Warming the floor in a wooden house - how to and better

Heat losses are not always associated with the material's thermal conductivity, very often this is caused by different temperatures in the basement and on the first floor of the house. Thermal insulation of the floor in a wooden house prevents the leakage of heat, thereby reducing heating costs. High-quality insulation of the floor in a wooden house can be done with the right choice of insulation.

For which you need floor insulation in wooden houses

It is very rare to find wooden houses with high-quality thermal insulation of the floor, ensuring a comfortable stay even in extreme cold. In most cases, the cold floor is a fairly common phenomenon of wooden buildings.

This is done according to the laws of physics from the school course, according to which heavier cold air accumulates below. Lack of thermal insulation on the floor or a violation of the process of warming causes cold bridges to form between the shrunken boards.

This phenomenon contributes to the loss of almost a quarter of thermal resources.

Clearly about the feasibility of floor insulation on video:

On this basis, we can say with certainty that insulated wooden floor eliminates the following problems:

• Increased humidity in the room.

• Low temperature inside the building.

• The accumulation of condensate that causes mold.

• The appearance of harmful microorganisms.

• Formation of rot inside wood structures.

The combination of these factors encourages the homeowner to do wood floor insulation, and to do the work according to all the rules.

The result of the action will be a comfortable and cozy stay, and most importantly , leakage of thermal resources and the corresponding costs will decrease. Thermal insulation can be carried out not only in old buildings, but also in buildings put into operation.

How to choose the right thermal insulation material

Owners of private buildings often wonder if they need insulation for the floor in a wooden house, which one is better to buy to get more effect. The selection of material for this purpose can be called a rather crucial moment, so it is important to adhere to the following:

• Weight of materials. Owners of private wooden houses do not make much sense to take into account this characteristic, since their houses themselves do not create a large load on the tape or foundation cushion. Know the weight of the material is necessary only when working in multi-storey buildings, where too heavy insulation will put additional pressure on the floor slab.

• Moisture resistance. Most often they look at this criterion when they are engaged in finishing "wet" rooms - a bathroom or a kitchen. You also need to focus on it when building a house in latitudes with a humid climate.

• Operational period. From this parameter directly depends on how many times and after what time the homeowner will carry out work related to the repair or replacement of the floor.

• Thermal Conductivity Indicator. The smaller the value of this parameter, the more heat will remain in the house.

• The degree of difficulty of laying the material. Each master dreams of simplified installation work, therefore, the simpler the laying of insulation, the better.

• The presence of a basement or ground floor. If there is an unheated room under the heat-insulated floor, it is important to choose a thicker insulation.

• Ceiling height. Laying insulation is always accompanied by a decrease in usable space, so in rooms with low ceilings it is better to opt for thinner heaters.

• Features of use. Permanent or temporary residence also determines the thickness of the insulation.

• Resistance to fire. It is very important that the thermal insulation material is resistant to fire or at least does not support combustion. In addition, it should not release harmful gases when heated.

In our catalog, you can familiarize yourself with the list of companies specializing in finishing materials and works among the low-rise country houses presented at the exhibition.

Popular types of thermal insulation materials

Usability is one of the most important criteria for choosing materials. Some of them are solid and can only be used on flat surfaces, while others are successfully used for thermal insulation of areas of complex shape.Before you warm the floor in a wooden house, you should choose the most suitable type of insulation.

Heaters in rolls

In this form, heaters are supplied, the basis of which is cork or mineral wool. The physical characteristics of these materials (softness and low density) allows laying insulation without any special difficulties, not only on a perfectly flat surface. Rolled insulation can be laid with the least number of joints, which increases the degree of insulation. In most cases, this type of insulation is afraid of high humidity, so when installing it you should take care of waterproofing. Sometimes rolled materials have an outer foil layer that protects the material from moisture.

Plates

These are light plates or insulation mats that are capable of not changing shape during the installation process. They are characterized by low thermal conductivity and low weight. Easily mounted on the surface with minor errors.

Liquid polymer insulation

This type It is a special compound that, in contact with air, forms a solid foam structure. With the help of such thermal insulation, all hard-to-reach places and errors are filled. Among the well-known representatives of this type of insulation can be distinguished penoizol, which is applied to the surface of a can with a special sprayer. The only drawback of liquid insulation can be called a high price.

Loose insulation

This type of insulation it is presented by such bulks as slag, expanded clay or sawdust. They fill the laid volume sufficiently tightly, while laying is possible both on a pre-equipped base and on ordinary soil.

When using such heaters, you will have to install additional beams for the finishing coating and, as a result, raise the floor level.

When choosing a method for insulating flooring made of wood, you should be guided by the efficiency of material use and material benefits.

Popular materials for warming wooden flooring

Usually it does not take long to search for the better to warm the floor in a wooden house - in the building stores there is a large selection of various materials and it remains only to choose the appropriate one, building on their characteristics.

Polyfoam and polystyrene

In addition to good thermal insulation, one of the main characteristics of these materials is their vapor impermeability, therefore it is most effective to use them for warming the floor of the first floor or basement. Under normal conditions of middle latitudes, it is enough to use plates 5–13 cm thick. If you take plates thinner, then over time, the savings will be blocked by increased heating costs.

Mineral wool

The properties of this material do not allow to use it in the floor screed on the ground. But wooden floors, insulated with mineral wool, can boast an increase in service life. Warming of the ceiling between the basement and the first floor is recommended to be performed with a material whose thickness is 20-30 cm. Higher floors are insulated with materials 10-15 cm thick.

The procedure for working with mineral wool on video:

Ecowool

The material is made from shredded waste paper and cardboard packaging with further impregnation with fire retardants and antiseptics. Ecowool can not be used for insulation on the ground due to its low density, but for overlapping on beams material is considered the best option. In this case, the thickness of the insulation of the floor in a wooden house can be 20-25 cm.

Foamed polymers

The main difference is the high cost compared to other heaters. It is impossible to call effective use of this heater on the floor and overlaps on the beams. Therefore, it is best to use foamed polymeric heat-insulating materials for thin-layer structures under floor coverings.

Foam glass

The material is obtained by foaming of quartz sand. The mass of such insulation is much less than that of dry wood. The main advantages of the material can be called good vapor barrier properties, the ability to withstand heavy loads without changing the shape and loss of quality characteristics, as well as good insulation.

Foamglass is produced in slabs that can withstand the weight of a heavy truck, or in granules for filling wooden floors.

The standard material density of 150kg / m³ allows it to be used for warming the basement and floors above. The thickness of the insulation should be respectively 18 cm and 15 cm.

Expanded clay

Recently, this insulation has been used much less frequently due to the emergence of more efficient thermal insulation materials on the construction market. Some characteristics require an increase in the heat insulation layer by 4-6 times as compared with stone wool or ecowool. Overlap on the beams can not always place such a volume of insulation.

Fibrolit

Insulation of this type is obtained in by mixing cement powder, liquid glass and wood wool. The advantage of such thermal insulation of the floor in a wooden house is the ability to absorb noise of various origins, as well as significant heat retention when pasting this type of insulation on the supporting walls of the house. The high hygroscopicity of the material limits its use in floors along the ground, but it is ideal for insulating floors by beams and for creating multi-layer wooden construction cakes. Warming of floors between the basement and the first floor is done with a layer of 15 cm, for the upper floors, 10 cm of insulation is enough.

Sawdust

Such insulation can not be called the most effective method of insulation residential premises, as to reduce heat loss, it is necessary to lay a layer not less than 30 cm thick. Therefore, sawdust is most often used in non-residential attic rooms. Recently, sawdust is used in the manufacture of highly efficient thermal insulation and materials with similar characteristics.

Izolon

This insulation is made of polyethylene foam , has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity even at a thickness of 0.2-1 cm. This quality makes the material indispensable for insulation of wooden floor. Other advantages include good sound insulation, which makes it unnecessary to lay additional sound insulation layers. When using izolon, laying is not required butt-to-butt, but with an overlap of strips, the seams formed during this process are treated with polymer glue or bitumen mastic.

Penofol

The material is a new generation of rolled insulation. With this lightweight and easy-to-use material, shielding is performed that prevents the dispersion of radiant energy. Conservation of heat occurs due to the reflective layer, this makes the material especially popular when the floor is insulated between floors. Among the pre-emptive moments are the ability to resist heavy loads, a low coefficient of thermal conductivity and easy installation.

Comparing the properties and features of use can be made the conclusion is that for wooden elements it is better to choose vapor-permeable materials, and in other cases to use heat insulation materials with high density.

The procedure for the installation of insulation

Before you insulate the floor in a wooden house, it is important to familiarize yourself with the general rules of work.

First of all, you need to understand what you can not do - clearly about it in the video:

And the process of warming itself is as follows:

• Before you need to remove the baseboard and remove the old floor. At the same time, care must be taken not to buy new material.

• Exposed floor beams inspect for the detection of rotten elements that must be replaced. It is best to fasten new wooden parts with galvanized screws that are not susceptible to corrosion.

• The support beam is best mounted at the bottom of the log.

• Draft flooring is made of unedged boards, the length of which corresponds to 2 cm between lags or less than this parameter. Draft floor is not laid close together, and the fixing of the beam to the elements of this covering can be omitted.

• Houses located in areas with high groundwater levels often suffer from high humidity with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, it is very important to protect the floors with ruberoid or glass roofing. Strips of waterproofing overlap, sizing the joints with duct tape.

• The heater is laid on top of the lag of the finished floor. In addition, another waterproofing layer is required.

• To create a ventilation gap, the counter rakes are nailed over the insulation.

• The final stage is the installation of a new flooring.

Whatever material or technology is used First of all, one should always remember that a quality result can be obtained only with exact observance of the technology of work.