How and what to insulate the ceiling in a private house with your own hands

In winter, the level of heat losses due to a cold roof reaches 25%, because of this it is necessary to load the heating system, which becomes the reason for the consumption of heat carriers. A budget solution to the problem is ceiling insulation. Its area is smaller in comparison with the roof, it does not require much material. It is important to choose the best option for thermal insulation and suitable heaters, the positive result in general will depend on this.

When to insulate the ceiling

Experts recommend carrying out any construction work in the summer, this period is considered the most suitable. Warm and dry weather makes the repair process much easier. It is also worth considering the limitations associated with certain materials that dry at a certain temperature, as well as drying surfaces and additional factors.

Sometimes these rules are deviated from when it comes to the urgent need to insulate the ceiling. In this case, any time before the onset of severe cold weather, when a suitable opportunity arises, will do. Heat losses in winter provoke drafts and heat energy consumption, therefore the installation of ceiling ceilings is an important and necessary measure, which is best carried out before severe frosts come. To begin with, you need to choose the optimal insulation for the ceiling and decide on who will carry out the work: the owner of the house or the builders.

Insulation selection

When selecting materials for ceiling insulation in any private house, it is recommended to choose an option that belongs to one of four groups:

• mineral, basalt or glass wool;
• clay, sawdust, expanded clay and vermiculite;
• polymers made of foamed polyethylene or polystyrene;
• sprayed insulation - ecowool, liquid foam and polyurethane foam.

The latter group requires the availability of the necessary equipment and the ability to work with it, so such installation will be difficult to carry out independently in the absence of the necessary skills.

You need to choose the appropriate option taking into account the characteristics of the premises, the needs and budget of the home owners. For full-fledged insulation, a structure is erected, which includes an insulating layer with a frame and a finished coating for cladding. A well-made insulation for the ceiling or cold attic helps to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room at any time of the year, as well as significantly reduce heating costs. Everyone who plans to carry out this procedure should adhere to the recommendations:

• maintain optimal steam circulation in order to minimize heat losses;
• exclude the ingress of condensate inside the insulation;
• use only fire-resistant and environmentally friendly materials such as sawdust.

Before choosing a material, they decide whether it is advisable to lower the ceiling or its height should be kept at the same level. The speed of work and the current season are also important.

Minvata

Minvata is a good choice for those looking for a budget option. Cotton wool is sold in the form of slabs and rolls, it is very convenient to use it, it also has an increased level of fire resistance and is able to prevent the spread of flame inside the house in the event of a fire.Its low weight is added to the list of advantages of rolled mineral wool, which allows you to carry out work on your own in the absence of outside help.

Cotton wool has a structure in the form of fibers, therefore, it provides the highest quality sound and thermal insulation. The synthetic composition is not affected by rodents and insects, the mineral wool will serve as long as possible and retain its properties for many years. This is an environmentally friendly and safe material, especially if ecowool is used, which is odorless and is also suitable for ceilings in children's rooms.

Penoplex

EPS or penoplex has good chemical and physical properties, well suited for brick or wooden roofs, including the ceiling in a bath, steam room and garage. The material also belongs to the category of environmentally friendly, has a porous texture and a low level of water absorption in combination with normal vapor permeability. Penoplex is not susceptible to mold and does not react to contact with the environment, which excludes possible rotting.

Penoplex slabs are quite dense and capable of withstanding the highest loads, so this material can cover not only the ceiling, but also the walls and floor. Each plate has a convenient shape and is equipped with an L-shaped protrusion, due to which installation is noticeably simplified. The surface of the slabs is rough, which provides excellent adhesion to any finishing material, such as plaster. Also, due to the acceptable weight, the penoplex is not able to make the floor structures heavier.

Styrofoam

If you need to inexpensively insulate the ceiling, it is worth considering foam as a material. It's versatile, lightweight, and affordable. Experts note its high thermal insulation properties. It is a durable material that is not susceptible to damage from insects and rodents, the development of decay, mold, and other factors. Polyfoam is not toxic. Easy to install, even for beginners.

The composition of the material contains foamed plastic masses with a high gas content, resulting in increased density, lightness, and good soundproofing qualities. Using polystyrene, you can significantly save money compared to insulation with glass wool or mineral fiber. With the help of foam, you can insulate the ceiling and walls.

Which side is the ceiling insulated

You can install thermal insulation and lay the covering from the inside or outside. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which must be taken into account. According to experienced builders, the best option is external thermal insulation, therefore, the ceilings of the floors above should be insulated from the attic side, having previously selected a suitable material for this purpose. This method is very effective for many reasons:

• ease of installation, especially if the work is carried out manually, there is no need to build a suspended frame or hem the insulation from the bottom side to the ceilings;
• a small layer of insulator with a thickness of no more than 10-20 cm is not able to affect the height of the premises, this is a bonus for houses with low ceilings;
• no need to redo repairs in a residential building or apartment;
• if the rules of thermal insulation are not followed from the inside, the layer under the insulation gets wet, which contributes to the development of the fungus.

Outside, the ceilings of the attic, loggias or balconies are not insulated, the ceiling ceilings of the garage are made of concrete above the cellar or basement. In these cases, internal-type thermal insulation is carried out in strict compliance with the rules and instructions.

Preparation for insulation

The preparation process depends on the material from which the ceiling is made. It can be made of wood or concrete.If the ceiling is made of wood, before work, the surface is treated with an antiseptic primer, which should have the effect of a fire retardant. The coating is applied as carefully as possible, lowering the brush, including between the spaces in the boards. At the second stage, you will need to glue all the gaps with a putty suitable for wood. With large gaps, polyurethane foam is used, when it hardens, the excess is carefully cut off with a knife.

A concrete or aerated concrete surface is prepared in a different way. If there is an old coating, it is removed, since a new even layer needs to be laid in this place. If the plaster is applied with high quality, it is not removed, the exfoliating places need to be cleaned up. If there are cracks on the surface, they are expanded and then cleaned with soft brushes, then treated with a primer. Small cracks can be filled with cement plaster or sealant, for wide cracks it is better to use polyurethane foam.

At the final stage of preparation, the concrete ceiling is covered with a primer. This helps to strengthen the adhesion of the ceiling and insulation.

How to properly insulate the ceiling

The installation method can be considered using the example of insulating an attic with foam. With external insulation according to the standard scheme, first of all, you will need to completely free the attic from unnecessary things. The area of ​​space must be measured in order to accurately calculate the amount of material. The free area is completely covered with foam, the seams are fastened with polyurethane foam. It is necessary to fill the screed at the final stage only if they will often walk in the attic. Before pouring the screed, a reinforced mesh with a layer width of at least 50 mm is placed on all sheets. When insulating with foam, expanded clay is often used as a screed because of its high reliability and low weight.

The insulation process begins with steam and waterproofing. For this purpose, layers of roofing material, foil or plastic film are fixed on the ceiling. The selected material is divided into strips with a width of at least 10 cm, on average, this value should be greater than the distance of an outstretched arm or one meter and the gap that is between the overlapping beams. If the ceiling is large, the overlap on the walls can be no more than 12 cm. The seams that form between the pieces of material are processed using special tapes, which should fit snugly to the edges.

If roofing material is used, it is glued with rubber-bitumen mastic; aluminum or standard tape is suitable for foil and film. Additionally, the lining of the rafters and the chimney is carried out, fixing the material for the vapor barrier above the location of the main layer. All canvases are fixed with tape or a construction stapler. Sometimes clay is laid on top of the vapor barrier, its layer contributes to additional insulation of the entire structure.

You can layer and insulate ceilings yourself if you use the simplest material. In the absence of the necessary skills and knowledge, it is better to entrust this procedure to professionals.

Insulation layer thickness

It is important to correctly determine the minimum thickness of the ceiling insulation layer in order to provide the necessary resistance to heat transfer over a cold attic. For this purpose, you can use a special calculator or do the calculations yourself. First of all, they draw a diagram of the ceiling in the house, indicate the materials used and the thickness of all layers that will enter the ceiling. It is much more difficult to carry out calculations manually, also in this case it is worth considering possible errors and inaccuracies.

The options for the schemes may be different, regardless of the type chosen, it will be necessary to determine the desired value of the heat transfer resistance, depending on the region of residence.You can find a suitable calculator on the Internet, where they indicate the type and thickness of floors, finishes, flooring and insulation material, as well as the value of heat transfer resistance. For examples, different types of insulation are introduced in order to understand which variety is best suited.

The choice of material and method of installation depends on physical and financial capabilities, but in any case, it is better to give preference to natural raw materials with optimal parameters. This will help to avoid possible problems and create the most comfortable indoor climate.