Many of us have a countryside corner where we can usefully spend time surrounded by family, friends and close relatives. But whatever the size of the suburban area, the comfort of stay is important. Some owners stay here for the summer period, while others "register" on a permanent basis. And to make it also comfortable inside the house, you should think about warming the floor in the country. In addition, where, if not here, most often this coating is quite cold.
Besides, due to frost, not only can a cold begin, mold appears, accompanied by an unpleasant smell. And over time, the very walls of the house will begin to collapse.
Need for floor insulation
With the onset of autumn, colds come to us, first appearing only at night, but then frosts are clearly manifested. And with the advent of winter, the whole house is completely surroundedsnow-white veil. In the spring, the time comes for streams that become almost whole rivers.
All this leaves its negative imprint on the walls, floor, ceiling of the dwelling, and also contributes to a change in the internal climate. Thanks to floor insulation, you can not only maintain the optimum level of temperature. This will avoid the appearance of unwanted fungi that cause various diseases, and condensation. As a result, the house is kept safe and sound for a long time. In some cases, you can even do without scheduled repairs.
Independent work
To perform the thermal insulation of the floor of the house, all the work can be entrusted to a qualified team, which will require certain investments. However, if you wish, it is not difficult to do everything yourself, for which it is enough to follow the instructions. The technology itself implies the following:
- Cleaning the surface, and if necessary, it should be plastered.
- Protective treatment, including the use of mastic.
- Laying a layer of thermal insulation material and fixing it, if this is also necessary.
At the final stage, the formation of the floor itself follows, that is, laying a sheet of plywood, chipboard or boards. Only these materials need pre-treatment with an antiseptic and moisture-proof agents. And only after that you can lay carpet or put linoleum on the finished surface. So you can create a more comfortable environment in the house.
Bin order to reduce cash costs, as well as labor costs, it is possible to conduct insulation in one or two adjacent rooms. At the same time, no matter how much it costs, insulating the floor of the entire house contributes to a more comfortable climate. At the same time, it is advisable to plan the work in the summer, which will turn into significant benefits. What floor insulation schemes exist?
Floor insulation schemes
The thickness of the laying of thermal insulation material depends on the region where the cottage is located:
- Medium strip - at least 12 cm.
- North - 20 cm, no less.
With regard to interfloor ceilings, in order to avoid heat leakage, an additional layer of thermal insulation of about 8 cm should be laid. It is much easier to work with wooden floors, since the floor structure is represented by beams and a lag system. This allows you to fill the space between the bearing elements with foam, expanded clay, mineral wool.
The essence of the work is as follows. A kind of “boxes” are formed between the lags, where, in fact, the selected insulation is placed. There is nothing complicated in such work, the main thing is to persevere, and then it can be done without resorting to the help of specialists. It is enough to enlist the support of acquaintances or close people. In this case, everything will go smoothly and quickly.
Well, you should also choose the appropriate floor insulation technology in the old dacha and strictly adhere to it.
Heat insulation in low floor case
This technology is the most time-consuming, since it involves the dismantling of the oldflooring. This is due to the limited size of the underground space, which does not allow to fix the heat-insulating material to the logs from below.
The steps themselves are as follows:
- The plinth with floorboards is carefully dismantled. Along the way, it is worth signing each element of the “mosaic” so that everything is not confused during reassembly.
- Inspect all lags for integrity. If necessary, all problem areas should be cut out and solid beams of the same size should be installed instead of damaged elements. Building is done using boards that are attached to the left and right sides of the lag. Use galvanized self-tapping screws as fasteners (for obvious reasons).
- A cranial bar is attached to the lower edge of each lag and the same on both sides. This will support the subfloor.
- In accordance with the distance between the lags, lumber is prepared, which will be used to form a rough flooring. In this case, the length of each segment of the board should be 10-20 mm shorter than the lag installation step. Thanks to this, the flooring details will fit freely, however, this will not interfere with the subsequent insulation of the subfloor.
- Now the actual formation of the subfloor - the laying of the prepared boards is in progress.
It is not recommended to join them tightly to each other, otherwise mounds and steps are formed due to the characteristic movements of the wood.
Small but needs a digression
Now you should pay attentionfor an important moment. All further actions will depend on the extent to which the rocks under the foundation are saturated with moisture. Draft flooring and logs must be covered with a layer of vapor barrier. Thanks to this barrier, the heat-insulating material will be reliably protected from the effects of steam, which rises from the surface of the earth. However, this does not prevent the removal of condensate from the thickness of the insulation.
If the house is built on a site with high groundwater, the vapor barrier membrane is not suitable. Instead, it is necessary to arrange waterproofing with roofing material or glassine.
Continuation of instructions
The above section is necessary because the dacha is located in different areas. Someone was lucky to be on land, while others are forced to be content with "wet" places. The further scope of work on floor insulation in the country house with your own hands:
- The insulating layer spreads in a continuous sheet, while going on the walls by 10-15 cm. It turns out a kind of pallet. If it is a rolled material, then it is overlapped, connecting the strips together with adhesive tape. To make it convenient to carry out further work, the insulating coating can be fixed in some places with a stapler to the logs and walls.
- The “boxes” formed between the joists are now filled with selected heat-insulating material, and between its surface and the edge of the joist there should be a ventilation gap (about 2 cm). If this is not possible, it is necessary to form a counter-lattice. To do this, a rail is nailed in increments of 40 cmalong the lags “in a cross” in their direction.
- Now you should lay a layer of waterproofing (glassine or diffuse membrane) in order to protect against moisture tending down. At the same time, if a counter-lattice was built, then the insulating layer should be located under it.
- At the final step, it remains to fix the floorboards according to the marks. After that, the skirting boards are put back and excess insulation is cut off along its edge.
The issue with the choice of insulation must be addressed at the construction stage. But floor insulation in the country house in the finished house can also be done using the instructions given.
Insulation of the floor of a house with a high cellar
Here, work is carried out in almost the same way as in the scheme above, but with the difference that it is not necessary to dismantle the floorboards.
And in this case the algorithm is just the opposite:
- Using a stapler, a waterproofing layer is attached to the beams from the side of the home cellar. In this case, you should also first check all the wooden elements of the floor for integrity. Repair beams as needed.
- At the bottom of the beams, support bars or thin slats are attached. If there is dampness in the basement, then a galvanized profile should be used instead. These elements will have to hold the entire layer of thermal insulation material.
- Loose insulation is not used in this scheme, so mineral wool is chosen. It is cut into pieces, while their width should be 20-30 mm more than the step betweenlag. In this case, in the "pocket" the insulation will be close to its walls and will be fixed for a while. An assistant is already needed here: one will hold the material, the other will fasten the support rails.
- In addition to floor insulation in a wooden house, an insulating membrane is attached from below with a stapler.
- Boards are fixed on the beams to form a subfloor. Moreover, the boards should be laid in the transverse direction in relation to the lag.
To protect the insulation from rodent encroachment, you can fix a metal mesh with small cells over the waterproofing layer.
Double protection
With such a floor insulation scheme, the height to the ceiling will be reduced in the region of 12-20 cm. This should be taken into account, and if conditions allow, you can proceed to work. The algorithm here is:
- Dismantle the skirting boards, then inspect the floorboards and, if necessary, make repairs. All cracks are filled with mounting foam, a mixture of sawdust and wood glue. A combination of paste and dampened paper will also work.
- Put logs, the step between them should be from 60 to 70 cm, but not more than 90 cm.
- Before you start warming the floor in the country, you need to check the height of the lag with a building level. If exceeded, remove the excess with a planer, in case of deficiency, compensate with a lining under the roofing material beam.
- A waterproofing layer or vapor barrier is laid with a continuous sheet.
- "Boxes" between the lags are filled with the selected heat-insulating material. In this case, do not forget about the ventilation gap.
- Cover everything with another insulating layer.
- Lay boards, plywood, GVLV or any other similar material to form a finished floor.
- At the final stage, the floor covering is laid and the plinth is put in place.
If the foundation of the house rests on piles (including bored and screw modifications), then regardless of the technological scheme of floor insulation, it is necessary to provide protection with a wind barrier. It is located outside.
Insulation of the floor between floors in the country house
It is necessary to insulate the floor between floors only in cases where the temperature of the premises relative to the ceiling differs significantly. Moreover, such a procedure can also be performed for the ceiling-floor of a house with an attic floor. The choice of insulation also depends on how it is installed: logs or overlap.
The sequence of work is approximately the same:
- A layer of vapor barrier material is laid between the joists or across the slabs.
- Insulation is being laid, and care must be taken that there are no gaps between its segments. Overlapping seams are sometimes allowed.
- A waterproofing layer is laid on top.
- Formation of the finishing floor.
If the house has an attic, which is used mainly as a storage room (not residential), then a windproof structure must be laid on top of the insulation.
Choice of insulation
When choosing a material for floor insulation, it is necessary, first of all, to pay attention to importantSpecifications:
- low thermal conductivity;
- light weight;
- durability;
- moisture resistant;
- easy to process material.
Budgetary floor insulation in the country house is sawdust, earth, moss, but at present they are already outdated, and more modern and effective options have been used to insulate the floor. In addition, sawdust, although they are very cheap and much easier to stack, have significant drawbacks. Over time, they begin to rot. Do not forget that this is a combustible material.
It should also be taken into account that when choosing mineral wool as a heater, the thickness of the material to be laid must be at least 100 mm. With regard to porous analogues, the norm is slightly higher - from 100 to 120 mm.
Mineral wool
In accordance with regulatory documents, this type of material includes:
- glass wool;
- slagish;
- stone wool.
The dimensions of glass wool fibers are very small: only 5-15 microns thick, and no more than 50 mm long. Thanks to this structure, the material is quite strong and elastic. It is necessary to work with it with extreme caution, since ignoring safety rules is fraught with various complications. Inhaling glass dust can cause serious damage to the lungs, and when thin threads break, they can get on the skin or in the eyes, which also does not bode well. But, despite this, many owners of suburban real estate in matters of floor insulation in the country still prefer thismaterial.
Slag wool is characterized as a material with residual acidity. This quality negatively affects metal surfaces in rooms with a high level of humidity. The material is able to absorb moisture well, but it is quite fragile. It is not recommended to insulate them with plastic and metal structures.
Unlike slag wool, stone material is not prickly and therefore it is safer to work with it. Its most common type is bas alt wool, which has the highest characteristics. And this is in the absence of mineral and binding components. The material can be formed into rolls or sheets, as well as stuffed into mats. If you heat it to a temperature above the permissible limits, it does not burn, but melts.
The significant advantages of mineral wool include:
- High degree of noise isolation.
- Availability.
- Durability.
- Maximum effect combined with good waterproofing.
It is widely used both in the construction of new buildings and in the course of repair work. But this is far from the only material that can be used to insulate the floor in a wooden house from below.
Expanded clay
The material is a small granule (about 50 mm), brown. In total, there are three varieties depending on the dimensions: granules, fine gravel, sand.
Among its positive qualities, it is worth noting environmental cleanliness, noise and sound insulation properties. ForTo achieve the desired effect, the material should be laid in a layer of 50 cm. It is highly not recommended to fill it with concrete or cement. Expanded clay can be used to insulate both wooden floors and concrete floors.
Penoplex
This material has high thermal insulation properties, due to which it is widely used in the construction industry. In fact, this is a kind of expanded polystyrene, or rather, its extruded version. In its production, the extrusion method is used (foaming followed by pressing into a special shape).
Penoplex is ideal for floor insulation in the country house, and here's why. In the end, a granular material with cells is obtained (voids in them are filled with gas). With a low weight, penoplex does not allow moisture to pass through and reliably retains heat. Usually produced in sheets with a width of 600 mm, and the length can be 1200 mm or 2400 mm.
As for his other positive qualities, we can highlight the following pluses:
- Resistant to mold and mildew.
- Durability.
- Easy to install (even experience is not needed).
- Resistance to deformation.
- Ability to withstand temperature fluctuations.
However, there are also disadvantages. For example, ultraviolet rays have a destructive effect on the material. For this reason, finishing over the insulation is necessary, and it is done immediately.
In addition, it is a combustible material, when burned, it emits not only acrid smoke, but alsotoxins (hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen bromide, phosgene). This should be taken into account when choosing this material for floor insulation in the country.
