Thin walls cause 30-35% of heat to simply escape through them. Thus, almost a third of the money that is paid for heating is wasted, and if you collect it in a year or two, you get a pretty decent amount, which, if you save money, you can spend on anything: relaxing by the sea, traveling to a country you like, buying new furniture - lots of options.
But how to save money? Do not sit in a cold house? To start saving, you must first spend - to insulate the facade with mineral wool. The technology of this process is quite simple, you can do all the work yourself. The only thing you need for this is to know how to choose the material, how to handle it and what is the sequence of work. Further on this and much more in more detail.
Basics of choice
But in order for the material to really perform all the functions and keep the house warm, it must be only of high quality. Far from all types of heaters that are on sale in the construction market today, we can say that they are of high quality. However, there are firms that producemineral wool that meets all requirements and has all the necessary properties. These are Beltep, IZOVOL, Paroc and others.
Topping the list of the best manufacturers is Rockwool. This is a branch of a Danish company. And he is not alone: throughout the country there are factories of this brand that offer high quality products without price markups.
Insulation characteristics
Rockwool mineral wool is one of the best materials, which has many enhanced characteristics. The most important ones are:
- Excellent sound insulation. Thanks to this, the fibers are chosen to improve the acoustics of rooms, the manufacture of noise barriers.
- Low thermal conductivity.
- Sustainable with EcoMaterial Green certification.
- Vapor permeability.
- Fire resistance - mineral wool can withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees C, while other manufacturers have this figure - 600 degrees. In case of fire, the fibers do not shrink, therefore, voids that are very dangerous at high temperatures do not form inside.
- Easy to install.
- The ability to choose external insulation in rolls or plates.
- Durability. Moreover, during operation, the fibers do not collapse, do not deform, and keep their dimensions well.
In addition, which is very important, Rockwool insulation does not rot, it is not affected by rodents and various microorganisms.
Product Overview
Rockwool Companyproduces several grades of mineral wool. Among them, the most in demand:
- Wentirock Max. This is mineral wool in the form of mats, intended for use in the insulation of enclosing walls, high partitions and external walls, followed by cladding in the form of glass, stone, corrugated board. The cost of mineral wool Wentirock Max - from 600 rubles. for 1 sq. m with overall dimensions of 100 x 60 x 10 cm.
- "Conlit". This name is given to plates and shaped products. Available in two versions - with and without aluminum cladding. Some products are finished with a layer of fiberglass. This type of product is designed for installation at facilities that are subject to increased fire safety requirements. To fix the Conlit boards on the surface to be coated, you will need to additionally purchase an adhesive specially designed for this purpose.
- "Light Butts". These are lightweight, water-repellent thermal insulation boards that do not shrink and are easy to install. The cost of mineral wool brand "Light Butts" depends on its thickness (5 or 10 cm) and the size of the plates and varies from 450 to 565 rubles.
In total, the manufacturer produces 24 types of insulation, which allows you to choose the most suitable option for a specific purpose.
Material selection
Before you buy your favorite mineral wool, be sure to pay attention to where it will be installed and whether it is intended for this. So, if the installation of mineral wool will be carried out outside the building, then the material should also be facade, since it has a higher hydrophobicity, repels moisture and has a gooddensity. Insulation designed for indoor installation has lower properties and will not cope with its purpose if installed outside the building.
Unfortunately, mineral wool, like any building material, has more than just advantages. It also has disadvantages - the need to strictly observe the technological process. If the manufacturer's recommendations for installation are violated, the insulation will lose its thermal insulation properties. One of the options for violating technology is the rejection of the reinforcing layer. Such a decision will lead to the fact that cracks will appear on the facade, and eventually expand.
Insulation technology
Experts advise to take the recommendations for the installation of insulation very carefully and seriously and properly prepare the walls - only this guarantees the quality of the result, and the process itself will not take much time. How should the facade be insulated with mineral wool? The installation technology consists of several stages. This is:
- Product markup.
- Install profile.
- Installation installation.
- Fixing the insulation material.
- Reinforcement.
- Waterproofing.
- Surface finishing.
After marking, you need to remove cement smudges, protrusions, protruding metal pins from the walls, and then remove wires, drainpipes and other objects so that rust from them does not come out on the surface of the facade over time. Followed byseal all cracks with mortar. After that, it is necessary to apply a substance that protects against fungus on the entire insulated surface. Moreover, this must be done, even if the fungus on the wall surfaces is not noticed. If the walls are wooden, they must be soaked with an antiseptic.
Facade preparation
Insulation of walls with mineral wool is performed in the following sequence:
- Primer walls. Moreover, it is necessary to use a material that penetrates deep into the surface of the walls.
- Installation of guides. It can be wooden bars or a metal profile. Horizontal rails must be the same thickness as the thermal insulation material. Considering that mineral wool can be compressed a little during installation, the profile can be used 1-2 cm thinner, this is quite acceptable. The distance between the guides depends on the size of the plates.
- In order for the plates to be laid tightly, without gaps and cracks, it is necessary to make the distance between the guides somewhat smaller. But this indicator should not exceed 2 cm.
- Fix the guides using self-tapping screws or dowels.
- Lay the Rockwool insulation between the rails. Laying starts at the bottom and ends at the top. You can put insulation on glue or strengthen it with dish-shaped dowels. If, nevertheless, gaps have formed between the heat-insulating material and the guides, they must be filled using the remnants of the insulation.
- To reinforce the insulated wall, apply glue to its surface and gently press the reinforcing mesh. Then the adhesive must be applied again on top. This iswill prevent surface deformation and will additionally protect the insulation from moisture.
Installation under siding
If siding is used as the final finish, it is best to arrange a ventilated facade by insulating the facade with mineral wool. The technology of this action is as follows:
- Fix the vertical profile. All elements are installed at a distance of 40-50 cm from one another.
- Rockwool mineral wool is laid in the gap between the vertical posts, which is fastened with dish-shaped dowels.
- The insulation is closed with a waterproofing membrane. Joints are sealed with butyl tape. This must be done to protect the insulation from moisture. Depending on the wall material, staples or liquid nails are used to fix the vapor barrier film.
- Installing the counter batten.
- Installation of siding.
Insulation under plaster
Insulation of the facade with mineral wool for plaster excludes the use of vapor and wind insulation and lathing. Work is being carried out according to the following plan:
- Fix mineral wool on the surface of the facade using glue or dish-shaped dowels. In this case, you need to make sure that there are no gaps anywhere, and the joints of the plates of the next row are located approximately in the middle of the previous row.
- Installation of reinforcing mesh. The canvases are laid with an "overlap" of 10-15 cm - this will prevent cracking of the plaster.
- When the reinforcing layer is dry,exterior finishing in progress.
- Using a spatula, remove glue streaks.
- If it turns out that the reinforcement did not level the wall surfaces, you can first use rough plastering
- Perform finishing facing. To improve the aesthetic performance of the building, it is desirable to use decorative plaster.
Advice from experts
Those who are professionally involved in construction claim that it is possible to insulate the facade with mineral wool yourself. The technology is not complicated, but there are some nuances, without knowing which it will not be possible to perform work at a high level:
- Rockwool mineral wool in slabs is best suited for outdoor installation - this material has a high density, so it will not sag over time.
- It is best to take insulation material of such a thickness that it can be installed in one layer. If installation is carried out in two layers, the seams should not match.
- When installing, you need to make sure that there are no voids left - they will be cold bridges that provoke condensation.
