How to insulate different types of floors with your own hands using foam

Thermal insulation of floors is one of the most important stages of renovation work. The range of building materials is large, they are characterized by various technical characteristics and prices. Ordinary users tend to get lost in this variety. In the domestic market for floor insulation, the most popular are polystyrene, isolon and mineral wool. The first deserves special attention.

Advantages of floor insulation with foam

Thermal insulation of the floor with foam has a large number of advantages, which is due to the popularity of the material. Advantages:

• the material can be laid on any surface due to its high strength and rigidity;
• foam has high sound insulation, which allows it to be used for "noisy" floor coverings, such as laminate or parquet;
• construction raw materials do not absorb moisture, therefore, prevents the formation of mold and mildew;
  
• high levels of thermal insulation, which allows you to keep warm in the house;
• for laying a floor made of expanded polystyrene, special knowledge and skills are not required, it is enough to correctly calculate, taking into account the gaps;
• foam allows you to evenly distribute the load on the floor, which significantly extends the service life of various types of floor coverings.

A significant advantage is that polystyrene is used for different types of floors.

Material disadvantages

Despite the large number of advantages, expanded polystyrene also has a list of disadvantages that must be read before purchasing:

• the structure of the material is destroyed under the influence of paints, which contain nitrate impurities;
• Styrofoam is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials; it emits poisonous vapors when ignited;
• the material does not allow air to pass through;
• requires the creation of a frame that will protect it from mechanical and thermal effects.

There are a large number of installation subtleties, which depend on the surface of the insulated floor.

Methods of floor insulation with expanded polystyrene

Several installation techniques can be used depending on the floor material. The floor is insulated under the screed and along the logs.

Under the screed

First, surface preparation is carried out. For waterproofing, a 10 cm film is laid, which is securely fixed with mounting tape.

A damper tape is laid from the base along the entire perimeter of the room, which has pronounced compensatory properties, the optimal thickness is 5-8 mm. On top of the film, foam is laid on the adhesive or fixed with self-tapping screws.

The distances between the sheets are covered with construction tape, polyurethane foam or a layer of putty. Next, a reinforcing mesh is installed, which was previously treated with a cement compound.

A finishing screed is laid on top, with an approximate thickness of 5-8 cm. The damper tape must necessarily look out, be above the screed level. All flaws are treated with polyurethane foam or fiberglass.

At the final stage, they proceed to the installation of the selected floor covering, carry out the finishing. Install skirting boards if necessary.

By lags

Prepare the base for insulation.All cracks and flaws are reliably repaired with pieces of wood, cement mortar.

A waterproofing layer is created on top of the floor. On top of it, wooden logs are installed, taking into account the width of the foam sheet. It is important to leave a gap of about 20-30 cm near the walls. All voids are filled with insulation blocks. Chipboard sheets are placed on top of the lag. The gaps are sealed with elastic mastic.

How to insulate a wooden floor

It is required to insulate the floor in a wooden house with polystyrene, taking into account the following rules:

1. First of all, you need to level and clean the floor surface.
2. Cover the entire area with an overlap of 10 cm with waterproofing.
3. Under the thermal insulation, build a wooden lathing from the logs.
4. In the interval between the lags, lay the foam sheets tightly to each other.
5. Carefully treat all joints with polyurethane foam.
6. Carry out reinforcement.
7. Pour in a cement screed - its minimum thickness is 5 cm.

At this point, the draft can be considered complete.

Concrete floor insulation technology

Expanded polystyrene for floors made of concrete is used quite often. The installation technology in houses with and without a basement is somewhat different.

• If a basement is provided in the house, you need to start insulation from it. Basement ceiling is insulated. This will block access to the warm space. For insulation of concrete floors, it is recommended to use PSB sheets of 5-10 cm, which are fixed with special glue and plastic dowels. All cracks and joints must be filled with polyurethane foam. At the end of the work, the foam is plastered.
• It is easier in rooms without a basement. It is enough to prepare an even, whole and clean base. Further, the entire surface is covered with a waterproofing layer, 10-15 cm thick. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the film; as an alternative, you can use a masonry mesh. Lay on top sheets of foam with a thickness of 2-3 cm. Lay it on a special glue. At the end of the work, beacons are installed with an interval of 1.5 meters and a screed is made. The surface is leveled.

If at the end of construction work the surface is not very even, you can additionally use a self-leveling mixture, it is laid with a thickness of 2-3 mm.

Foam insulation of floors on the ground

Insulation of floors on soil should be started with insulation. This is due to the direct contact of building materials with the ground, they must be protected from moisture. If the house has a basement, the layer of insulation should be about 5 cm, if without it - at least 8-10 cm.

Stacking algorithm:

1. It is necessary to level the base, pour a layer of gravel or crushed stone on top and compact them thoroughly. The bulk material layer should be approximately 10 cm.
2. A layer of sand of a similar thickness is laid on top and tamped well, covered with roofing material or waterproofing 0.2 cm.
3. The film must be covered in such a way that there is an allowance of about 10 cm and output to the walls 10-15 cm above the floor level.
4. They begin to lay the foam in several layers. It is important that the seams of the bottom and top layers do not match.
5. After laying the foam, an additional layer of 0.2 mm waterproofing or roofing material is placed on top. The edges lead to the wall.
6. A screed 4-8 mm with reinforcement is carried out. To prevent the screed from cracking, it must be regularly moistened with water for 10 days until it dries completely.

The technology of laying foam for floor insulation is simple, you can do all the installation work yourself, you just need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of the work.