What is the best insulation for the walls of a frame house? Which insulation for a frame house is better: properties of mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam

A frame house is the dream of many people who want to get their own ideal home. However, in practice, erecting such a building is still half the battle; you also need to turn it into a cozy space in which there is a feeling of comfort at any time of the year.

Everyone dreams of a warm home. After all, no matter how beautiful your home is, with the arrival of the first cold weather you will acutely feel the need for thermal insulation. And this especially applies frame houses, where the insulation is mounted directly into the walls. In this article we will look at how to insulate walls frame house and how to do it to achieve the best results.

We insulate a frame house

Thermal insulation of frame houses is a very responsible task, because in in this case You have hollow walls, and therefore the choice of insulation fundamentally decides how cozy your home will be in the winter months. Therefore, not “how,” but “what is the best way to insulate frame walls” is the first question that should interest any owner.

Choice of insulation

All insulating materials can be broadly divided into two categories:

  • Organic, which include traditional insulation in the form of shavings, tyrsa, tow, etc. Some of these materials are still used to this day, but are used mainly in traditional house construction, using timber and logs as the main material.
  • Inorganic, which include thermal insulators such as mineral wool, expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam. Naturally, these materials are more modern and are ideally suited for frame houses. Let's look at them in more detail:
  1. Styrofoam. Historically, foam plastic is the most popular insulation material for frame houses. Among its advantages, the following should be noted:
  • Lightness of panels.
  • Low price.
  • Possibility to insulate walls with your own hands.
  • Polystyrene foam practically does not absorb moisture.

Disadvantages of polystyrene foam:

  • Flammability. When burned, produces toxic black smoke.
  • The sheets are fragile and often have cracks, so when purchasing you should carefully inspect each sheet.
  • Relative fragility. The service life of polystyrene foam is 10-20 years.

  1. Mineral wool. Recently it has been the most popular insulation material. It is produced both in the form of a light fibrous substance and in the form of dense slabs. It has the following positive properties:
  • The air gaps between the fibers provide the material with high thermal insulation properties.
  • Good sound-absorbing qualities.
  • Easy to install.
  • Durability (service life is several times higher than that of polystyrene foam).

The disadvantages are as follows:

  • Fear of excess moisture. Even with slight wetting (2-3%), the thermal insulating properties of this material can be reduced by half. Therefore, this insulation should be combined with waterproofing materials.

Boasts better than mineral wool, characteristics. The specific gravity of this material is several times less, while the waterproof properties are very high.

Unlike polystyrene foam, expanded polystyrene has fire resistance, resistance to chemical corrosion and high mechanical strength. Its service life is very long and exceeds 50 years.

It consists of 81% cellulose, and therefore its characteristics are very similar to wood. At the same time, it does not rot, resists fire and is absolutely non-toxic.

The disadvantages of ecowool include the need for special equipment to carry out insulation work.

Carrying out insulation work

Having figured out how frame houses are insulated, we move directly to thermal insulation. Methods of insulation depend both on the chosen thermal insulator and the characteristics of the building itself. We will look at the most common options.

We insulate a wooden frame house

Wooden houses are known for their impermanence, and frame houses even more so. In the corners between the boards, cracks often form through which cold air easily penetrates into the room. Therefore, before insulation, it is necessary to carefully inspect the walls from the inside.

First of all, you need to identify the places from which it is blowing. Such cracks can simply be filled polyurethane foam, which is often used to seal joints, and the insulation of the loggia can be done using foam as the main insulation. If necessary, remove the interior trim.

Installation of insulation

Insulated wall of a frame house “in section”.

Insulation should be laid between the inner and external cladding walls We should not forget about protecting the heat insulator from moisture, which can accumulate inside the frame, which contributes to the growth of mold and microbes. Therefore, a special vapor barrier film should be installed on the inside, and a layer of waterproofing on the outside is required.

Warming process frame walls very similar to thermal insulation pitched roofs, only instead of lags there is a frame.

Instructions for the behavior of thermal insulation include the following steps:

  1. From the inside we stuff cross members onto the frame in increments of 30-40 cm. We will install insulation on them.

Advice! The sheathing should be treated with special compounds that will protect the wood from dampness and pests.

  1. In quality, since this material is excellent for insulating frame houses. WITH outside we lay insulation boards and fix them on the sheathing.

The photo shows the process of installing insulation boards into the frame of a house.

Advice! There should be no gaps between the insulation boards! If there are gaps, they should be sealed with polyurethane foam!

  1. Now you need to install the waterproofing. As mentioned above, mineral wool reacts very poorly to moisture, and therefore it is necessary to insulate the insulation as reliably as possible. To do this, we install from the outside waterproofing membrane. Any waterproofing material is suitable for this.

Advice! Penofol can be used as waterproofing. This material is insulation, and therefore the thermal insulation of your home will be more reliable.

A gap of 5 cm should be maintained between the waterproofing and the insulation layer.

  1. Next, you need to create ventilation for the facade. To do this, we fill bars along the frame on top of the membrane, which have a cross-section of 25 by 50 cm.
  2. We fill planks across these beams, forming a sheathing. Remember that all wooden elements should be treated with special protective compounds. Otherwise, such a frame will quickly become unusable.
  3. We attach sheets to the sheathing facing material. Best choice are siding panels. This material is durable, easy to use and has excellent appearance.
  4. Now let's move on to internal work. A vapor barrier should be installed on the inside. It is needed in order to protect the insulation from moisture penetrating from the inside of the building. The level of humidity in warm residential areas is always high, and therefore such measures are justified.

You can use the same as a vapor barrier, or purchase specially designed material. We stuff the vapor barrier onto the frame so that the foil layer faces the inside of the room.

Walls covered with penofol

  1. The interior lining of the room must be installed on top of the vapor barrier. It is best to use drywall for this - this material is easy to use, low cost and reliable.

Conclusion

Insulating a frame house is a very serious and responsible process. Since the walls of such a house are hollow, laying high-quality insulation in this case is more important than ever.

But it’s not enough to choose a good thermal insulation material – you also need to be able to use it correctly, creating warmth and comfort in your home. After all, if you carry out thermal insulation work poorly, then with the arrival of the first cold weather the results will make themselves felt.

In this article you learned what is the best way to insulate frame house and how to perform thermal insulation in order to achieve best results. As you can see, there are no particular difficulties in carrying out this work, and you can carry out insulation work yourself without any particular difficulties, without involving specialists in this process. This will allow you to save a lot of money family budget, because the services of masters are not cheap.

In the video presented in this article you will find additional information on this topic.

The answer to the question of which insulation is best for a frame house still causes a lot of disagreement among both professionals and ordinary residents.

A frame house is a comfortable and reliable housing with an excellent appearance, the walls of which consist of a frame sheathed finishing materials, and insulation is laid between them.

What thermal insulation material is best to use for your future home?

Should you only insulate the walls to save money, or should you think about further comfortable living in your home?

Let's try to figure it out and find the best solutions.

Why do you need insulation?

As sad statistics say, about 50% of the heat indoors is lost. Most of the population does not even think about the fact that they are throwing money away, although in our time this is quite an impressive amount.

Why is this happening? The reason is clear and simple. During the construction of the building, due attention was not paid to the issue of thermal insulation.

Yes, the customer spends less money during the construction phase, but in the future he will regret his decision.

After all, it is thermal insulation that ensures comfort in the house and allows you to significantly reduce energy costs, thereby saving the family budget.

Insulating materials provide:

  • saving building materials;
  • comfortable living in the house;
  • reduction in heating costs;
  • reduction in air conditioning costs;
  • effective sound insulation;
  • long-term service life of building structures;
  • minimizing emissions of harmful substances into the environment.

To ensure maximum effect from the use of insulating materials, you should choose them carefully and wisely, and follow all the advice when working with them.

Now let's talk about whether it is worth insulating the house from the outside or from the inside. Both options have the right to life.

If you want to reduce the thermal conductivity of walls and eliminate problems that may arise in connection with this in the future, you should focus on external insulation.

In this case, you need to select materials for vertical fastening. If you have expressed a desire to insulate the room from the inside, you need to calculate the dew point value for housing. But it is still not recommended to insulate walls from the inside.

When planning home insulation, some people think about do-it-yourself thermal insulation. In this case, certain factors need to be taken into account:

  • condition of the base;
  • characteristics of the area;
  • operating features;
  • quality of building materials.

It is worth noting that the services of craftsmen will cost more than thermal insulation on our own, but turning to professionals guarantees a successful result.

In this case, try not to save, as in the future you can save much more.

Now let's move on to an equally important issue - the choice of insulation. How to understand what is the best insulation for a frame house?

In frame construction, the choice of insulation is one of the most important and serious issues.

Each type of insulation has certain properties. It is important that the insulation lasts for many years. Today, several categories of insulation are known:

  • natural (organic);
  • synthetic (inorganic).

Natural insulation materials have been used since ancient times. Organic materials include natural substances: peat, straw, shavings, sawdust, clay, tyrsa, etc.

Organic insulation is environmentally cleaner than synthetic insulation.

But it should be noted that for insulation modern houses These materials are rarely used due to low moisture resistance and energy saving.

Inorganic materials include:

  • mineral wool;
  • wood fiber wool;
  • ecowool;
  • cork covering;
  • Styrofoam;
  • polyurethane foam;
  • expanded clay

As part of the article, you should definitely consider the advantages and disadvantages of all popular materials for insulation.

Insulation: mineral wool, ecowool and cork

Mineral wool is a high-quality, good insulation material that is very popular today.

For insulation, mats in the form of compressed slabs are used. They are easy to install: easy to cut right size using a saw or knife, fireproof, light weight, good thermal insulation and sound insulation, durable.

But still, mineral wool also has its drawbacks, the main one of which is the presence of substances harmful to health (formaldehyde).

In order to avoid the penetration of particles into the room when installing mineral wool insulation, the walls from the inside are covered with special films.

Mineral wool is susceptible to the destructive effects of moisture: in this case, half of its thermal insulation functions may be lost.

To avoid this, when insulating walls, openings should be protected with waterproofing materials.

Two types of mineral wool are popular: basalt wool and glass wool.

Basalt wool fibers can withstand fairly high temperatures (more than 1000° C). Basalt wool is fireproof, does not absorb moisture, and perfectly retains heat in the house.

This type of mineral wool comes in the form of slabs or rolls, which are used not only for insulating frame houses, but also in the construction of stone and brick dwellings.

Glass wool is fireproof, easy to install, can quickly absorb moisture, but just as quickly release it (if there is a special ventilation gap).

Glass wool is safe for human body, but during the insulation process it is worth taking precautions. Resistant to mold.

If you know and follow all the rules, insulation with mineral wool - suitable way to build a good house.

Wood fiber wool is used for houses with high requirements for environmental cleanliness. The thickness of the layer of such wool is from 16 to 20 cm. It has the form of rigid slabs, which are made of cellulose fibers and tree resin.

Ecowool is a natural insulation material, the main component of which is cellulose treated with boric and brown acids.

These substances are non-toxic, so the house will be protected with environmentally friendly materials. The material does not rot, resists fire, is a good insulator of heat and sound, the thermal insulation layer has no voids, seams, or cold bridges.

The disadvantage of ecowool insulation is the mandatory use of special equipment. Today, ecowool is one of the best materials for thermal insulation.

Cork is a widely used type. internal insulation frame houses. It is made on the basis of cork oak bark, which has a wide palette of colors and allows the consumer to choose the desired shade.

This coating has a number of advantages: attractive appearance, absolute safety for health, the material is not subject to combustion, does not absorb unpleasant odors, is antistatic, and is suitable for wet cleaning.

Disadvantage cork covering is quite high cost. The coating can be used to insulate facades and floors.

Materials for insulation: polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and expanded clay

Polystyrene foam is a rather ancient, but popular insulation material for frame houses. In the last century - the best insulation (but sometimes the only one).

Polystyrene foam has a number of advantages: low cost, lightness, does not absorb moisture, and is easy to use.

When laying polystyrene foam, no additional protection is required (moisture-absorbing films). Due to this, the cost of installing the material is not as high as other insulation materials.

Polystyrene foam has a number of significant disadvantages, the main of which are its flammability (when it ignites, toxic substances are released), low noise insulation, and fragility (requires careful handling and checking for damage).

Nevertheless, polystyrene foam as an insulation material is popular among consumers. Most often it is popular when insulating frame houses, for which minimum cost is a key issue.

Polyurethane foam is a type of plastic. It belongs to the category of sprayed substances and has a foamy structure.

Remove polyurethane foam directly onto construction site by mixing several components that enter into a chemical reaction.

This process can be hazardous to health as toxic substances are released during the reaction. Therefore, work must be done in overalls.

The material has high fire resistance, is resistant to changes in temperature and humidity, has a service life of at least 20 - 30 years, and is environmentally friendly for the human body after hardening. The structure of polyurethane foam allows you to choose the density of insulation for your home.

The main disadvantages of this material are the high cost and the need to use special equipment during the insulation process.

Expanded clay is one of the loose insulation materials for frame houses (light weight granules that are obtained by firing clay).

The advantages of expanded clay as insulation include:

  • absence of harmful toxins;
  • sound insulation;
  • thermal insulation;
  • not exposed to fire;
  • does not collapse at low temperatures;
  • durability;
  • relatively low cost.

Bulk insulation is not resistant to moisture, so only highly qualified craftsmen can work with them. When backfilling, the materials must be compacted well so that they do not settle after a while.

Expanded clay is the ideal material for floor insulation.

How to choose the right insulation?

Let's try to answer the question: what material is better to use for insulating a frame house?

Let us highlight the main criteria when choosing insulating material:

  • thermal insulation functions;
  • environmental friendliness;
  • material price;
  • durability;
  • fire resistance.

If the main goal when building your home is reliable housing for a relatively small amount, then you should choose polystyrene foam or mineral wool.

If you are concerned about the naturalness of the material, then the best insulation is ecowool, and cork is perfect for internal insulation.

Other insulation materials have more disadvantages and are inferior to these materials.

In addition to the main material for building a house, one should not forget about the use of various films, which are an integral part of the insulation process and help protect the house from exposure environment.

What needs to be insulated in a frame house? Inexperienced customers, in order to save money when building housing, agree only to insulate the walls.

Frame houses are prefabricated structures and are the main type of residential buildings in the USA, Canada, Finland, Germany and Sweden. With the advent of the new millennium, technology frame construction is finding more and more supporters among our compatriots. However, the climate of the above countries is still milder, therefore, in most of Russia, the construction of a frame house requires the use of additional insulation. This short article will tell you about some of its types.


Insulation, as well as any other material used in the construction of frame houses, has a number of requirements. The most important among them are:

  • Lightness, since most residential frame buildings are built on lightweight types of foundations (pile, columnar, etc.). However, if another type of foundation is used, then this requirement can be neglected;
  • Resistance to flame and high temperatures is one of the main requirements in a wooden house;
  • Resistant to humid environments, especially if interior decoration natural “breathable” materials are used;
  • The ability to ensure tightness, i.e. minimal number of seams, or better yet, their complete absence;
  • Elasticity, since frame houses tend to “move” throughout their entire service life, this occurs due to alternating drying out and moisture gain by the wood;
  • Long service life without loss of thermal insulation qualities. True, this requirement is not so critical, since it is quite easy to open the wall of a frame house and replace the old insulation, but it is still better to do without it;
  • Environmentally friendly and safe for human and domestic animal health. This requirement probably does not need additional comments.

Main types of insulation

Progress in all spheres of human life does not stand still, including in construction industry, therefore, every year new types of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings, foundations, etc. appear on the building materials market. If just a couple of decades ago, only mineral wool, sawdust (shavings), and expanded clay with slag were available to the average person, today it is much richer. In addition to the above, these include:

  • Ecowool;
  • Sprayed polyurethane foam.


Mineral or basalt wool is one of the most popular insulation materials for frame residential premises. This material is flame resistant and high temperatures, environmentally friendly, has good sound insulation. The last property is very important in frame buildings. To understand what thermal insulation characteristics mineral wool has, it will suffice to say that a layer of this material 50 mm thick is equal in properties to the thickness brickwork at 580 mm.

Regarding the insulation technology itself, the construction of the frame is carried out initially with the expectation that slabs of mineral (basalt) wool will be used. Between racks wooden frame leave a distance of 60 cm, which is equal to the standard width of the insulating material.

Basalt slabs should be laid tightly so that there is not too much free space between them and the outer and inner walls, but they should not be pressed too hard, as over time this can lead to damage to the material and the formation of “cold bridges.”


Expanded polystyrene (EPS) in boards is a foamed thermoplastic, which consists of fused granules. This may seem surprising, but the insulation boards themselves consist of 98% air, which fills both the granules themselves and the space between them, and only 2% polystyrene. Of all types of insulation for frame structures polystyrene foam boards are the lightest.

With prolonged exposure, polystyrene foam is affected by vegetable, animal and paraffin oils, fats, diesel fuel and petroleum jelly. EPS is unstable to various types of organic solvents, but it does not dissolve or swell in water, practically does not absorb moisture, is durable and resistant to rotting. This material is not digestible by animals and microorganisms, therefore it is not used by them as food and does not provide a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.


Ecowool, which consists of 80% cellulose and 20% various components (binders and fire retardants), in our country relatively recently began to be used as insulation for frame houses, although, for example, in the States this material was widely used back in the 70s. -s of the last century. For comparison, it must be said that a layer of ecowool 130 mm thick is equivalent in its thermal insulation characteristics to a 600 mm thick aerated concrete wall.

Essentially, ecowool is waste from paper production that has been treated with brown acid or ammonium sulfates (prevent burning) and boric acid(prevents rotting). It is resistant to combustion, harmless to the health of people and animals, does not rot and rodents are not very fond of it.

However, when choosing this material, you need to take into account this feature: ammonium sulfates and phosphates, when interacting with boric acid, lose their flame retardant properties over time. In addition, these connections can become a source unpleasant odor. Therefore, you should purchase ecowool that uses only brown acid (borax) as a fire retardant, which does not lose its properties and is odorless.


Another bulk insulation material is waste from wood processing enterprises - sawdust. Perhaps this is the most cheap way insulate the house. Some furniture production shops give away sawdust free of charge if a person independently removes the waste from the territory.

However, it should be remembered that for insulation you can only use sawdust of a fairly coarse fraction, and that remaining after cutting the primary wood.

Thus, sawdust from chipboard, fibreboard, MDF panels and other materials, in the production of which various binding components are used, are not suitable not only for reasons of environmental safety, but also because they are too small and are, in fact, fine dust .

In addition to being cheap, sawdust also has a number of other advantages:

  • Absolute harmlessness to others;
  • Excellent thermal insulation characteristics;
  • Excellent sound-absorbing properties.

However, there is also whole line shortcomings. So, for example, the low cost can be offset by the need to use manual labor when forming a heat-insulating layer. Sawdust tends to caking over time, which after some time will force work to open the walls and replace them.

If you do not add lime when filling, the sawdust will begin to rot quite quickly. Mice and rats also have a rather strange love for this material, so the outer parts of the walls should be well protected from their penetration. The figure below shows a possible scheme for insulating the walls of a frame house using sawdust.



Expanded clay has been used as insulation for almost a century. A huge advantage of expanded clay is its almost one hundred percent resistance to fire, as well as its environmental friendliness, because it is made from light-alloy clay or shale rock by swelling and firing. The method of producing expanded clay determines the porosity of its structure, which, in turn, makes it light and soundproof. Also, expanded clay granules are not subject to rotting and small rodents are not very fond of them. Over time, it does not lose its properties.

True, this material also has a full set of disadvantages.

Firstly, the relative fragility of the granules does not allow for great efforts to be made when compacting when filling into the walls, which can result in the formation of significant voids and “cold bridges”.

Secondly, expanded clay is hygroscopic, and the absorbed moisture is not released, but dries out gradually, that is, when used in rooms or climates with high humidity, the walls will constantly absorb water.

According to the shape and size of the fractions, expanded clay is divided into three varieties:

  1. Crushed stone. The granules of this fraction are large, acute-angled, the size ranges from 20 to 40 mm.
  2. Gravel. The granules are oval in shape, the size is about 10–20 mm.
  3. Sand. The smallest fraction, the size of the granules does not exceed 10 mm in diameter.

To insulate frame houses, you need to use a mixture of all three fractions, where 60–70% should be gravel, 20% sand and 10% crushed stone. Instead of expanded clay, slag is sometimes used, but this material is quite harmful to health and does not provide proper thermal insulation.


Polyurethane foam (PPU) itself is part of the group of gas-filled plastics, which are based on polyurethane. Just like expanded polystyrene, this insulation consists of 90% air. Sprayed polyurethane foam is used to insulate frame houses.

The use of this material allows not only to get rid of the need to install vapor barriers and wind and moisture protection from membrane materials, but also to significantly reduce the money and time costs for construction load-bearing frame structures. But the thickness of the polyurethane foam layer should be at least 120–200 mm (200–300 mm when using extruded polystyrene). Only a house with such a layer of polyurethane foam insulation can be considered truly energy-saving. A layer of polyurethane foam with a thickness of 70–80 mm corresponds to SNiP for enclosing wall structures, while a layer of 100–120 mm corresponds to SNiP for enclosing roof structures.

Spraying polyurethane foam perfectly solves the problem of “cold bridges”, and also copes with quite challenging task fastening such building structures, like doors and windows, which can only be installed using this material. Polyurethane foam excludes possible problems with distortions and shrinkage, which is very important in a frame house. Another quite significant advantage of this type of insulation: it performs a protective function for frame elements.

All wooden posts, beams, joists are completely protected from rotting (however, they must be completely dry before installation), since polyurethane foam has extremely low vapor permeability and is practically impenetrable to oxygen.

However, the last of these properties forces frame houses to be equipped with high-quality ventilation.


The thickness of the thermal insulation layer depends on several factors. The first and main thing is the type of insulation. The second is the climate of the area where frame housing is being built. For example, if in the Krasnodar region 100 mm (2 layers of standard slabs) of basalt wool will be enough, then in the Arkhangelsk region 200 mm will be needed, and 150 mm (3 layers) should be located between the frame posts, and 50 mm (1 layer) must be fixed outside to cover everything frame beams and eliminate the formation of “cold bridges”.

Of course, when calculating the required amount of thermal insulation material, you can be guided by life observations, asking neighbors, friends and acquaintances of self-taught builders who have already dealt with frame houses, but it is better to take a scientific approach and apply a simple formula: δth = R x λth, where λth - thermal conductivity of the insulation, and R is the thermal resistance of the walls. You can consider applying the formula to specific example: during the construction of a frame house, where interior walls made of plywood 6 mm thick, and external ones made of OSB boards 9 mm thick, it is necessary to calculate the thickness of the basalt wool layer.

The thermal resistance of the walls of any residential building located in the Moscow region should average R=3.20 m2*0C/W. This value varies depending on the region. Information about the thermal conductivity of a particular material can be found in the product certificate; its presence in it is mandatory; the absence of it should alert the buyer, as this may be evidence of poor quality and even harmful to health material.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer for a frame structure is determined by the same formula: δth = R x λth. Basalt wool has a thermal conductivity value of 0.045 W/m*0C, so in this case the thickness of the insulation layer should be δth = R x λth = 3.20 x 0.045 = 0.14 m. That is, 2 layers of slabs are needed, as already mentioned higher when comparing the construction of a frame house in the Arkhangelsk region and the Krasnodar region.

Video

Watch a video about choosing the best insulation for a frame house.

Recently, the popularity of frame houses has been steadily growing. For such a house to stand for many years, it is necessary to responsibly and seriously approach the choice of insulation.

It is necessary to insulate a frame house comprehensively. The roof, walls, floor and basement require thermal insulation materials with different properties.

All types of insulation can be divided into two types: synthetic and natural.

Natural insulation materials

TO natural insulating materials includes: moss, peat, wood, straw, and other materials of natural origin. They have been used since ancient times.

Their dignity:

  • low price;
  • availability;
  • environmental friendliness.

Their flaws:

  • very susceptible to biological effects (insects, rodents, mold, rot);
  • fragility;
  • labor-intensive installation and transportation;
  • flammability.

Synthetic insulation

To synthetic thermal insulation materials include: polystyrene foam, penoplex, glass wool, mineral wool, penoizol, polyurethane foam and others. These materials appeared relatively recently.

Their dignity:

  • non-flammability;
  • high biological stability;
  • convenient for installation and transportation;
  • high thermal insulation properties.

Their flaws:

  • quite high price;
  • when burning they emit acrid smoke;
  • not environmentally friendly, except for mineral wool.

A comparison of properties shows that using synthetic materials is much more more convenient and efficient. These materials are most often used in the construction of modern frame houses.

Characteristics of insulation materials and methods of their application

Synthetic insulation for insulating a frame house is divided into two types: hard and soft. Let's consider and compare their main technical characteristics.

Solid types of insulation


Solid type of insulation
It is produced in the form of dense, rigid slabs, which are attached between the frame posts and form the basis for façade covering and waterproofing.

Styrofoam- cheap, lightweight, but fragile and short-lived insulation. It represents balls of foamed polymer pressed together. This material is fixed between the frame posts using special glue.

Necessary very good to protect from environmental influences, from fire and from rodents. The joints between the sheets are thoroughly foamed. Polystyrene foam is most suitable for insulating walls or roofs. For accommodation in winter time a layer with a thickness of 200-250 mm is required, excluding finishing.

Main characteristics:

  • Slab length: 1 m.
  • Slab width: 2 m; 1m; 0.5 m.
  • Plate thickness: 100 mm, 50 mm, 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm, 10 mm.
  • Slab density: 15-35 kg/m3.


Expanded polystyrene or penoplex
- a more functional analogue of polystyrene foam. Very small foamed polymer particles in the slabs of this insulation create a heat-insulating material that is quite dense and resistant to various influences.

Mount between frame posts using special glue. Insulation boards can be applied on top decorative finishing and waterproofing. This material is used to insulate roofs, walls, floors and basements.

Penoplex slabs have special marking depending on their purpose. For living in winter, a layer with a thickness of 150-200 mm is required, excluding finishing.

Main characteristics:

  • Slab length: 1.2 m; 2;4 m.
  • Slab width: 0.6 m.
  • Plate thickness: 150 mm, 120 mm 100 mm, 50 mm, 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm.
  • Slab density: 25-35 kg/m3.

Soft types of insulation


Soft insulation
also fill the space between the frame posts, but apply decorative coating or waterproofing directly on the insulation itself is impossible, because it is subject to deformation and mechanical stress. This insulation is sewn up with sheathing sheets on both sides.

Mineral wool- a material made of thin fibers from the melt of igneous rocks. It has a low thermal conductivity coefficient.

Available in the form rolls or mats. It is placed without compaction between the frame posts and covered with sheathing on both sides. It is suitable for insulating floors, walls and roofs. For living in winter, a layer with a thickness of 200-250 mm is required, excluding finishing.

Main characteristics:

  • Mat length: 1.25 m; 7 m; 10 m.
  • Mat width: 0.6 m; 1.2 m.
  • Roll width: 1.2 m.
  • Roll thickness: 50 mm.
  • Density: 18-35 kg/m3.

Glass wool- a material made from thin fibers from molten glass. It is installed in the same way as mineral wool and has very similar characteristics and properties.

The main difference between glass wool- shorter service life, but it is much cheaper than mineral wool.

For living in winter, a thick layer is required 200-250 mm, excluding finishing.

Main characteristics:

  • Mat length: 1.25 m; 2 m; 5 m; 7 m; 10 m.
  • Mat width: 0.6 m; 1.2 m.
  • Mat thickness: 150 mm, 100 mm, 70 mm, 50 mm, 40 mm.
  • Roll length: 5 m, 6 m, 7 m, 8 m, 9 m, 12 m.
  • Roll width: 1.2 m.
  • Roll thickness: 50 mm.
  • Density: 12-50 kg/m3.


Ecowool
– environmentally friendly insulation in the form of cellulose powder and special additives. It is installed between the sheathing slabs using the dry backfill, dry blowing or wet-glue method. All work is performed by the manufacturer.

Sold in compressed form, in packages. This material can be used to insulate walls, ceilings and roofs. Insulation thickness for winter living 250-400 mm.

Main characteristics:

  • Volume of straightened cotton wool in one package: 2.5 m3; 3 m 3; 4m 3.
  • Density: 30-70 kg.

Penoizol- foam plastic, which is produced and poured in the form of foam, between sheets of sheathing, right on the construction site. The result is seamless slabs with high thermal insulation properties. Installed by the manufacturer. In this way you can insulate the basement, roof, ceilings and walls. The thickness of the insulation for winter living is 120-150 mm.

Main characteristics:

  • Penoizol density: 5-35 kg/m3.

Polyurethane foam- insulation that is applied to the sheathing slab by spraying. The result is a very dense and rigid slab without seams. To date this is the most effective method insulation. In this way you can insulate the basement, roof, ceilings and walls. The insulation is installed by the manufacturer. Thickness for winter living is 120-150 mm.

Main characteristics:

  • Density of polyurethane foam: 5-40 kg/m3.

How to choose the best insulation for a frame house?

Today there is a huge number of insulation materials for frame construction. They all have different prices and physical and mechanical properties. You can choose the most suitable, based:

  • The thermal conductivity coefficient of the insulation, the lower it is, the better insulation retains heat.
  • The climatic conditions of building a house, which affect the thickness of the insulation, as well as its thermal conductivity coefficient. How to calculate the thickness of insulation, read the article “Thickness of insulation for walls.”
  • Insulation surfaces and, as a consequence, the density of the insulation; for floors, insulation with a higher density value is suitable, which is correspondingly more durable, but for walls and roofs the increased density is not so important.

Improving each of these parameters leads to an increase in the cost of insulation and insulation of the house as a whole. Based on this, every owner of a frame house sets priorities prices, quality and terms of insulation, which leads it to individual choice insulation.

How to properly insulate a frame house using URSA TERRA, watch the video:

Currently a large number of owners country houses who are built on stilts with their own hands, ask the same question: what insulation to choose and should it be taken?

The fact is that insulation for a frame house is presented in a wide range, and each of them has its own characteristics, therefore, in order to choose a material for insulating the facade from the outside, you need to familiarize yourself with the most popular products.

1 Features of insulation for the facade of a frame house

Before you begin purchasing and further installing the material that will be used to ensure thermal insulation of a frame cottage on stilts from the inside and outside, it is best to study their characteristics in detail.

When building a frame house on stilts with your own hands, you need to choose the right best material, with the help of which thermal insulation will be formed from the inside or outside.

It is better to spend some time and understand how the insulation scheme works and how not to make a mistake with the choice of material, than to rush headlong into choosing to cover the surface of the facade with low-quality or, as is often the case, simply unsuitable material.

All materials presented on the modern construction market for finishing and insulating the floor and facade with your own hands, both inside and outside, are divided into two main categories.

Insulation for a frame house can be either organic or synthetic. At the same time, their installation scheme has a large number of similarities in many respects. key points, despite the fact that production technology differs significantly.

The best choice of insulation for finishing the facade of a frame house with your own hands, both outside and inside, can be made based on the detailed information received, as in the case of.

Insulation frame bath and her flooring can be achieved with her own hands using organic materials such as:

  • Wood shavings;
  • Peat;
  • Tyrsa;
  • Hemp.

In addition, insulation of a frame bath can be done from the outside and inside using inorganic insulation materials. It could be:

  • Expanded polystyrene;
  • Styrofoam;
  • Mineral wool as shown.

Modern technology insulation allows you to insulate the floor and frame of the house at the same time different types insulation materials, but it is better to choose one and use it to insulate a frame house from the outside.

It is worth considering that most of the materials presented are quite suitable for floor insulation; the installation technology also provides for such options.

It is better to choose insulation for the floor according to the same parameters as the choice of material for finishing the walls from the inside.

Scheme installation work floor insulation can be general. Due to their modernity, inorganic insulation materials are distinguished by a number of properties.

Organic materials are better due to their greater environmental friendliness and naturalness. However, before you start installing them from inside the frame with your own hands, or insulating the floor surface with them, you should take into account insufficient high level practicality.

Organic insulation materials, as a rule, are distinguished by such qualities as high flammability, excessive moisture holding capacity and reduced thermal insulation properties.

1.1 Foam plastic and mineral wool

Foam plastic, as a material that can be used to insulate the floor and facade of a frame house, has enjoyed deserved popularity for quite a long time.

This insulation exhibits good performance properties and is lightweight and low cost. Polystyrene foam is practically unable to absorb moisture.

When using this material there is no need to use steam and moisture-proof membranes. Significant disadvantage– this is a high degree of flammability.

When ignited, the material emits black and extremely toxic smoke. Foam plastic is fragile and therefore for installation you should pay attention to pressed sheets.

The cost of the work will be quite low even compared to ecowool or stone wool. This leads to the conclusion that polystyrene foam is not the most the best option for insulating a frame house (especially from the inside).

Mineral wool is rapidly gaining momentum in popularity. It is presented on the market in the form of high-density slabs, which are filled with a light fibrous substance.

1.3 Ecowool and stone wool

1.4 Expanded clay and other bulk materials

When using bulk materials for a frame house, there are a number of limiting factors. The most common problem associated with the use of bulk materials is that during operation they begin to settle over time.

In this case, the previously insulated surface becomes uninsulated. This phenomenon significantly reduces the thermal insulation performance, therefore, when backfilling such materials, they must first be carefully compacted.

In most cases, bulk materials are used to insulate floors in frame houses. Before backfilling the insulation, care should be taken to ensure waterproofing on the outside of the facade. It is not recommended to use any membrane partitions.

For this it is impossible would be better suited material such as glassine. In most cases, insulation work involving bulk materials is quite complex and time-consuming and therefore, in most respects, they are much inferior to mineral wool.

2 Features of insulation with natural materials

Many experts claim that when used natural materials as insulation they will not be able to last long enough and after a few years they will lose their original properties.

However, European builders have repeatedly proven that when using a clay mixture with the addition of straw, shavings or sawdust, a frame house is insulated with the required degree of reliability.

The so-called sawdust concrete can also be used for this, but the process of its production is quite complicated, along with the fact that the cost of natural components is quite low.

In this regard, the presented material has a significant advantage over polyurethane foam and mineral wool. Along with this, the processes associated with its subsequent processing and preparation require considerable concentration of effort.

2.1 What type of insulation is best?

Polyurethane is generally recognized as the most well-proven insulation for frame houses. It is presented in the form of two liquid components, which, when mixed, form the finished substance. Its undoubted advantage is its high degree of convenience.

After it completely fills all the free space between the walls, excess material can be easily cut off.

In addition, polyurethane is not able to absorb moisture, so it does not need to create an additional waterproofing layer. In second place will be natural insulation materials, which can easily be placed between the racks of the main frame.

A mixture consisting of clay, straw and sawdust will have good thermal insulation characteristics and ideal environmental cleanliness.

2.2 What insulation should I use for a frame house? (video)