, it absorbs moisture well, although it does not lose its insulating properties.

Sawdust is the cheapest material

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

Apparently sawdust is the most a budget option floor insulation

By increasing or decreasing the thickness of the layer, the level of thermal insulation is adjusted. IN northern regions in very cold climates you have to apply a very thick layer. It is necessary to take into account the attractiveness of this material for rodents and to repel them, add two parts of dry slaked lime to the composition. The disadvantage of sawdust is the occurrence of rotting processes in them when wet.

Modern choice - isolon and penofol

The use of such insulation as insulation has undoubted operational advantages. modern materials, like isolon and penofol. Isolon is a polyethylene foam coated with a layer of foil and is distinguished by excellent sound insulation properties with a very small thickness. The material does not support combustion, prevents the development of pathogenic microflora and corrosion processes, a two-centimeter layer is comparable in sound insulation and heat-saving properties to single brick masonry.

Fragments of laying penoizol for floor insulation

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

When using penofol, there is no need to carry out additional work on waterproofing or installing a vapor barrier layer.

The easiest way is to lay a double floor

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

The construction technology involves laying joists on which the subfloor will be strengthened. The coating can be made from wooden planks, particle boards, OSB or other similar materials, the only important thing is that the structural elements fit tightly together without forming gaps.

Arranging a double floor is a reliable insulation option

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

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

The most correct floor insulation is by joists

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

Dense insulation can be held between the joists using ordinary nails

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

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

If a private house has a deep, cold basement, the most the right way will insulate the floor from below without removing the old covering. In this case, there is no need to choose a material that can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and other mechanical loads. In this case, not only the finishing surface will be protected, but also the entire floor as a whole, and the dew point of the floor will shift outward, and the coating will not rot.

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

Schematically, insulation from below is performed as follows:

• First, a waterproofing layer is installed;
• then the heat insulator is located;
• on top of it is insulation from water vapor;
• Next, an overlap is performed to ensure that the floor’s thermal insulation is retained.

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

By adhering to this technology when doing work with your own hands, you can get the most comfortable temperature regime in the living areas of the house. The heat insulator should be light in weight, since it will place a constant load on the fastenings; bulk materials are not suitable in this case.

Insulating the floor in a wooden house from the inside with polystyrene foam or glass wool

Insulation from the inside with polystyrene foam or glass wool gives good results. These materials are lightweight and have excellent thermal insulation properties. First, waterproofing is secured to the bottom surface of the ceiling using a stapler. Next, you can lay the thermal insulation slabs in such a way that they are held during installation due to frictional forces. To do this, their width should be slightly larger than the distance between the lags. When working with glass wool, be sure to use personal protective equipment for the respiratory system, eyes and skin.

Penoplex - reliable insulation for wooden floors

A vapor barrier film is applied over the insulation, which is attached to the joists using staples and a stapler. Next, a frame is mounted along the joists to hold the insulation. It can be made of any material that suits you appearance and durability. Gaps are allowed between the holding elements, through which the insulation is guaranteed not to fall out.