The cheaper it is to insulate a frame house. Self-warming of the walls of a frame house

Insulation of a frame house is the most important stage in the construction of a frame house. Considering the fact that frame house is energy efficient, then the choice of the type of insulation should be taken responsibly.

The choice of heaters is wide enough. Frame houses are insulated with foam, mineral wool, ecowool, polyurethane foam, extruded polystyrene foam. Let's consider each insulation separately.


Overview of materials for insulation

One of the cheapest insulation materials is polystyrene. It is lightweight and easy to install. And, of course, it has a low cost. Styrofoam does not absorb moisture. The advantages of polystyrene, perhaps, end there.

Styrofoam is a combustible material, emitting toxic smoke during combustion. In operation, foam plastic, although convenient, is fragile in structure, so you need to handle it carefully. And when buying polystyrene, you need to make sure that there are no cracks on it.

Minvata for warming a frame house

Mineral wool, produced in the form of slabs or rolls, is very popular in Lately... It should be noted that basalt wool in slabs is in greater demand than in rolls.

Mineral wool has good thermal insulation properties. Not flammable. But the composition of cotton wool contains formaldehyde, which is harmful to human health. Mineral wool fibers, like fiberglass, are carcinogenic.


For this reason, when insulating interior walls with this insulation, it is necessary to use vapor barrier membranes (in addition to the main purpose), so that small grains of mineral wool do not scatter around the room.

When laying mineral wool, it is imperative to use additional products to protect the face and other exposed parts of the body. On top of the mineral wool, you can attach not only a vapor barrier film, but simple polyethylene. In this case, the seams are glued with tapes.

A significant disadvantage of cotton wool insulation is the fear of moisture. When the insulation is moistened by 2-3%, its insulating properties are reduced by 50%. Therefore, it is imperative to use a vapor barrier. As a rule, after 25-30 years, the mineral wool needs to be replaced.

Styrofoam for home insulation

Extruded polystyrene foam is superior to mineral wool in thermal insulation performance, and also has a high water repellency and lower weight. Combustible. Compared to Styrofoam, Styrofoam is more durable and resistant to chemicals. It does not need to be replaced during operation.


Polyurethane foam is a modern insulation that has appeared relatively recently. Possesses high thermal insulation characteristics. Not flammable. It does not contain substances harmful to humans. When spraying with polyurethane foam, the thickness of the sprayed layer can be varied.

Ecowool

Ecowool is a combination of excellent thermal insulation properties and safety. Ecowool consists of 81 cellulose, 12% antiseptic (boric acid) and 7% fire retardant (borax). The raw material for the production of ecowool is waste paper, which is a product of wood processing. Therefore, ecowool is environmentally friendly and does not contain harmful and hazardous substances.

It is not afraid of moisture, does not rot, prevents the spread of fire, the development of fungus, has excellent soundproofing performance. If we talk about the quality of insulation, then only blowing in ecowool and spraying with polyurethane foam can create a seamless layer of insulation that will not have voids, cracks, "cold bridges", which cannot be said about plate types of insulation.

Ecowool surpasses mineral wool in its properties and is very similar to polyurethane foam, but at the same time it is cheaper than mineral wool and much cheaper than polyurethane foam. In comparison with polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, ecowool also wins in all positions.


Of course, you won't be able to properly lay (fluff) ecowool without equipment with your own hands, and you will have to turn to the installation team for help.

But on the other hand, the insulation with ecowool will be performed efficiently and reliably. The cost of these services is low, while saving time. A large volume can be blown out in a few hours.

If we talk about heat-insulating properties, then the most effective insulation will be ecowool and polyurethane foam, followed by expanded polystyrene, mineral wool and polystyrene foam.

Photo of the insulation of a frame house

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

The order of work on insulation

The building materials market does not suffer from a shortage of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings. Each owner wants to choose something extraordinary, but natural and not harmful to health, so that it is thorough, long-lasting and inexpensive. The intensity of heat exchange greatly affects not only your health, mood and warmth in the house, but also the state of your wallet, since heating services are becoming more and more important. Therefore, most often you 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 structural feature.

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

  • on outside wall, attic and subfloor;
  • on the inside of the walls and on the ceiling;
  • both outside and inside the house;
  • uneven insulation of different parts of the building.

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

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

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Types of heaters for a frame house

Of some design features or wall insulation is not difficult even for a layman. The only difficulty is the choice of insulation. Heaters are produced in two categories - on a synthetic basis and on the basis of 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.

In expanded polystyrene there is an aluminum layer, which significantly improves its thermal insulation. 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. It is produced in sheet and roll form. For wall decals, it can be produced with a self-adhesive surface.

The main disadvantage of polystyrene, if outside, is the negative influence of sunlight, leading to its destruction. This insulation needs protection when used outdoors. 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 noise absorption. This material does not shrink over time. Available in rolls and in sheet format.

Ecowool is made from cellulose fibers. Valuable for environmental friendliness. In dry form, it is rammed into the walls, and wetted 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 disadvantages. These include the fragility of fibers, which results in the formation of glass dust, which negatively affects health throughout the entire period of operation. This type of insulation is prone to shrinkage.

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Pitfalls during insulation

Mineral wool, made on the basis of slags, when moisture gets in, becomes aggressive towards metals, and it has a very low level of heat conservation. Wool, the production of which is based on basalt, stone wool is an excellent opportunity to insulate frame walls... Environmentally friendly, durable, possessing both good insulating qualities in terms of thermal conductivity and vapor permeability, and excellent fire-fighting properties.

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

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

  • clay;
  • tyrsa;
  • straw.

They carry out natural heat exchange, maintain an optimal humidity regime in the room, and provide protection against noise. Being used 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 century.

To prevent the appearance of excess moisture and steam, as well as to effectively collect them, glassine is used. This long-standing companion of wall insulation is mounted 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 must be left between it and the insulation to allow the glassine to dry out and prevent the insulation from getting wet. The air gap, in addition, in itself will be a natural thermal protection, complementing the main insulation and creating a healthy microclimate in the house.

The popularity of frame houses is growing more and more, since it is now possible to live in them permanently. But for this it is necessary to reliably protect it from the effects of cold, wind and other unfavorable atmospheric manifestations. Therefore, it is important to consider careful insulation of the frame structure being constructed. To do this, you need to choose the right insulation that will reliably protect from the cold, provide a comfortable cozy atmosphere of the home.

What insulation is better for a frame house

There are many materials designed to protect houses from the cold. All of them have many positive qualities and are not devoid of features that you need to know. In this case, the following factors must be taken into account:

  • the geographical location of the future home;
  • convenience at work;
  • environmental safety;
  • affordable cost.

The individual qualities of coatings, the ability to effectively retain heat, behavior under extreme conditions, for example, in a fire, are also taken into account. For a meaningful choice of material, you should familiarize yourself with their characteristics.

Types of insulation for frame houses

By origin, insulating coatings are divided into natural and artificial. Natural insulation includes coatings of organic origin. They are based on clay, peat, sawdust, as well as artificially created materials on a natural basis: ecowool, expanded clay and other types of bulk materials. Over time, artificial insulating coatings were invented, which are good heat insulators:

  • Styrofoam,
  • mineral wool,
  • polyurethane foam.

Pros and cons of heaters

Materials for protecting frame buildings from cold have both positive qualities, both have their disadvantages. For example, when using loose expanded clay and slag, it will be necessary to install an additional frame outside or fix an additional layer of panels, inside which bulk material is packed with compaction. And still, over time, it can settle, so you will need to add it.

Mineral wool, like foam, is easy to use, does not require additional frames and panels, fastening is carried out to intermediate inexpensive bars. Such material is durable and will not settle during operation. Outside for the walls of the house on top of such insulating layers any finish can be applied: brick, siding, wood paneling etc. Inside you will need a waterproofing coating.

For wise choice it is necessary to study the properties of insulation.

Styrofoam

Among artificial coatings, foam was invented by the very first and was for a long time the most demanded. It is inexpensive, easy to cut, moisture resistant, lightweight, easy to lay. A particularly attractive property of polystyrene is its neutrality to moisture, so you do not need to use moisture protection films.

The cost of foam insulation is insignificant, which is also attractive. The walls are covered with polystyrene mainly from the outside. This material is subject to fire, and when burned, it emits toxic poisonous smoke. In addition, it has low sound insulation qualities, strong fragility, requiring careful handling. It was noticed that the foam "fell to the taste" of the rodents. These disadvantages are offset by the low price, so it is still in demand.

Mineral wool

Among high-quality insulating coatings, the leading place today can be given to mineral wool. It is produced in the form of dense rectangular slabs of various thicknesses. The slabs are easy to cut, so cutting them to the required size is easy.

Plates have:

  • good thermal insulation,
  • sound absorption,
  • neutrality to the effects of fire,
  • durability to use.

The main disadvantage is the presence of components harmful to people. Fine dust of these substances, getting into the human body, can provoke serious illness. Therefore, indoors, the sheets must be covered with a film that protects not only from steam and moisture, but also prevents it harmful effect per person.

The disadvantages include excessive hygroscopicity. This circumstance forces to protect the walls from the outside with a film. At proper insulation this coating will work well for a long time.

Polyurethane foam

Modern insulation materials include polyurethane foam. It is intended for spraying onto a surface and has many positive qualities.

Among them:

  • good heat-shielding properties;
  • lack of hygroscopicity;
  • does not form mold and mildew;
  • combustion resistance;
  • convenience when insulating hard-to-reach places;
  • speed of application.

The disadvantages are:

  • high price;
  • the need to use special equipment for installation;
  • exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

The complexity of the application, requiring skills in using a pneumatic gun when spraying, as well as the high cost, have limited the use of polyurethane foam in the insulation of buildings.

Ecowool

Recently, an insulation material called ecowool has been gaining popularity. It belongs to the natural class of insulating coatings. The basis is made from recycled cellulose. Shredded paper pulp is impregnated with special components that impart fire-retardant properties to cellulose. Ecowool has a number of good qualities that make it attractive for use as a protective coating for buildings from the cold. These qualities include:

  • high thermal protection;
  • good sound insulation;
  • moisture resistance;
  • resistance to fungi and mold;
  • inability to shrink.

It also has disadvantages. They are the same as polyurethane foam. When using ecowool, the use of special equipment is required, therefore it is better to entrust the work to a specialist. This increases the cost of the work. Thermal insulation with ecowool is carried out in two ways: dry and wet.

The wet process uses glue and water as bonding agents. After application, the coating should dry for several days. In the dry version, the material is loosened in a large container using a drill, and then laid out on a warmed surface and compacted. If you wish, you can master the second method yourself, saving on payment for the work of a specialist.

Expanded clay and other bulk materials

Artificially created loose heaters on a natural basis include expanded clay. It is obtained by firing foamed clay in a special way. In structure, it is very porous and lightweight.

Depending on the size of the granules obtained, expanded clay is divided into:

  • expanded clay sand, fine particles ranging in size from 0.1 to 5 mm;
  • expanded clay crushed stone, angular particles ranging in size from 5 to 40 mm;
  • expanded clay gravel, round particles ranging in size from 5 to 40 mm.

This material has good fire resistance, frost resistance, environmentally friendly, not hygroscopic.

In addition, expanded clay has:

  • high strength;
  • good sound insulation;
  • inertness to chemical reagents;
  • acceptable cost.

The use of expanded clay and other bulk substances as protection from the cold is limited by some of their features. The main limitation is due to the fact that free-flowing expanded clay, slag and others have a tendency to caking and settling, exposing part of the insulated surface. Therefore, when carrying out work, careful compaction is required in order to achieve the required coating density to prevent shrinkage.

Expanded clay is mainly used for floors and other horizontal surfaces. Walls with expanded clay and other bulk materials are rarely insulated, they are used mainly in areas where the air temperature is not lower than - 20 ° C, since its discrete structure does not allow to keep the penetration of cold. Before filling such a heater, insulation should be carried out from the outside. Working with bulk materials is laborious. Therefore, their use is carried out only when necessary.

What needs to be insulated in a frame house

For full and high-quality protection of the frame dwelling, not only the walls should be insulated. It is necessary to carry out thermal protection of the floor, the inner surface of the roof, and all places where cold outside air can penetrate. Usually, for the ceiling and roof, sheets are used that have a thickness greater than the thickness of the sheets used to insulate walls and other structures.

The main advantage of frame houses is the separation of the functions of structural elements and insulation in them. This allows the use of products the best way meeting their task. The most effective thermal insulation materials are used to insulate a building of this type. But each of them has its own operational and installation features that should be considered when choosing a specific solution.

Properties of materials for insulating walls of frame buildings

Insulation for a frame house must meet several basic requirements:

  • be as efficient as possible;
  • do not emit any substances into the surrounding space;
  • maintain their original properties throughout the entire period of operation.

Materials are also evaluated according to other criteria, for example, ease of installation or lack of attractiveness for rodents and insects. To date, a group of leaders has been formed that best meet all the requests:

  • stone or basalt wool;
  • expanded polystyrene plates.

As well as outsiders, who for various reasons did not gain wide popularity, but are present in some market segments. These include:

  • insulation with sprayed or slab ecowool;
  • sprayed polyurethane foam;
  • environmentally friendly mixtures based on organic aggregates;
  • exotic methods associated with the latest or inaccessible materials.

The options for spraying insulation on the walls of the building, despite their apparent attractiveness, cause too many technological difficulties that limit their use. Ecowool slabs, having good initial characteristics, partially lose them during operation, which is completely unacceptable when insulating a frame house.

Attempts to restore at a new stage the use of outdated, but environmentally friendly compounds, using sawdust and straw mixed with minerals as a heater, do not find widespread due to their extremely low manufacturability and high labor intensity.

Therefore, in reality, the question of choice is limited to only two widely used types of materials belonging to the group of leaders among heaters for frame houses.

Insulation of walls with sheet polystyrene foam

This material is often used to fill the frame. Its attractive sides include the highest thermal performance, low cost, simplicity and ease of installation. Expanded polystyrene does not lose its properties over time under the influence of external factors. Doubtful behavior in presence open flame and exposure to rodents.

The disadvantages include practically zero vapor permeability, which can lead to an increase in humidity in a room with weak or improperly organized air circulation.

Installation of slabs into the gap of the frame racks creates problems, increasing labor costs and the number of technological operations. An important role is played by the exact correspondence of the distance between their surfaces and the width of the insulation sheet. This option should be used only if it was planned, and the assembly of the frame was carried out, maintaining the necessary parameters.

Nevertheless, through joints of considerable length appear along the perimeter of the sheet. To fill them, it is recommended to use glue with the addition of polystyrene granules or polyurethane foam... The stability of the geometric properties of the material, zero shrinkage during operation, allows you to provide a reliable and continuous coating with a responsible attitude to business. Obviously, even minor flaws will drastically reduce the thermal efficiency of the wall.

An important role is played by the rigidity and stability of the building frame, which is under the influence of wind loads during operation. Even minor movements of the structure can cause destruction of the material at the joints of the heat insulator with the wood and the formation of “cold bridges”.

If for small one-story houses, especially a periodic visit, this problem may be insignificant, then buildings of two floors and above, which have an insufficiently rigid frame, may lose their properties to a large extent.

Despite the popularity of insulation with rigid polystyrene sheets, one should be wary of this technology, since it is dependent on subjective and difficult to control circumstances. Without rejecting completely, you can give it a place in the arrangement of country and summer houses, preferably one-story, with a small number of complex nodes and a small windage.

For warming a frame house for year-round use, it looks too risky. These conclusions can be extended to all rigid thermal insulation materials that are installed in the frame during construction.

Thermal insulation based on semi-hard stone wool

This option is the most common and most rational. As in the case of solid polymer material, sheets of basalt or stone wool are installed between the frame posts and fixed in the design position. Insulation is attached to internal or external panels with glue or fixed with sheathing sheets, sometimes with battens.

The rigidity of the material ensures that the height of the sheet is maintained under the influence of its own weight and the weight of the plates installed above. A slight shrinkage, which can occur over time, will be at the top of the wall. To eliminate it, during the construction process, soft mineral wool should be laid in this section, which will fill the subsequently formed gap.

Unlike rigid and brittle polymeric materials, mineral wool is able to shrink and recover its shape after the load is removed. Therefore, when mounting the sheets, they are squeezed a little in the transverse direction. This ensures a tight filling without any gaps.

Even with deformations from external influences, no gaps will appear and the material will not be damaged due to its elasticity. The properties of semi-hard stone wool make it possible to avoid strict adherence to the spacing between the posts.

All joints can be caulked with soft stone wool to create a dense filling in transverse joints and hard-to-reach places, for example, in window sills and frame openings. By laying two or three thin sheets of stone wool instead of one thick layer, you can avoid the risk of through cracks and not resort to filling the joints with a soft grade of material. In the same way, the insulation of the inter-rafter space, attic and floor slabs can be performed.

The advantages of mineral wool include its significant vapor permeability, which contributes to the regulation of humidity in the room. Among the shortcomings, mention should be made of the relatively high price, although it can be considered that it is compensated by the cheapness of the frame and manufacturability.

Soft mineral wool as insulation

This option is classic for the North American continent. It was glass wool that initially insulated frame houses according to Canadian technology... An important design solution that allowed the use of insulation with minimal rigidity is the division of the wall using transverse membranes into separate compartments with a height of half a meter. Cotton wool is pushed into them after installing the outer skin, and then covered with inner finishing sheets.

The meaning of this design is that the soft material located at the bottom does not have sufficient rigidity to support the weight of the volume above it. To divide the mineral wool into areas with a small mass that does not cause significant sediment and to provide support for it, transverse boards of the same width are inserted and fixed between the posts. This good decision, but with the advent of semi-hard and hard stone wool, it is already unnecessary, although it can be used if desired.

Output

To insulate a wooden frame house, it is better to use slab products made of polystyrene, polyurethane or stone, basalt wool. The rest of the options are too time consuming, or are associated with the use of special equipment. Choosing which better insulation for a frame house, you need to focus on the whole set of operational, price and technological factors.

It is more reasonable to use rigid slabs made of synthetic foam materials in one-story buildings for periodic visits, during the construction of which special attention should be paid to the rigidity of the half-timbered timber. In all other cases, it is more rational to use semi-rigid stone wool slabs as insulation for the walls of a frame house.

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