An attic is a room from which you can make an area suitable for recreation at any time of the year. To ensure the comfort of your stay, you can provide internal insulation of the attic with mineral wool. With this material, walls, roof and floor are insulated. You can cover the house with insulation yourself, following the installation instructions.
The need to create thermal insulation
Usually the attic in the country is arranged from the attic. Such rooms are not suitable for living because of the large number of cracks through which cold air enters the house and warm air comes out. To reduce heat losses, special insulating materials are used, which are laid on ceilings, walls and floors. When using high-quality heaters, which include mineral wool, you can get a room with a comfortable temperature regime at any time of the year.
Requirements for thermal insulation of the attic
In addition to improving the temperature regime in the room, insulation performs other tasks: protection from moisture and drafts, from the formation of condensation and, as a result, mold and mildew.
Thermal insulation can protect the room from insects. To solve these problems, additional vapor barrier materials and waterproofing membranes are used.
The thickness of the attic floor insulation with mineral wool depends on the number of layers. The thickness of one layer of mineral wool is 150-200 square meters.
When working with the material, you need to decide which layer is needed when insulating the attic with mineral wool. The insulation scheme includes the following components:
- Waterproofing. Permeates steam, but does not allow moisture to pass through.
- Insulation with low thermal conductivity. Penofol, penoplex, mineral wool and other materials are used.
- Vapor barrier. It is also a mandatory layer for protection against water.
The main requirements for thermal insulation are environmental friendliness, fire resistance and incombustibility, minimum thickness. Mineral wool meets all these characteristics. Its thermal insulation properties have low thermal conductivity, which is 0.036 W / mk, and the material also has a long service life - from 50 years.
Pros and cons of mineral wool
Minvata is considered the best insulation that can be used for attics. Its benefits include:
- high degree of frost protection;
- high level of sound insulation;
- immunity to fire;
- does not deform when heated and cooled;
- resistant to decay and the formation of harmful fungi and bacteria;
- resistance to chemicals;
- profitability;
- manufacturability;
- the ability to buy material at any hardware store.
The negative traits include the ability to absorb water. The liquid can lead to a deterioration in thermal insulation properties.
There is also a strict need to comply with safety precautions when working with mineral wool, as opposed to installing foam and other materials. It is important to exclude the ingress of mineral wool particles on human skin. To do this, the master must work in protective heavy gloves, goggles and a respirator. There should be no exposed areas of the body.
Do-it-yourself attic insulation technology from the inside
To keep the room warm, you need to insulate the floors, walls, roof.
Wall insulation from the inside
All the work consists in arranging a frame made of a bar, into which the insulation material will then be laid. Then a decorative design will be attached to this frame.
Algorithm for warming a wooden wall of the attic with a mineral wool at home:
- Preparing the walls. They should be even, free from moss, mold and other fungi. All gaps should be sealed with sealant.
- Waterproofing should be laid over the entire surface of the walls. Fixed with a construction stapler.
- A vertical frame is made from the bars. Its step should be equal to the thickness of the plates or rolls of insulation. The gap between the timber and the mineral wool should be kept to a minimum. Fastening is carried out on dowels.
- Mineral wool is placed in the resulting cells.
- The final step is to secure the vapor barrier film. It is fixed without sagging on the stapler.
After the steps described, you can proceed to wall cladding with different materials - clapboard, drywall, OSB. They are placed on a wooden frame.
Floor insulation
Usually the floor is made in the form of a wooden lagged structure. Insulation is also done with mineral wool.
Installation is carried out as follows:
- Floor preparation. Removing the old coating.
- Checking lags for damage and defects.
- Fastening the vapor barrier layer along the surface of the lags. Fixation is done on a construction stapler.
- Laying mineral wool between the lags.
- Fastening the second layer of vapor barrier material.
The last step is to cover the logs with a front covering.
Roof insulation
Roof insulation is fixed between the rafter system and then sheathed with cladding.
Step-by-step instructions for installing insulation on the roof:
- It is necessary to roll out the waterproofing on the surface and fix it with a stapler. The film should be overlapped by 5-10 cm. You can seal the joints with reinforced tape.
- Laying mineral wool between the rafters. If the dimensions of the reinforcing material are selected correctly, it is not necessary to fix it. The density and weight of the mineral wool make it possible to fasten it between the rafters without additional clamps.
- Laying the vapor barrier membrane.
- Arrangement of a frame for drywall on rafters.
Next, the final finishing of the roof is carried out. It needs to be sewn up with plasterboard boards.