As you know, warm air tends to rise up, as a result, the floor remains the coldest place in an apartment or house. This is especially true for the first floor, which often has a basement or underground. In our article we will talk about how to insulate the floor on the ground floor and not only.
The most reliable way to protect against the cold is to use insulation, which can be in the form of blocks, rolls or bulk materials. When deciding how best to insulate the floor, you must choose between cost, heat-insulating properties and durability of the material.
Warming of the basement space
Builders don't care much about airtightness when laying out the floor. In the basement space, most often there are gaps. You can even see them from the basement. The first thing to do is to close up the gaps in the ceiling. Small holes can be puttied from below. In a private house, insulation boards can be glued to the floor from the underside.
This is where styrofoam mounting adhesive comes in handy. How to make an insulated floor from below so that the plates do not lag behind? To do this, they are additionally grabbed with parachute dowels, and the joints are foamed.
A clear advantage of the method is that nothing needs to be broken. Everything will remain as it was, and the house will become warm.
Wooden floor insulation
The old floor board can be replaced with a new one. If it is in good condition, then the floor is carefully disassembled. At the same time, you need to make the marking of the boards, so that later you do not waste time and effort on fitting. This is especially true for the half floor. Disassembly is done in order to reassemble in the same way. The nails are removed carefully so as not to damage the boards. When assembling the floor, it is advisable to use self-tapping screws, which create stronger connections and are easily removed.
Before insulating the floor on the ground floor, the cracks from above must be carefully sealed with mounting foam, putty and cement-sand mortar. Logs should be checked by level and further strengthened. Otherwise, the floorboards will creak just as before. In hardware stores, there are racks for sale that screw into logs and abut against the ceiling. They can also be made from steel studs.
Floor slabs are tightly laid with mineral wool, which should go on the walls. A budget solution is to use mats made of straw or sawdust, but they decompose over time. You can also use expanded clay, foam chips or slag. In principle, any insulation is suitable if it performs its functions. From below, a layer of vapor barrier is laid on the ceiling so that moisture does not accumulate, from which the properties of the insulation deteriorate significantly.
How to insulate the floor with foam or polystyrene foam
If the floor is covered with ceramic tiles or cement screed, it can be insulated with thin sheets of Styrofoam or Styrofoam.
Fiberboard and drywall GVL are also used. But their thermal insulation properties are much lower.
A layer of vapor barrier is placed on the concrete floor, and a layer of insulation and a plastic film are placed on it. Then a screed of cement or a special mixture is laid on top. It must be reinforced with mesh. To compensate for temperature fluctuations, an edge tape is laid along the perimeter of the wall. A new floor covering is installed on top: tile, parquet, laminate or linoleum.
Insulating underlay for linoleum
The problem of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor can be solved in the simplest way by using linoleum with a backing. It is the most common, cheap, easy-to-install and maintain coating. It is enough to cut it correctly and insert it under the plinth.
The material consists of layers of PVC with a pattern, fiberglass and a substrate, which is often used as the same material on both sides, which prevents the coating from deforming when the temperature changes.
There is also a heater for the floor under the linoleum. It is the bottom layer, which can be made from jute or fabric.
Additional substrate for linoleum
If the coating does not have the necessary protection from the cold from below, then additional substrates are used for the main coating: cork, linen and expanded polystyrene. Cork is a good insulation, but it can also be used as an independent coating. Ordinary plywood or fiberboard also have heat-insulating properties, but the effect will be much greater if an additional layer of expanded polystyrene is laid under them. Linoleum floor insulation is best laid under plywood or fiberboard.
This is done in the following way:
- an insulating substrate is laid on a dry and even floor;
- plywood is laid and fastened with screws to the floor;
- linoleum is covered from above and the edges are hidden under the plinth, which protects the substrate from water penetration.
This method is used in rooms with high ceilings.
How to connect a warm floor
It makes it possible to create uniform heat in the room. It is a heating system located under the cover, which gives the most favorable temperature distribution in the room in height.
The problem of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor using electric heating can be solved in one of the following ways:
- with the put polymer keeps within under any covering of a floor. It does not require pouring the screed.
- whose power varies with temperature. It heats cold areas more and warm areas less. It requires pouring the screed.
- Carbon rods attached to a fiberglass mesh can be filled with ordinary tile adhesive.
After installation, you need to know how to connect a warm floor. This requires a thermostat to which the heating cable is connected. All connections should be made according to the instructions, carefully following all the steps.
Water heating is carried out using pipes with circulating hot water. They are laid under the floor or poured with a screed. Heating is carried out through copper, polypropylene or metal-plastic pipes, which are connected to the space heating system.
Floor heating can be distributed in such a way that separate sections are connected. To do this, a manifold with control valves is placed at the top.
Conclusion
It is possible to insulate floors by installing heat-insulating materials used separately or as a substrate for floor coverings. Heat-insulating panels from the bottom of the floors are especially effective. When installing them, there is no need to disassemble the floor above. In addition, you can install a floor heating system, which can be autonomous or part of the home heating system.
In order for the house to be cozy and comfortable for living, it is necessary first of all to take care of its thermal insulation. In this case, special attention should be paid to the first floor, since it is closest to the ground base. If the house is poorly insulated, then all the heat will go into the ground.
To compensate for the loss of heat, it is necessary to increase the heating, which leads to an increase in the material costs of maintaining the house. To solve this problem, floor insulation on the first floor will help.
The choice of floor insulation method on the ground floor
The choice of thermal insulation method depends primarily on the material from which the floor on the ground floor is made. If the floor is wooden, then it makes sense to insulate with mineral wool or foam. The concrete floor can be insulated with expanded polystyrene, GVL or fiberboard. If you want not only, but also to improve the heating system at the same time, then it makes sense to equip the underfloor heating system.
Floor insulation on the ground floor can be external and internal. When arranging external thermal insulation, the floor is insulated not only from the inside of the house, but also from the basement. It is often impossible to carry out internal thermal insulation due to communications located in the basement. It is not recommended to fix the foam to the bottom of the slab, as this does not comply with fire safety standards. It is impossible to use mineral insulation, as it will quickly deteriorate due to moisture. Very often, the only way is to close all ventilation openings for the winter. It should be remembered that if you live in an apartment building, then all insulation activities must be legally agreed.
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Floor insulation on the ground floor with mineral wool
Floor insulation with mineral wool is best suited for wooden floors in an apartment. In this case, the option is perfect if you are not satisfied with the quality of the flooring. The technology of floor insulation with mineral wool is quite simple.
The first step is to remove the existing boards (having numbered them in advance). After that, check the condition of the vapor barrier (if any) and the tightness of the base. All found gaps are sealed with foam. If the vapor barrier is in poor condition, it should be replaced. Further, mineral wool is laid between the lags, and floorboards are laid on top. When laying mineral wool slabs, you need to carefully control how tightly they fit to the walls and logs. The denser they are laid, the better the insulation will be.
Floor insulation on the ground floor can be done using foam. Styrofoam sheets can also be laid under a wooden floor. Warming is carried out by analogy with the laying of mineral wool.
The difference is that foam sheets should be laid with small gaps. After all the sheets are laid, you need to fill all the cracks with mounting foam. So the insulation will form one continuous layer.
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How to insulate the floor with fiberboard or drywall
The first step is to remove the floor covering and, if necessary, level the concrete base. In the presence of cracks, all recesses should be puttied. When the concrete screed is completely dry, a layer of vapor barrier is laid. In this case, you need to make a small bend on the walls. Then the first layer of GKL sheets 12 mm thick is laid and treated with adhesive mastic. The second layer is laid on top so that the joints do not match. When the adhesive mastic is completely dry, the surface is primed and puttied. Next, lay the selected floor covering. To compensate for the expansion of the material after exposure to moisture or temperature changes, an edge tape is laid between the ends of the sheets and the wall. When insulating the floor with fiberboard, you must first remove the skirting boards. Next, fiberboard is nailed to the floor, and the floor covering (carpet or linoleum) is glued on top. Finally, the glue dries out only after a day.
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How to insulate the floor on the first floor with foam
(or foam) is suitable for laying various coatings (linoleum, parquet, laminate, wooden boards, ceramic tiles). To do this, clean the floor covering to a concrete screed (you can leave only ceramic tiles) and lay a layer of vapor barrier on it. Next, foam sheets are laid. A layer of polyethylene film should be laid on top of the sheets. Then you need to make a reinforcing screed of cement mortar. After it has completely dried, you can start laying the floor covering.
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Arrangement of a warm floor
Underfloor heating can be of several types: water, electric, film and infrared. The most economical option is a water heating system, as it does not require large installation and maintenance costs. Electric underfloor heating is also simple to arrange, but it has two significant drawbacks:
- electromagnetic radiation adversely affects human health;
- electric underfloor heating significantly increases electricity consumption.
There are several ways to lay a water-heated floor:
- Concrete method, in which laying is carried out using a concrete screed.
- Laying method, in which the finish coating is laid on aluminum plates.
- Wooden laying method, in which the pipes are laid directly on the subfloor or wooden logs.
Most often, the first laying method is used to insulate the floor on the ground floor. To do this, first of all, the area is divided into sectors (to compensate for the thermal expansion of the screed) and the necessary tools and materials are prepared:
- Thermal insulation material.
- Concrete (assuming that the lower (starting) layer will be 10 cm thick, and the upper (finish) layer will be 5 cm thick).
- Metal-plastic seamless pipes with a diameter of 16 mm.
- Fasteners for pipes.
The floor is the coolest surface in the room. Through a poorly insulated floor, up to 20-30% of the heat can leave the room! This mainly happens on the first floors with an unheated basement. At the same time, heating bills increase, and the rooms are still cold. In this case, it's time to start thinking about how to insulate the floors in the apartment. This will help reduce heat loss and create a more comfortable indoor climate.
Floor insulation is relevant not only for a private house. Often it is necessary to insulate the floor in an apartment on the ground floor, in this case it is simply necessary. It is possible to do the work on thermal insulation with your own hands, the main thing is to choose the right material and familiarize yourself with the laying technology.
Materials for floor insulation must meet certain requirements: lightness, strength, durability, high thermal insulation characteristics.
Materials with the desired properties include: mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, foam plastic, expanded clay, wood shavings.
Mineral wool. Effective for sound and heat insulation. It is fireproof (has high fire resistance), is not subject to damage by a mold and a fungus. Flaw- this is hygroscopicity, the ingress of moisture reduces its properties.
Expanded polystyrene, polystyrene. Lightweight, durable, retain heat well, do not let external noise into the room. Not afraid of water ingress, not deformed, easy to install.
Expanded clay, wood chips. Bulk materials, inexpensive, environmentally friendly. They have significant shortcomings. The shavings are afraid of moisture and are prone to decay, insects and mice start up in it. Expanded clay is not afraid of water, durable, but can exert a strong load on structures if the insulation layer is too large.
Penoplex. Modern material, rapidly gaining popularity. Simple installation technology, it is possible to perform the insulation yourself. Produced in the form of plates.
Ways to insulate the floor of an apartment on the ground floor
When choosing a method for conducting thermal insulation, one should take into account the structural features of the building and the peculiarity of the method of laying insulation. Insulation of floors in an apartment on the first floor can be done in several ways:
- Installation of thermal insulation from the outside, from the basement. For warming the floor of an apartment located on the ground floor, this method is very effective.
- Floor insulation along the lags. This will require the complete dismantling of the old coating.
- With a tie over the insulation.
It remains only to choose a more convenient way. After carrying out all the work, heat leakage will stop, a comfortable microclimate will be created in the apartment, heating bills will decrease.
Insulation of the floor of the apartment on the first floor from the basement side with foam plastic
In ordinary houses, concrete floor slabs are used, which border the basement on the ground floor. An unheated and damp room takes away an overwhelming amount of heat. To achieve the maximum result, it is necessary to carry out work on the insulation of the floor of the apartment from the basement. How to do it?
- You do not need expensive heaters. It is possible to insulate the floors in the apartment on the first floor from the basement with 50 mm thick foam.
- Before you begin to mount the insulation, it is necessary to blow out all the cracks between the plates and around the perimeter from the basement side with mounting foam.
- Next, treat the concrete surface of the slab with a deep penetration liquid primer. It is applied with a brush.
- It remains to insulate the basement with foam sheets. They are glued to the ceiling using Ceresit adhesive or construction adhesive, they will ensure reliable fastening of the insulation to the surface.
- When the glue has completely hardened, the gaps between the plates must be sealed with sealant or foam.
In this way, you can insulate wooden floors. Only in this case, it is recommended that the foam sheets be additionally fixed with the help of double umbrellas. This way you keep the heat in the house and additionally protect the wooden floors from the effects of dampness from the basement.
The floor is the coolest surface in the room. Even at relatively warm air temperatures, the floor can remain cold. There is nothing strange in this. Let's remember the laws of physics: cool air always goes down, and warm air goes up. But that's not all. Cold penetrates into the floor coverings of our apartments through interpanel joints, corner cracks, and damp basements. Through a poorly insulated floor, up to 20-30% of the heat can leave the room! At the same time, heating bills increase, and the rooms are still cold. In this case, it's time to start thinking about how to insulate the floors in the apartment. This will help reduce heat loss and create a more comfortable indoor climate.
Choosing an insulating material
The floor is insulated with materials with high thermal insulation properties that prevent heat from escaping outside the room. For these purposes, the most popular are:
- Bulk materials(expanded clay, wood concrete, shavings) - have good thermal insulation qualities, are relatively inexpensive;
- Mineral wool and glass wool- effective in terms of heat and sound insulation, fireproof, not susceptible to infection by fungi and rodent attacks, hygroscopic (require mandatory vapor barrier);
- Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene- materials are moisture resistant, not subject to deformation, do not ignite, conduct heat poorly, muffle sound noises.
It is impossible to say which of these materials is the best. You need to choose based on your financial capabilities and the functionality of the insulated room.
Wooden base insulation
The traditional way of warming is laying the selected type of heat insulator in the space between the lags.
Scheme of warming a wooden floor along the logs
To do this, perform the following steps. The first step is to remove the old floor covering, open the floor. A vapor barrier layer is laid, for example, a polyethylene or polypropylene film. The material is unfolded and the strips are laid over the wooden frame of the floor, overlapping them by 15-20 cm. The joints are securely insulated with special adhesive tape. When laying, a vapor barrier film is placed on the walls to a height of 3-5 cm.
Laying a vapor barrier film is necessary so that moisture does not penetrate into the insulation layer
A heater is laid between the lags. When using expanded clay, it is evenly poured between the lags, leveling to one level with the rule. Sheet or roll insulation is laid close to the logs, without gaps.
Formation of an insulating layer of mineral wool
On top of the insulation (if mineral wool or glass wool was used), another layer of vapor barrier is created.
The second layer of vapor barrier protects the insulation from steam penetrating into the ceiling from the room
Expanded polystyrene is an affordable insulation that does not absorb moisture and is quite easy to install. You can read more about the use of such material in our article:.
Wooden boards, thick plywood, OSB or GVL sheets are laid over the insulated floor.
If necessary, install the finish coating: laminate, parquet, linoleum, carpet, etc.
concrete floor insulation
In most cases, the floors in the apartments of urban high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete slabs. The concrete floor itself is very cold, but if you add to this the gaps between the slabs, insufficiently tight joints between the walls and the floor, then it becomes truly icy. Therefore, the insulation of the concrete surface is a top priority for residents of high-rise buildings who seek to increase comfort in their apartments.
Each master involved in insulation derives his own formula for the ideal insulating "pie" on concrete slabs. Consider the most popular of the possible options.
Option number 1 - insulation + screed
It is possible to significantly improve the thermal insulation properties of a concrete floor by laying insulation between the floor slab and the cement leveling screed. In this case, the floor insulation in the apartment is performed as follows. The first step is to remove the old floor covering, remove the screed. The surface of the slab is cleaned of debris, dust, and irregularities from the remnants of the cement screed are eliminated.
Insulation of the floor in the apartment with the help of heat-insulating material and reinforced screed
Then perform vapor barrier. A polyethylene or polypropylene film is laid on the concrete base, overlapping the strips by 15-20 cm and leading 3-5 cm onto the walls. The overlap joints are insulated with special adhesive tape. A foam plastic with a minimum thickness of 50 mm and a density of 25 mm is laid on the vapor barrier film. Instead of foam, you can use expanded polystyrene, mineral wool, etc. Insulation sheets are laid as close as possible to each other so that cold bridges do not form in the seams. After that, another layer of vapor barrier is laid. If foam or polystyrene foam was used as a heater, then this step can be skipped.
Now a metal mesh with square cells is laid (cell side - 50-100 mm). The mesh will act as a frame for the cement screed, making it more durable. A cement screed with a minimum thickness of 50 mm is poured over the mesh. A thinner screed will be unreliable - after a while it will begin to crack and crumble. The cement screed should dry, it will take about two weeks. After that, to strengthen the top layer, it is necessary to cover it with a primer. After all this, any decorative coating is laid on the screed.
Expanded clay is well suited for warming concrete floors. You will learn about how to properly use such a heater in the material:.
Option number 2 - insulation along the lags, without the use of wet processes
This option is similar to the insulation of a wooden floor. The difference is that logs are initially provided in the thickness of the wooden floor, between which it is convenient to lay any type of insulation. In the case of concrete floors, these logs will have to be designed independently.
Insulation of the concrete floor along the logs eliminates wet processes and does not weigh down the floor
The technology of concrete floor insulation along the logs:
1. First of all, they clean the concrete slab from the old screed, debris and dust.
2. Arrange waterproofing. It is convenient to use ready-made waterproofing polymer-bitumen solutions, which are applied to the concrete surface with a roller or brush. Another option is to use a vapor barrier film for these purposes, which is laid out on the floor with an overlap, leading to adjacent walls. If you want to save money, then the most acceptable material for hydro and vapor barrier will be ordinary polyethylene film.
3. Lags are installed at a distance of no more than 0.9 m from each other, if you take a step more, then the floors will sag. Instead of a log, if bulk material is supposed to be used for insulation, metal beacons are attached to the floor.
Installation of wooden logs on a concrete floor
4. Lay the selected insulation. Suitable for both mineral wool and polystyrene, and any variant of loose thermal insulation materials. Insulation in the form of sheets or rolls, laid out tightly, without gaps between the lags. Bulk material (for example, expanded clay) is poured between beacons and leveled to one level with a metal rule.
5. Lay the floor. To do this, you can use sheets of plywood, GVL, OSB, chipboard with a thickness of 10-15 mm. It is safer to lay them in two layers so that the seams of the lower sheets overlap with the panels of the upper sheets. Thus, the floor covering will be seamless, which will eliminate the possibility of cold bridges. After laying, the layers of sheets are connected to each other and to the lags (beacons) using self-tapping screws.
Laying sheets of dense material (plywood, GVL, etc.) on logs
6. Suitable for any floor finish.
In a short video, you will clearly demonstrate the process of warming along the lags:
Features of floor insulation by spraying
In addition to the above methods of insulation, there is another, professional one - spraying a thin layer of polyurethane foam (PPS) on the base of the floor. As a result, a monolithic, devoid of seams, surface with a thickness of 50-100 mm is formed on the floor. The technology for applying PPS involves the use of special equipment and some skills, so this work can only be done by specialists.
For spraying, high-pressure equipment is used, which allows the material to be applied to the floor in the form of an aerosol liquid. In a matter of seconds, this liquid spray layer turns into rigid polyurethane foam. The efficiency of the resulting heat-insulating layer surpasses any other heaters - PPS has a lower thermal conductivity than mineral wool, foam plastic, expanded clay, foam concrete, etc. In addition, polyurethane foam is absolutely moisture resistant, therefore it does not need additional hydro and vapor barrier. This material does not require floor preparation before application, is not damaged by rodents, does not rot, does not burn. The service life of the heat-insulating layer of PPS is estimated by the manufacturers of this material at 30-50 years.
Polyurethane foam is an effective way to create an insulating and waterproofing coating in an apartment
Alternative ways of warming
If the heat loss through the floor is small, then you can use simpler methods of insulation. Their essence is to use a material with a low coefficient of thermal conductivity as a floor covering.
The simplest thing is to lay carpet or carpet on the existing floor. Products made of natural wool with a long pile have the greatest warming properties.
Another option is to use thickened linoleum on a warm substrate (felt, jute) or on a foam base. Similarly, it is possible to “insulate” a laminate by laying a thickened cork, polyethylene or expanded polystyrene underlay under it.
Thus, in order for the floor to maintain a comfortable temperature even in winter, it is not necessary to use additional heating systems and “warm floor” structures. In most cases, to increase the floor temperature by several degrees, it is enough to properly insulate it with the help of available materials.
The cold floor is the weak point of all apartments located on the first floors. Residents of these premises every day are forced to face not only the cold coming from below, but also the spread of dampness, mold and fungus. The question of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor is relevant both for apartment owners in multi-storey buildings and for residents of private houses, under the first floor of which there is an unheated basement. Work on warming the floor structure helps to solve the problem of cold and constant dampness: if this is done with the highest quality, the temperature in the rooms during the winter period will be comfortable, and the mold will disappear forever.
Concrete floor insulation work
Cold penetrates into the apartments of the lower floors of high-rise buildings due to the location of the room above the basement, as well as due to the poor thermal insulation characteristics of the floor slabs themselves. Warming of the concrete floor of the first floor is carried out using a cement-sand screed and heaters, which are characterized by a high density of the material.
What is the order in which the flooring works are carried out? The old coating is dismantled and removed, the remaining base is leveled and covered with sand or expanded clay. This backfill is used for three purposes at once: it not only makes the surface even, but also partially plays the role of thermal insulation, and also raises the level of future flooring. Many experts advise using a bulk pillow when insulating floors on the ground floor, since it eliminates deformation of the heat-insulating layer layer under heavy loads.
A damper tape must be glued along the perimeter of the floor of the first floor. If there is no adhesive layer on the tape, then it can be attached to the walls with self-tapping screws. The tape is needed for two purposes. It serves as an additional way to heat and, and also protects the walls of the room from the expansion of the cement screed, which will be poured from above.
On top of the expanded clay backfill, a layer of waterproofing is spread on the working surface - a dense polyethylene film, its joints are firmly fastened with construction tape. Then you can proceed to the installation of insulation. It is best to lay polystyrene foam on the ceiling of the cold floor of the first floor, since its high density provides the best thermal insulation qualities. As a replacement for expanded polystyrene, you can consider options with floor insulation with mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
The material for the heat-insulating layer must be chosen carefully, the desire to save money can lead to the fact that all repairs will not provide a good result, and the temperature in the apartment during the cold periods of the year will remain uncomfortable.
Styrofoam boards. Expanded polystyrene tiles should be placed tightly on the surface, it is not necessary to fasten them to the ceiling. When the installation of the heat-insulating layer is completed, the insulation of the floor of the first floor proceeds to the next stage of work: preparations for pouring the screed begin. In order for a decorative floor covering to be laid on the surface of the screed without any problems, it must turn out to be very even. for these purposes, before pouring the cement mortar, experts advise installing beacon profiles.
This is how the profiles for the future pouring of the screed look like. Profiles must be set strictly according to the level and fixed. For fixing, you can use both self-tapping screws and the cement mortar itself. When mixing cement mortar, fiber and plasticizer can be added to it. These special additives are of great importance for increasing the strength of the future concrete screed. The finished solution is poured onto the work surface in the direction from the walls to the door and leveled with the rule. After the screed has completely dried, you can lay the selected floor covering on it. On this, the insulation of the concrete floor of the first floor can be considered complete.
Concrete or cement-sand mortar can be replaced with a dry screed. Dry mixes fit quickly and quite simply. The drying of the cement screed lasts about four weeks, if you do not have such a long period of time, then a dry screed remains the only possible option. It is not required to wait for it to dry, it is almost immediately ready for installation of the top layer of the floor.
Floor insulation in a wooden house
How to insulate a wooden floor? Floors on the ground floor often require thermal insulation work. Cold and damp enter the premises from the cold underground, making it uncomfortable to be in the rooms on the lower floor of the house. To insulate the floor structure, the insulation is placed between the rough and finish coatings.
Before starting work, it is necessary to choose a heater, since the distance between the lags will depend on the type of material. The sequence of work in the arrangement of the floors of the first floor is such that first a lag frame is mounted, and then heat-insulating material is placed between them. So that you have to cut and fit pieces of insulation as little as possible, the step between the lags should be equal to the width of the material.
Experts recommend installing double logs across, as this will greatly raise the floor, and nail the bars under the insulation flooring onto the floor beams. Using this method will save the height of the ceilings, which is most important in small rooms where it is impossible to sacrifice extra centimeters.
After installing the lag, the surface should be covered with a dense plastic film.
It is impossible to neglect the arrangement of the waterproofing layer, since the effect of all other works in its absence will be minimal. If the thermal insulation layer is exposed to moisture and gets wet, then almost all of its characteristics that ensure heat retention will be lost.
After the bars on the logs and the thermal insulation are installed, the first level of the raised floor is attached to them using self-tapping screws. It can be made both from boards or plywood, and from OSB sheets. If you are making a warm floor in an apartment on the ground floor, then you do not need to install an additional rough coating; a concrete floor slab will serve as the basis for the entire structure.
Insulation of the floor of the first floor can be done using polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. The material should be laid between the lags in a checkerboard pattern tightly to each other. Most often, for the purposes of insulation, mineral wool is used, which is produced in rolls or tiles. As a replacement for the listed heat-insulating materials, an embankment of expanded clay or sawdust can be considered. They can also be used as thermal insulation, but in exceptional cases, since the falling asleep of expanded clay and sawdust is accompanied by a large amount of dust. Backfill made of expanded clay or sawdust is afraid of moisture and loses its properties when wet.
Mineral wool. On top of the laid insulation, another layer of waterproofing is laid, which can be firmly attached using a construction stapler. If the waterproofing material cannot be laid with a single sheet, then at the joints, parts of the polyethylene are overlapped at least 10 cm wide. Then it is necessary to fill small bars on the logs in order to leave a gap between the insulation and the board finish to ensure ventilation of the entire floor structure.
After thermal insulation work, the floors of the first floor can be sheathed with any material you like. The flooring can be made of both floorboards and plywood or chipboard. When installing a finishing coating, it is necessary to remember about the gaps near the walls: a space of 1.5 - 2 cm wide should be left between the flooring and the wall of the room.
One of the alternative options for warming wooden floors is the use of penoizol, which many call liquid foam. Insulation of the floor of the first floor when using penoizol differs in that it does not require removal of the casing. This saves you a lot of time for repairs. The cost of the floor insulation method using penoizol depends on how much material you need to fill the space between the lags.
The sequence of work is quite simple. Holes are drilled in several places in the wooden floor, or you can simply remove one or two boards from the flooring. Penoizol is supplied under pressure through these holes into the structure. The material fills the entire space between the lags, no matter what form it needs to take.
The advantage of this method of warming the floors of the first floor is not only the simplicity of its implementation, but also the protection of the entire floor. Penoizol in the process of polymerization increases in volume and exits through the slots of the boardwalk. As a result, it fills absolutely all voids and cracks that can contribute to heat loss.
When choosing a material for thermal insulation of the floor, one should be guided by financial possibilities and adhere to a rational approach. If you have enough time to dismantle the old floor and lay a new flooring from the boards, then you can choose mineral wool or expanded polystyrene as a heater. Both materials can be mounted with your own hands, without using the services of specialists.
The use of rolled mineral wool is one of the most common ways to insulate the floor, which is used by many. Thermal insulation of the floor in the premises of the first floor with the help of expanded clay is undesirable, since the result of the work carried out will not be highly effective. If there is no opportunity to spend a serious amount of money on the purchase of thermal insulation material, then you should pay attention to insulation with foam. Using penoizol requires serious costs, but it will save you time.
How to insulate the floor on the ground?
In some private houses, the floor is mounted directly on the ground, therefore it also requires serious insulation. Thermal insulation of such structures should be considered at the stage of building a house.
When building a house, the top layer of soil is removed and removed, crushed stone and sand are poured in its place. Each layer is poured to a height of about 10 cm and well compacted. Insulation of the floor of the first floor in this case can be carried out on sand or on a concrete screed. In the first method, the heat-insulating material is laid directly on the compacted sand, in the second, a concrete slab up to 12 cm thick is first poured.
As a heater, it is best to use expanded polystyrene, which is not afraid of moisture. The perimeter of the room is treated with a damper tape, and waterproofing is laid on the insulation in the form of a polyethylene film or a vapor barrier membrane. Then, a cement screed with a reinforcing mesh is poured over this entire structure. After the solution has dried, the floors of the first floor can be covered with a decorative coating.