For warming floors in apartment buildings and country houses, it is important to observe certain technologies, otherwise the desired effect will not be achieved. Installation work can be carried out independently, having previously prepared all the working equipment, or you can invite specialists.
Reasons for warming floors
To choose the right insulation for a warm water or electric floor in a private house or apartment, you need to deal with the main causes of heat loss:
- poor thermal insulation of the foundation;
- lack of proper tightness in the cavity under the floors;
- the presence of gaps in the overlap.
The consequences are the same - the accumulation of moisture, leading to deformation of the floor covering. Linoleum and carpet are noted to be resistant to deformation, but they turn black.
Over time, if inactive, the walls begin to get wet due to the cold floor, black mold stains appear on them. This is especially detrimental to wooden houses.
Types of thermal insulation for a warm floor and methods of insulation
Thermal insulation for underfloor heating is products and building materials, a characteristic feature of which is low thermal conductivity. Thermal insulation materials are used for the following purposes:
- heat protection;
- for technical insulation;
- thermal protection of buildings.
Insulation for underfloor heating can be different, the assortment in hardware stores is incredibly diverse.
Mineral wool
Mineral wool is a fiber insulation made from mineral raw materials. It is characterized by high porosity, about 95% of the volume is occupied by air voids. This provides excellent thermal insulation properties.
The material occupies one of the leading positions due to its ease of use and reasonable cost. Also, the advantages of mineral wool include:
- long service life;
- stability of chemical and physical characteristics;
- does not burn;
- excellent indicators of frost resistance;
- dampens the noise.
Do not forget about the disadvantages:
- inferior in strength to other heat-insulating materials;
- during installation, it is necessary to additionally lay waterproofing and vapor barrier films;
- with regular ingress of moisture, the thermal insulation properties decrease.
The material is of inorganic origin.
Cellulose wool
This material is a wood-fiber raw material, the structure is fine-grained. The substance contains about 80% wood fiber, 12% boric acid (fire retardant) and 7% antiseptic (borax).
In construction, a distinction is made between dry and wet method of laying cellulose wool. When implementing the wet method, wet wool is blown out, which requires the use of special construction equipment. The cotton wool fibers contain pectin, which, when exposed to moisture, exhibits adhesive properties.
When implementing the dry method, you can lay the raw materials manually or use special equipment. For installation, it is enough to pour insulation into the cavity and tamp it to the required density.
The main advantages of cellulose wool:
- low cost;
- there is no need to organize a vapor barrier - the material absorbs moisture, and then gives it back, while the thermal insulation properties do not deteriorate;
- solidity of the heat-insulating material, and as a result - the absence of "cold bridges";
- the raw materials are laid by the spraying method, this allows you to insulate uneven surfaces, gaps and grooves;
- the material is completely safe during installation and production.
Disadvantages of cellulose wool:
- low compressive strength;
- in comparison with mineral wool, more laborious installation.
The material is flammable because it is mainly made from wood.
Chipboards and fibreboards
In the manufacture of chipboard and fiberboard boards, wood waste is mainly used, which is additionally impregnated with synthetic oils and resins, and then subjected to heat treatment.
Fiberboard is divided into the following types: soft, insulating and finishing, superhard, semi-hard and solid.
The soft look is quite often used as a heat-insulating lining material for parquet, for cladding floors, walls and ceilings.
The most significant advantages of fibreboard include budgetary cost. Their use significantly speeds up the work. Of the disadvantages - protection from insects and rodents is necessary, the material is afraid of moisture.
Cork insulation
The insulating material is made from the bark of cork oak. The material is environmentally friendly, strong in bending and compression, lightweight, resistant to decay and shrinkage. An additional bonus - the raw material is easy to cut and extremely convenient to work with. The service life is more than 50 years, the material is inert.
Several types of cork insulation are made, it can be black and agglomerate. The first material is clean, suberin is added to the agglomerate.
White agglomerate is produced from pre-crushed cork bark, which is pressed under the influence of high temperatures. The adhesive is gelatin, resins or organic glue.
Raw materials from cork can only smolder, do not burn. It is important that the material does not emit toxic substances into the atmosphere during smoldering.
For floor insulation, plates with a thickness of 25-50 mm are mainly used.
Styrofoam
Polymer thermal insulation refers to a range of materials. Styrofoam can be elastic, semi-rigid, and rigid. Raw materials are divided into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene foam (PS).
Thermoplastic materials that are not able to soften after just one heating cycle:
- silicone and epoxy resins;
- materials based on phenolic-formaldehyde substances;
- polyurethane foams.
Polystyrene foam is produced by two methods - pressless and press. Visually, they are no different from each other. The structure of the raw material is a large number of small balls attached to each other. The press manufacturing method is more common today.
The main advantages of the material:
- the boundaries of the operating temperature regime are practically absent;
- lasting;
- easy to use;
- has excellent thermal insulation performance;
- acceptable cost;
- low water absorption.
Disadvantages:
- does not "breathe";
- under the influence of the sun, the material is destroyed;
- combustible.
The manufacturer claims that the material does not absorb moisture, but in fact this is not entirely true. Polyfoam absorbs moisture, but in very small quantities. At low temperatures, water freezes, destroying the structure of the raw material.
There are a large number of different materials actively used for floor insulation. Experts also recommend paying attention to foamed rubber and polyethylene, extruded polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam.
