When building a private house or carrying out major repairs in an apartment, special attention must be paid to floor insulation. If you use penoplex for underfloor heating under a screed, this will save heat loss by 40% in winter.
- The main technical characteristics of penoplex
- Penoplex thickness
- Methods for laying heating systems
- In a concrete screed
- In the heat distribution plates without the use of a concrete screed
- The method of warming the base for underfloor heating
- Underfloor heating on penoplex
- Electric floor
- Water floor
- Self styling
The main technical characteristics of penoplex
The optimal technology in modern construction is the insulation of surfaces using foam. This synthetic insulation has a number of advantages over similar materials:
- Withstands intense loads well.
- It is heat and moisture resistant.
- Environmentally friendly material, since formaldehyde is not used in its production.
- High degree of sound insulation.
- Styling with foam is one of the most economical options, since no additional costs are required.
The material is manufactured in the form of slabs. Its structure consists of air cells, thanks to which the slab is light, but at the same time it does not lose its rigidity. Penoplex is most often used on such surfaces:
- warm floor;
- priming;
- concrete floors.
One of the disadvantages of insulation is its deformation when exposed to ultraviolet rays.
Penoplex thickness
Before starting work, it often rises about the density parameters and thickness indicators. It depends on the heat loss that passes through the surface. For a floor on the ground and a concrete slab in a multi-storey building, the indicators will be different, even if both objects are located in the same region.
The thickness of the slab will depend on where you plan to make the screed and for what purpose it will be used. When it comes to laying foam under a water-heated floor, the thickness should be maximum. Thus, it will be possible to reduce heat loss, heating costs will be lower.
Recommended values of the thickness of the insulation under the screed:
- For a concrete floor in a heated room - from 20 to 40 mm. If the goal is to achieve sound insulation at the same time, it is better to choose slabs with a thickness of 50 mm.
- On a concrete base on the ground in an unheated room, slabs from 100 mm are laid from below.
If a screed is made under a warm floor, another 20 mm is added to the thickness.
Methods for laying heating systems
Warm floors can be equipped with or without a concrete screed. Which method is better to choose depends on the technical characteristics of the room.
In a concrete screed
The arrangement of the concrete system assumes that all heating elements are under the screed layer. This technology is used for water and electric floors. In the latter case, only a separate heating cable can be covered with a screed layer. Do not place a layer of concrete on the heating mats. They can only be covered with ceramic tiles.
Due to its thickness, the concrete floor cannot be used in buildings where weak floors are installed. The base should be a rough covering or monolithic slabs.
Advantages of a concrete screed:
- The ability to evenly distribute heat over the entire surface. Thanks to this, the room will be warmed up more efficiently.
- The concrete layer heats up slowly, but at the same time cools down slowly.
The disadvantages of the system are the complexity of the installation work. Concrete construction is made in layers:
- base;
- waterproofing;
- insulation;
- reflective foil;
- reinforcing mesh;
- underfloor heating pipe;
- pipe-cable.
The top layer is laid out with finishing materials.
The underfloor heating screed is floating, so it must be separated from the walls with a gasket. If a semi-dry screed is used, panels with "barrels" are taken to fasten the pipes.
In the heat distribution plates without the use of a concrete screed
When a concrete screed cannot be made due to its weight, heat distribution plates will help. They are made from aluminum or galvanized. Installed directly on the thermal insulation layer. The structures are equipped with gutters into which pipes are inserted. Plates allow you to make a warm floor in buildings with any kind of floors. They perfectly reflect heat and distribute it evenly over the entire surface of the floor covering.
Unlike a concrete screed, the plates heat up instantly. After turning off the heat supply, they remain warm for a long time.
The method of warming the base for underfloor heating
Penoplex plates have protrusions that are connected to each other according to the principle of a lock. Thanks to this, the possibility of the appearance of cold bridges is excluded. The styling rules are as follows:
- In order to better retain heat, it is recommended to lay the slabs in two layers. The total should be no less than the calculated one.
- Before laying the penoplex on the floor under the screed, a damper tape is launched around the perimeter.
- The first layer should be laid in such a way that the seams in the row do not shift, there are no cross-shaped intersections. The first row starts with a solid slab, the second with a half cut.
- The joints of the slabs of the first layer can be fastened together with adhesive tape. But this is an optional measure, since the fixation is strong enough.
The technology of laying the foam on the floor under the screed is made with an offset of the seams. The slabs of the second layer should not coincide at the seams with the first.
Underfloor heating on penoplex
To carry out thermal insulation, penoplex must be laid on a prepared, even and dry coating. Vapor barrier is acceptable, it is placed on the base or between two layers of insulation.
Electric floor
Underfloor heating on polystyrene foam can be laid directly on the slabs. This method is possible if the heating is electric. It is not difficult to attach the mounting tape to the insulation. In the future, a cable is laid on the tape. After that, a screed is formed with a thickness of 5 cm.
During installation, it is important to take into account that the screed will expand due to heating. In this regard, foam strips should be installed along the walls. They will be aimed at compensating for the expansion. At the end of the installation work, the topcoat is laid. It will be possible to turn on the electric underfloor heating only after a month. During this time, the screed should be fully formed.
Water floor
In construction, there are several ways to equip thermal insulation with penoplex. One of them is floor insulation with water heating. It is most in demand in the construction of private houses, since they often do not have central heating, and water is supplied through a pumping station.
Installation of water floors does not differ from electrical ones. The only difference is that the plates are covered with a reinforcing mesh, then pipes for heating are attached to it. They should be 7 cm away from the wall. Before filling, you need to test the system. For this, water is let through the pipes under pressure. The pressure should exceed the working pressure by 1.5 times. After testing, the screed is poured, but the water supply under operating pressure does not stop.
Penoplex can be laid using aluminum plates. They are used to distribute heat. In the plates, tubes with water are placed in special grooves. Installation is carried out immediately on a layer of foam, then the topcoat is placed without a screed. This system is one of the most expensive, but very easy to install.
Self styling
Having understood the technologies, you can carry out the insulation of the floor with penoplex under the screed with your own hands. This method is suitable for both a private house and an apartment. The job does not require specific skills.
Before starting the insulation, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:
- The covering is removed from the floor, debris is completely removed.
- The surface is treated with a primer mixture.
- Once the primer is dry, check the floor for unevenness. If they are found, they are poured with starting mixture.
After preparing the surface, you can start arranging the pillow. For a cement floor, it is made in two layers. The first will consist of gravel and the second of coarse sand. The thickness of the layers varies from 15 to 35 cm, influenced by the climatic conditions of the region.
It is impossible to fall asleep on the ground ASG. The sand will absorb moisture from the ground, which will further spoil the properties of the insulation. Therefore, gravel and sand are filled separately from each other.
Experienced builders advise to lay geotextile fabric between the layers, which will repel condensation.
The next step is to prepare the reinforcement. It is done as follows:
- For slabs made of reinforced concrete, a special reinforcing mesh is required. It is spread over the surface.
- If the base is rough soil, you need to use metal reinforcement. Drying takes up to ten days.
A dense polyethylene film for waterproofing is laid on the resulting layer. So that it adheres well to the walls, they are treated with a primer. Then the insulation plates are laid. For the first floor, a thickness of 5 cm is recommended, for the second - 3 cm. A new layer of waterproofing is placed on top of the slabs.
Compliance with all the necessary steps, including careful surface preparation, will provide a high level of thermal insulation.
