Do I need to insulate a frame house? Instructions for insulating the walls of a frame house

old system construction of wooden and stone houses provided for a system of insulation during the construction process. Insulation was not singled out as a separate area of ​​work, it was carried out along with the construction of walls and was a matter of course. Now, the concern about how to properly insulate a frame house is the main one for builders.

The procedure for warming work

The building materials market does not suffer from a lack of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings. Each owner wants to choose something unusual, but natural and not harmful to health, so that it is thorough, long-lasting and inexpensive. The intensity of heat transfer greatly affects not only your health, mood and warmth in the house, but also the state of your wallet, as heating services become more important. Therefore, you most often have to insulate the frame house with your own hands.

Insulation is an inevitable process of any construction, the need to insulate floors and ceilings is caused by their very design feature.

This part of the work requires as much attention as the construction of the frame itself. can be produced using various technologies:

• By outer wall, attic and subfloor;
• along the inside of the walls and along the ceiling;
• both outside and inside the house;
• uneven insulation different parts buildings.

At the same time, there are various methods works, when using which the walls retain maximum heat in the frame house.

If the builders did not carry out the insulation work clearly enough, they will have to roll up their sleeves and finish, redo, bring the insulation “to mind”, starting from the walls and ending with the underground, or even with their own hands again. At the same time, it is important to systematically, purposefully and carefully insulate all the areas listed above. The ceiling is subject to denser insulation, and the insulation layer should be much larger than on the walls - by 25-50%. Close attention should be paid to both external and internal wall insulation, and floor insulation should not be ignored.

Back to index

Types of insulation for a frame house

Wall insulation does not present any structural features or difficulties even for a non-professional. The only difficulty is the choice of insulation. Heaters are available in two categories - synthetic-based and based on natural ingredients. The most commonly used insulation materials for frame houses:

• expanded polystyrene;
• Styrofoam;
• ecowool;
• mineral wool.

which is subdivided according to the material of manufacture into:

• glass;
• slag;
• stone.

Expanded polystyrene has an aluminum layer, which significantly improves its thermal insulation. The foil gives it, in addition to increased thermal insulation qualities, also moisture and steam resistance. This technology allows you to reduce the thickness of the insulation, while maintaining the same properties. Produced in sheet and roll form. For wall stickers, it can be produced with a self-adhesive surface.

The main disadvantage of foam, if outside, is Negative influence sun rays leading to its destruction. This insulation for outdoor use needs protection. This protection can be paint or plaster. Its advantages include a wide choice of material thickness, fire resistance and environmental safety.

Mineral wool gained its popularity due to not only good thermal insulation properties, but also excellent fire resistance and excellent sound absorption. This material does not shrink over time. Available in rolls and also in sheet format.

Ecowool is made from cellulose fibers. Valuable ecological cleanliness. When dry, it is rammed into the piers, and moistened with water is applied to the interframe gaps of the walls. The possibility of glass wool is used extremely rarely due to a number of serious drawbacks. These include the fragility of the fibers, resulting in the formation of glass dust, which negatively affects health throughout the entire period of operation. This type of insulation is subject to shrinkage.

Back to index

Pitfalls in insulation

Mineral wool, made on the basis of slag, becomes aggressive towards metals when moisture enters, and it has a very low level of heat saving. Wool, which is based on basalt, stone wool is an excellent opportunity to insulate frame walls. Environmentally friendly, durable, with good insulating properties in terms of thermal conductivity and vapor permeability, as well as excellent fire-fighting properties.

However, if available on the market good heaters desire still runs into problems. They consist in the difference between the vapor, moisture and heat permeability of the insulation. Styrofoam, for example, has good moisture resistance, but its heat resistance leaves much to be desired, while mineral wool, on the contrary, has problems with moisture protection. That is, it is necessary to insulate the frame walls, having previously distributed the insulation according to the degree of resistance to various environments.

The use of mineral wool should be limited when warming the house from the outside or provide protection from moisture, otherwise the heat insulator can become a heat conductor. But on the other hand, the frame house must have air exchange with the external environment. Natural heat insulators are good in this regard, such as:

• clay;
• tyrsa;
• straw.

They carry out natural heat exchange, maintain the optimal mode of humidity in the room, and provide protection from noise. Being involved as a heater on, they clearly fulfill their functions, predetermined by nature itself. But working with them is a long and laborious process, unacceptable for our high-speed age.

To prevent the appearance of excess moisture and steam, as well as to effectively collect them, glassine is used. This old companion of wall insulation is attached inside the outer skin of the frame. It allows you to leave dry insulation, which performs the main function - heat retention. At the same time, a gap is necessarily left between it and the insulation to allow the glassine to dry and prevent the insulation from getting wet. The air layer, in addition, in itself will be a natural thermal protection, complementing the main insulation and creating a healthy microclimate in the house.

Frame houses are prefabricated structures and are the main type of residential buildings in the USA, Canada, Finland, Germany and Sweden. With the advent of the new millennium, the technology of frame construction finds more and more supporters among our compatriots. However, the climate of the above countries is still milder, therefore, in most of Russia, construction frame house requires the use of additional insulation. This short article will tell about some of its types.

A number of requirements are imposed on the insulation, as, indeed, on any other material that is used when. The most important among them are:

• Lightness, since most residential frame buildings are built on light types of foundations (piled, columnar, etc.). However, if used, then this requirement can be neglected;
• Resistance to flame and high temperatures is one of the main requirements in a wooden house;
• Resistance to a humid environment, especially if natural "breathable" materials are used for interior decoration;
• The ability to provide tightness, i.e. the minimum number of seams, and their complete absence is better;
• Elasticity, since frame houses tend to “move” during the entire period of operation, this happens due to alternating drying and moisture gain by wood;
• Long service life without loss of heat-insulating qualities. True, this requirement is not so critical, since it is quite easy to open the wall of a frame house and replace the old insulation, but it is still better to do without it;
• Ecological harmlessness and safety for human health and pets. This requirement probably does not need additional comments.

The main types of heaters

Progress in all spheres of human life does not stand still, including construction industry, therefore, every year new types of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings, foundations, etc. appear on the building materials market. If just a couple of decades ago, only mineral wool, sawdust(shavings), and expanded clay with slag, today it is much richer. In addition to the above, these include:

• Ecowool;
• Sprayed polyurethane foam.

Mineral or basalt wool is one of the most popular heaters for. This material is resistant to combustion and high temperatures, environmentally friendly, has good sound insulation. The latter property is very important in frame structures. To understand what thermal insulation characteristics for mineral wool, it will suffice to say that a layer of this material with a thickness of 50 mm is equal in properties to the thickness brickwork at 580 mm.

With regards to the insulation technology itself, the construction of the frame is carried out initially with the expectation that mineral (basalt) wool slabs will be used. A distance of 60 cm is left between the posts of the wooden frame, which is equal to the standard width of the heat-insulating material.

Basalt slabs should be laid tightly so that there is not too much free space between them and the outer and inner walls, but they should not be pressed too hard, as over time this can lead to damage to the material and the formation of “cold bridges”.

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) in plates is a foamed thermoplastic, which consists of fused granules. It may seem surprising, but the insulation boards themselves are 98% air, which fills both the granules themselves and the space between them, and only 2% polystyrene. Of all types of heaters for frame structures polystyrene boards are the lightest.

With prolonged exposure to expanded polystyrene, vegetable, animal and paraffin oils, fats, diesel fuel and petroleum jelly are affected. PPS is unstable to different kind organic solvents, but it does not dissolve and does not swell in water, practically does not gain moisture, is durable and resistant to decay. This material is not digested by animals and microorganisms, therefore it is not used by them as feed and does not provide a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.

Ecowool, which consists of 80% cellulose and 20% of various components (binders and fire retardants), has recently been used in our country as a heater for frame houses, although, for example, in the States this material has found wide application in 70 years of the last century. For comparison, it must be said that a layer of ecowool 130 mm thick in terms of its thermal insulation characteristics is equivalent to a wall thickness of 600 mm made of aerated concrete.

In fact, ecowool is a waste of paper production, which is treated with borax or ammonium sulfate (prevent burning) and boric acid (prevents decay). It is resistant to burning, harmless to the health of people and animals, does not rot and is not very favored by rodents.

However, when choosing this material, one must take into account the following feature: ammonium sulfates and phosphates, when interacting with boric acid, lose their flame retardant properties over time. In addition, these connections can become a source bad smell. Therefore, you should purchase ecowool, in which only borax (borax) is used as a flame retardant, which does not lose its properties and has no smell.

Another loose insulation is the waste of woodworking enterprises - sawdust. Perhaps this is the most cheap way insulate the house. Some workshops for the production of furniture give sawdust free of charge if a person independently removes waste from the territory.

True, it should be remembered that for insulation, only sawdust of a sufficiently large fraction can be used, and those remaining after sawing the primary wood.

Thus, sawdust from chipboard, fiberboard, MDF panels and other materials, in the production of which various binders are used, will not work not only for reasons of environmental safety, but also because they are too small and are, in fact, fine dust .

Wood sawdust, in addition to being cheap, also has a number of other advantages:

• Absolute harmlessness to others;
• Excellent thermal insulation characteristics;
• Excellent sound absorbing properties.

However, there are also a number of disadvantages. So, for example, cheapness can be leveled by the need to use manual labor in the formation of a heat-insulating layer. Over time, sawdust tends to caking, which after a while will force you to carry out work to open the walls and replace them.

If lime is not added during backfilling, then the sawdust will quickly begin to rot. Also, mice and rats have a rather strange love for this material, so the outer parts of the walls must be well protected from their penetration. The figure below shows a possible scheme for insulating the walls of a frame house using sawdust.

Expanded clay has been used as a heater for almost a century. A huge advantage of expanded clay is its almost one hundred percent resistance to fire, as well as environmental friendliness, because it is made from light-alloy clay or shale rock by swelling and firing. The method of production of expanded clay determines the porosity of its structure, which, in turn, makes it light and soundproof. Also expanded clay granules are not subject to rotting and small rodents do not like them very much. Over time, it does not lose its properties.

True, this material also has a full set of shortcomings.

Firstly, the relative fragility of the granules does not allow applying great efforts during tamping during backfilling into the walls, due to which significant voids and “cold bridges” can form.

Secondly, expanded clay is hygroscopic, and the absorbed moisture is not given off, but dries out gradually, that is, when used in rooms or climates with high humidity, the walls will constantly absorb water.

According to the shape and size of the fractions, expanded clay is divided into three varieties:

1. Rubble. The granules of this fraction are large, acute-angled, the size varies from 20 to 40 mm.
2. Gravel. Granules oval shape, the value is about 10–20 mm.
3. Sand. The smallest fraction, the size of the granules does not exceed 10 mm in diameter.

To insulate frame houses, you need to use a mixture of all three fractions, where 60–70% should be gravel, 20% sand and 10% crushed stone. Instead of expanded clay, slag is sometimes used, but this material is quite unhealthy and does not provide proper thermal insulation.

By itself, polyurethane foam (PPU) is included in the group of gas-filled plastics, which are based on polyurethane. Just like expanded polystyrene, this insulation is 90% air. For insulation of frame houses, sprayed polyurethane foam is used.

The use of this material allows not only to get rid of the need to install vapor barrier and wind and moisture protection from membrane materials, but also to significantly reduce the cost and time spent on the construction of the supporting frame of the structure. But the thickness of the PPU layer in this case should be at least 120–200 mm (200–300 mm when using extruded polystyrene). Only a house with such a layer of polyurethane foam insulation can be considered truly energy efficient. A layer of polyurethane foam with a thickness of 70–80 mm complies with SNiP for enclosing wall structures, a layer of 100-120 mm corresponds to SNiP for enclosing roofing structures.

PPU spraying perfectly solves the problem of "cold bridges", and also simultaneously copes with the rather difficult task of fixing building structures such as doors and windows, which can only be installed using this material. Polyurethane foam eliminates possible problems with distortions and shrinkage, which is very important in a frame house. Another rather significant advantage of this type of insulation: it performs protective function for frame elements.

All wooden racks, beams, logs are completely protected from decay (however, they must dry completely before installation), since polyurethane foam has an extremely low vapor permeability and is practically impermeable to oxygen.

However, the last of these properties makes it necessary to equip frame houses with high-quality ventilation.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer depends on several factors. The first and main one is the type of insulation. The second is the climate of the area where the construction of frame housing is carried out. For example, if in the Krasnodar Territory 100 mm (2 layers of standard slabs) of basalt wool will be enough, then in the Arkhangelsk region 200 mm will be needed, and 150 mm (3 layers) should be located between the frame posts, and 50 mm (1 layer) must be fixed outside to cover all frame beams and prevent the formation of "cold bridges".

Of course, when calculating the required amount of thermal insulation material, one can be guided by life observations by asking neighbors, friends and acquaintances of self-taught builders who have already dealt with frame houses, but it is better to use scientific approach and apply a simple formula: δt = R x λt, where λt is the thermal conductivity of the insulation, and R is the thermal resistance of the walls. You can consider the application of the formula on a specific example: during the construction of a frame house, where internal walls from plywood with a thickness of 6 mm, and the outer ones - from OSB-boards with a thickness of 9 mm, it is necessary to calculate the thickness of the basalt wool layer.

The heat resistance of the walls of any residential building located in the Moscow region should, on average, be R = 3.20 m2 * 0C / W. This value varies by region. Information about the thermal conductivity of a particular material can be found in the certificate for the product, its presence in it is mandatory, but the absence of such should alert the buyer, as this may be evidence of poor-quality and even unhealthy material.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer for the frame structure is determined by the same formula: δut = R x λut. For basalt wool, the thermal conductivity is 0.045 W / m * 0С, therefore, in this case, the thickness of the insulation layer should be δut \u003d R x λut \u003d 3.20 x 0.045 \u003d 0.14 m. That is, 2 layers of plates are needed, as already mentioned higher when comparing the construction of a frame house in the Arkhangelsk region and the Krasnodar region.

Video

Watch the selection video the best insulation for a frame house.

At the panel houses of summer residence, the “lightest” design, a bar with a section of 10x10 cm is used for the supporting frame of the walls. If polystyrene foam is used as a cavity filler, then you don’t have to worry about additional thermal insulation - PPS 10 cm thick is similar in thermal conductivity gas silicate block D500-D600 375-400 mm wide. The question of how to insulate a panel house for winter living arises only if mineral wool is laid inside the wall - this thickness is not enough for Russian frosts. Even for frame walls from a bar 150x100 with mineral wool inside, additional insulation will be required. But besides the walls, there is also a floor, a ceiling and an attic, which also cannot be ignored if the house is transferred to year-round use.

This is how the internal insulation of frame-panel walls looks like

How to insulate the walls of a panel house outside

A panel house on a wooden frame is not a log house made of logs or timber. In this case, it is not necessary to talk about the breathing properties (gas permeability) of the walls. First, a vapor barrier is laid from the inside in a continuous layer. Secondly, the vapor permeability of plywood or OSB boards, with which the frame is sheathed, is very low. Therefore, for external insulation, you can use those materials that are not used for wooden houses:

expanded polystyrene;

EPS (extruded polystyrene foam);

sprayed thermal insulation based on two-component or one-component polyurethane foam.

Video description

We will dwell in more detail on the insulation of the house with foam plastic. Find out how safe polystyrene foam is in our video:

But most often choose mineral wool. And to be more precise - stone (basalt) wool. And although the thermal conductivity of stone wool is approximately one and a half times higher than that of foam plastics (thermal insulation properties are just as worse), it belongs to non-combustible substances - to the NG group. Of course, for low-rise single-family houses (up to two floors inclusive), the requirements for fire hazard and fire resistance are not required (clause 6.5.6 of SP 2.13130), but if the frame house is insulated with non-combustible materials, then this will not be superfluous.

Mineral wool cannot be set on fire even with a gas burner flame.

It is easy to compensate for the lower thermal insulation properties due to the thickness. External insulation is not internal, and a few extra centimeters of insulation mean nothing. It is necessary to insulate with rigid mats - rolled materials in vertical structures “mov out” over time. And you have to choose between a thickness of 5 cm and 10 cm. For middle lane Russia, provided that 10 cm thick mineral wool has already been laid inside the walls, an additional 5 cm of thermal insulation layer is sufficient. Plus the thickness of the double-sided wall cladding, interior decoration and front panels.

But if the budget allows, you can lay a layer 10 cm thick.

How to insulate walls from the outside

How to insulate a frame house for winter living:

from the surface of the outer walls remove "foreign" objects- ebbs, cornices, visors, brackets for mounting lighting fixtures and attachments;

remove old trim- dismantle the casing, clean paintwork;

execute marking for framing, considering the width of the insulation mats;

handle All wooden elements crates with an antiseptic;

mount timber frame with a height equal to the thickness of the insulation;

The vertical crate for external insulation of the pediment and walls does not have to coincide with each other. The main thing is that the step matches the width of the mats

fix insulation between the crate;

lay in a continuous layer, with overlapping sheets, superdiffusion waterproofing membrane, fix it to the crate;

fill the beam of the counter-lattice, which should provide a ventilation gap and serve as a fastening point facade panels(the height of the beam must be at least 6 cm - this minimum size ventilation gap);

sheathe the facade siding, block house or any other finishing materials for a ventilated facade.

Important! Even before insulation, it is necessary to replace the windows with a "winter" version. It is also necessary to insulate entrance group- equip a small vestibule and install a second front door.

Additional insulation of the panel house can be carried out along the horizontal crate, and the counter-crate to create a ventilated gap and fasten the skin can be made vertical.

Video description

Clearly about the creation of a counter-lattice and fastening the skin in the following video:

On our website you can find contacts construction companies, which offer the service of warming houses. You can directly communicate with representatives by visiting the exhibition of houses "Low-Rise Country".

basement insulation

Full-fledged insulation of the panel house from the outside will require work on the thermal insulation of the basement for the strip base or the pick-up for the pile foundation.

Insulation of the basement strip foundation

According to experts, the house through the foundation loses up to 10-15% of the total heat loss due to the rather high thermal conductivity of reinforced concrete or building blocks (depending on what the basement is made of). And this phenomenon also needs to be fought.

This is how the general scheme of heat loss through enclosing surfaces looks like

In this case, it is better to choose EPPS for insulation. It is difficult to protect mineral wool near the ground from moisture as part of a “wet” facade (especially a hinged one). Extruded polystyrene foam has a very low water absorption coefficient, and can even successfully perform waterproofing functions.

How to insulate a panel house for winter living technology " wet facade» :

prepare plinth surface- they clean it of dirt, if necessary, level it with cement mortar, treat it with a primer for deep penetration concrete;

fasten on the adhesive solution of the plate, additionally fixed with mechanical fasteners;

apply a layer adhesive solution, reinforce with a mesh, pressing it into the solution, level the surface;

veneer the plinth tiles made of artificial or natural stone.

If the finish is carried out with basement siding or fiber cement panels, then the insulation has the following diagram:

prepare surface;

mount brackets for crates;

fix the plates- glue plus mechanical fasteners;

seams blown with foam;

mounted on brackets vertical crate from a galvanized profile;

sheathe crate panels;

close top plinth ebb.

Basement insulation with EPPS boards and stone-like paneling

Insulation of the base of the pile foundation

To insulate the foundations of the house on a pile foundation, they build a small wall that closes the space under the house. This type of plinth is called a pick-up. There are two options for this design:

small self-supporting wall made of brick, building blocks or rubble stone, standing on its own shallow base;

arrangement along the perimeter pile foundation frame made of wooden beam or profile, followed by sheathing with basement siding, fiber cement panels under stone or brick.

Both versions of the pile foundation base are usually insulated from the inside. To do this, use either EPPS or sprayed polyurethane foam (rodents like to settle in ordinary foam).

This is an insulated subfloor of a panel house on a pile foundation.

But the thermal insulation of the basement does not preclude work on floor insulation.

How to insulate the floor

Thermal insulation of the floor is already a technology for insulating a panel house from the inside. From the point of view of thermal engineering, insulated floor wooden house- This is a single-layer structure that simultaneously performs load-bearing and heat-insulating functions. Eat different variants arranging the warm floor of a panel house, but they all come down to a thin-layer sheathing of a supporting wooden frame, inside which heat-insulating materials are placed. And in order to protect the insulation from moisture and water vapor, it must be protected by continuous layers of vapor and waterproofing.

There are certain differences in the insulation of the floors of an apartment building and a private house. IN apartment building the floor insulation must be protected from the penetration of water vapor from below, from the side of another heated apartment. And here the vapor barrier is spread over the ceiling (from below relative to the insulation).

In a panel house, the partial pressure of water vapor in the warm air inside the room is higher than in the cold air from the side of the pile or strip foundation. Therefore, a vapor-tight barrier must be on the side floor covering.

One of the possible schemes for installing an insulated floor. Regardless of the flooring materials and subfloor filing, the order of the layers does not change

There are different options for arranging an insulated wooden floor, but the principle is the same for everyone, and the circuit looks like this:

boards subfloor;

solid layer of waterproofing membrane;

insulation;

solid vapor barrier layer;

finishing floor.

Important! Moisture from the insulation should be vented into the underground, and from there through the vents to the street.

How to insulate an attic

There are two standard schemes for insulating a panel house from the roof side: cold attic and attic (or combined roof).

cold attic insulation

In this case, there is no insulation in the roof structure. Warming is carried out on a wooden floor.

This is a standard cold attic insulation scheme from Geksa, a manufacturer of Izospan insulation materials.

Here it is important to keep following conditions:

Vapor barrier is fixed on the surface of the false ceiling from the side of the room. It should protect not only the insulation, but also the load-bearing floor beams along with the draft ceiling. Otherwise, the wooden structural elements will be moistened from exposure to vapors in warm air, and the evaporation of excess moisture from them outside the room will be blocked by a vapor barrier layer.

Choose as a vapor barrier films with anti-condensation properties. These are two- or three-layer polymeric materials with a rough (fleshy) surface, which is turned towards the room. They are able to partially retain condensate, up to the appearance of conditions for its weathering.

Insulation is laid on the false ceiling between the load-bearing floor beams.

Laid on top of the insulation waterproofing superdiffusion membrane.

If the height of the floor beams is insufficient to form a ventilated gap above the insulation, then they are stuffed spacer rails. And the attic floor boards are already attached to them.

Attic insulation

There are two options for insulating a frame house for winter living by insulating the attic: this is the thermal insulation of the roof or the contour of the dwelling.

Insulation of the contour of a residential attic (mansard) can also have different options. For example, as in this diagram - with roof insulation from the cornice to the top trim

But in any case, from the side of the roof on the rafters, in front of the crate (or solid flooring), a waterproofing membrane must be laid.

For a metal roof, a gap is required between the waterproofing and the roofing so that condensate can drain onto the drip, and moisture can be vented from the under-roof space. If the vapor permeability of the membrane is low, then a ventilation gap must remain between it and the insulation to vent water vapor from the mineral wool.

Roof insulation

Insulating the entire roof is easier than "cutting" at the attic warm outline. Especially if the house is small.

This is how the scheme of the insulated roof looks like

The insulation of the entire roof is carried out as follows:

Between the rafters lay mats mineral wool. If the pitch of the rafters is greater than the width of the mat, then an additional crate is mounted. If less, the mats are cut. But in any case, the width of the mats should be 5 cm less than the pitch of the rafters.

Over the insulation to the rafter legs (and crate) fix a continuous layer of vapor barrier. These can be materials with anti-condensation or reflective properties. The strips are overlapped, both horizontally and when extended in length. All joints and junctions to structural elements are fixed with self-adhesive vapor-tight tape. The anti-condensation or reflective surface should face the attic.

For creating a gap(and fastening the sheathing sheathing) a wooden bar is nailed to the rafters.

Insulation of the living perimeter of the attic

It is possible to insulate only part of the roof, which limits the attic itself. The insulation is laid from the line of attachment points of the racks to the rafters, and so that it does not slip, between rafter legs install the horizontal brace. At the top, the border of the warm perimeter can pass along the ridge or along the attachment line of the upper harness. The upper trim in this case serves as the load-bearing beams of the attic ceiling.

Two schemes for insulating the attic contour - without a ceiling and with a ceiling

If the attic has a ceiling, then its insulation takes place according to the “cold attic” scheme.

The walls of the attic are insulated in this way:

from the side of the roof to the pillars fasten the skin;

insulation stacked between racks;

attach to racks vapor barrier;

stuffed on racks distance bar(to form a gap between the vapor barrier and the inner cladding), the same bar serves as a counter-lattice for the attic cladding.

Video description

Demonstration video on attic insulation:

Conclusion

Warming a panel house for winter living is not an easy undertaking. Only right choice materials and adherence to technology guarantee that the expected effect will correspond to reality. Errors can lead to the fact that the first heating season will pass safely, and during the next heat-insulating materials will partially lose their properties.

Frame houses are distinguished not only by practicality, but also by attractive external indicators. This perfect option for those who want to acquire inexpensive, but comfortable housing. Today we will talk about the insulation of a frame house.

Do-it-yourself warming of a frame house

Design features

There are two main ways to build frame buildings:

1. frame-panel (buildings are assembled directly at the factory with ready-made elements);
2. frame-frame (all elements are prepared and assembled at the construction site).

In the section, the wall of the frame house is a multi-layer cake (this can be seen in the above image). It is also worth noting that the frames themselves can be of two types:

1. wooden;
2. metal.

For a long time, wood was the main building material, and no wonder - it is cheap, durable, weighs little, it is easy to process and has excellent thermal conductivity. Metal structures are erected from perforated steel profiles, mostly galvanized (this extends the service life to one hundred years).

Now - directly to the process of warming the frame house!

Stage one. The choice of material for the insulation of a frame house

After it's ready Basic structure, you need to start thermal insulation, and here, of course, there are a lot of questions. And the main one is the choice of a suitable material. There are quite a few of them, but the most popular are expanded polystyrene, basalt, eco- and glass wool, extruded polystyrene foam, materials that are sprayed or poured. It would seem that the choice is wide enough, but not all of the described heaters are suitable for a frame building.

For example, polystyrene foam with polystyrene is not suitable because if you tightly lay them in the interframe voids, then the structure itself will increase in volume or dry out in the future due to the natural properties of the tree, which causes cracks to form between the thermal insulator and the frame. It is quite obvious that through these cracks will leave thermal energy, and the insulation material itself will no longer be effective. Therefore, a thermal insulator suitable for us must be elastic: even if the shape of the frame changes, there will still be no gaps, since the vacated space will be filled with this material.

Now let's get down to specifics. Consider all the remaining materials, and you yourself will decide which one is more suitable (for price, quality, etc.).

Option number 1. Basalt wool for insulation of a frame house

Perhaps one of the most popular insulating materials. It has excellent noise and thermal insulation properties and is produced by melting mountain basalt. For this reason, the material is sometimes called stone wool.

Note! The temperature that it can withstand is +1000 C, so this is a real fireproof insulation.

The disadvantage of the material is that it absorbs moisture, due to which its main properties deteriorate over time. Therefore, when insulating a frame house, it is necessary to protect basalt wool with vapor and waterproofing materials. We also note that for the thermal insulation of walls it is necessary to use the material that is produced in the plates. It is desirable that it has a special marking indicating that it is for walls, otherwise, after a couple of years, the cotton wool will sit down and cracks will form in the wall (namely, in its upper part), through which it will penetrate cold air.

Option number 2. Ecowool

A modern material made from cellulose. It differs from the previous version not only in appearance, but also in installation technology. For insulation with ecowool, a special machine is needed to mix the material with water droplets; then all this mixture is driven into the interframe space.

Water droplets are here for a reason - they stick together ecowool patches, thus forming a monolithic thermal insulator around the entire perimeter of the building. Therefore, there can be no cold bridges in such walls. Although it is possible to install ecowool without the use of special equipment, that is, dry. In this case, it is simply poured between the layers of walls and carefully rammed.

Ecowool is immune to high humidity emanating from the room, so no vapor barrier is needed in this case. The only drawback of the material is the high cost (not only it, but also installation work).

Option number 3. glass wool

Another very popular material that can be used in a frame house. It differs from basalt wool in that it is made from molten glass. It is characterized by excellent thermal insulation properties, fire safety and the fact that no toxic substances are released when exposed to fire.

Note! Glass wool is often produced in rolls. You should pay attention to the fact that it must have markings for the walls (this is necessary for a frame-type house).

Option number 4. Loose insulation

These include sawdust, expanded clay, slag and the like. At one time, this technology was a great success, since it was quite difficult to get good insulation material. But today bulk materials are practically not used. Everything is explained quite simply: their common drawback is that over time they shrink, and the thermal insulation properties are very doubtful.

Option number 5. glassine

Glassine is a thick paper treated with bitumen. The material is often used in construction to protect against wind and moisture, although in reality it is not necessary to do this - the material does not allow moisture that comes from the room to pass through, and it accumulates in the frame itself.

Note! We do not consider spraying with polyurethane foam, although it is very effective and can be applied to almost any surface. First, he is afraid of a direct hit sunlight which cuts its lifespan in half. Secondly, its application requires special equipment, and this pleasure is not cheap. We are talking about the insulation of a frame house, which in itself implies minimizing costs.

Video - How to insulate a house

Stage two. Preparatory activities

First of all, it is necessary to understand a number important points, without which the thermal insulation of a frame building can easily turn into a waste of money. First, we note that it is necessary to think not only about the walls, since both the ceiling and the floor can also let in cold air! In addition, the insulation material should be qualitatively protected from moisture, using internal / external waterproofing for this. Finally, when performing installation work, it is necessary to leave small ventilation gaps between the walls and the insulation itself.

Before proceeding with installation work, thoroughly clean all work surfaces from dirt and dust. If protruding screws or nails are found, remove them. And if there are gaps between the frame elements of the building, then blow them out mounting foam. Dry all damp areas (if any) with a building hair dryer.

Note! If before that the outer surface of the walls was thermally insulated using waterproofing material, then its re-installation inside the building is no longer required, otherwise the structure will accumulate excess amount moisture and that, as a result, will quickly collapse. Below is an instruction exclusively for internal insulation.

Stage three. waterproofing layer

Immediately make a reservation that the installation technology for all materials is approximately the same. First, measure all the walls of the frame, and then, in accordance with the calculations, cut the strips of the material that was chosen for waterproofing. Fasten the material to the posts using a mounting stapler so that the frame is completely sheathed.

Stage four. Installing a vapor barrier

Even if moisture-resistant materials are used for insulation, vapor barrier must still be performed. At first glance, these are unnecessary expenses, without which it is quite possible to do without. But the fact is that inside the frame there will be not only a heater, but also other elements (for example, the same tree), which still need protection from steam penetrating the walls from the room.

Scheme of laying a layer of vapor barrier when insulating a frame house

As a vapor barrier, both a special film and foamed polyethylene can be used. Fasten the selected material to the frame racks close to the thermal insulator using a mounting stapler. Sometimes insulation blocks are simply wrapped with this material, but in reality this is not necessary - as we have just noted, protection must be provided for all frame elements without exception.

The material is laid with an overlap of at least 10 centimeters, and all joints are carefully sealed with high-quality double-sided tape. Also, do not forget the fact that the thickness of the vapor barrier material in no way affects that of the insulating material.

Stage five. Insulation installation

If mineral wool is used for thermal insulation, before starting work in without fail put on funds personal protection- respirator, gloves, goggles, special clothing. If you use foam (and this material, as we said, is not very suitable), then such security measures are not needed. When insulating a frame house, lay the material evenly between the frame posts, not forgetting the ventilation gaps required between the thermal insulator and the sheathing. For cutting mineral wool, you can use scissors or an ordinary knife, but for foam plastic you will need an electric jigsaw or a hacksaw with small teeth.

Note! Experts assure that it is more efficient to lay the insulation in two layers. So, first the first layer should be 10 centimeters thick, then a wooden crate is stuffed in a horizontal position, on top of which the second layer is laid (its thickness should already be 5 centimeters). Such a little "trick" will help to avoid the formation of cold bridges.

Lay a protective film over the insulation (if necessary, that is, if the house was not properly insulated from the outside). This will help ensure that the material will always be in a dry state, and moisture from the outside will not get in.

Note! For the ventilation gap, which has been mentioned more than once, stuff a wooden crate 3 centimeters thick.

After that, you can begin the installation of OSB-plates and decorative trim.

Stage six. We sew walls in a frame house

The procedure for warming the frame house is almost completed, it remains only to sew up all the walls from the inside. Often, OSB plates are used for this, although you can also use drywall sheets. Although we note that drywall is appropriate only in the case of a sufficiently even frame, otherwise it will take all forms of irregularities. On the contrary, OSB is much tougher, so it can be used to eliminate minor flaws. On top of one of them, start finishing.

Fastening OSB boards to strapping if there is a second floor

Two options for docking plates

About additional insulation

If what is described above is not enough, then you can additionally take care of external insulation (if, of course, it is not already there). If mineral wool was used inside, then from the outside lay a vapor barrier that will protect the material from condensed moisture. By the way, it can be not only a film, but also aluminum foil, although, frankly, this material is not the best.

As a windscreen, you can use the same OSB or plywood. The finish coating can serve as lining, siding or other suitable materials. That's all, good luck with your work and warm winters!

Video - Do-it-yourself warming of a frame house

home » Decking » Do I need to insulate a frame house? Instructions for insulating the walls of a frame house