With rising energy prices, the need to improve the thermal insulation of suburban households increases. Without high-quality work, arrangement and living outside the city in winter will not be comfortable. Do-it-yourself comprehensive attic insulation in a private house involves working on all roof surfaces. This is a simple but multi-stage process, where all operations must be performed in compliance with installation technology in order to avoid errors that are difficult to correct during the operation of the structure. The attic space is used in different ways, the degree of insulation from the inside and outside depends on this.
Determining the functionality of the attic
Complete insulation of the attic of a wooden house or small dacha is very important, and it is better not to delay this so that the formation of condensation does not cause dampness. It leads to a decrease in the service life of the building, creating a favorable environment for fungi and mold. This happens over time both in the new house and in the old one.
An uninsulated attic is the entire house with a lot of heat loss, even if the boiler or furnace is firing on all cylinders. Due to the temperature difference, the cold penetrates into the house through all the cracks and openings, and an uninsulated attic gives off the bulk of the heat from the ceiling of the living premises. Therefore, after insulating the windows and floors, they move on to thermal insulation of the attic.
When using the attic as a living area, finishing is needed on top of insulating materials. If this is a purely technical room, then you shouldn’t spend money on finishing materials. Perhaps over time there will be a desire to use the attic as an attic, then lay the floor and design the internal roof slopes as walls. Before this, it will be possible to strengthen the thermal insulation.
Advice: Experts recommend immediately doing full multi-layer insulation with vapor and waterproofing of attic floors. If the filler is laid in layers in a checkerboard pattern, covering the joints, then there will be no “cold bridges”.
When the attic is used for technical needs and general roof maintenance, it is worth separately insulating:
- floors;
- chimney;
- communications.
Selecting suitable materials and insulation
In the recent past in rural houses, in order to reduce heat loss, the following layers were laid out in the attics:
- straw or hay;
- sawdust and shavings;
- dry leaves or seaweed.
Mice often lived in natural materials, and the materials themselves could ignite if the chimney overheated. Later, attics began to be insulated:
- glassy;
- expanded clay;
- roofing felt.
Today, specialized materials are used for attic insulation of the latest generation, in convenient packaging, which can be purchased at any hardware store. They can cover all surfaces under the roof. The thickness of the insulating filler is selected in accordance with:
- from the attic functionality;
- technical characteristics of the material;
- climatic factors.
The main advantages of modern materials for complete thermal insulation:
- low specific gravity;
- low cost;
- ease of installation and operation;
- fire safety;
- they are non-toxic;
- Excellent protection from moisture and temperature changes.
Among the most common materials for do-it-yourself attic insulation in a private home are:
- mineral or basalt wool (ecowool);
- expanded polystyrene (foam);
- expanded clay;
- polyurethane foam;
- fiberglass, etc.
Before laying the main thermal insulation material, it is important to ensure:
- condensate drainage;
- vapor barrier of floors;
- roof waterproofing.
Advice: Windproof film, roll materials for waterproofing and a vapor barrier membrane will cope with this, which will provide the layers of the main insulation with protection from condensation and getting wet.
For high-quality insulation of an attic in a private house, you can use any of the latest generation insulation that is offered in a construction supermarket.
Attention: Before purchasing, you should consult with the sales specialists and read the instructions in order to have an idea of the method of installation. Some materials are sprayed, like snow, onto inclined surfaces, others are laid using lathing, and expanded clay is poured into a layer on the lower surface.
When laying layers for insulating an attic with mineral wool and similar rolled materials, it is important to prevent divergence of the insulation seams. Thermal insulation must adhere tightly to all surfaces, fit into the openings between the beams, forming a continuous cover. Seams between tiles such as insulating foam can be filled polyurethane foam.
When choosing materials, the determining factors remain:
- roof shape;
- general condition of the attic and its functionality;
- type of roofing materials;
- thickness of gables;
- pre-laid roll waterproofing or lack thereof.
Today, fiberglass, foam glass and mineral wool are the most popular and reliable materials. But high-quality insulation of the attic of a house with your own hands should begin with complete moisture protection and vapor barrier. And although this is an additional expense, it is worth taking care of it, even if it is simple fiberglass or special foil.
Insulation materials used for processing attic space, have different degrees of thermal conductivity. The heat saving and the recommended number of layers for application, spraying or styling depend on this factor.
When choosing a material for insulating a roof and attic, it is important to consider climate zone. If the house is located in a region with warm climate, it is not recommended to buy rolls and sheets of maximum thickness. For latitudes with harsh and long winters, bulky materials are used. It makes sense to lay insulation in 2-3 layers, use different types thermal insulation on one surface. But remember that the volume of thermal insulation material does not always indicate the quality of the insulation and its maximum performance. They can be checked against the table.
1. High-density mineral wool is a universal thermal insulation that has a sufficient degree of protection against moisture accumulation. It is enough to lay a dense vapor barrier membrane under it. Basalt wool has several forms of release - slabs, rolls, loose mixture to use on any type of surface. It is also used as insulation and fire protection for chimneys and stove pipes.
Attention: A small amount of formaldehyde is present in the composition of mineral wool in some packaging forms. Therefore, when working with it, they use a protective respirator and gloves, observing safety precautions.
2. Fiberglass is an excellent eco-material with high degree fire safety, although some of its indicators are slightly lower than analogues. It comes in easy-to-install packaging and is easy to transport and store directly in the attic. Installing fiberglass according to the instructions included with the purchase can be easily done even by a beginner in this matter. Suitable for insulating the ceiling of a cold attic. However, it is more often used for external roof insulation.
3. Expanded clay - excellent bulk insulation, which are poured onto the floor (lower horizontal surface) of the attic or attic. Since its weight is low and thermal conductivity is low, the use of this bulk material makes it preferable. There is nothing simpler - pour expanded clay onto the floor or between the joists, leveling it with the required height layer on top of the vapor-tight membrane. The only drawback is that it is difficult to use inclined surface. Also suitable for basic filling cement mixture. Laminate or linoleum in a residential area is laid on expanded clay bonded with a cement-sand mixture.
4. Expanded polystyrene resembles polystyrene foam; it is not susceptible to mold and mildew. It is quite fireproof, durable and environmentally friendly. Does not cause reactions even among allergy sufferers. It is laid using lathing in layers, but it is important to ensure waterproofing with rolled material before its installation.
5. Spray polyurethane foam resembles a layer of snow, and it is used where other insulation is difficult to install, for example, complex form roofs with many kinks. It is sprayed onto the laid vapor barrier membrane.
Tip: When insulating the attic of a wooden house or cottage, you can combine several types of material, depending on the shape of the ceiling and the characteristics of the roof.
Attention: Sometimes additional wooden sheathing is used to eliminate seams and “cold bridges”. But they should not add significant weight to the house structure, especially on problematic soils!
The sheathing for sheathing with insulation is done after installing the waterproofing. The frame for the sheathing is made from planks that were used for lathing under roll and sheet insulation.
If you intend to use the attic as a living space, then after insulation they proceed to covering the attic space with finishing materials. Suitable for this purpose:
- drywall;
- OSB boards;
- plywood panels;
- sheet composite materials.
Internal and external insulation
The building materials market offers a wide range of means for fully insulating the attic, used as additional living space. Today it is customary to combine the external method and waterproofing and insulation and interior finishing.
When choosing a method of external insulation of a gable or hip roof takes into account how its slopes will be insulated and roofing materials. Insulation is installed between rafters, beams and sheathing. For example, they combine rolled materials and solid insulation packaged in layers, for example, basalt wool, a special membrane or foil. The difference between external and internal insulation is in the method of installation on floors or along beams.
For interior work they start by laying a layer of vapor barrier and waterproofing, and then install 1-2 layers of insulation, for example, mineral wool. It is not covered with anything so that excess moisture from condensation can easily evaporate.
Polyurethane foam does not require additional covering at all, it is lightweight, sprayed from a two-component mixture special equipment. Upon completion of application inner surface roof slopes are formed durable material in the form of dense flakes. It does not form condensation and “cold bridges”, even if we spray it directly onto the frame and roofing iron. It can also be used as insulation for attic and chimney pipes.
A little about safety
Bulk insulation tends to crumble, generate dust or evaporate volatile substances. Therefore, experts recommend working in a mask and clothing that protects the skin and respiratory organs from irritants and allergens. It is equally important to protect your eyes with safety glasses.
All work is carried out wearing work gloves, regardless of the air temperature and installation conditions. When performing external roof insulation work, you can use insurance and equipment for climbers. It is important to check in advance the reliability of stairs, including those moving along the roof ridge. All work is done with an assistant or a person responsible for insurance.
Preparing the attic for insulation
The attic space is often filled with various household rubbish, which is used quite rarely, for example, equipment for winter fishing and summer picnics. Before starting insulation work, all this must be removed from the attic, especially when spraying.
It is important to pre-treat wooden parts such as beams, rafters and sheathing with a protective compound against rotting and fungus formation. Metal surfaces treated with an anti-corrosion compound or metal primer. All rust is cleaned off with a special wire brush. There is value in using moisture-repellent compounds.
The old sealant that was used is removed from the cracks long time. Old felt, hemp, polystyrene foam, sawdust and rags decay over time and lose their properties. After cleaning from old materials used in fragments, sometimes small cracks appear that can be treated with polyurethane foam.
After that:
- We provide access to all treated surfaces;
- prepare the work area and all tools;
- We prepare materials for insulation and work clothes;
- We provide ventilation after completion of insulation work.
Before laying mineral wool as attic insulation, a wooden sheathing is made from fastening strips, which should hold the layers of material. This can be done from ordinary mounting rails, which are inexpensive. For decorative finishing of the walls of an attic used as an attic space, installation can be done without lathing, placing finishing materials between the ceiling and panels.
Insulation technology
1. After the initial inspection, all floor defects must be detected, and all rotten parts must be replaced or duplicated. The wood is treated with fungicides and antiseptics.
2. We arrange or correct the waterproofing layer to create a full-fledged water barrier. In unstable areas, membrane materials can be patched with mounting tape.
3. The gaps between the rafters are filled with a layer of heat-insulating material. If necessary, we lay it in 2 layers, but the seams of the boards must be covered. Roll materials overlap.
4. The junction of the floor structures with the walls must be insulated especially carefully, without gaps. The insulation is installed without wrinkles or gaps.
5. It is important to carefully adjust the insulation at the joints, ventilation window, near communications and chimney. In some places it is advisable to fill up the bulk mineral wool, which fills voids, moreover, it does not ignite even in hot places near chimneys.
6. A vapor barrier layer is fixed on top of the thermal insulation layer, while the sheets are laid with a slight overlap, secured with mounting tape.
7. Insulation of communications is the next stage, since without insulation of the ventilation shaft, chimney and pipes the work will not be comprehensive. This can be achieved with special corrugation and insulating linings; perlite and basalt wool are suitable.
8. After checking the tightness of the attic insulation installation, the floor is treated. It is done after construction waste has been removed after installation of insulation fillers. Specially laid logs hold the layer of loose expanded clay best. It can be filled with sawdust or clay, and moisture-resistant plywood can be laid on top. More clearly - attic insulation, video:
Proper insulation the attic of a private house will allow this room to be used as a living space. In addition, cold air will not enter the lower tiers through the ceiling, which will significantly reduce energy costs. Next, we will consider the main canons of this procedure.
Thermal insulation of the attic of a private house using backfill materials is the most ancient method. Since ancient times, sawdust has been used as insulation, helping to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room. This technology still finds its application, because it can be implemented with your own hands without problems. We'll talk about it and other options further.
Loose-fill insulation is used primarily for interfloor floors. Of course, it is possible to use them for thermal insulation of the ceiling, but such a procedure will be difficult, because you will have to build a frame. Therefore it is better to use this category materials for their intended purpose.
Before starting the main work, you will need to prepare the surface, namely:
- Remove old ceilings (if any).
- Clear everything of debris and dirt.
- Create a sheathing. You can use 4x4 blocks for this. They should be placed in increments of no more than 50 cm for the floor, and within 1 m for other parts.
"Oldfather's method" - sawdust
Let's start with the oldest insulation - sawdust. This material has a lot of disadvantages - low moisture resistance, poor thermal conductivity, etc. However, even today people use it to insulate attics. The reason is simple - it is the cheapest (sometimes even free) option. This method can be safely recommended for residents of southern regions where there is no frost. For such a climate there is no need for high-quality insulation floors.
Tip: sawdust can be purchased for free (or for a nominal price) at any large sawmill.
Thermal insulation with sawdust is carried out in the following sequence:
- We carry out a thorough inspection of the ceilings for the presence of cracks and cracks. To prevent cold air from entering the main room through the attic, they must be sealed. Previously, clay was used for this, but today you can use more advanced compositions: sealant, cement-sand mortar, etc.
Important! If the gaps between the floors are more than 2 cm, the boards need to be re-laid.
- Then we sprinkle the entire space with slaked lime and carbide. This layer has several functions, but one of the main ones is protection against mice. It's no secret that rodents appear in many private homes (especially in attics). However, this composition will effectively repel them.
- Now we fill the niche with sawdust - it must be dry and free of debris. Recommended layer thickness is 20 cm.
- Then it is necessary to treat the sawdust so that it ceases to be flammable: we sprinkle it with slag waste, or treat it with fire retardants.
- We cover the attic joists with boards or plywood.
Linen
This is another insulation from the old days. However, now you can find improved analogues that have many advantages:
- Environmentally friendly - in its production we use exclusively natural ingredients. When working with your own hands, a person does not risk getting skin irritation (unlike using, for example, glass wool).
- High efficiency. Excellent specifications allow you to make your home as protected as possible from the penetration of cold air.
- Easy to use.
- A variety of forms - factors. Linen comes not only loose, but also in the form of rolls or slabs. This allows you to use it to decorate the house from all sides (floor, ceiling, walls).
The process of insulating an attic using flax is practically no different from using sawdust. The only difference is that the prepared surface needs to be covered with craft paper. This measure will improve performance characteristics and protect against the influence of natural factors (mold, fungus, etc.). If you do not expect complete insulation of the roof, then you will need to cover the logs with a vapor barrier layer (for example, a membrane). For fastening we use “liquid nails” glue or a construction stapler.
The most effective method is expanded clay
We discussed above budget options, which can only be recommended for residents of warm regions. To reliably protect the attic of a house in areas with the harsh Russian climate, it is necessary to use better and effective techniques. Among backfill materials, expanded clay is the best. This is a porous material that is obtained by firing clay (or its shale). It is light and has an oval shape. Regarding the form of release, fractions are distinguished: 5-10 sand, 10-20 crushed stone, 20-40 gravel.
Important! Expanded clay involves the use of a screed, which promises a significant weighting of the structure. Therefore, this technology can only be used if the floors are strong enough.
Expanded clay is laid as follows:
- Level the rough base (if necessary). Height differences of more than 1 cm are unacceptable.
- We lay a film of any thickness, the main thing is that there are no holes.
- Pour a cushion (no more than 10 mm) of gravel.
- We scatter expanded clay over the entire area and level it. It is very important to achieve uniformity. For convenience, you can use a laser level.
- To avoid the expanded clay shifting to the side when pouring the mixture, first fill in the liquid solution.
- If you are going to use the attic as a full-fledged living space in the house, you need to provide additional strength to the screed using reinforcing mesh. We lay it on a liquid solution.
- We install beacons to determine the evenness of the future coating.
- Pour in a thick solution and level it with the rule. Our coating will be ready for full use in 7-10 days. Until this time, it is not advisable to bring any heavy objects into the room.
The described technique is the most effective in its class. However, it is characterized by impressive expenses. In addition, a serious load is created on the floors (wooden houses may not be able to withstand it). Therefore, it should be used only if the attic is planned to be used as a living space.
We analyze roll and tile options
This type of material can be used to decorate a house on all sides. However, we will consider the roof (in our case, the ceiling) and walls. Preparing the rough surface is the same as for the floor. That is, it is necessary to remove old materials, clean them and create guides.
For those who love eco-friendliness - seaweed ladders
This is a unique material, because it is the most environmentally friendly in its segment. Due to the presence of iodine, mice do not breed in it. In addition, it is not susceptible to biological factors (mold, mildew, etc.) and does not rot. In terms of their performance characteristics, the drains are in no way inferior to their synthetic “brothers”. They are not afraid of water at all, so there is no need to create a moisture-proof layer. Installation is carried out in the following sequence:
- We evaluate the ceiling and walls (if any) for the presence of cracks and seal them. If they are small, we use sealant or similar materials. In more serious cases, you will have to add corrugated sheeting.
- We attach the ladders and fix them with large construction brackets. Even the slightest cracks should not be allowed to form, otherwise the ceiling will let in cold air.
- We cover the attic structure with boards or plywood.
The most common material is stone wool
This is a more advanced analogue of mineral wool with improved technical characteristics. Today it is used more often than others to protect homes from the cold. The installation method is practically no different from that described above. However, there are some nuances:
- The cotton wool on both sides must be covered with a vapor barrier film. We attach it to the ceiling with staples or glue. We fix the closing part to the logs.
- If during the preparatory operations you will be stuffing bars (which act as guides for the ceiling and walls), we recommend that you first purchase insulation and make the distance between them the same as the width of the roll.
- Laying must be done joint to joint or even with a slight excess. Compliance stone wool allows you to do this.
To install it on the ceiling, you will need an assistant to support the roll.
Modern and high-quality method - polyurethane foam
This is a complex polymer that has excellent technical characteristics. It is quite rare to implement such technology with your own hands, however, it needs lighting. In this case, similar polyurethane foam is poured. The foam substance sets quite quickly, resulting in a monolithic structure.
In addition to high thermal insulation characteristics, polyurethane foam provides high noise absorption, as a result, the impact of raindrops on the roof will not be heard.
For application, you will need a special spray installation (this is why few people decide to use polyurethane foam with their own hands). However, it can be rented. So, the work is done in the following sequence:
- We clean the ceiling and walls from dust and dirt. Otherwise, the sprayed substance will not adhere well.
- All wooden elements first coat with an antiseptic (if possible, on both sides), and then with a primer deep penetration(for wood only).
Important! When working with a sprayer, do not forget to use a respirator and gloves.
- After waiting for complete drying protective compounds, we spray the foam substance with our own hands. We do this slowly from the bottom up.
- After waiting for complete drying, we cut off the excess (if any) with our own hands and cover the ceiling and walls with any sheet material(plywood, drywall, etc.).
To achieve maximum protection for your home from the cold, we recommend combining the methods described above.
One of the main places of heat loss in a house is the roof. This conclusion can be made thanks to practical observations and elementary physics, because warm air tends to rise up. This is why the attic should be insulated. If you do not perform high-quality thermal insulation attic floor during the construction stage of a house, later when winter sets in, cold air may blow strongly from the ceiling. Suspended ceiling Armstrong perfect solution for a private home. The question arises, how to insulate the attic of a house. At the same time, the wishes of home owners can be completely different: for some, the main thing is for it to be cheaper, for others, for the work to be easier, and for others, they want to insulate exclusively with environmentally friendly or natural materials. In this article, we will talk about the general technology of attic insulation and the materials that can be used for this.
Before moving directly to materials for insulation, I would like to clarify a little why it is necessary to insulate the attic in a private house and what function it performs. Our ancestors were not stupid or ignorant, which is why old houses stand for more than 100 years, while the house is always warm, and the roof and wooden structures always dry. What's the secret? The whole point is that ideal insulation- This air. Free, natural, always present, and also changeable depending on the time of year. Previously, the roof was always made of a gable roof, with such a slope that it was easy to linger on it. snow. Also, by the way, cheap insulation. An attic space was made under the roof slope with one or two windows in the gables of the house. When necessary, these windows were kept closed, then the air trapped in the attic space acted as a heat insulator. In another situation, in the summer, for example, windows were opened at night to cool the air, and then closed before a hot day, thus controlling its temperature.
With the onset of winter, a cap of snow fell on the roof. Even in the most severe cold of this natural insulation it was enough to ensure that the temperature in the attic did not drop below zero, even if it was -25 °C outside. Attic air and additional thermal insulation of the ceiling were necessary in order to ensure a temperature in the house of about +20 - + 25 ° C. At the same time, the roof slope was never insulated from the inside to prevent the snow from melting, and the rafters remained open for diagnostics and repairs. A heated attic space with an insulated slope is no longer an attic, no matter what shape it has. This is an attic, with all that follows from here.
In modern construction, these principles also work. Therefore, let's talk about how you can insulate the attic of a private house, what material to thermally insulate the attic floor, i.e. attic floor or house ceiling.
How can you insulate an attic?
First of all, the material for insulating the attic is selected taking into account what the ceiling is made of. If it is made from wooden beams, and there is a wooden floor on top, then you can use light bulk materials, roll and slab. Those. the choice is as wide as possible. If the ceiling is a concrete slab, then to insulate it you will have to use dense slab materials or, in extreme cases, heavy bulk materials, since a cement screed can be placed on top of them.
Bulk materials for insulating the attic:
- Sawdust;
- Straw;
- Reed;
- Buckwheat tyrsa;
- Ecowool (cellulose wool);
- Flax (bulk waste from flax processing);
- Glass wool;
- Expanded clay;
- Seaweed;
- Slag;
- Chaff from grain crops;
- Foam granules.
Roll materials for insulating the attic:
- Mineral wool;
- Glass wool;
Materials in slabs and mats:
- Straw;
- Styrofoam;
- Extruded polystyrene foam;
- Seaweed;
- Mineral wool in slabs.
When choosing the best way to insulate an attic, you should be guided by: thermal insulation characteristics material, availability in a particular region, its ability not to change its properties with temperature changes, ease of installation and then use of the room, and also, importantly, environmental friendliness, or better yet, naturalness. For example, build wooden house and insulating the attic with polystyrene foam would be, to say the least, stupid, because wood is a breathable material, but polystyrene foam is not. As a result, the house will be damp and disgusting, and over time, wooden structures will begin to rot and deteriorate. And, of course, the choice of insulation will depend on the financial capabilities of the owner.
How to insulate a cold attic with backfill materials
Insulating an attic with backfill materials is the oldest method that has proven itself over the centuries. Most often it is used if the floors are wooden, then it is simply poured between the joists.
The general technology of this insulation is as follows: kraft paper or other similar material (glassine, loose cardboard) is laid on wooden floors, or the floor is coated with clay, thermal insulation material is poured on top, a layer that is calculated taking into account the region of residence, boards are laid on top, on which you can will walk. The hatch leading to the attic is also insulated.
Rumors that natural insulation materials quickly cake are somewhat exaggerated. Therefore, without fear, you can choose the one that most appeals to you and is available.
Insulating the attic with flax
To insulate an attic with your own hands, you don’t need any special skills. Dexterity and basic knowledge of physics are enough. The first step is to seal all the cracks in wooden floor. They can be covered with clay, or with modern materials. Then kraft paper is laid on top or the entire surface of the floor is coated with a 2 cm layer of clay.
Bonfire- waste from flax processing. The material is very cheap in some regions, resistant to fungi and microorganisms, does not rot, and is lightweight. Mice cannot breed in a fire, since it is impossible to make a burrow (nest) in it; it immediately crumbles, filling the passage. The material cakes, but you can always add it directly from above or replace it with a new one. The undeniable advantage of linen materials is that there are no problems with their disposal; you just need to raked them out of the attic and then burn them, which cannot be said about glass wool.
The fire is covered with a layer of 180 to 350 mm. There is nothing covering the top; for ease of walking around the attic, you can lay out the boards, but do not fill the entire space, do not make a full-fledged floor. This will allow the material to breathe and release moisture. In the attic, ventilation must be provided in the form of small or medium-sized windows. From time to time the material is checked, if it is slightly damp, the windows are opened to dry the space and linen.
When wondering how to properly insulate a cold attic, many are inclined to use the old fashioned method - insulation with sawdust. This is especially true in regions where there is wood processing nearby, where you can buy sawdust for ridiculous money or even get it for free in any quantity.
To begin with, as in the case of linen insulation, all cracks in the floor are coated with clay. You can sprinkle a little sand on top. It is necessary so that if the clay cracks, sand can be poured into the crack. Next, sprinkle everything with slaked lime and carbide. This will be protection against mice. Cover the top with sawdust in a layer of 100 - 200 mm. Since sawdust is a flammable material, they were usually sprinkled with slag waste on top. Especially in areas around chimneys or other hot objects. Instead of slag, you can use other materials, for example, treat sawdust with fire retardants. There is also nothing laid on top of the sawdust, except for boards on which one could walk.
Instead of sawdust, you can use straw or chaff from grain crops. Kraft paper or glassine is also laid under it, but you can coat the floor with clay with a layer of up to 5 cm. Straw is immediately poured in a layer of 200 - 500 mm, depending on the region and the severity of the winter cold. To reduce the flammability of straw, you can coat it with a 1-2 cm layer of clay on top. The same method is used against mice as with sawdust, or any other folk remedy.
Ecowool- a modern material, a product of processing newspapers and other waste paper with the addition of mineral binders and other additives that provide a low flammability class.
Due to the fact that ecowool can absorb moisture from the air in its fibers, it is not necessary to lay vapor barrier material, but it’s still worth laying some kind of film.
Ecowool is immediately laid directly on the wooden floors, this is done using a special blowing installation. This installation principle makes it possible to make the insulation layer monolithic, without a single crack, and it will also contain a large amount of air, which serves as a heat insulator. For many regions of Russia, a layer of ecowool of 250 mm is sufficient, but a layer of 300 or 500 mm can be arranged.
Important! After about 1 - 3 weeks, a protective crust forms on top of the ecowool. This is lignin, which binds the fibers of the top layer. Therefore, sometimes when installing this insulation, water spraying is used to speed up the process of lignin formation.
Due to the fact that ecowool cakes, its layer decreases, therefore, when blowing, you should use 5 - 15% more than the planned amount of ecowool.
Insulating an attic with fiberglass
A fairly common way to insulate an attic floor is to cover it with fiberglass in a layer of 150 - 250 mm. Although this material does not burn, does not rot, is not afraid of moisture, mice and microorganisms do not grow in it, it is quite toxic. When laying it on the attic floor, be sure to be dressed from head to toe in thick clothing, gloves and a respirator. After all the styling work, the clothes will have to be burned.
Once the material has caked, it must be replaced with a new one, and here some difficulties arise, since the material is not recycled in the usual way. The biggest inconvenience occurs when there are no windows in the attic through which it can be thrown into the street, and it has to be carried through the house.
Insulating the attic with expanded clay
Expanded clay is very suitable for insulating concrete floors. It is filled with a layer of about 200 - 250 mm, and a cement screed is poured on top with a layer of up to 50 mm. This allows you to create a floor in the attic on which you can not only walk unhindered, but also on which you can arrange or lay out unnecessary things. The cement-sand mixture for the screed should not have a liquid, but a dense consistency, so as not to flow too much into the expanded clay backfill.
How to properly insulate an attic with rolled materials
Rolled materials are good for insulation because they can be laid in the space between joists up to 180 - 200 mm high. Mostly materials are used that are easy to cut and quickly take the required shape.
Mineral wool is a modern thermal insulation material that is ubiquitous. It is very often used for attic insulation, since it does not burn, does not rot, and is not afraid of microorganisms and rodents, as well as moisture.
A vapor barrier film must be laid on the bottom of the wooden floor, the joints of which are taped with special tape, because cotton wool absorbs moisture, but practically does not release it.
Rolls of mineral wool can be laid on top of the film. During work, you must wear thick clothing, as is the case with fiberglass. Vata takes its full size within 15 - 20 minutes. There is no need to cover it with anything, but you can lay down boards for walking. Waterproofing material to protect the wool from leaks, it is laid only under the roof.
Insulating the attic with algae ladders
Seaweed ladders are an excellent natural material for insulating attics. Thanks to the sea salt and iodine with which the algae are impregnated, mice do not grow in them, and they do not rot and are not afraid of microorganisms. The ladders are pierced mats made of zostera sea grass. By thermal insulation properties this material in no way inferior to modern ones synthetic materials. One of the main advantages is environmental friendliness, as well as the fact that the drains practically do not burn, only slightly smolder and do not emit toxic substances.
Algae are not afraid of moisture, so there is no need to vapor barrier the floor; you can immediately lay the drains on the floor with a layer of up to 200 mm or more. On top you can install a wooden floor or lay boards for walking.
Using algae for attic insulation is very beneficial for the health of the residents of the house, as it provides ideal conditions and indoor microclimate, and also release beneficial iodine into the air.
Insulating the attic with linen insulation
Modern linen insulation is produced in the same rolls as mineral wool. Their only advantage is that they are absolutely environmentally friendly. Linen is an excellent choice for insulating the attic of a wooden house or a house made of other environmentally friendly materials - adobe, for example.
Before laying the rolled material, all cracks in the floor should be sealed with clay; no other vapor barrier is needed. Linen insulation is laid on top, joining neatly and leaving no gaps.
How to insulate an attic with slab materials and mats
There is no point in insulating a wooden floor with slab materials, although this is possible. These materials are mainly used for thermal insulation. concrete slabs floors. With subsequent arrangement of the floor in the attic.
Insulating the attic with polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam
Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam is not a very dense material, but it can be used to insulate an attic. But extruded polystyrene foam is ideal for these purposes, as it is much denser. Before laying polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam, the floor slab must be checked for unevenness. The surface should be leveled so that the insulation boards can be carefully laid. A vapor barrier material should be laid on the leveled surface.
Next, the slabs are laid in a checkerboard pattern, and the joints are sealed with polyurethane foam. After the foam has dried, pour it on top cement-sand screed a layer of about 4 - 5 cm. After the screed has dried, it can be used as an attic floor.
Insulating the attic with reeds
Reed slabs began to be made relatively recently, when the demand for environmentally friendly materials began to gain popularity. In terms of thermal insulation properties, reeds are no worse than modern materials. Even without treating them with fire retardants, the flammability class is G2 - G3, and after treatment - G1. The same cannot be said about polystyrene foam and EPS, which burn and release toxic substances.
Reed slabs can be used to insulate both wooden and concrete floors. In this case, a vapor barrier is not necessary. And on top you can install a wooden floor or decking.
The modern market is replete with a variety of thermal insulation materials, and sellers try to praise them, attributing non-existent advantages. Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to say that when choosing a material for insulating an attic, focus on the overall concept of the house and life priorities. If your house is made of environmentally friendly wood, then the insulation should be natural, so you will not only preserve the wood, but also your health. If your house is made of foam blocks or other non-breathable material, you can use mineral wool, it won’t get any worse.
Video: how to insulate an attic
When providing insulation for a private home, we must not forget that Special attention should be given to a place like the attic.
Warm air tends to rise to the top, and therefore temporarily unheated room heat can escape through the cold attic space. Therefore, the issue of insulating the attic must be resolved without delay.
1 Why do you need attic floor insulation?
Insulating a cold attic floor with stone or mineral wool is generally necessary in lightly used rooms that are properly equipped with special roof ventilation.
The attic, or rather its ceilings, serves as a kind of boundary between heat and cold. In such places, the attic floors are exposed to intense moisture due to the formation of condensation.
However, you can properly insulate the floors in the attic of a house with mineral wool with your own hands. The very process of insulating the floor in the attic with mineral wool is the creation of a durable thermal insulation coating, which will have a low degree of thermal conductivity.
The technology itself for insulating floors in the attic with mineral wool implies strict adherence to its stages and requirements.
The technology itself is quite simple and understandable. Good attic floor insulation using mineral wool helps close unwanted gaps.
To do this, the insulation must be laid tightly. In most cases, mineral wool is used to insulate the attic of a house.
The presented insulation is the most suitable for this type of work; it can also be used to insulate the floor surface in the living areas of the house.
By organizing good insulation with mineral wool, the most optimal temperature will be maintained in residential premises.
If the procedure is performed incorrectly, moisture rising from the floor of the house will lead to the formation of condensation.
It will accumulate on the ceiling and then seep through the ceilings. The resulting temperature difference in those areas where the attic floors adjoin the walls of the house initiates the formation of mold and microscopic fungi, which can be causative agents of allergic diseases.
1.1 Requirements for attic insulation
The process of insulating the attic floor and, more precisely, the level of its quality has a direct impact not only on the size of heat loss, but also on the service life of the entire truss structure and roof covering.
The fact is that water vapor located inside the heated room diffuses to the attic of the house. In order for the insulation used to provide a high degree of calculated efficiency of the thermal insulation layer, it must always be dry.
Based on this, the insulation must be protected from excessive humidification by vapors of rising heated air using a special vapor-proof material.
If the attic space is well insulated, it will not only provide high-quality thermal insulation, but will also help increase the service life of the entire roofing structure.
If there is no vapor barrier, steam will penetrate through the unprotected attic floors and condense on the floor surfaces.
This will lead to moisture flowing onto the rafters, which, under its influence, will begin to slowly rot from the inside.
As a result, the likelihood of destruction of the entire roofing pie increases. The thermal insulation performance of the structure is also reduced due to the fact that the tightness of the vapor barrier layer has been compromised.
Before insulating the attic, you need to drain the layer and remove moisture from the entire attic space. To do this, ventilation should be done through windows. They can be:
- Skate like;
- Cornice;
- Slotted;
- Auditory.
In order to ensure maximum ventilation intensity, the indicator of the total area of all ventilation holes should be equal to 0.2-0.5% of attic floors.
If all work is carried out correctly, then icicles will not form on the roof in winter. The insulation process itself attic space It is carried out not from the living quarters, but from the attic floor.
This is the most convenient way to lay insulation, the choice of which depends on the technology used and design features buildings.
1.2 Features of insulation of beam floors
When implementing such an insulation scheme using mineral wool, heat is retained in the space between the beams. Their usual height is almost always enough for this, but if necessary, several bars are packed on top.
The lower part of the ceiling is sewn up using molding material as with. For this, lining or sheets of plasterboard can be used.
The subfloor covering is laid on top of the beams. This can be a tongue and groove board, plywood sheet or OSB board. Mineral wool is placed on a previously prepared special vapor barrier layer.
An alternative can be an ordinary film made using polyethylene. If the vapor barrier material is foil-coated, then it is laid with the shiny surface down.
The intermediate distance between the beams is filled with mineral wool with the required thickness parameters. The surface of the beams must be equipped with an additional insulating layer.
This will lead to blocking the so-called cold bridges and will significantly reduce the overall level of heat loss. If timber was used to create beams High Quality, Then finishing material creep directly onto their surface.
Mineral wool is placed between them as if, and the attic floor is laid on top. The use of this technology is especially important in houses that are made of logs or beams.
It is important to reliably protect mineral wool from the smallest drops of moisture, this is especially true if the roof has minor coating defects that cause leaks.
The layer of mineral wool must be reliably protected from the effects of wind from the eaves. For this purpose, mineral wool slabs with a high degree of density are used.
2 Why is mineral wool used to insulate an attic?
In most cases, when insulating attic floors, the consumer's choice falls on mineral wool. Its advantage is that its installation does not require special skills.
Mineral wool has excellent thermal insulation properties. Its structure consists of thin glassy fibers, the length of which ranges from 2 to 60 millimeters.
High sound insulation characteristics are ensured due to the presence of a large number of air pores.
These pores are located in the space between the fibers and can occupy 95% of the total volume of the insulation. Mineral wool is presented in three varieties; it can be basalt glass and stone.
Basalt wool is made using molten basalt rocks, to which binding elements are added.
This may be a carbonate type rock, which regulates the acidity level of the substance, which entails an increase in the service life of the insulation. Glass wool exhibits high heat-resistant properties and can withstand temperatures up to +450 degrees Celsius.
2.1 Technology for insulating attic floors with mineral wool
When carrying out work related to mineral wool, it is important to comply with all safety requirements and regulations.
This is due to the fact that in the process of cutting and laying such material, the air is filled with tiny particles that can enter the respiratory organs and thus cause harm to human health.
When carrying out installation, be sure to ensure the availability of funds personal protection. Goggles, a respirator and thick rubber gloves must be available.
The process of insulating attic floors begins with the selection of the necessary tools and additional materials. You can't do without:
Insulation
- Boards and plywood;
- Vapor barrier film;
- Mineral wool (excellent);
- Waterproofing;
- Scotch tape;
- Roulettes;
- Knife;
- Construction stapler;
- Spatula.
The essence of insulation technology is that the insulation must be carefully laid in the space between the attic floors or beams.
To enhance the thermal insulation qualities, reliable vapor barrier protection should be used. Warm and moisture-rich air will continuously rise from living rooms and get upstairs through the ceiling.
There, in the under-roof space, it will collide with a layer of insulation. Due to the fact that mineral wool is generally considered a vapor-proof material, it will absorb all the outgoing moisture inside itself.
If she is left without the necessary air access and sun rays, it will gradually shrink and eventually lose all its heat-insulating qualities.
In order to avoid such destructive consequences, it is necessary to lay a vapor barrier material under a layer of mineral wool.
Before starting the main work, you will need to carefully calculate the required amount of insulation.
The amount of cotton wool purchased depends on how many layers are planned to be used when covering the attic space. In addition, the thermal insulation thickness parameter directly depends on the climatic conditions in the region.
2.2 Proper insulation of the attic floor (video)
Rescue from the Russian harsh climate For many people it is a warm home. It is not always enough to insulate the foundation, basement and walls: if the roof of the house is cold, you need to properly insulate the attic. This procedure has a number of features that need to be taken into account before starting work. Otherwise, all the money and effort will be wasted, and the result will not justify the effort.
Peculiarities
Regardless of the type of building and its number of floors, work with floors must be carried out according to strict rules.
- It is required to provide a safety margin that covers its own weight and design load.
- Under full design load, no deformation or deflection should occur.
- It is necessary to ensure the level of sound insulation prescribed by regulations or special recommendations for building projects.
- It is supposed to maintain the fire resistance limit established by regulatory documents.
When insulating attics, any of these requirements can be violated due to ignorance, carelessness, or due to deviations from standard technology. The remaining nuances relate to one group of floors.
Types of floors
The main part of the house can be separated from the attic by attic and interfloor ceilings. The difference is that in the first case the upper part of the building is not heated, but in the second it is turned into a residential attic.
By design, load-bearing floor segments can be beamed or beamless. The first are formed by beams and filling, the second are homogeneous, made in the form of slabs or panels.
Beam floors in a private house they are created in such a way that the main elements are at the same distances. The main construction material is wood. Metal and reinforced concrete are practically not used.
Wooden blocks are quite light, but have a serious drawback - a limitation on the longest length. In the interfloor version, they can be used if the span is no longer than 5 m. For an unused attic, you can increase the permissible value by 1 m.
Sometimes you need to make the span even larger. Then you need to apply metal constructions. In the summer country house This solution is not used for obvious reasons. Most often, the flooring, which is laid on top of the beams, simultaneously acts as a ceiling (for the lower floor) and as a floor (for an attic or a simple attic).
In addition to the beams and flooring, they also install a ramp and a layer of insulation.
Houses resembling a rectangle in shape are covered parallel to the shortest wall. A strictly defined distance and cross-section of the structure help to avoid deflection of beams when loaded. These indicators are interrelated.
Under cold roof it is required to lay beams with a gap larger than under the attic(this is due to the difference in load). Regardless of the specific option, the ceiling must be insulated in such a way as to ensure protection of the rafters from water ingress. On top of the protective layer it is required to create a material impervious to steam.
Materials
Proper insulation always begins with drying the attic by opening the windows. It is important to take into account the nuance: they work with the attic floor, and not with the ceiling of living rooms.
The range of insulation materials is large; you can find a lot of varieties in any hardware store. They are divided into three main groups - bulk, rolled and made in the form of slabs. Each variety is suitable for solving strictly defined problems.
Bulk products are optimally combined with floors made of wooden beams, helping them to “breathe”. But installing polystyrene foam is not very convenient.
Roll options are characterized by increased environmental friendliness.
Plate, despite its heaviness, it combines well with concrete floors (for example, foam concrete), which themselves differ in density.
Insulation from the inside of the room (from the ceiling) in a cold attic is rarely practiced, which is associated with several problems:
- lowering the room level;
- constant violation of the already created finish and the need for its repair;
- different environmental and sanitary safety of thermal insulation materials.
Installation of thermal protection from inside the room can be done cheaply or while maintaining the proper level of comfort. We have to abandon mineral wool, maintain the gap from thermal insulation to exterior finishing(this is necessary for ventilation). Internal insulation is the best option heat conservation when installing a suspended ceiling.
If insulation is carried out with extruded polyurethane foam or polystyrene foam, preliminary installation of the sheathing is required, on top of which the drywall is fixed. The thickness of the timber is selected to be 0.2 - 0.3 cm greater than that of the insulating layer itself, the installation step is 0.1 - 0.2 cm narrower than penoplex. It is recommended to use mineral wool only in the most extreme cases: it is highly toxic.
Ecowool made from cellulose with the addition of substances is much better, reducing the risk of ignition. This material perfectly suppresses extraneous sounds. If you use reeds, there is no fear of fire.
It's time to figure out what features each group of coatings has, and what other materials belong to them.
Bulk
The use of bulk type insulation began in ancient times. Their main options are:
- expanded clay;
- sawdust;
- flax fibers;
- reed stems.
Each variety has its own differences and performance characteristics. The ease of obtaining, availability and almost zero price of sawdust also have a downside (they have a number of serious disadvantages).
Mice easily settle in sawdust. This can be prevented by adding slaked lime and carbide. To retain heat, a layer of 10 - 20 mm is enough, but this impressive quality is crossed out by high flammability.
Expanded clay is compatible with wooden and concrete floors: when it is poured, a complete flooring. The thickness of the layer ranges from 20 to 25 mm, under it there should be concrete screed approximately 5 mm.
In rolls
The undoubted advantages of any roll insulation are its ease of use and ease of accurate installation of blocks. This allows you to do the work yourself.
In most cases, despite all its disadvantages, mineral wool is used. Before laying the material, you will have to make a high-quality vapor barrier with taped seams for greater tightness.
If algae is safe, you can't say it about glass wool. Resistance to water is devalued by a serious inconvenience during work: you will have to protect yourself from small, prickly and hazardous fibers. After some time, the material cakes and largely loses its positive qualities..
In the form of mats and slabs
Slab insulation is characterized by reliable blocking of air flow. It should not be used in houses made of natural materials.. More often, polystyrene foam, reeds, and ecowool are used in the manufacture of slabs. seaweed.
The technology involves installation strictly on flat surfaces with preliminary placement vapor barrier films. Even the most minor irregularities need to be eliminated. It is easy to make a full-fledged floor above the stove, which allows you to create residential attics even from the coldest initially attics.
Sprayable
A real technological breakthrough was the use of sprayed insulation. It is important to carefully select them and take into account all the features, including the advantages and disadvantages of the coating being created.
Main positive aspects when using penoizol for insulation, are:
- exclusively high level thermal protection;
- excellent absorption of extraneous sounds;
- solid vapor permeability (no condensation);
- possibility of use in places that are inaccessible or inaccessible for other insulation products;
- ease of installation on top of all existing building materials.
The last point does not mean that thorough surface preparation can be neglected.
Only thorough degreasing of the base guarantees decent adhesion and stable performance of the material’s main function.
Regardless of the option chosen preparatory work more or less the same.
Preparation for work
Before starting work in the attic of a wooden house, you need to check the joints of the floors. It is important to note: there should be no gaps or cracks on the base. Any gap is blocked using lime mortar and tow.. Frame elements are impregnated with antiseptic compounds and fire retardants.
If it has not been created before ventilation ducts, the time has come to make them.
If you plan to make insulation using a roll scheme, you need to equip the floor slabs with logs (special bars). To secure them, concrete screws or dowels can be used.
When you plan to turn the attic into an attic, the heating pipes must be insulated. The following types of technical wool are best suited for them:
- glass;
- mineral;
- slag;
- stone;
- basalt.
Please note: the cheapest options should be used in areas with mild winters. If the frosts are severe enough, you will have to buy more expensive and reliable insulation.
It is necessary to clean the surface as much as possible from the slightest traces of dust and other contaminants. All areas heating systems overlap with protective materials at least twice.
Features of the combination of heat and vapor barrier
Vapor barrier in combination with thermal insulation is always made extremely airtight. The rolls are overlapped up to 0.2 m and glued. A prerequisite is an overlap on the wall followed by pressing with plaster.. Preference should be given to materials with a foil surface that effectively reflects infrared rays.
Floor cleaning
This point cannot be underestimated. Once you use the house for several months without visiting the cold attic, a surprising amount of dust, dirt, and cobwebs will accumulate there. It is necessary to remove all things, even the smallest and most insignificant, and remove all debris before starting work.
Insulation
It will not be possible to analyze the technology for laying all possible coatings. You need to settle on one option. For example, such as mineral mats.
First you need to remove the plank and attach a vapor barrier layer to the beams. To fasten membrane films, you should use 14–16 mm staples, driven into the base with a stapler. The gaps between the structures are filled with mats, which are fixed using transverse slats with a cross-section of 20x50 mm. These slats will help hold in the additional vapor barrier.
Then you need to make a plank with your own hands and arrange the ceiling. To protect ventilation pipes from the cold, materials that form a kind of shell (for example, penofol) are better suited. It is better than polyethylene foam and does not absorb as much dust, which is inevitably present in any room.
If ventilation tube passes through the main wall, it must be placed in a heat-insulating sleeve. When ventilation duct goes through the room, you need to lay the material where freezing begins to be felt. Ventilation protection is done before covering the remaining parts of the building.
A typical pie involves laying:
- solid boards 25x100, 30x100 mm;
- two-layer membrane that protects from wind;
- timber 5x5 cm across the overlapping beams (the distance between the blocks should be 59 cm);
- beams based on double timber 5x20 cm;
- new timber 5x5 cm;
- vapor barrier (best with aluminum foil);
- boards over the overlaps of the vapor barrier.
In attics you have to deal with the problem of a freezing wall or even several walls at the same time. Only simultaneous insulation of the structure both outside and inside the building will help eliminate this nuisance. The minimum thickness of the inner layer should be 20 cm. This is the rare case when there is nothing better than simple mineral wool.
