Methods of insulating the ceiling in a private house. Insulating the ceiling in a private home is an important step to reduce heat loss

Insulation of the ceiling and walls is an important component of home improvement. Every owner of a private home faces this question. Most of heat escapes through the ceiling, so insulating it is very important. The modern building materials market today offers a large selection of different insulation materials. But, first of all, you need to decide how to carry out thermal insulation.

There are two methods, indoors or outdoors. Both bring good results. You should choose the one that is more convenient in a particular situation. If we talk about differences, they differ in technology and materials.

Selecting a thermal insulator

To insulate the ceiling in a private home, it is important which material to choose. Vapor-permeable heat insulator produce insulation from the inside. Vapor-tight insulation is perfect for working outside.

When purchasing material for insulation, you need to pay attention to the following qualities:

• Environmental friendliness and safety;
• Flexibility, the ability of insulation to restore its shape;
• Susceptibility to external influences or compressive strength;
• The density or weight of the insulator allows you to calculate the load on the attic floor;
• Fire resistance. There are 4 flammability classes in total, the least flammable materials are class G1.

One more nuance when choosing insulation. It is worth considering what the floors in the house are made of. Almost any insulation material is suitable for wood with planks. But for concrete slabs mainly used heavy bulk materials or slabs with good density. Thick thermal insulators in rolls and mats are also suitable. All this is important to know before you start insulating the ceiling.

How to insulate a ceiling in a private house

What insulation is better for the ceiling? It depends on many factors. Their choice today is wide. It is worth dwelling on their qualities in more detail.

Expanded clay is a lightweight bulk material. It is made from special clay. As a result of processing, porous granules are obtained. Suitable for external insulation. He non-flammable, retains heat well and does not absorb moisture. It also does not harbor rodents. Therefore, when the question arises of how to insulate the ceiling in a private house, many prefer expanded clay.

Fiberglass-based insulation is light in weight. They have all the properties necessary for thermal insulation. But they need a special coating that repels moisture. They are less resistant to its effects than others.

Mineral wool is not flammable, but its moisture resistance is average. This is fiber insulation. Available in rolls or slabs. It has good thermal insulation qualities. In addition, it has excellent wear resistance. Suitable for insulating the ceiling in a private house from the inside. Its advantages also include:

However, mineral wool can cake and lose its properties. Glass wool is also classified as fiber insulation. It is quite strong and elastic, but is subject to shrinkage.

Such modern heat insulators, like polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, penofol are not inferior to traditional materials. They are made from foamed polymer. They can be produced with foil. This is additional protection against water. Foil also increases the thermal insulation qualities of the material. When insulating the ceiling, the material may be good choice.

Insulation materials made from extruded polystyrene foam are also lightweight and have low thermal conductivity. They have good mechanical strength and affordable. They can warm the attic, which is planned to be used. Disadvantages include low vapor permeability. Therefore, when using them, you will have to take care of ventilation. They are not suitable for ceilings with complex configurations.

Penoizol is another polymer material. It is durable. Has an almost unlimited service life.

Polystyrene foam is fireproof, weighs little and does not place a large load on the floors. Good thermal insulator. It does not absorb moisture, but does not allow air to pass through. Additional ventilation will be required. Available in slab form. It keeps its shape well. It can be combined with mineral wool.

This combination for ceiling insulation has its pros and cons. The properties of both insulation materials prevent warm air from escaping outside. However, the disadvantages include low level fire safety polystyrene foam and the fact that rodents can live in it.

There are natural cork insulation. These materials are made from compressed cork chips and resin. They allow air to pass through well, but are flammable.

Ecowool is considered harmless to health and has low thermal conductivity. It is made from cellulose. To reduce flammability it is treated with boric acid or fire retardants. When using it, a layer of waterproofing is not needed, because ecowool absorbs moisture. Suitable for all types of floors.

How to insulate ceilings in a private house from the outside

In a private house, insulation of the ceiling from the outside, that is, from the attic side, is done by laying a heat insulator on the ceiling or in its voids. This eliminates the need to disassemble the ceiling and do the repairs again. Probably the best option for a new or recently renovated home.

How to insulate ceilings from the outside, insulating the ceiling with sheets of polystyrene foam or polystyrene. It is better to choose thick foam, about 40 mm.

First, the attic must be cleared of debris. Then measurements are taken. Sheets of insulation are laid on the floor of the attic. They are fastened together with polyurethane foam. If you plan to use the room as an attic, for example, then you need a concrete screed. A reinforcing mesh made of metal is placed on the insulation, and the screed solution is already poured onto it.

Insulation with mineral wool

Mineral wool is also used for external insulation. After all necessary measurements floor joists are installed. Then layer vapor barrier material . You can also use glassine. The insulation is laid loosely, but without gaps between the joists. Next stage flooring.

For outdoor insulation is suitable and expanded clay. If the floors are made of concrete, then the insulation process comes down to the following:

• A layer of waterproofing is laid on the slabs. Expanded clay is poured on top. The layer should be about 10 cm;
• Reinforcing mesh is laid on it. Plywood is laid on top as protection;
• Next, a screed is poured onto the reinforcing mesh;
• When the screed is completely dry, you can install the finishing coating.

It is important to take expanded clay of different fractions. This will prevent the insulation from shrinking.

Expanded clay insulation in a wooden house is done along the space between the beams. A layer of waterproofing is placed between load-bearing beams. Typically, it is made of polyethylene. It needs to be secured. In between Expanded clay is poured between the beams. It is lightly compacted. Fiberboard is placed on top of it. Now it's time for the finishing coat.

To work with polystyrene foam you also need a vapor barrier. Foam boards are laid tightly. It is important here that the heat insulator elements are hermetically connected at the joints. For this purpose, polyurethane foam is used.

The combined option of insulation with polystyrene foam and expanded clay gives a good result. Polystyrene foam is placed underneath, and the slabs are covered with expanded clay on top. I combine polystyrene foam with mineral wool. In this case, it is placed on foam boards.

A very old and proven method is insulating the attic with sawdust. But they are flammable. Therefore, they are often mixed with cement.

Penoplex modern insulation. Durable and quite suitable for insulating concrete floors in a private house. First, the surface of the ceiling is leveled and a layer of vapor barrier is laid. Penoplex is attached to the surface with dowels. The joints are sealed with polyurethane foam.

Insulation from the inside

Internal ceiling insulation in a private house is usually carried out with mineral heat insulators. For example, basalt wool. From the inside, the insulation is hidden behind suspended plasterboard ceilings.

1. First, a metal frame is attached to the ceiling;
2. Insulation is glued between the profiles;
3. Sheets of plasterboard are sewn onto the frame. Then the final finishing of the ceiling is done.

If mineral wool is chosen as insulation, then it is better to use tile adhesive. Mineral wool cannot be compressed; this causes it to lose its properties. When insulating with mineral wool in a suspended ceiling, a vapor barrier is not needed. This can lead to fungus.

The ceiling is insulated from the inside of the house using polystyrene foam. It is important to consider the density of the material here. For internal insulation Density 15 kg/sq. is suitable. m. or 25 kg/sq. m. Sheets of foam plastic are attached to the ceiling with glue. They can be coated with plaster.

We insulate the walls from the inside

It is also important to insulate walls in a private house. In principle, the heat insulators used are almost the same as for the ceiling.

• Foiled polyethylene foam;
• Polyplex;
• Mineral wool;
• Expanded polystyrene;
• Polyurethane foam.

Polyurethane foam is considered the most environmentally friendly thermal insulator. Therefore, quite often they insulate walls from the inside. But it is not suitable for do-it-yourself insulation. This requires special equipment.

Basalt wool and fiberglass are also used.

Wall insulation technology

In addition to insulation, you will also need materials such as timber. If you plan to use mineral wool. Necessary and slats for fastening material. Polyethylene film or membrane can be used as a vapor barrier. We also need material for finishing the walls.

The walls must be dry before work. It wouldn't hurt to treat it with an antiseptic to avoid fungus.

Insulation with mineral wool requires the presence of a frame. Its elements are installed vertically. Insulation boards fit tightly, leaving no gaps. You can secure them with special dowels to the surface. A waterproofing material is pulled over the insulation. It can be taped at the joints. Next comes already fine finishing walls

Expanded polystyrene requires leveling of the working surface. After priming, it is treated with an antiseptic. When the walls are dry, you can install insulation. It is installed frameless and secured with glue. They insulate with polystyrene foam in the same way. After the heat insulator is glued, small seams are sealed with foam. Wider cracks are insulated with strips of material. Then the finishing coat is applied.

Insulation is very important not only for saving energy resources. This procedure will make your home comfortable and cozy.

Few people think that ceilings also need. Most people think that regular exterior wall decoration is enough.

However, the ceiling is the same full-fledged structure as the walls or floor. And it conducts heat through itself in the same way.

If you do not insulate your ceilings correctly and on time, you may face serious troubles. How to insulate the ceiling in a private house? Now we will find out.

1 Heat transfer using the example of a ceiling

First, let’s clarify why the ceiling should be insulated at all. If everything is quite simple with walls, then with ceilings the situation is not so clear.

Any wall needs insulation from the outside and this is completely normal. Insulated, it cannot be cooled by the external temperature, which means it cannot transfer heat into the room. That is, a kind of cocoon of thermal insulation is formed around the house.

With ceilings, elementary physics comes into play. We are talking here about the exchange of heat flows inside enclosed spaces. It just so happens that the flow exchange scheme is always the same and is characterized very simply.

Warm air always tends upward, and cold air always tends downward. The nuance here is that if the ceiling between floors or between the attic and the room is cold, then all the hot air quickly cools down, and warm air comes in its place, which cools down in the same way.

As a result, it forms natural system air cooling. It is very easy to break it, just insulate the ceiling from the inside or outside.

1.1 Where is it better to insulate?

As we noted above, insulation of the ceiling in a private house can be carried out both from the inside and from the outside.

Let's be clear right away. If we are talking about the ceiling, then insulation from the inside means that we install thermal insulation from the inside of the room, that is, directly on the ceiling.

If methods of finishing outside are discussed, then we mean insulating the floor of the ceiling, which forms the ceiling. That is, insulating the floors between floors so that cold air does not cool the structure at all.

In most cases, the ceiling is cold because it is exposed to cold air from above. This often happens in houses with an attic without.

The attic, of course, is a kind of barrier between the street and the room, but it does not always perform its functions as it should.

If the attic is poorly protected, and insulation is not laid between its rafters, then very soon it will freeze. And the temperature inside it will be, if at all, higher than outside, then not by much. A couple of degrees maximum.

As a result, the ceiling will still freeze. The solution here is clear. The useful volume of the attic is not so important, plus it is always more convenient to insulate on the side where the cold air comes from. That is, cut off low temperatures from structures.

Insulation from the inside, on the contrary, allows the structure between floors to freeze, but does not allow it to transfer the cold into the room.

Such solutions are considered less effective. Not only will the ceiling be colder in any case, but you will also lower the height of the ceilings in the room. Do not forget that thermal insulation will take up at least 10 cm of height.

If we are considering insulating the ceiling directly between floors, then the solution is not so clear-cut. In any case, it is better and more convenient to work outside.

There you don’t have to assemble the frame in a suspended state, which is a big plus. And if your ceilings are cold, it means that the temperature in the room above is also not okay.

But there are also situations when it is realistic to make a thermal insulation device exclusively from the inside. For example, if the top floor does not belong to you, or it is simply impossible to install normal thermal insulation there.

2 Choice of insulation

Insulate ceilings different materials. Choosing the best one largely determines how you will act in the future.

Over the entire period of work, several main categories of insulation have emerged, which are almost ideal for use in such situations.

So, you can insulate yourself:

• Mineral wool and its varieties (ecowool, glass wool, etc.);
• Polystyrene foam, both regular and extruded ();
• Expanded clay, wood shavings;
• Penoizol, polyurethane foam.

2.1 Mineral wool

When insulating ceilings, using mineral wool or ecowool is probably the most profitable option. Such decisions are completely justified, because mineral wool almost perfectly fits all the requirements for thermal insulation of the ceiling.

It is vapor permeable and can withstand temperature changes well. It is capable of not allowing heat to pass through, but it does not burn in fire and can be easily placed in any accessible place.

Another big advantage of mineral wool, especially when it comes to installing insulation in the attic, is that rodents do not eat it.

As for the specific choice between mineral wool, ecowool or glass wool, then, of course, priority will always fall on mineral wool.

It is made from basalt fibers, which are melted in special furnaces. As a result, a material that is safe for life and very useful is produced.

Ecowool is a product that is collected from waste from the paper industry. Ecowool is safe and quite cheap, but its properties are inferior to mineral wool. In addition, it is a little more difficult to install it yourself, although the technology is almost the same.

As for glass wool instead, it is advisable not to lay it with your own hands. Or rather, you can lay it down, but only in good protection. Otherwise you are taking a serious risk.

2.2 Expanded polystyrene

Foam can also be insulated. In some situations it becomes even preferable to mineral wool. But the foam is vapor-proof, can become food for rodents, and most importantly, it burns in a fire.

When working with ceilings, such properties are not best help. Of course, any structure can be finished with polystyrene foam, but here you need to be careful and clearly calculate what is best to use in a given situation.

However, the solution may well be extruded foam insulation. Unlike ordinary ones, it does not burn in fire and is not eaten by rodents. That is, the main nuances in this material are leveled out.

2.3 Backfill materials

The use of backfill materials includes insulation with expanded clay, shavings, polymer beads, etc. The solution is quite trivial and even old-fashioned. Our grandfathers used the same expanded clay for thermal insulation of interfloor ceilings.

However, one cannot deny the fact that such thermal insulation really works. And you can lay it in a day and with your own hands.

Of all the loose insulation materials, expanded clay is the easiest to work with, but it also costs more expensive than that one or shavings. You can even buy it for pennies. However, the choice between insulation is not so important here. Both expanded clay and polymer beads insulate the floor in the same way. But we note in advance that the quality of ceiling insulation will still be inferior to the quality of mineral wool insulation.

2.4 Penoizol and polyurethane foam

These insulation materials also have the most interesting and non-standard structure. Of course, because they are essentially polyurethane foam, which is applied to the walls in huge quantities.

Roughly speaking, all the openings between the pre-installed frame are filled with foam, and then they wait until it dries.

Foam liquid insulation easily lies on the surface and has excellent adhesion to any materials. They are not afraid of water, fire or rodents. But they also have their drawbacks.

First of all, this concerns the fact that it is simply impossible to apply such materials with your own hands. To work, you will at least need a specialized foam mixer and sprinkler.

Also, foam insulation, as well as the work to apply it, will cost you a fairly impressive amount.

2.5 Insulation technology

The technology for arranging thermal insulation of ceilings consists of collecting wooden frame. Insulation is placed into the frame, which makes it possible to hide it under subsequent structures.

It is better to think in advance about the dimensions of the frame, the quantity necessary insulation etc. Remember that insulating the floor and ceiling is always inextricably linked with reducing the space inside the room.

If the technology involves installation mineral wool slabs 5 cm thick, then the total thickness of the heat-insulating cake will be no less than 7-8 cm. This must be taken into account.

Stages of work:

1. We prepare the surface, clean it, cut the frame elements.
2. We mount the frame guides
3. If necessary, we lay transverse stabilizing bars.
4. We lay a waterproofing film.
5. We lay the insulation on the glue.
6. Additionally, we secure it with dowels.
7. We lay a vapor barrier film.
8. We stuff the sheathing.
9. We install the finishing coating.

The installation technology, both inside and outside, is almost the same. The difference can only appear at the stage of choosing the fastening of thermal insulation and the frame elements themselves.

2.6 Analysis of features when insulating ceilings (video)

In this article, I will tell you in detail how to insulate the ceiling in a private house yourself, what is the best way to insulate this part of the house, and where treacherous pitfalls await you. Saving heat in any home is an extremely important task, and in a private home it is especially acute, since there is no heated room above and you need to think about everything yourself.

A warm ceiling is the key to maintaining heat in the house.

Choosing insulation

First, let's look at the question of how to insulate the ceiling in a private house.

Today the market offers 3 types of material suitable for do-it-yourself ceiling insulation:

1. Bulk insulation– expanded clay, vermiculite, ecowool, sawdust and coal slag;
2. Roll insulation - linen mats, glass wool and mineral wool, which in turn is divided into soft mats made of slag wool, basalt wool, as well as “Isover” and “Ursa”;

1. Slab insulation - presented in three categories. These are high-density mineral wool boards, natural cork and styrene-based boards (foam plastic and extruded polystyrene foam).

There is also self-leveling thermal insulation. In this niche, polyurethane foam and penoizol are widely used. But we will not touch them, since it is unrealistic to equip such insulation with our own hands. They require expensive special equipment and professional skills, but now we are talking about independent installation.

Bulk insulation

The most famous and affordable insulation from mass-produced materials is expanded clay. Each of us has seen light, durable, round brown granules; this is the same expanded clay.

It is made from a special type of clay, brought to a boil, and then cooled. The technology has long been known and quite simple, so the price of expanded clay is quite reasonable, now it fluctuates around 1000 rubles per 1 m³.

The thermal insulation characteristics of expanded clay are average, so for a good result you need a layer of at least 200 mm. One of the advantages is high strength; this material can easily withstand concrete screed.

But at the same time, expanded clay is afraid of moisture and, compared to its competitors, has quite a decent weight. Accordingly, to insulate with expanded clay, you need to have a durable ceiling.

Vermiculite is a rock from the same family as mica. After firing, the material becomes porous and retains heat well. Vermiculite is not afraid of humidity. As for weight, it is lighter than expanded clay, but heavier than the same mineral wool.

In my opinion, of all the bulk insulation materials currently presented, vermiculite is the most the best option. It does not burn, does not get wet, does not cake and allows air to pass through, which makes it possible to use vermiculite for insulating ceilings in both block and wooden ceilings.

Ecowool, which recently appeared on the market, is a product of recycling waste paper. To prevent cotton wool from burning, borax is added to it. It, of course, absorbs moisture, but not as much as mineral wool.

Unlike the two previous options, ecowool shrinks, but only slightly, about 15%. But this is perhaps the most lightweight material, the weight of such insulation can withstand any ceiling.

Next we have “folk” thermal insulation - coal slag and sawdust. To be honest, compared to factory options, the only undeniable advantage of folk insulation is the free price.

The weight and thermal conductivity of coal slag is equal to expanded clay, and accordingly it will have to be poured at least 200 mm deep. But slag produces a lot of dust and dirt, plus it is capable of collecting moisture.

Sawdust will also cost a penny, but there are nuances here. The material must be kept in a dry room for at least a year. Plus, to protect sawdust from rodents and fungi, they need to be mixed with slaked lime fluff in a ratio of 10:2 (sawdust/fluff). In addition, you can make insulating blocks from sawdust, but I will talk about this technology a little later.

I think you understand that insulating the ceiling in a private house with bulk materials can only be done from the attic side. Step-by-step instructions on the technique of such insulation will be given in the corresponding chapter, but for now let’s move on to rolled materials.

Roll materials

May the manufacturers of “Ursa”, “Isover”, glass wool and other soft insulating mats forgive me, but I am absolutely disappointed in this material. At the beginning of the 2000s, I insulated the ceiling in the country house and in the garage with such mats. I didn’t take glass wool, I spent money on Ursa, but as it turned out, the result was the same.

No more than 5 - 7 years passed and in the dacha ceiling what was not trampled by mice shrunk on its own and the insulation began to look like an old blanket. There was practically no sense from it and everything had to be done again.

If someone decides to purchase and install soft mats, keep in mind: for working with similar materials you need to buy a good, thick overalls, a respirator, gloves and goggles. Dust with small particles of glass is very dangerous for mucous membranes and skin.

Linen mats are purely Russian know-how. Our people finally remembered that in Rus' houses were always insulated with flax, moss, hemp and other similar materials. In appearance, linen mats somewhat resemble mineral wool.

They can even absorb moisture, but after drying, unlike cotton wool, the volume of linen mats is restored. I don’t know what they are impregnated with, but mice do not live in this insulation and it does not support combustion.

Plus, there is no harmful dust with glass particles, which means there is no need to protect yourself so radically. As for manufacturers, the most famous are Termolen, Ecoteplin and Ecoterm. The price depends only on the manufacturer’s ambitions and transportation overhead costs.

Slab insulation

Slab insulation is a universal thing. It is suitable both for insulating the ceiling from the outside and for insulating suspended ceiling from the inside. The choice here depends on what your house is built from and the type of room.

For wooden houses, and also for insulating floors in the kitchen or in the steam room, mineral wool is more suitable basalt slabs with a density of 100kg/m³. They, of course, absorb moisture, but if you wrap them in a vapor barrier, they hold their shape quite well and for a long time. By the way, the higher the density, the longer the thermal insulation will last.

If it is necessary to insulate the ceiling from the inside in block house with reinforced concrete floor slabs, then I recommend taking inexpensive PSB-S25 foam.

Extruded polystyrene foam is a good thing, but it is 2 - 3 times more expensive than polystyrene foam and it makes sense to spend money on it only if you want to pour a reinforced concrete screed on the side of the attic floor. The same Penoplex (manufacturer of extruded polystyrene foam) will perfectly withstand such weight.

Extruded polystyrene foam is considered an absolute waterproofer. Although polystyrene foam is vapor-permeable, its coefficient is so small that it can be ignored.

This is actually why such slabs are wooden houses it must be installed very carefully so as not to clog the wood in the waterproofing, where it will begin to deteriorate.

Styrene-based boards have a common disadvantage: at temperatures above 70 ºС they begin to decompose and release harmful carcinogens.

And if in an ordinary living room warm air simply accumulates under the ceiling, then in the kitchen, and even more so in the steam room, this air is already hot. That is why neither polystyrene foam nor its extruded counterpart are installed from the inside in such rooms.

As for cork, this one is environmentally friendly and very effective insulation costs fabulous money. And to be honest, those people who can afford such luxury are unlikely to glue it to the ceiling with their own hands.

In addition, there is an option to make slabs from sawdust yourself. After being disappointed with soft cotton mats, at the dacha I insulated the ceiling with homemade sawdust slabs. The instructions and the recipe itself are available to everyone, plus the cost of this material is cheap.

To 10 parts of dry aged sawdust, add 1 part of M500 cement and 1 part of slaked fluff lime. All this is mixed in a concrete mixer until dry, after which water is added, about 2 parts and mixed again.

According to the instructions, add boric acid or copper sulfate, but at one time I was advised instead boric acid dissolve gelatin in water. With boric acid, the slabs become brittle after hardening, and gelatin acts as an elastic binder.

This solution can be poured into homemade molds, then you will receive slabs with clear dimensions. Or fill it directly between the joists from the attic side. In this case, you will get the same slab, only large and monolithic, with a tight fit to all contact surfaces.

Ceiling insulation equipment

Now let's talk about how to make the ceiling in a private house warm. There are 2 arrangement options. This is insulation of the ceiling from the outside, that is, from the attic side, and insulation of the ceiling from the inside, from the side of the rooms.

Internal installation

Insulating the ceiling from the inside is, frankly speaking, not the best option. Firstly, it is not suitable for rooms with low ceilings. After all, in the very best case scenario your ceiling will drop by 50 - 70 mm, and in the cold regions of our vast homeland, the insulation will take 150 - 200 mm.

Secondly, you will have to work using various types of scaffolds and stepladders, which in itself is quite difficult.

And then, no matter how thick and high-quality insulation you haven’t chosen, and the floor structures in the cold attic will freeze in any case. But mice certainly won’t get to your insulation from the inside.

In theory, the insulation technique is not complicated. This is often how reinforced concrete floor slabs are insulated. Although no one is stopping you from attaching insulation boards to a wooden ceiling.

As you understand, in this case only slab material is suitable for us.

If you happen to insulate reinforced concrete floor slabs, then first of all you need to check how well the round cavities inside these slabs are sealed. If you haven’t installed the plugs, make them yourself. Sprinkle around the edge polyurethane foam, and when it hardens, cut off the excess and cover the holes with cement-sand mortar.

• As far as I have come across, the minimum for polystyrene foam is 50 mm, for extruded polystyrene foam 30 mm, and for high-density mineral wool boards 100 mm. Insulation boards are glued to the ceiling construction glue and are additionally fixed on it with umbrella dowels, at least 5 fixation points per 1 m²;
• For styrene-based boards, I use Ceresit CT83 construction adhesive; it was originally developed specifically for this material. And dense basalt slabs can be glued to almost any tile adhesive;

• All elements are glued apart. That is, according to the principle of brickwork, with a shift between the rows. Although the glue holds well, the insulation needs to be additionally fixed while hanging. To do this, directly through the insulation layer, we drill through “blind” holes in the ceiling to a depth of 50 mm. Next, we drive the umbrella dowel into them and hammer the central spacer rod into this umbrella;
• If we talk exclusively about insulation, then this is enough. But such a ceiling will look, to put it mildly, mediocre. Therefore, even before starting work, you need to think about how you will attach the finishing cladding;

• There are 2 exits and both are quite simple. You can take wooden blocks a little thicker than the insulation and secure them with anchors to the ceiling. The step between the guides should not exceed 70 cm. After that, insulation is installed between the bars. The method is fast, but it is suitable for smooth horizontal planes. If any of the corners is heavily blocked, you will have to put wedges under the bars, and this is time-consuming and inconvenient;

• For curved ceilings there is another, no less simple way. The same markings are made on the ceiling as for the installation of wooden blocks. After this, along lines with increments of about a meter, metal hangers are attached and the “wings” in them are immediately bent down. Next, insulation is glued to the ceiling, and holes are cut in the slabs with a knife under the bent down wings of the hangers.
  When the insulation is installed, either wooden planks or ceiling CD profiles for plasterboard are attached to the hangers strictly horizontally, checking for planeness.

By the way, in order to glue the insulation to the reinforced concrete floor slab from below, this slab must be clean and primed. So if your ceiling is whitewashed, then you will need to wash off the whitewash and go over it with soil a couple of times deep penetration, for example, concrete contact.

External insulation of ceilings through the attic

Insulating the ceiling from the outside is much simpler and more effective than the option described above.

True arrangement of reinforced concrete floor slabs and wooden structures are slightly different from each other:

• When you're dealing with reinforced concrete slab, you can do it in two ways. First, the slab is covered with a waterproofing film; the cheapest option is to use technical polyethylene. Although some people lay foil-foamed polyethylene foam (penofol) and seal the joints with foil tape. This is relevant for wooden structures, but I personally don’t see much point in covering concrete with penofol;

• For bulk materials, in which the filling thickness starts from 150 mm, are mounted wooden joists so that the depth of the cells is about 200 mm. Expanded clay, vermiculite, coal slag and sawdust are simply poured between the joists;
• But with ecowool you will have to tinker a little more. This material is poured out of the bag, after which it is fluffed using a construction mixer or an electric drill with a mixing attachment. As a result, the insulation increases in volume by approximately 3-4 times;

• In addition, expanded clay, vermiculite and coal slag are hard materials and they practically do not shrink. While sawdust and ecowool need to be poured just above the joists, this tolerance is needed for shrinkage;
• In principle, the insulation itself is ready. But if you leave it like that, then walking around the attic will be, at least, uncomfortable. That's why I always recommend putting a floor on top.
  If you have money for tongue and groove floorboard or thick plywood is not enough, then buy regular unedged board and sew it up. There may be gaps there, but at least this way you can easily walk around and use the attic as a storage room;

• There is one more point that most amateur craftsmen miss. Bulk insulation, especially such as expanded clay and coal slag, have a fairly large fraction and in order to ensure good efficiency, it is advisable to cover them with a vapor barrier membrane (thermos effect).
  And don’t forget to put this membrane right side, steam moves from bottom to top. Excess moisture should come out of the insulation freely, and the membrane on top will protect the insulation from getting wet;
• Wooden floors are initially based on ceiling joists, so the technology for their arrangement is similar. Only in this case, instead of waterproofing, the bottom is covered with a vapor barrier membrane or kraft paper;

• There is another way to insulate reinforced concrete floors; it is usually used in. In order to insulate the slab from above, a layer of polystyrene foam with a density of at least 30 units is glued to the floor, but it is better to take extruded polystyrene foam;
• Next, a metal reinforcing mesh with a cell size of about 50 mm is laid on top of the insulation and a screed 20 - 30 mm thick is poured onto it. As a result, you get a full floor and a warm ceiling below. In general, foam plastic is not placed under the screed, but in attic floor or there are no heavy loads in the attic and this rule can be neglected;

• This method of arrangement also has a lightweight, roughly speaking, cheap option. Instead of extruded polystyrene foam, a layer of expanded clay is poured onto the floor. And the screed is already poured onto the expanded clay. It turns out, of course, cheaper, but there is a lot more work, the cake turns out heavier and its thickness only starts from 200 mm.

Conclusion

Now it will be much easier for you to navigate insulation materials, especially those characteristics that sellers usually keep silent about. And most importantly, you can decide which method from the above is suitable specifically in your case. The photos and videos in this article show the main points of insulation in practice. If you still have questions after watching, write them in the comments, I will try to help.

How to insulate the ceiling in a private house and how - questions that worry first-hand those who have acquired such housing. There can be a lot of answer options, and this article will examine in detail all the main points relating to these questions.

The possibilities for laying thermal insulation materials are presented in two options: from the outside (from the attic) or from the inside (under the ceiling in the room). It all depends on the design of the building itself. But both methods are aimed at preserving heat inside the house.

Based on experience, it follows that the best option is attic ceiling insulation, since in this case condensate is better distributed and protection against weathering is provided. Insulation of the ceiling in a house inside a room is carried out when there is no attic space, or we are talking about a basement. It should be remembered that, depending on the chosen method, it is necessary to select vapor-permeable and vapor-tight materials. The last type will be relevant for work in the attic.

How to insulate the ceiling: materials for insulation

So, what is the best way to insulate the ceiling of a private house? In this section you can find out the features of each of the materials most used for this type of work and tips on how to insulate the ceiling in a private house with each of them.

Styrofoam

• low cost
• light weight
• release form (in the form of tiles that a person can work with alone)
• suitability for painting and plastering
• high fire hazard
• fragility of the material
• resistance to seasonal temperature changes

Installation of polystyrene foam should be done under the attic floor.

The material is attached to the base using tile adhesive. Fixation is done using dowels or self-tapping screws with large diameter heads. If you use the heads of ordinary self-tapping screws, there is a possibility that they will push through the foam coating. To eliminate situations of heat leakage, the seams between the tiles are filled with ordinary mounting foam, or sealed with special tape, or the slabs are initially laid so that each subsequent row overlaps the previous one.

If there is a need for plastering or painting foam boards, then you need to first secure a plaster mesh over them.

Expanded clay

• good breathability coefficient
• safety and environmental friendliness
• durability
• high hygroscopicity (heaviens with moisture)
• resistance to temperature and chemical influences
• low cost

The attic floor is completely cleared of debris, then logs (wooden blocks whose height is equal to the thickness of the heat-insulating layer) are installed on it every 40 cm. A piece of P-350 glassine is placed under each log, then it is attached to the end sides using corners and screws. beams of the rafter system located on the sides.

A polypropylene film is laid on top of the above-mentioned wooden blocks, so that in the spaces between the joists it lies on the floor. Separate fragments every 20 - 25 cm. If there is a need to attach it to wooden blocks or overlap, tape with an adhesive coating will come to the rescue. The material of the attic floor does not matter.

Expanded clay is poured into the space between the joists and carefully leveled with a shovel or spatula.

If the attic is used as an attic (living space), then a covering in the form of a plank floor or chipboard with a finished coating is placed on top of the thermal insulation layer.

Mineral wool

• absolute environmental friendliness
• no fire hazard
• afraid of moisture (if it accumulates inside it becomes unsuitable for further use)
• high price

This type of thermal insulation for the ceiling of a house can be installed in both ways.

If the insulating material is chosen for installation on the attic floor, then it must be worked with in the same way as in the case of expanded clay. And if you decide to insulate the ceiling in a house indoors, then installation will be more complicated than with foam plastic.

This material is clamped with slats made of wood or metal, which are screwed to the base with screws or dowels. Among other things, there will be a need to install a suspended or stretch ceiling.

It is important to understand that if lamps with ceiling insulation are installed in the future, they will overheat. In this case, you will have to make holes for the lamps, but then the thermal insulation layer will be damaged. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to abandon lighting fixtures near the ceiling indoors, or choose LED overhead lamps.

At the top there is a description of the main and especially used materials - the best way to insulate the ceiling of a house. But in our time, there are examples of other thermal insulation products: ecowool, insulation made from pressed cork chips with the addition of natural resin, extruded polystyrene foam, compressed straw, granulated slag - all of which can also be used to insulate a ceiling. When answering the question “how to properly insulate the ceiling of a private house,” specialists whose services are widely represented on the Internet can always provide advice.

It is important to remember a few points in order to insulate the ceiling in a private house with your own hands:

- if work is carried out according to the above scheme with mineral wool, then it is important to know about personal funds protection: a gauze bandage or a respirator is required, since particles of the material (many tiny glasses) can penetrate the respiratory tract, causing open areas skin.

— when using ecowool, it is installed on a suspended ceiling frame.

Installation begins with fixing the frame, into which the insulation is placed, secured using a U-shaped bracket where the profiles are held. And only after the insulation is fixed, the ceiling is sheathed with plasterboard hiding it.

— the insulation for the ceiling must be combined with a polyethylene film, which will be a barrier to vapors from the room, thereby preventing the formation of fungus and dark spots on the ceiling.

— before starting work, it is important to correctly assess the strength of the ceilings, since when pouring granules to a depth of more than 200-300 mm, there is a high probability that the wooden ceiling will collapse. The lighter the original thermal insulation material, all the better!

— the use of expanded clay or granulated slag is possible only when the ceilings are concrete slabs.

As you can see, insulating the ceiling with your own hands is a very real thing. The most important thing is to delve into all the nuances presented above, understand what would be better: external or internal thermal insulation work, decide on the material necessary for this (what exactly to insulate the ceiling in accordance with design features building), fulfill the minimum requirements for personal protection during its operation, think over a scheme for performing the thermal insulation work process and, directly, begin it. Guided by these tips, you can always maintain your cozy home.

Depending on local conditions and the design of the house, the ceiling and roof account for 15-40% of its heat loss. Builders charge a premium for insulation of ceilings, floors and roofs, because... the work is labor-intensive and often has to be done by weight. However, it is quite possible to do ceiling insulation with your own hands without having construction qualifications: the technology is not complicated and in most cases does not require special equipment. This article is intended to help those who decide to insulate themselves from above.

General scheme of ceiling insulation modern materials in appearance it is not particularly complicated, on the left in the figure: vapor barrier (vapor barrier) does not allow moisture vapor from the inside to the insulation, which can spoil it. The waterproofing membrane does not allow liquid moisture to reach it, incl. and condensation in the attic, but releases water vapor, which still penetrates the insulation. In tiny quantities, but when accumulated, it can reduce insulation to nothing and damage the structure of the building.

However, behind the external simplicity there is a long evolution of insulation technology and many subtle nuances, without knowledge of which the work may be in vain. That's why The following will be discussed:

• Physics and features of insulation technology from above.
• Properties of modern insulation materials and additional coatings for them: roofing, hydro- and vapor barrier films; how to choose the right materials for insulation.
• Possibility of using traditional cheap insulators and insulation materials: clay, expanded clay, sawdust, etc.
• Schemes and methods of ceiling insulation: from the attic, from the inside of the rooms; also from the inside from the roof side - for houses without an attic (for example, country houses and temporary ones) or with an attic.
• How to insulate a ceiling in a house with cold roof and concrete floors.
• Methods for insulating ceilings in utility rooms; primarily in the garage and bathhouse.

Cold and warm roofs

A roof without the so-called cold is called a roof. roofing pie: multi-layer insulating building structure between the counter-lattice under the roof deck and internal lining along the rafters. The construction of a roofing pie relates to another topic - roof insulation, but we will have to get acquainted with it later. Firstly, for buildings without attics and attics. Secondly, in a private house, the insulation of the ceiling from the attic and the roof are inextricably linked technologically and structurally, as can be seen on the right in the top figure. Insulating the ceiling from the attic along with the roof from the inside provides the following advantages:

1. 2 layers of insulation 100 mm each, separated by an extensive thermal buffer in the form attic space, are equivalent to the 1st layer of the same material of 270-280 mm;
2. From point 1 it follows that costs for insulation are saved by up to 40%, and overall, taking into account the higher consumption of film, by 10-15%, which allows the use of more effective insulating materials;
3. By insulating the ceiling from the outside and the roof from the inside at the same time, you can get by with inter-beam insulation (see below), which is technologically simpler and more accessible to an untrained amateur;
4. “Two-stage” insulation of the top of the building will allow in the future, if necessary, to additionally insulate rooms from the inside separately without the risk of dampening the room.

About mineral wool

Insulation with mineral wool in the Russian Federation is breaking all popularity records: The material is inexpensive and easy to work with. This is explained primarily by large reserves of easily accessible raw materials and production technology that has been developed over many decades. The disposal of blast furnace slag in the USSR had to be taken care of even during the industrial leap of the first five-year plans, and for a breakthrough into space, thermal protection for return capsules was developed based on fibers from melted heat-resistant rocks. So the “modern” methods of producing slag wool and stone (especially basalt) wool are actually not that new.

Professionals especially like mineral wool: it does not require expensive special equipment, but there is a wide range of special fasteners and accessories for it on sale. As a result, the ceiling area is up to 20-25 square meters. m can be insulated in less than 1 work shift, or even in 2-3 hours, it depends on who knows how. How it looks technologically can be seen in the video below.

Video: example of ceiling insulation with mineral wool

After reading what follows, you may have a question: where is the membrane between the insulation and the ceiling? It is quite possible that in this case it is not needed if the attic and roof are already insulated; Why should the owners lay out too much? More Please pay attention to the following precautions when working with mineral wool:

• The standard electrical wiring is rolled into a coil and hangs on the wall.
• Judging by the fact that a temporary light bulb is used for working lighting, the room is completely de-energized, and its wiring is disconnected at the nearest junction box or at the input panel - this is absolutely correct and absolutely necessary.
• The master puts on a full set of equipment personal protection(PPE): special overalls, gloves, goggles, respirator. For an amateur master, this is an important point, because... Quite expensive PPE will have to be used once.

It is already clear here that mineral wool is not without its drawbacks: it is an allergen and a group 3 carcinogen, i.e. Suitable for residential premises, but it is necessary to work with it using PPE. In addition, which all manufacturers and sellers without exception are wisely silent about, under the influence of even insignificant amounts of moisture vapor and its own weight, mineral wool shrinks irreversibly, as a result of which its thermal conductivity drops by 50% in 3 years: the air gaps in the insulation are the same thermal bridges , like metal jumpers, only based on microconvection. Gaps between slabs in 5% of the insulated surface area increase heat loss by 30-35%

This leads to another unpleasant circumstance: the simplicity of working with mineral wool is apparent. When cutting slabs/rolls to size, you need to give an overlap (usually 20-40 mm) so that the slabs fit tightly into the openings without sticking out, as on the right in the figure, but also so that further cracks do not appear due to shrinkage. Perhaps this is only based on experience, because... the properties of the material vary significantly from batch to batch.

Finally, the thermal conductivity of brand new mineral wool significantly depends on its humidity - in the direction of deterioration. An increase in air humidity in a room insulated with mineral wool from 60% to 85% leads to an increase in heat loss by 10-12%. Therefore, in further presentation, we, still focusing on mineral wool as the most popular insulation, will give, where possible, recommendations for replacing it with something better.

Note: Also take a closer look at the mounting jig (circled in green on the left in the figure). If you use a propylene linen cord instead of a fishing line, the conductor can be left permanent. Then there will be no need for special fasteners and, when installed on the ceiling and surfaces with a negative slope, sagging in the middle and corners of the slabs will be eliminated.

Physics and technology of insulation

As you know, the critical factor for insulation is the dew point, the temperature at which this absolute value, in g/cubic. m of air, the water vapor content in it corresponds to 100% relative humidity and condensation occurs. It is unacceptable for dew point to enter residential premises: excessively humid air has a detrimental effect on health, and for asthmatics and heart patients it can be fatal.

For building structures, the dew point is no more useful: from periodic saturation with moisture, concrete and brick crumble, wood molds and rots, because the resource of its antiseptic impregnation is not unlimited. Since it is impossible to drive the dew point out forever, all that remains is to let it “walk” through the insulation, ensuring it is insulated from moisture vapor and ventilated. This insulation scheme can be most easily implemented when installing the insulation outside, pos. 1a in Fig.

Ways to “fight” dew point during insulation

Sometimes it is technically impossible to insulate from the outside. Or additional insulation is required to the existing one. Analogue - in the old days, in particularly severe frosts, they put on 2 fur coats: the one on the head with the fur inward, and on top of it - with the fur outward. In this case, i.e. when insulating from the inside, its design is designed in such a way that the condensate in the insulation migrates to the cold surface, and there it flows into a collector and is removed or evaporates outside, pos. 1b. In this case, the most insulating material is one that does not lose its insulating properties when moistened. These exist, see below.

Features of ceiling insulation

The peculiarities of ceiling insulation, firstly, are that it is impossible to organize condensate drainage. Even if the ceiling is slanted, will water flow down the walls? Drained walls in construction are known, but their complexity and cost are such that it only remains to be mentioned here. Secondly, the warm (emitting water vapor) and cold sides of the ceiling in a low-rise building can change places during the cold season due to solar heating. Therefore, the technology of ceiling insulation is focused primarily on ensuring that there is no condensation in the insulation. And if it has already formed, then you need to give it the opportunity to evaporate outward as quickly as possible, i.e. to the cold side.

Cold overlap

On a ceiling made of a material that conducts heat well, for example. concrete, when insulating the outside with loose material, 3 air gaps a, b and c are provided for this purpose, pos. 2a. The gap a between the vapor barrier (vapor barrier) and the insulation layer is a safety gap in case of heavy condensation, which is possible on a cold surface. The gap a must be ventilated; it is technically difficult to achieve, so the ceilings are concrete floors It is advisable to insulate from the inside with massive material, i.e. impervious to moisture, insulation. One of the practically important cases of this kind is discussed below. The gap b is accumulating; a partial pressure of water vapor is created in it, ensuring their diffusion through a semi-permeable membrane that allows gases to pass through but retains liquid moisture. Gap c is the main working one, it is also ventilated, but since it is located closer to the outside, it is easier to ensure its “ventilation”, for example, in the form of a gap around the perimeter.

Note: if there is a technical possibility and the ability to make the gap also ventilated, this will only benefit the insulation.

Warm ceiling

“Warm”, i.e. a poorly conductive ceiling creates a fairly high barrier on the path of heat from the inside to the outside, which shifts the dew point upward into the insulation layer, if you look at pos. 2b. This makes it possible to do without a gap, which in turn simplifies the insulation of a wooden ceiling from the outside. Suddenly, condensation does fall out at the border of the vapor barrier and the base, then in small quantities, it is immediately absorbed into the wood, and then, without bringing the humidity in the room to a critical level, it slowly evaporates. Residents most likely will not notice this - wood maintains its mechanical and thermal parameters in a wide range of humidity.

Therefore, insulate wooden ceiling preferably from the attic, pos. 3: the base is covered with an inexpensive film vapor barrier (see below); the membrane will also be covered with a regular waterproofing film without metallization. You just need to make sure to create an air gap between the insulation and the membrane; his role is described above.

Aweigh

The requirements for the vapor barrier become more stringent if it is possible for water vapor to enter from free space, because in this case, the intensity of their “attack” is unlimited. Then a vapor barrier is needed made of foil film, pos. 4, because no plastic is an absolute barrier to water vapor. A gap a between the vapor barrier and the insulation is also necessary, but now it is structurally easier to provide. Press the vapor barrier against the insulation, as in pos. 5, is undesirable in all respects, even if the vapor barrier with a substrate, see below: both the work is unnecessary and the insulation is worse.

Insulation materials

Modern advances in building insulation technology largely owe to advances in the field of separation films (membranes). The “good old” roofing felt and glassine and their brothers are still used, but when working for yourself, the least thing you should do is save on films. Both because of the quality and durability, and because by spending a little extra on insulating membranes, you can save more on insulation. Therefore, let's start with membranes.

Barriers and membranes

As is clear from the previous one, separation coatings used in building insulation are divided into vapor barrier coatings, or vapor barriers, which cut off liquids with their vapors, and waterproofing (membranes), which retain only the liquid phase. Vapor barriers, in turn, are divided into film, foil and foil with a capillary substrate (the so-called foil insulation), and the membranes are divided into single-layer film, micro-perforated film with double-sided vapor transmission, and the so-called. superdiffusive membranes that allow vapor to pass through only one direction.

Vapor barriers

Film vapor barriers are only effective when made from polypropylene with a thickness of 60 microns or more. Polyethylene of any thickness, due to its very nanostructure, is vapor permeable, no matter what anyone claims to the contrary. Under the influence of changes in temperature and humidity, PVC soon becomes brittle and cracks.

The basis of the foil vapor barrier can also be polyethylene, because a layer of foil on it does not allow gases to pass through. On quality material of this class, the edge of the foil can be felt at the edge of the tape, and you can pick it up by the corner with a sharp knife, i.e. The foil is quite thick. Foil insulation with a backing has another layer fibrous material(most often padding polyester) on the reverse, i.e. the side facing the insulation. If condensation occurs, it quickly travels through the capillaries of the substrate to the edges of the coating, so foil insulation with the substrate must be installed with flaps, like floor waterproofing, opening into the ventilation gap around the perimeter.

Note: in insulation structures on foil insulation with a backing, the “insurance” gap “a” (see above) is not required.

Membranes

Simple film membranes are common waterproofing, incl. and polyethylene. For insulation of ceilings they are suitable only in heated rooms, because... In addition to vapor, noticeable amounts of liquid are also passed through. When insulating from the attic, it is advisable to use microperforated films. Most often they are produced in 3-layers with reinforcement, on the left in the figure; They are also used as coverings for greenhouses and hotbeds. The good thing about them for insulating the ceiling is that the reinforcing mesh does not allow the film to sag too much and ensures a stable height of the gap b.

Superdiffusion membranes are sold as roofing films, in the center in Fig. Their outer side is smooth, metallized, and designed to be resistant to precipitation. Vapors pass through it to the outside; the outer side is either marked, or it is outside and in a roll. The wind resistance of roofing films is ensured by through reinforcement: with high-quality membranes it can be easily felt from the inside, and the film looks as if it was quilted, on the right in Fig.

Insulation materials

Materials for the actual insulation are divided into:

• Monolithic, or massive - dense, moisture-proof. The dew point can wander in them as desired without compromising the quality of insulation.
• Loose, fibrous and porous - produced in the form of slabs (mats) or rolls. The cheapest and most technologically advanced compared to the quality of insulation. They are hygroscopic, and when moistened, the properties of the material deteriorate, often irreversibly, so measures are needed to protect the insulation from moisture and its ventilation.
• Bulk/sprayed – the insulating layer is formed on site; For high-quality insulation requires special equipment.

Monolithic

Of the monolithic insulation materials, foamed polystyrene is suitable for independent work. The attic and ceiling under a cold roof must be insulated with extruded polystyrene foam - EPS. For insulation, EPS is produced in tongue-and-groove slabs, which eliminates the formation of air thermal bridges; therefore, foam insulation schemes are very simple and inexpensive due to the low cost of membranes, see for example. in Fig. EPPS does not shrink and is not hygroscopic. It is durable, capable of working as part of load-bearing structures, its insulating qualities are the highest, and its durability is outdoors, according to the latest data, up to 100 years or more.

Regular granular foam against strong vibrations external conditions It may begin to crumble just over the winter, but it is cheap, easy to process and can be mounted on any surface using tile adhesive. water based or PVA. Its layer of 30 mm is equivalent to 100 mm of mineral wool, so it is advisable to insulate heated rooms with low ceilings from the inside with foam plastic.

Foam and EPS boards do not bend, so they can only be mounted on open surfaces; To insulate the roof with EPS, you will have to dismantle the roof. However, a more serious drawback is its flammability and emission when ignited. huge amount highly toxic gases. If a fire in a room insulated from the inside with polystyrene foam occurs at night, when everyone is sleeping, then the residents are virtually doomed: it is possible to evacuate people under such circumstances only in isolated cases. Therefore, it is possible to use polystyrene foam for internal insulation only in limited quantities and when there is no other way; one of these options, see below.

Fibrous/porous

The main advantage of loose insulation is the high productivity of work with them without the use of special equipment, which is why professional individuals, for whom time is money, are so committed to them. Mineral wool and sheet/plate polyurethane foam (neoprene) are suitable for independent work using “rubbish” materials. Mineral wool was discussed in detail earlier, and neoprene for insulation large areas too expensive, although it is not afraid of moisture and is comparable in durability to EPS.

Sprayed and bulk

In terms of overall performance qualities, EPPS is almost not inferior to sprayed foam insulation insulation. When frozen, they are similar to foam plastic, but are made on a formaldehyde-urea base, so they burn poorly and emit little, not very toxic, smoke. The mass that forms penoizol can be fed into hard-to-reach cavities, and kraft paper or glassine is sufficient as separators so that the foaming mass does not push out through the cracks. However, penoizols themselves are not cheap, and are sprayed using expensive installations. To work with a foam insulation station, serious professional training is required, so equipment for spraying penoizol is not rented out.

You can work independently with cellulose insulation, or ecowool: using a blow molding machine does not require professional training, so they are widely sold and rented, from those transported by vehicle to small ones like a backpack or suitcase. Ecowool as an insulation material is relatively little known in the Russian Federation, but compared to mineral wool it is simply a miracle:

• Thermal conductivity 0.037-0.042 W/(m*K) is approximately equal to mineral wool; a thickness of ecowool of 100 mm is equivalent to a wall of 3 red solid bricks. This makes it possible to get by with inter-beam insulation, see below.
• Up to a humidity level of 20%, the thermal insulation properties of ecowool do not decrease; upon drying after extreme moisture, they are completely restored.
• Sorptive moisture absorption for 72 hours in an atmosphere with 100% humidity is 16%.
• Does not shrink, does not swell.
• Chemically neutral, non-corrosive.
• Due to the presence of 12% antiseptic (boric acid) and 7% fire retardant (borax), it is slightly flammable and produces almost no smoke in an extremely hot flame, see on the left in Fig. below.

• Unattractive to rodents: they eat glass wool, but do not touch ecowool. After 5 years of application, in a house where mice are infested, their passages in ecowool are not detected.
• Can be applied dry manually on open horizontal surfaces, with moistening using a blowing machine in hard-to-reach cavities (in the center and on the right in the figure), with moistening and adding 5-15% glue on vertical surfaces and with a negative slope, both manually and by spraying.
• High labor productivity when spraying moistened (which even a professional should pay attention to): the floor, walls, ceiling and roof (!) of a house with an attic area of ​​120 square meters. m are “blown out” in 1 work shift.

Note for your reference: ecowool goes on sale under the names Cellulose Insulation, EKOFIBER AB, EKOREMA, EKOVILLA, EXCEL, ISODAN, SELLUVILLA, TERMEX. The world leader in production and application is Finland.

The most important advantage of ecowool is that it is hypoallergenic and hypocarcinogenic., i.e. does not exhibit those and other properties. The raw material for the production of ecowool is waste paper, but who, where and when did something get inflamed or itch from old newspapers? Perhaps in the brain from the content of the articles. But to prepare ecowool, the paper carrier along with the content is ground into a homogeneous gray mass.

Ecowool has three disadvantages:

1. Firstly, the cost per unit of its mass is approximately 30% higher than that of mineral wool. However, if we take into account the difference in the cost of personal protective equipment for mineral wool and renting a manual blower, then the cost remains approx. 15%. Let’s also discount the costs of membranes (for ecowool, kraft paper is enough on the warm side) - the cost of insulation is almost equal. And if you insulate the ceiling from the attic manually, then ecowool will cost less.
2. Secondly, ecowool needs to be prepared before use. The original mass is sold compressed 2.5-3.5 times; it needs to be fluffed up in some container, water and glue added if necessary. This is already bad for the pros; time is money, and blow molding machines that prepare the mass themselves are very expensive. But for an amateur and one-time work, this drawback is not particularly significant.
3. Thirdly, moistened ecowool must be applied in any way at temperatures above 23 degrees and air humidity up to 65-70% so that it can dry. This already seriously hinders its use: until the thunder strikes, the man will not cross himself. In the summer, who thinks about insulation? And then there were chills and heating bills - you can only apply it dry, not everywhere and not always.

Note: If you have a little ecowool left over from your work, keep in mind that this is an excellent material for papier-mâché crafts.

Expanded clay and foam crumbs

Traditional expanded clay (on the left in the figure), the advantages and disadvantages of which are known, can also be replaced with a slightly more expensive, but better material - foam glass chips or simply foam crumbs, on the right there. Foam crumb is lighter than expanded clay, so it can be poured onto a weak base: fragile flooring, into plasterboard pockets (see below), etc. Its heat-insulating properties are higher, allergenic and carcinogenic are not found. An example of two-stage ceiling insulation with expanded clay and mineral wool is shown in Fig. below. The film membrane (bilaterally permeable, not under the roof) ensures vapor exchange between the insulation stages, which is necessary to avoid condensation in the mineral wool. If expanded clay is replaced with foam crumbs, and mineral wool with ecowool, then instead of a membrane, polyethylene with a thickness of 120 microns will be sufficient. In this case, an installation jig is not needed, and the insulation from the inside can be extended to the full height of the ceiling beams.

Sawdust and shavings

Wood processing waste also traditional insulation. How to insulate an attic with shavings, see the video below. Insulating the ceiling with sawdust is more attractive, firstly, because of its poor flammability. Secondly, at the nearest sawmill they can offer you sawdust for free in any quantity, and even deliver it at your own expense.

Video: insulating the ceiling and floor in the attic with sawdust

However, the availability of sawdust is the other side of the coin; they have a very big drawback: they can “soak” and ferment. In this case, CH3OH vapors are released. Yes, yes, that same wood (methyl) alcohol, from which the unlucky drunkards, into whose throats with a voluptuous gurgle it would seem that everything that is not water goes blind and die. That’s why sawmills are happy to get rid of the “sawdust”: according to modern sanitary requirements Sawdust from under the sawmill must be removed continuously and immediately sent for disposal.

Meanwhile, getting rid of both disadvantages of wood waste is not so difficult and expensive. Approximately the same way as ecowool is made safe. Proper insulation with wood waste is carried out as follows:

• The work is carried out in the summer when it is very hot and dry;
• Strong solutions of boron and borax are prepared in advance in 2 separate containers (necessarily separate);
• The insulation is poured in layers of 3-5 cm;
• Each layer is generously sprayed with both solutions alternately using a plaster brush or a homemade sprinkler;
• The next layer is poured and sprayed after the previous one has completely dried.

As for sawdust, a reliable guarantee against fermentation even in a damp attic is provided by backfilling with a base of slabs and clay, see below. Unfortunately, it is not possible to describe why here; the point is the unique properties of clay and outer layers coniferous wood. Insulation of this type is known in houses more than 100 years old. But, once again, unfortunately, it is difficult to find fatty clay in nature; it is a valuable mineral raw material, and not cheap on sale.

How to insulate a ceiling?

From the attic

The main methods of insulating the ceiling from the outside, i.e. from the attic, shown in Fig. It is preferable, of course, to make do with inter-beam insulation. In this case, please note that if the ceiling slopes sufficiently massive, you need to make the vapor barrier flaps on ceiling beams or enclose them entirely with a vapor barrier. The vapor barrier can then be film. If the suspended ceiling is thin, then jumps in its thermal resistance at the locations of the beams can be harmful. Then the foil vapor barrier is attached from the inside between the beams and the ceiling cladding.

With full insulation, i.e. up to the calculated power of the insulation, the scheme on the right will be more labor-intensive, but also more effective, respectively. rice sections: the inter-beam layer is laid in rolls or slabs, and the above-beam layer is made of square mats spaced apart, i.e. with displaced seams.

Note: Please also pay attention to the section in Fig. bottom right. This is the same slab insulation with clay, suitable for all types of insulation without the use of synthetic membranes.

From the inside

No attic

In private households, except as described above additional insulation, most often it is necessary to insulate roofless buildings from the inside “on the fly”, in the middle of the cold season. Let’s say they started building, built a utility block or makeshift shelter for a while, and then it turned out that they would have to spend the winter in it. Or the chickens have stopped laying eggs, the pig has become sad for some reason and is getting thinner before our eyes. There's nothing you can do about it; you'll have to insulate the roof.

Typical design warm roof shown on the left in Fig. Turning the insulation down is necessary to avoid freezing of the corners. This system has 2 units, A and B (ventilated ridge and counter-batten, or counter-bar), which seem to be impossible to do without dismantling the roof. However, the “bypass” diagram for node A is shown in Fig. top right. It is taken into account here that, firstly, in light buildings from individual developers, as a rule, there are no ridge beams, and a ridge “beam” is made by knocking down 2 boards in an L-shape. Ventilation holes drill 2-3 per span between the rafters. If the entire roof is only roofing felt, then there is nothing to do to prevent rain from dripping through the ventilation, you need to climb up and install some kind of ridge run, at least from bent galvanized strips.

What to do with node B is shown below right. It uses the fact that in a small self-built crossbar ( load-bearing structure) roofs are not made of beams. The role of embedded rafter legs The longitudinal beams of the crossbar are placed on the sheathing boards under the roof, and the spans between the rafters are free from bottom to top. In the figure, presumably, everything is clear: the under-roof membrane will have to be applied in pieces, and the required insulation capacity will be obtained, if necessary, with the help of backing beams.

In an apartment building

Insulate ceilings yourself apartment building only possible from the inside. Firstly, residents do not have the right to carry out work on the roof or common attic; Secondly, why do we pay contributions for major repairs? The roof is cold - you need to require the operator to insulate it; doesn't want - that's it legal rights on the residents' side.

However, while there is fuss and litigation, you can do something with your own hands to insulate the ceiling in the apartment. Typical scheme insulation of the ceiling from the inside over concrete is shown on the left in Fig. Its main disadvantage is not at all the expensive, corroding, and not always as effective as manufacturers claim, special metal profiles for insulation with thermal seals-thermal washers. Not like thermal washers for installing polycarbonate! Both can be replaced wooden sheathing. And not the special materials for the thermal gap around the perimeter and the complexity of working with them.

The main thing is that 0.4-0.5 m is subtracted from the height of the room. This in no way adds habitability to the modern apartments, but what about the Khrushchev buildings with 2.5 m ceilings that are most in need of insulation?

But even here there is an acceptable way out of the situation. Let us take into account, firstly, that in stone houses heat escapes through the ceiling mainly in the corners. Anyone who hasn’t seen how the ceilings in single-family apartments become damp and moldy, take my word for it. Secondly, block and monolithic houses very resistant to fire. Achieving an extensive fire in them can only be done through deliberate malicious influence. Therefore, it is possible to use granulated foam in a small volume.

The scheme for insulating a concrete ceiling, worked out back in the Brezhnev era, when plasterboard became available for sale, is shown on the right in Fig. In this way, only approx. is subtracted from the ceiling height. 5 cm. Filling the pockets of the corners using it is quite difficult, which is why this technology did not really catch on back then: the corners are sheathed first along the short sides of the room and filled with insulation from the sides. Then the corners of the long sides are sheathed and insulation is poured into the spaces between the sheathing slats. The foam and horizontal lining are installed last.

Now let’s remember once again about ecowool. Will it be difficult to get it into your pockets? At least through temporary technological hatches? The question is rhetorical.

Special cases

Attic

The insulation of attics is actually the same special topic as the insulation of roofs. Here it is appropriate to mention it again in connection with ecowool. Look at what's on the left in the picture, filled with red. In private houses, it is either impossible to get into this attic without dismantling the roof, or it is impossible to work there. And blow out with ecowool instead of the recommended one roll insulation possible without any difficulties.

Garage and bathhouse

Garage roofs are often mounted on steel I-beams or channels. Reliable, the price is not too bad, but what to do with such thermal bridges if you need to insulate? The insulation diagram for a garage ceiling on steel beams is shown on the left in Fig. Its peculiarity is that the insulation boards are laid in at least 2 layers, staggered horizontally and vertically. In this way, when insulating with mineral wool, it is possible to reduce heat loss to acceptable levels. If you use ecowool, then the cavities between the beams and between the sewing and the beams are simply blown out with it. Folgoizol is not needed then; kraft paper on the inside along the ceiling lining is enough.

With a bathhouse, the matter is simpler: the features of its design, without which a bathhouse is not a bathhouse, and the thermal/humidity operating conditions make it possible to develop a universal scheme for insulating the bathhouse ceiling, which is shown in Fig. on right. Feature: if the insulation is mineral wool, then it will certainly be basalt, the other will not withstand thermal loads and periodic dampening. If you insulate a bathhouse with ecowool, then the peculiarity is that you need to prepare the mass with the addition of glue.