What materials can you insulate the house from the outside. Rules for wall insulation in a private house from the inside. What material is best for wall insulation

Are you planning to reduce heating costs due to proper thermal insulation, but do not yet know what is the best way to insulate the house from the outside and how to choose an affordable material with excellent characteristics? Below we will consider the most popular options for insulation for the exterior walls of a house, suitable for thermal insulation of buildings made of wood, brick, and even foam blocks. But first, a little about the advantages of thermal insulation.

External insulation of the house - what is it for?

Scientific studies regarding the analysis of heat losses during the operation of the house have shown that they are about 40%, and in some cases even more. Already only this argument can be considered sufficient to think about the insulation of the house. Of course, thermal insulation is the cost of materials and work on its implementation, but already in the first heating season they will justify themselves.

External insulation is better than internal insulation for several reasons:

there will be no need to sacrifice the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, which will decrease significantly when installing internal thermal insulation;
the heat-insulating layer will not accumulate condensate;
heat loss will be minimal;
sound insulation performance will improve.

It should be understood that in winter, the house is susceptible to frost, so condensation inevitably forms in the insulation inside it. The material becomes damp, resulting in the formation of mold and fungi. Moreover, wet heaters cope worse with the functions assigned to them. During the summer, the insulation dries out, but not completely, which results in premature wear of the facade walls.

As a result of external insulation, the house is protected from frost, so the moisture that enters the thermal insulation layer is quickly removed to the outside, which allows you to keep the walls dry and extend their service life.

External insulation reduces the level of external noise, contributing to the creation of the most comfortable environment for staying in the house.

As for the shortcomings, only one can be distinguished from the insulation from the outside - these are the costs of materials and installation work. Of course, you can save on paying for the services of workers and carry out thermal insulation with your own hands, but only if the installation rules are followed, which will guarantee the durability and functionality of the thermal insulation system.

Types of insulation for the facade of the house

The market of materials for thermal insulation of the walls of the house from the outside is represented by:

ecowool;
glass wool;
mineral wool;
expanded polystyrene;
fiberglass.

More often than others, due to convenience and practicality, it is used precisely mineral wool. Material is different high thermal insulation, fireproof. In addition, mineral wool retains its original properties during temperature changes, is not affected by moisture and damage caused by insect attacks. For the manufacture of mineral wool, waste from blast furnaces and mineral fibers are used. You can choose for yourself a convenient material option - in rolls or plates.

glass wool- a kind of mineral wool, practically indistinguishable from it in properties. Just like the previous material, it is made on the basis of waste, only this time, generated during the glass production process.

When using glass wool, it is important to reliably protect hands and eyes with a mask and gloves.

Distinctive feature polystyrene foam is a porous structure. It is she who is responsible for the excellent thermal insulation qualities of the material. Expanded polystyrene plates consist of mini cells with air, which prevent the material from rotting and do not absorb moisture. You can insulate the house from the outside with polystyrene foam with your own hands - the process is simple, fast, does not require skill and experience.

An interesting option for insulating the walls of a house from the outside is fiberglass, which is produced on the basis of broken glass, as well as sand, limestone and other components.

The material is produced in plates and rolls. Mounting it is simple and fast. Also, the advantages can be considered environmental friendliness and resistance to moisture.

Not so long ago, ecowool began to be used for thermal insulation. made from cellulose fibres. Features of the material are high rates of thermal protection and resistance to moisture. Ecowool is resistant to fungi and mold, does not attract insects and mice.

How to choose the right material for thermal insulation?

Most often, the owners decide to insulate the house from the outside with polystyrene foam, believing that this material will better cope with the role of external insulation. The decision in most cases is dictated by the low cost of the material, which is several times cheaper than mineral wool and its analogues. In addition, as mentioned above, you can insulate the facade of the house with polystyrene foam with your own hands, saving on paying for the services of craftsmen.

In order to achieve optimal thermal insulation of the facade of the building, sheets with a thickness of 5 to 10 cm can be used.

The finished foam-insulated house is additionally lined using modern finishing materials, ranging from cement plaster to panels with imitation of stone, brick or wood.

The only type of material for which polystyrene foam is not suitable for insulation outside is wood.

Firstly, for natural wood, such a heater is not vapor-permeable enough, and secondly, it is too combustible. Not the most suitable option using expanded polystyrene is also considered in the case of a ventilated facade due to the need for precise adjustment during installation. The average service life of polystyrene as a heater is 25 years.

Mineral wool in addition to excellent thermal insulation, it is responsible for improved sound insulation, which is why it would be advisable to use it for warming houses in the city. But basalt wool is considered the most suitable for insulating the outer walls of city houses. Mice will not damage it, it copes well with mechanical stress and will last at least 50 years.

Glass wool for insulation today is not the most suitable option, despite the excellent performance of thermal protection and affordable price. The main reason for the low popularity of insulation is the complex installation and fragility of the material. In addition, the components that are hazardous to health repel people.

The best option for thermal insulation is ecowool material that is fashionable today. It is better to use it for warming private houses and cottages, a heater is also suitable for thermal insulation of industrial buildings, warehouses, factories. The material perfectly copes with the insulation of the house, does not burn, is resistant to moisture.

Alternative insulation - varieties of materials

For those who are not accustomed to following the standard path, alternative options insulation for the house outside. These include:

warm plaster;
liquid foam.

Liquid foam is prepared before insulating the house on site using special equipment. After being applied to the outside of the house, it forms a practical and reliable thermal insulation. If penoizol cannot be applied to the base in a uniform layer, then you can try to arrange voids on the wall, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, and then fill them liquid material. Such insulation is expensive, but believe me, after a few seasons, savings on heating will justify the costs.

Warm plaster for insulation consists of:

expanded vermiculite;
expanded polystyrene;
sawdust.

Usage warm plaster as a material for thermal insulation - a profitable and convenient option, given that it will turn out not only to insulate the building, but also to work on creating its exclusive appearance. To insulate materials, it is not necessary to bring the walls to an ideal state with the help of putty mixtures.

How to properly install insulation on the facade?

Thermal insulation can be of two types: bonded and hinged. Bonded thermal insulation is very popular, which, compared to hinged ones, is cheaper and more economical, in addition, it allows you to decently reduce heat consumption during the operation of the house. Materials for bonded thermal insulation are used light and easy to install, therefore they are suitable for thermal insulation of any type of base.

Before warming, the house is cleaned, leveled as much as possible with the help of special mixtures. Materials for insulation are coated with glue, after which they are firmly pressed into the wall. For greater effect, the plates are fixed with facade dowels. In order for the structure to serve as much as possible, a reinforcing mesh is used, which is also attached to the heaters with glue. The final layer can be a plaster mixture or paint. As an option, siding is also suitable - durable, lightweight with imitation of various natural materials.

Heat leaves a private house not only through cracks in windows and doors - most of the heat energy flows through the surfaces of the floor, ceiling and walls, even if they are finished with materials that prevent the flow of cold air relatively well. To ensure the effective preservation of a constant temperature inside the room, it is recommended to insulate its walls from the outside with your own hands - and not only in the basement area, but also the surface of the entire facade.

Wall insulation options

It is possible to insulate a house not only outside, but also inside, but external insulation has a number of advantages. So, when choosing this method, insulation will not only protect the house from the cold, but the walls will also become less susceptible to aggressive environmental factors - primarily humidity and fluctuations in air temperature.
There is a wide range of materials for insulating the walls of a private house with your own hands, each of which is better suited for a particular situation and for certain operating conditions. You can use foam or more practical extruded polystyrene foam, mineral wool or polyurethane foam.

Consider the basic technologies of insulation

As for insulation technologies, there are three of them:

the simplest method is to glue the insulation to the surface of the facade or plinth, after which the heat-insulating material is covered with a layer of plaster for subsequent decorative finishes walls;
three-layer walls without ventilation - an adhesive solution is applied to the base, insulation is fixed on it, then, observing the gap, a brick front finish one stone thick is erected;
ventilated facade - a galvanized profile frame is installed on the wall or wooden crate, then the surface is covered with a layer of waterproofing, on which the insulation is fixed, after which the entire structure is covered with decorative plates of various materials.

The methods differ in their reliability, total cost and complexity of doing it yourself. In order for any of them to be carried out with high quality, you need to carefully study the nuances of insulation - in any case, the procedure for thermal insulation of a basement or facade is more complicated than finishing a floor or ceiling.

In addition, the method should be chosen based on the conditions in which the work is carried out. In winter, the only option is to design a ventilated wall, since this does not use adhesive solutions that cannot be diluted in the cold.

The nuances of choosing a warming material

Each of the thermal insulation materials on the market fully performs its functions, differing only in price and additional parameters, such as resistance to moisture and ignition. Unlike the floor or ceiling, which you can insulate with your own hands with almost anything, exterior finish the walls of the building should be carried out using one of the following materials:

plates of dense foam or extruded polystyrene foam, characterized by a small mass;
mineral wool;
polyurethane foam;
slabs of volcanic stone;
cellulose wadding (ecowool).

To the differences in materials, you can also add such a parameter as vapor permeability, which is very important when finishing the exterior walls and basement. Steam should penetrate as freely as possible through the insulation so that the main wall does not begin to collapse ahead of time, and moisture does not condense inside the room. Because of this, when using XPS or foam, it is necessary to ensure good ventilation of the wall, since these materials do not pass steam well.

Although any of the materials provides a sufficient degree of thermal insulation of the house, their thermal conductivity indicators are different. This is due to the physical characteristics of the substances that make up the insulation. Depending on the value of these indicators, the thickness of the heat-insulating layer is selected: the lower the thermal conductivity, the better material retains heat and the thinner the insulation layer can be.

The nuances of selecting the required thickness

The thickness of the plates of heat-insulating material, when finishing the walls of the facade and the basement outside the house, should be selected not only based on the parameters of the material, but also based on the relevant building codes and regulations. It is best to carry out calculations with a special design organization, but if the construction of the house is carried out completely with your own hands, it is quite possible to choose the thickness of the insulation yourself.

When calculating the amount of material in order to insulate the walls from the outside, it is necessary to take into account not only the heat loss of the facade or basement itself, but also heat leakage through windows, doors, floor and ceiling surfaces, especially if there is an unheated basement. Based on all the data, a decision is made on the thickness of the layer of a particular material.

It may turn out that a more expensive material becomes preferable due to its efficiency and, accordingly, a smaller amount required. So, you should not opt for polystyrene foam, if you have to lay it in several layers in order to provide the necessary thermal insulation performance - it is better to buy several times less polyurethane foam.

Preparatory work

Before you start insulating the walls outside the house with your own hands, the base on which the heat-insulating material will be applied must be prepared so that the whole structure is reliable, efficient and durable.

If the insulation is not carried out during the construction of the house, old finish the walls outside must be cleaned, except when a ventilated facade is being installed. decorative material, the reinforcing layer of plaster and everything else is completely removed down to the base - as a result, a clean brick, wooden or foam concrete wall of the house should remain.

The following steps in the initial surface preparation are:

The surface of the facade or plinth is leveled. If the height differences are insignificant, you can simply cover the facade with two layers of a strong primer with deep penetration. If the irregularities exceed 20 mm, you will have to level the surface cement mortar, which then also needs to be primed to protect it from destruction. When constructing a ventilated facade, the wall can be leveled using brackets.
The beacon system is being installed. It is needed in order to lay the insulation in an even layer. Due to this, the heat-insulating layer will not interfere with the application of plaster and the installation of a decorative coating. Lighthouses are installed on plumb lines and checked by level. Their upper plane will become the boundary of the insulation layer outside the walls. Beacons are made from wooden slats or aluminum profile and are fixed to the base with long self-tapping screws or anchors.

After the preparation is completed, it will be possible to start laying the insulation with your own hands.

Installation of thermal insulation material

In general terms, finishing with one or another material is standard, but each of the heaters has its own characteristic installation nuances.

Mineral wool installation

When finishing the ceiling or floor inside the room, special fastening of cotton wool rolls is not required - often it is simply glued on double sided tape and she's doing great. However, when insulating walls - a facade or a basement - outside the house, a more reliable installation method is needed. In addition, the wool must be weatherproof.

In order for the mineral wool to hold, a frame of wooden slats is mounted on the base with their own hands. It is desirable to make the dimensions of the crate sectors such that the cotton wool fits snugly into the space between the slats - that is, the frame elements should be installed in increments of a couple of centimeters smaller than the width of the insulation roll. Optionally, anchors can be screwed into the wall to provide a more secure hold of the material.

If the wall is uneven on the outside, it is best to use a special mineral wool, which consists of two layers of different density. Such cotton wool is laid with your own hands in a less dense layer against the wall, fits all the irregularities and provides the tightest fit of the insulation to the base. Thus, better insulation is provided.

In most situations, further finishing can be carried out by anyone convenient way. For example, a layer of mineral wool can be covered with a special membrane that will protect the thermal insulation from moisture, then covered with a reinforcing mesh made of metal or fiberglass. After that, the wall is plastered and covered with a finishing finishing material - siding, stone tiles or facing bricks.

This method of insulation can be used not only with mineral wool, but also with some other heat-insulating materials - basalt or cellulose wool.

Anchoring Styrofoam or Extruded Styrofoam

The sequence of actions when installing polymer insulation boards with your own hands is as follows:

On the lower edge of the facade or plinth is installed metallic profile, which is needed to level the first layer of material.
Styrofoam or EPS boards are applied closely to the wall. A guideline for leveling the upper plane of the insulation are plumb lines lowered from the roof or tied to anchors screwed into the walls at ceiling level.
The gluing of the plates is carried out using special solutions - both dry adhesive mixtures and polyurethane adhesive can be used.
Subsequent layers are mounted after the previous one is firmly attached to the base. Each layer should move horizontally by a third or half of the slab. In addition, it is desirable to stack the plates as closely as possible to each other - for this, an angle can be cut on the side faces.
In addition to the glue, you need to use plastic dowels, which are fixed in the corners and in the center of each element of the heat-insulating layer. To save fasteners, you can fix two corners of adjacent foam plates with one dowel at once.
The joints are covered with putty and glued with mounting reinforcing tape or filled with polystyrene foam or special foam (but not ordinary mounting foam, its use is not recommended).
Before finishing the insulation layer is covered with a reinforcing mesh and a layer of plaster.

More often polymer materials are used for insulation outside concrete or brick wall, plinth, since such a finish adheres best to these surfaces. It is better to insulate wooden houses with cotton wool, since polystyrene foam and similar materials will lead to wood decay and mold due to low vapor permeability.

Today, the cost of heat carriers is a fairly large share of the income of the average resident. Alas, it is at least unreasonable to ignore heat losses at a high price for gas / electricity.

The only question is, what is the best way to insulate the house from the outside, what materials will be preferred in order to invest as efficiently as possible. Consider the most common materials for insulation.

The most common way to insulate a house is with expanded polystyrene plates. In the CIS countries, it occupies a leading position in sales due to high technical performance and material availability. Among all the insulation options, foam is considered the cheapest. The thermal insulation performance is 0.0033 W/m/K. Due to the ease of production, it is made almost throughout the country, which reduces the cost of delivery.

Styrofoam is a material with a foam structure, where gas takes up most of it. From this, the material is very light, and also has high thermal and sound insulation characteristics.

To fully understand what is worth considering the features of the material.

The advantages of foam:

Moisture does not have a destructive effect on the material, while it practically does not absorb water.
High thermal insulation characteristics.
Polyfoam is steady against formation on a surface of a fungus and a mold.
Ease of installation, even complex shapes are easy to process with foam thanks to a construction knife.
It is easy to insulate a house with material, since there is no need to calculate the additional weight of the insulation, the foam plastic weighs extremely little.
Affordable price.
Long service life.
Excellent resistance to various atmospheric phenomena - heat, frost and strong temperature changes.
It has good soundproofing qualities.
Additional costs for waterproofing are not required.

If the material has disadvantages that must be taken into account before insulating the walls:

The mechanical strength is low. Be sure to apply a protective layer.
The walls in the house stop breathing, as there is practically no air penetration.
The material is destroyed when nitro-colors and derivatives get on it.
Risk of fire When the foam plastic catches fire, toxic substances are released that are hazardous to health.

In general, it can be quite convenient and cheap, and there are few drawbacks, but there are other options for insulation, some of them have higher quality indicators of heat saving.

Extruded polystyrene foam

Extrusion is a synthetic insulation. It is based on a unique technology developed in the USA. The quality of the material is so high that many of the best construction companies prefer it in all areas of construction.

Advantages of extruded polystyrene foam:

Thermal conductivity is extremely low.
Vapor permeability is low. If compared, then a 20 mm slab has the same level of vapor permeability as 1 layer of roofing material.
Resistant to mechanical deforming effects.
It tolerates a wide temperature range from -50 to +75°C.
The material is durable, the service life is 30 years or more.
Completely environmentally friendly, does not emit harmful substances during operation.
When wet, it does not lose its quality indicators, which is very important in roof insulation.
Installation is as simple as possible.

Disadvantages for external and internal insulation practically absent. The main factor is combustibility, but this can be eliminated by adding flame retardants to the composition, although such plates are somewhat more expensive. In this case, the material will only smolder, but the release harmful substances is still hazardous to health.

polyurethane foam

Popularly called foam rubber insulation. In everyday life, the material is found as furniture upholstery, but it is soft. In construction, polyurethane foam is rigid. It is possible to insulate walls with foam rubber in a standard way - in the form of plates, but spraying has become popular recently. Using the option involves preparing the material directly at the construction site in the form of foam. It is convenient that an integral coating is created, there are no joints and cold bridges.

Material advantages:

Low thermal conductivity. Compared to foam, the thermal conductivity is 50% better and 100% lower than mineral wool.
Resistant to moisture penetration. Polyurethane foam is the best outer insulation than polystyrene, as it has a 10 times lower level of water absorption.
High temperature resistance. Among the other options considered earlier, it withstands the widest temperature ranges, the lowest up to -70 ° C, and the largest up to + 110 ° C.
Long service life. At least there will be no complaints about insulation for 30 years, if it is properly installed, then even longer.
It is not subjected to deformation effects during the entire period of operation.
Resistant to rot and fungus formation, which is important for external insulation.
When an additional layer of sound insulation is created, and quite high quality.

At this stage, you can call it the best insulation, but in fact there are also disadvantages:

The high price of the material.
Installation of spraying is quite complicated and expensive.
Polyurethane foam cannot be used to insulate houses without additional protection, as it is susceptible to UV radiation. In addition to simple failure, it can emit harmful substances from the sun.

Polyurethane foam has higher performance than mineral wool and polystyrene, but requires large investments, which narrows the scope of its use.

Mineral wool

The next option, outside, is mineral wool. It has a chaotic structure, where the fibers are of different lengths. It is prepared from basalt material and glass production waste. There is also slag wool. Although the listed varieties in terms of thermal insulation differ insignificantly.

Compared to other heaters, it is produced in various forms- mats, rolls, plates, cylinders, loose. So, everyone can choose the right option for themselves. Rolled options are most often used, as they exclude the appearance of cold bridges due to the integrity of the structure. Plates are convenient for vertical insulation, as they are not deformable. When using an external insulation system in the form of a frame, you can blow out the cells with mineral wool.

The advantage of the material is its incombustibility, it can withstand up to 1,000 ° C, but not every variety. Minvata acts as a fire protection system. When ignited, it does not emit harmful, toxic substances.

External insulation wooden houses has its own characteristics, so that most materials are simply not suitable for this task. Mineral wool is practically the only way to insulate such structures.

Installation is quite simple, even a non-professional can do it. Thanks to its softness, it fits in any place and is easily transported without changing its shape when bending. Easily cut with a utility knife.

The main and, perhaps, the only drawback is the absorption of moisture. When performing outdoor work, it is necessary to protect the cotton wool from water with high quality. The penetration of only 2% of water degrades the thermal insulation qualities of the material by 10%.

Another feature is the need for a good installation system. Mineral wool crumbles heavily, so it must be laid under a layer of protection. Also at the bottom there should be moisture removal.

Basalt wool

Insulated walls based on basalt rock have environmental safety, do not emit harmful substances even when heated. The material itself is immune to combustion. Having insulated the wall once with basalt wool, you can forget about the insulation for the whole time, since the service life is unlimited, and there is no need for premature repairs.

Basalt is the best means for insulation in the field of tolerable temperatures, because it retains heat in the range from -300 to +900 ° C.

An important advantage of basalt is that the wall continues to breathe, air conductivity is maintained. Due to the described characteristics, basalt can be called one of the the best means, for insulation. True, the cost of this insulation is much higher than that of foam.

Conclusion

Comparing various popular heaters, it turns out that each option has its own disadvantages and advantages. Therefore, in many respects the choice of insulating material depends on the scope, tasks and surface on which the heaters will be applied. Obviously, the price issue also takes place, so not everyone prefers better, but more expensive options.

Topics with a choice and description of the features of a particular type of insulation are deservedly popular on our portal. These questions become more urgent the higher the growth in energy prices and the desire of homeowners to save on heating. FORUMHOUSE has already talked about and about.

Choosing the best insulation for the walls of the house, suitable for you, we suggest looking at the nuances of warming a private house from a slightly different angle. To do this, consider the following questions:

How to start choosing a material.
What are the types of heaters.
Is it possible to do without using it.
Should I use eco-insulators?
What is missing modern means and methods of wall insulation.

Choosing a material

Modern market thermal insulation materials offers a lot of options and types. Conventionally, they can be divided into artificial (man-made) and natural. Artificial include: mineral wool (stone and glass wool) and polystyrene foam insulation (PPS, or polystyrene, EPPS - extruded polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam), foam glass, sprayed polyurethane foam, ecowool, expanded clay, etc. Natural materials include sawdust, straw, moss, flax, hemp and other eco-materials.

The materials of the second group are most often used by enthusiasts in the construction of environmentally friendly houses.

To determine the type of material, you need to pay attention to the following parameters: thermal conductivity, hygroscopicity, density, flammability class, efficiency, environmental friendliness, durability. You also need to understand in advance what and how you are going to insulate. Those. – choose the scope of the material. To do this, we ask ourselves the question in which structural unit of the house should work. To the materials that are used for and insulation of the foundation (), etc. working in the ground, in an aggressive environment, there are certain requirements. These are non-susceptibility to moisture accumulation, rotting, high compressive strength, thermal efficiency, durability.

The main (perhaps even the only) disadvantage of foam plastics is their combustibility (under certain conditions) and limited thermal stability. In the event of a fire, first of all, interior items (furniture, curtains, etc.) burn. Therefore, measures must be taken in advance to protect polystyrene foam (in case it is used for internal insulation) from open source fire. To do this, the foam must be covered with a good layer of concrete or plaster. It is better if PPS is used for external insulation. It must also be covered with non-combustible material (concrete, plaster), and not used as an element of a ventilated facade!

In civil housing construction, expanded polystyrenes are widely used for insulation of foundations and flat roofs(EPPS). Facades of houses, as the basis for thin-layer plaster, the so-called. " wet facade» (PPS).

In a number of situations (especially in the field of low-rise housing construction), it is necessary to insulate frame structures, where, instead of rigidity, elastic options mounted by surprise are more technologically advanced. Here, it is most widely used on the basis of stone () or glass fibers - this material combines high manufacturability of installation (no special experience and special professional tool) with incombustibility (including fire resistance) and low production cost.

When using mineral wool materials, care must be taken to prevent moisture from entering them. If water gets into the insulation, the "pie" frame structure and the vapor transparency of the layers should ensure the release of excess moisture to the outside. Why should steam and waterproofing films and membranes be used correctly.

The above methods are far from the only effective option for warming a room.

Alexey Melnikov

To a lesser extent, such insulation methods are now common as: poured (such as a screed from a solution of polystyrene concrete) and filling options (expanded clay gravel, foam glass chips, aerated concrete block rejection, etc.). Because they, in my opinion, are more appropriate as additional sound insulation in horizontal structures.

44alex FORUMHOUSE user

I would choose perlite for floors and backfill stone walls, but not under the floor on the ground, because this is an excellent material in terms of price / thermal conductivity / combustibility / environmental friendliness / service life.

Recently, blown versions of heaters are also gaining popularity. Type of cellulose fiber (the so-called ecowool) or its mineral counterpart. According to Alexey Melnikova, these materials should be used for thermal insulation of hard-to-reach places.

natural materials

It is also necessary to highlight materials based on natural fibers (flax, sea grasses), which are now being promoted under the ideology of ECO-construction. Due to the limited choice and significant price tag, these materials have not yet become widespread.

The main disadvantages of natural materials:

shrinkage;
unpredictability of behavior in the long term;
susceptibility to rodents.

Let's see how true this is.

Russian FORUMHOUSE user

Unexpectedly, the following experiment came out: in the summer they folded substandard linen insulation in the corner, in a stack 1.5 meters high. In winter, a water pipe leaked, which passed nearby. We noticed this only in the summer, i.e. the bottom layer of flax has lain for at least 6 months in water. And here are the results:

For a material 5 cm thick, under the pressure of the upper layers, only 1 cm sat down;
The material that had taken in water turned dark and was left to dry until morning. The next morning he regained his form, i.e. again became 5 cm thick;
Breaking loads have not changed either.

After drying, the linen insulation remained practically unchanged, because the structure of the linen material is fixed by melted lavsan fibers. This structure can be changed only when heated to 160-190 ° C or when the flax is destroyed. And flax, as you know, is still used in plumbing work when sealing water pipes.

Extensive experience has been accumulated abroad in the use of this material. Mice do not eat it, they make passages in it and make their dwellings. To avoid this, appropriate measures are taken - in the form of installing a fine-mesh steel mesh, etc.

SCM FORUMHOUSE user

I believe that the use of sawdust is a very environmentally friendly way to insulate. The main thing is to follow the technology. It is better to fill up sawdust in layers, with careful tamping of each layer with a shovel handle.

Both industrial materials and “folk” materials have pros and cons. “Commercial” materials are already a finished product, with known properties and a certain installation technology, following which you can be sure of the final result. Eco-insulations are more of an experiment, with a possible lower cost (sawdust), you will have to sweat during installation. The construction itself can take time. Again, you can not guarantee 100% of the final result, because. we still have little experience in using such materials in different climatic zones.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude: any material has the right to life. It all depends on the area of its application, the prevalence of one or another type of material in a particular area, its price, thermal characteristics, etc. Hence: when choosing a heater, first of all, it is necessary to build on economic calculation and the expediency of its use in the long term.

You should also check your tasks with our questionnaire:

Where will the material be used?
what is it for;
what structure needs to be insulated.

Having puzzled with such questions, you will understand which material is suitable specifically for your case and specifically for your building.

Is there a universal heater

If you dream and imagine an “ideal” insulation, with a set of universal properties, then this will be a material various characteristics which will not be stable - they must flexibly change depending on the operating conditions. In one situation, the material needs strength, high density, rigidity, clear geometry, and increased moisture resistance. In other conditions, it requires vapor transparency, low density (which means it will not work "in the ground"), workability in hard-to-reach places, flexibility, good environmental friendliness. With all this, an affordable price for the masses remains important. It turns out mutually exclusive requirements. So it is hardly worth chasing after some special and new materials.

From our videos you will learn

Many are faced with such a problem, heat is not stored in a heated room, the reason for this may be the dissipation of thermal energy through the walls. How to deal with it? How to keep warm inside the house? How to insulate a house? What is the best way to insulate a house from the outside? For this, the house is insulated. Most right decision will, insulate the walls of the room, their outer part, you can use any heat insulator for this.

He will be able to create protection for warm indoor air from the outside cold and will effectively maintain the necessary microclimate of the room. Also, the advantages of insulating external walls include their protection from water vapor and light radiation, which will significantly extend their service life.

What is the best way to insulate the walls of the house from the outside? What is the best way to insulate a house? How to insulate stone house, brick or wooden? High-quality thermal insulation is the key to comfort and coziness of a private or country house.

How to insulate a house with your own hands? How to spend good thermal insulation and do it in the best way?

In total, there are three main types of thermal insulation work in a private house:

The insulation is fixed directly to the wall using special glue or other devices. Then it is covered with a construction mesh and plastered for finishing materials.
In this case, the heat insulator is also mounted on the wall of the room, but then an additional brick wall is installed on the foundation. A small air space or gap is left between the insulation and the wall. With this method, the heat insulator is not plastered.
This insulation option consists of several phased work. First of all, the walls of the house are covered with a special waterproofing film, then the material selected as a heater is mounted, after which it is necessary to install protection against water vapor and wind. And only after that, with the help of a special frame made of wooden beams or metal guides, materials for the external cladding of the premises are installed, such as various siding, lining, ceramic tiles and much more. The use of this variant, the so-called ventilated facade, can be carried out at any time of the year, since there is no need to use any mortar.

The considered options represent a general direction, in each of them there may be certain changes associated with the use of certain materials as a heater. The modern market for thermal insulation materials is quite wide and some of them may require a different installation method.

Also, the choice of a heat insulator, its parameters depend on the material from which the walls of the house are made. As an example, consider the principles of installing insulation for wooden, brick and concrete walls.

Installation of heaters

What to insulate? Any heat insulator has certain properties, but in any case, it will be able to keep your home warm. They differ in price, in the material from which they are made and in such parameters as moisture resistance, vapor permeability and thermal conductivity. Heaters that are presented on the construction market: expanded polystyrene, mineral wool, polyurethane foam, basalt slab and cellulose insulation.

The use of one or another insulating material is associated with climatic conditions, installation method and thermal conductivity coefficient. The calculation takes into account the width bearing wall, the thermal conductivity of the insulator, the internal temperature of the room. Then you can start installing the heater. How to prepare a wall for the installation of insulation?

Consider the instruction:

First of all, you need to clean the wall from old plaster and other materials up to the material from which it is made.
After that, it is necessary to level the wall surfaces, repair cracks and pits and chop off protrusions, clean dust and dirt, and carefully apply a primer, without missing a single centimeter of area.

A primer should be used that has the property of deep penetration into the wall, choosing one or another type depending on the material from which the primed surface is made.

Installation of insulation should be done in an even layer without surface curvature, depressions and protrusions, using the tools provided for this: beacons, plumb lines, levels, corners and others. Otherwise, you may encounter problems with further plastering of the wall or installation of facing material, that is, applying different thicknesses of plaster material and installing additional guides. What does the beacon system look like? Screws are screwed on the upper edge of the surface, several pieces depending on the length of the wall, on which a dense thread with a metal plumb line is hung at the bottom.
After that, horizontal threads are installed that connect all the vertical ones. Thus, a network is formed that will determine the level during the installation of a heater or frame system. After such preparatory work you can start installing a heat insulator.

Can be performed different materials. How to insulate the walls of the house from the outside? How do materials differ from each other?

Use of Styrofoam

Use of expanded polystyrene as a heater. How to insulate a house from the outside with polystyrene foam? You need to properly insulate according to the instructions.

Installation instructions for this thermal insulation product:

At the beginning, it is necessary to install a corner along the lower edge of the wall, observing the desired level - the first layer of heat insulator will be aligned along it. It is installed using special glue, glue for ceramic tiles is also suitable.
The sheets are pressed tightly against the wall and leveled with plumb lines and a level. The second layer of material is applied after the final drying of the first, so as not to knock it off the level.

It should be noted that the sheets of each subsequent level are mounted in a brick order, that is, the seam of the lower level is located in the middle of the sheet of the next row. This is done so that the sheets of the bottom row hold the top ones.

From the second row, expanded polystyrene is attached using special anchors, "umbrellas", as they are called differently. They are driven into each of the four corners and into the center of the sheet.
Vertical and horizontal seams are glued with construction tape with reinforcing properties. IN window openings and at the corners of the walls of the heaters it is additionally fastened with corners made of metal.
After the wall is completely covered with insulation, a building mesh is mounted on it, then plaster can be applied.

Expanded polystyrene is best suited for insulating walls made of brick and concrete. This installation of insulation has its negative sides. So, for example, this material has a low permeability to water vapor, as a result of which the condensate that will accumulate in the wall can eventually lead to it getting wet.

To avoid this, before installation work to establish a heater, the walls must be dried qualitatively. It is also important to keep them dry during operation. If all this cannot be achieved, then in this case it is better to use the method of installing insulation, which provides for its ventilation.

Remember that in the end there should not be a place where there will be access to polystyrene foam, otherwise small rodents can damage it, and it will also be affected by the environment, which will lead to damage and loss of properties.

Do-it-yourself thermal insulation of the house can be carried out using polystyrene foam.

The use of mineral wool

Many are inclined to believe that it is better to insulate the walls with mineral wool. Mineral wool is another popular insulation. How to insulate a private house using mineral wool? The installation of this insulation is similar in its technological procedures to thermal insulation made using basalt or cellulose slabs.

Installation instructions for mineral wool:

In the beginning, wall preparation is always required. We will clean the walls of old plaster and try to level the surface.
Then you should proceed with the installation of the frame. It is made of wooden beams, by creating a vertical and horizontal crate. At the same time, the width and length of the empty space should be less than the insulation sheet by about thirty millimeters - this the necessary conditions so that the mineral wool sheet enters it easily and does not form a large gap.
As a fastening of mineral wool sheets, anchor bolts are mounted, on which the material is hung. Since most often the walls remain uneven, it is better to use mineral wool, consisting of two layers. At the same time, a softer layer is installed directly on the wall, thanks to its structure, the most excellent connection of sheets with a heat-insulated surface occurs.

On some versions of mineral wool, plaster can be applied after installing the building mesh or a special vapor-permeable insulating film can be installed. Then you need to strengthen it and the heat insulator with additional wooden beams, then set facing material. Suitable lining, various siding, tiles and facing bricks.

This type of home insulation, three-layer ventilated, has proven itself in all climatic zones. It is especially suitable for walls made of wood, as it allows this product to breathe and not get damp.

Use of polyurethane foam

How to properly insulate a house with polyurethane foam? When mounting this insulation, it is necessary to adhere to the same frame structure as when insulating with mineral wool with the installation of wind protection. At the same time, polyurethane foam is foamed onto the wall in a place free from the frame under the film, forming a very strong connection with the wall, thanks to which an excellent result is achieved in preserving heat inside the premises.

But there is one drawback - when using this type of insulation, when mounted on vertical walls, it is difficult to form a layer of the same thickness, so it is most often used on horizontal surfaces such as ceilings or roof slopes at a slight angle. Insulating walls with polyurethane is not difficult. It is necessary to insulate the house (booth) using additional products.

The use of basalt slabs

The insulation of the walls of the house from the outside can be carried out using basalt slabs. During the installation of this thermal insulation product, it is necessary to additionally apply a vapor barrier film.

Laying this protective film is carried out on the bars, which have a horizontal position, and between the rafters. Then it is necessary to seal the formed joints. Sealing is carried out using a specially designed tape. The layer should be 200 millimeters. Next, a layer of wind protection is laid, and a coating of purlins is made thanks to the beams. This is done in order to provide ventilation.

Before starting the insulation of external walls with this material, it is necessary to make a coating of purlins - this is different from thermal insulation internal walls building. Leave a gap for ventilation. Attachment of basalt slabs is carried out thanks to self-tapping screws. The final stage of installation includes finishing the surface with siding or some other coating.

To insulate the walls from the outside basalt slabs, you must strictly follow the rules. Warming of a private house is often carried out using basalt slabs.

Cellulose use

How to insulate walls with cellulose? Cellulose can be mounted using three methods: mechanical, dry, wet.

The first method of mounting involves the use of dedicated hardware. Do-it-yourself wall insulation mechanically from the outside is quite expensive. mechanical method has high performance. This method allows the walls to "breathe". Therefore, it is not necessary to apply a vapor barrier layer.

The dry mounting method is used only for thermal insulation of horizontal surfaces. How are walls insulated from the outside using this method? The insulation product is applied to the walls manually without the use of special equipment. First, the pulp must be fluffed, this is done with a drill.

Then it must be poured out of the container to the surface. Next is its tamping. If, nevertheless, the insulation needs to be applied to a vertical surface, then the work will take place in two stages. First you need to build a wall from the frame, the height of which should be 50 centimeters. Then you need to pour in a heat-insulating product and tamp it. So other parts of the walls are also insulated.

Wet method - it is used for thermal insulation of vertical structures. First, the cellulose must be moistened with water. Thanks to this procedure, the cellulose will seize without problems.

All methods of insulation can be used to insulate a private house from the outside. Or it will be the insulation of a country house.

What is the best way to insulate a house from the outside? Eat various materials to insulate walls from the outside. Each thermal insulation material has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main thing is to be cheap, inexpensive, but of high quality. Use the material for warming the house outside, which has high technical characteristics.

We hope the description of each of them will help you to make right choice. Wall insulation from the outside is an important element in achieving overall comfort. You can insulate the house from the outside with your own hands without anyone's help. You will achieve maximum comfort and coziness in the house.