Those days when straw with sawdust were used as insulation for the roof are long gone. Modern technologies, coupled with innovative developments, have made it possible to take a step forward in this area and abandon the old-fashioned ways.
Today's construction market offers a plethora of options for insulation solutions, ranging from inexpensive glass wool to high-tech coatings with polyurethane foam consistency. Therefore, for many, the question of which roof insulation will be better is more relevant than ever.
And if the professionals in their field are at least somehow oriented in all this diversity, then the inexperienced consumer simply shrug and relies entirely on the consultant in the store. And in some cases, this is not the best solution, because the latter may simply be incompetent or thoroughly interested in selfish profit and sell you stale goods.
So, let's try to figure out which roof insulation is better in a particular case, what to pay special attention to when buying, and also indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.
In general, when choosing a heat-saving material for your roof, you must firstturn to clarify what exactly you want to get in the end? For some, durability is important, for others, environmental friendliness, but for others, give only technological products. Everyone has their own priorities and there is a buyer for any material.
We will start with the simplest and most common roof insulation, and finish with more expensive and advanced types. Both the first and the second are presented on the construction markets, as a rule, in a good assortment, so there should be no problems with “feeling”
Glass wool
This is the most popular roof insulation, the quality and practicality of which has been proven over the years. The structure of the material is quite simple: interconnected fibers with air cushions. One of the clear advantages of glass wool is the absence of at least some prerequisites for the occurrence of rot or mold, because it is a completely inorganic material.
In pluses, in addition to good heat-saving performance, you can also include good soundproofing properties. In addition, glass wool is a very good insulation for a mansard roof. Whatever insulation you take, and especially from new and technologically advanced materials, it costs far from little money. While glass wool is considered one of the most affordable insulation. And for the domestic consumer, this is clearly not the last argument when buying.
Of the minuses of the material, one can note a rather unpleasant sensation during installation, as well as the fragility of this roof insulation in comparison with modern and more expensiveanalogues. Despite its shortcomings, glass wool has been and remains one of the most popular insulations in the budget.
Mineral wool
Mineral wool is a more technological version of the previous material. In addition to glass, it also consists of stone and wood fibers. Such a combination, in contrast to the above-described glass wool, irritates the skin to a much lesser extent during installation. But still, experts, as well as the manufacturer of the material, strongly recommends the use of personal protective equipment when working with this material.
One of the clear advantages of mineral wool is the hassle-free repair / replacement of fibers, as well as ease of installation. Any beginner in this business will understand the flooring of this roof insulation. As such, there are no critical flaws in the material. The only thing is that the manufacturer is a little cunning, denoting a service life of 35 years in the specification.
In Russian realities, and these are mostly harsh winters and piercing winds, the operational period of mineral wool does not exceed 20 years. So after this period, the thermal insulation qualities of the material gradually begin to fade away.
Bas alt wool
Bas alt is used as the main structural element of this wool. The rock filler gives the material noticeably more elasticity compared to the insulations described above, which allows it to also be used as a spacer between the rafters.
Bas alt woolconsidered the best insulation for the roof among other analogues. Compared to the latter, it has a long service life, fire resistance, and high environmental performance.
As for the installation, there are no problems here either. Everything is quite simple, so even a person without building experience can handle the flooring. But you still have to use personal protective equipment. Rock filler does not save you from unpleasant irritations.
Ecowool
This material is credited with simply miraculous properties, and marketers, in unison with environmentalists, sing praises to it. For ardent fans of clean lakes and green forests, the choice in favor of ecowool is quite obvious, but in the rest, there is something to think about.
As a clear advantage of this insulation, one can note the environmental friendliness of the material, which creates a he althy microclimate in the room. For the attic - this is it. Here you can add very good heat and sound insulation qualities.
Ecowool consists mostly of recycled cellulose (about 80%), and the rest is antiseptics and flame retardants. That is, the technology for the production of this insulation is very simple: they took waste paper, treated it with a solution of bromine, and go ahead - insulate the roofs.
Material features
But despite all the attractive advantages, ecowool has its own critical drawback - caking, that is, over time, the thickness of the roof insulation noticeably decreases, and useful heat and sound insulationproperties are lost. The process is not observed at all objects, but if the installation technology was violated, then shrinkage of the material is guaranteed.
So a serious approach is needed here, that is, the involvement of professional builders, and just like it was in the cases described above, you can’t put insulation. And these are additional financial costs, and as such, the benefit of buying ecowool is reduced to nothing.
Styrofoam
Here can be any derivatives of expanded polystyrene. In many European countries, this material is banned for use in residential areas, mainly for environmental reasons. Despite foreign prohibitions, domestic builders use it quite actively and insulate everything and everyone with it, and not just the roof.
Polyfoam enjoys enviable popularity among domestic consumers due to an impressive list of advantages. Here we have, first of all, excellent heat and noise insulation properties, along with a long service life of the material. Moreover, throughout the operational period, the foam does not lose its useful qualities.
Distinguishing Features of Insulation
In addition, this material is in no way susceptible to mold, corrosion, fungi and other decomposition. In clear pluses, one can also write down excellent moisture resistance and a very small weight of the foam. And again, for a mansard roof - the insulation is ideal (no need to lift it on lifts like cotton wool).
Of course, in terms of environmental performance, foam plastic loses significantlyother materials, but behind the heap of the advantages described above, this moment is simply lost. Well, for ardent environmentalists, of course, you need to look at other options.
Polyurethane foam insulation (PPU)
Today it is the most modern and technologically advanced roof insulation (and not only). Here we have the longest operating period with the preservation of all the useful properties of the material, as well as exceptionally simple insulation flooring. And most importantly, everything will be without seams, joints and other "cold bridges".
As such, the installation process is quite simple and is similar to sealing cracks with a can of foam. Only in this case, the scale is larger, and instead of a small cylinder, a serious spraying unit. The whole procedure takes noticeably less time compared to laying other heaters.
Features of PPU insulation
The process is accompanied by the release of very harmful chemical elements, so protection in this case should be designed to the maximum. There is no need to talk about self-assembly of polyurethane foam insulation - only with the involvement of a professional team.
Separately, it is worth mentioning one-day construction companies that promise to make you a roof in the shortest possible time and at an extremely attractive price. Professional, as well as high-quality equipment, simply cannot be cheap, and an intelligent specialist will obviously not appreciate his services for a rusty penny.
Nimble businessmen will really cover your roof with something similar to PPUmaterial, but only it will not give you all the indicated advantages, and this is at best. And at worst, you will live on a chemical bomb, which can not only fall apart at any moment, but also poison the residents.
Summing up
When choosing a roof insulation, a number of critical parameters must be taken into account. First of all, we are talking about the design features of the room. The choice of material for a garage, a bathhouse and a private house is noticeably different.
Be sure to pay attention to the life of the insulation. Some manufacturers mix, for example, various environmental additives into their products, which, on the one hand, add useful qualities to the insulation, and on the other, reduce its operational period. Someone will appreciate it, but someone does not care at all about some kind of environmental friendliness, and give him a huge service life.
Also, it would not be superfluous to note the frost resistance of the material. This point is especially relevant for Russian regions with a harsh climate. On sale you can find universal heaters for all occasions. Nothing bad can be said about them, but only they will not survive severe frosts. So in this case it is much more practical to take a specific solution for difficult climatic zones.
Well, the brand plays an important role. The same venerable Knauf, Isover or Rockwell will obviously not be exchanged for momentary profit and produce low-quality materials.
