From year to year, energy prices are growing inexorably, and the level of income of the population remains almost in place. Looking at the unbearable bills for heating a house or apartment, it comes to understanding that the problem needs to be solved on its own - insulation of residential premises.
For this purpose, various types of insulation can be used for the walls of the house inside and out.
Let's take a closer look at the possible options for materials for insulation, their advantages and disadvantages.
The choice of insulation method
Wall insulation can be external and internal: the option with external insulation is more preferable and more effective. But there are situations when it is not possible to insulate the walls from the outside.
For example, the prohibition of the commission on architecture: the building is an architectural monument, the appearance of which is not recommended to be changed. Or when an unheated working room is found behind a wall in which it is impossible to insulate the walls.
In such cases, the internal insulation of the walls with various types of insulation will be an ideal way out.
Insulation of walls outside with mineral wool, glass wool is much more effective and efficient than their insulation of the inner surface of the room
It is necessary with great responsibility to approach the issue of choosing a heater, study the characteristics of each type, and select them taking into account the building materials from which the walls of your house are made.
Incorrectly selected material will not help to achieve the desired goal and can only aggravate the situation for the worse. So, for example, after improper installation of the insulation, the wall not only does not keep heat, but freezes even more in winter than before.
In most cases, if the wall is not properly sealed after a certain period of time, condensation becomes dangerous for the insulation material and for the wall itself.
The material and the wall are saturated with moisture, as a result, the insulation effect is reduced to zero, and the walls of the building begin to gradually collapse from infection with the fungus.
Incorrect installation of the structure and incorrect sealing will be one of the key points of heat loss in the room and surface contamination with fungus
In order not to encounter these problems for many years after the repair and insulation of the surface, you must strictly adhere to the technical recommendations for installation.
Equally important is the correct sealing of the seams of the internal walls of the house, the joints between the insulation plates and the surface of the wall when it is attached.
Types of materials for internal thermal insulation
Among the many types of insulation that can be used for thermal insulation of the internal walls of the house, we will talk about the most popular and most popular options. Among which are fiberboard, glass wool, polystyrene, cork wallpaper, etc.
Let us dwell in more detail on each of them.
Option # 1 - fiberboard boards
Fiberboard - an excellent material for performing wall insulation from the inside, cheap enough, you can say economy class.
Fibreboard is made on the basis of wood processing industry waste, glued with glue from natural resins when exposed to high temperatures and pressure.
The material is treated with antiseptic elements, is not exposed to high temperatures and high humidity.
Fiberboard is successfully used for soundproofing interior partitions and wall insulation. It is very simple to make installation with fiberboard boards. Fixture of sheets produced on a metal frame or wooden
Option # 2 - glass wool
Glass wool is the most common, budget-friendly material for wall insulation. As practice shows, there is a big drawback, because of which experts do not recommend using it from the inside of the walls.
It absorbs moisture very well, which reduces its heat-insulating properties - the material decreases in volume and size, which leads to significant heat loss.
Glass wool is not suitable for insulation of internal walls in the room, it is better suited for insulation of the floor and ceiling
With external insulation, glass wool is laid between the wooden beams end-to-end so that it tightly covers the desired space.
Option # 3 - mineral wool
Material made from some types of igneous rocks is popularly called mineral wool, although in fact it is about stone wool. The term “mineral” includes not only stone, but also glass wool and slag wool.
Today this material is most in demand, it has many positive characteristics:
- high level of thermal insulation;
- does not respond to high temperatures and combustion;
- sound insulation at the highest level;
- strength, practicality and durability.
Mineral wool is used as a heater not only for the internal walls of the house, but also for the ceilings of attic rooms, external walls of buildings.
Mineral wool slabs come in various stiffnesses - the stiffer the slab, the higher its cost.
Mineral wool is not bad for internal wall insulation. It must be laid tightly, butt. But experts are inclined to believe that on the external walls of the house it will bring more benefits
The thermal insulation properties of more rigid and less rigid plates are almost the same. For internal work, less rigid types are used.
More rigid types - relevant for external insulation of facades. Such material is 50 mm, 100 mm thick. Less thick - 50 mm. It is used for internal insulation. Thicker - 100 mm - for external insulation of facades.
The only drawback of mineral wool is that it must be covered with an additional partition made of drywall, plastic, OSB boards or other materials. This significantly reduces the living space of the room.
Option # 4 - Styrofoam
Polyfoam has long been used in the construction industry as a cheap material for sound and waterproofing of premises.
It, in comparison with mineral wool, has better thermal insulation properties, therefore it is possible to mount a thinner slab indoors. As a result, the living area will practically not decrease.
Along with positive qualities, polystyrene foam has a number of disadvantages:
- The structure of the material is very fragile, so work with it should be done very carefully.
- At the slightest violation of the integrity of the sheet, heat loss increases significantly.
- Rodents are a thunderstorm of foam slabs; they simply adore it. If there is access, the slightest hole, after a certain period of time, the sheets will look like Dutch cheese.
- Highly flammable material - when burning emits caustic, poisonous smoke.
Foam is laid on the surface, using building glue for bonding, generously applied to the entire area of the sheet.
It is recommended to insulate the walls with polystyrene gently, close to the surface, leaving no gaps and chances for rodents to penetrate
Option # 5 - Polystyrene
Polystyrene is a more innovative insulation for walls. Its density is much higher than the density of the foam, which makes its installation much easier.
On the other hand, polystyrene plates do not adhere well to each other, forming many uneven joints that need to be coated with high-quality sealant.
For a tight fit of the sheets and fixing them to the wall, it is recommended to use a solution of a waterproof mixture for bathrooms and bathrooms.
When isolating the premises with polystyrene, it is recommended that you carefully consider sealing the joints between the plates. This will prevent warm air from seeping in between and prevent condensation.
We also recommend reading about the thermal insulation of rooms with varieties of expanded polystyrene:
- Insulation with extruded polystyrene foam.
- Thermal insulation of rooms with penoplex.
On the polystyrene plates there are factory cuts for a good fit to the wall, but the craftsmen advise to put their own cuts with a construction hacksaw, for a 100% strong and reliable design
Option # 6 - cork wallpaper
One of the most modern environmentally friendly heat-insulating materials that are used to warm the house from the inside is cork wallpaper. They are made from natural ingredients: bark of balsa wood processed, crushed and pressed.
Cork wallpaper is not only a type of insulation, but also a material that is great for decorating and decorating walls. The room, finished with this warm even-looking material, radiates an aura of comfort and coziness.
Characteristics of cork material:
- has antibacterial properties;
- excellent sound insulation;
- heat loss is reduced to zero;
- strength and durability of the coating;
- high antistatic properties;
- non-combustible material;
- environmentally friendly material that does not emit harmful fumes and compounds.
Cork wallpapers are divided into two types: the first - with a natural porous structure, the second - coated with a layer of special varnish. Cork as a heater is available in rolls and plates of various sizes.
Installing such a heater is very simple - for this you need to have rolls of wallpaper, a sharp knife and specialized glue.
The biggest and only drawback of such a heater is its price. The cost of a sheet or cork roll is much higher than the cost of any artificial materials.
Option # 7 - Polyurethane Foam
Polyurethane foam is a material that splashes onto walls in liquid form. It has excellent water resistance and thermal insulation properties. After hardening, it has a loose structure, so it is almost impossible to plaster the wall.
For effective application, formwork is made, usually wooden, to fill the substance with polyurethane foam. After hardening, the construction of hydro- and vapor protection from a layer of plastic film, which is mounted on adjacent walls, in the floor and ceiling, is mandatory.
After applying a solution of polyurethane foam on the wall and hardening, it is necessary to erect an additional wall of drywall, fiberboard, OSB, plywood or any other materials
Option # 8 - Liquid Ceramic Insulation
Another innovative way to save heat in the room is liquid ceramic ultrathin thermal insulation - GIT. It has high waterproofing, thermal insulation and soundproofing properties.
Its functionality is in demand in the housing stock in preparation for the heating season. Teplokraska is suitable for insulation of ceilings, balconies, internal walls of a room, for facades of cottage and high-rise buildings.
It is in demand for thermal insulation of pipes and pipelines, it is used for sealing heat points: boiler rooms, heating networks and other structures.
Thermal paint GIT is used for painting surfaces of various types, for example, concrete, metal, brick, aerated concrete and other building materials.
Among the advantages, manufacturers note:
- absolute safety for human health;
- reflectivity of the material;
- endurance to low temperatures - maintains temperature minus 60 ° C;
- The material is strong, durable, resistant to sunlight.
Among other things, this type of ultra-thin ceramic thermal insulation has high energy efficiency. The thickness of the paint on the wall is from 2 to 5 mm.
The use of liquid ceramic insulation will make it possible to reduce heat loss and material costs for energy
Option # 9 - Ecowool
Ecowool - a type of new insulation based on cellulosic materials. This material is made from waste paper, antiseptics and a flame retardant.
This insulation is absolutely not fire hazard. In aggressive conditions, cellulose wool is excellent.
Ecowool's advantages include:
- environmental friendliness;
- safety;
- hypoallergenicity;
- lack of condensate formation, respectively of all kinds of decomposition, fungi.
This type of insulation has good sound insulation and heat insulation properties. Protects the building from the cold in the winter and the heat in the summer.
With the invention of cellulose insulation, it became possible to build lightweight structures - the pressure on the foundation due to the ease of insulation material has become much less.
Ecowool is used to warm any type of structure: it is poured into any, the smallest holes, it fills the entire space, which facilitates the process of installation.
Ecowool is applied manually using a blowing machine, using the dry backfill method, which allows to obtain a dense, integral insulation layer without seams
Wool with the help of a unit for blowing under pressure is fed to the surfaces insulated by it. Before this, it is disheveled in the hopper of the machine for its application. Thanks to this technology, cotton wool can be fed up to 30 m.
There is another way of laying ecowool - this is a wet application method.
For brick or concrete walls, effective insulation is to increase the wall thickness with decorative stone, plaster or brick. The tree is additionally lined and insulated with wooden walls in the room. Such types of insulation are quite expensive and require considerable capital investments.
In some cases, in addition to wall insulation, it is worth taking care of the insulation of the floor and ceiling in the house.
Recommendations for insulation work
Insulation work is best done in the summer, when the humidity is minimal.
Walls for insulation in the room should be perfectly dry. Dry them after additional plastering, finishing work to level the surfaces using building hair dryers and heat guns.
Stages of surface insulation:
- Surface cleaning of decorative elements - wallpaper, paint.
- Wall treatment with antiseptic solutions, surface priming with deep penetration into the layers of plaster.
- In some cases, when installing expanded polystyrene and electric heating elements, the walls are pre-leveled using waterproof plaster for bathrooms.
- Installation of insulation must be carried out in accordance with the instructions prescribed by the manufacturer for this type of material.
- Mounting a protective partition for applying the final finish, or coating the surface with a building mesh, plastering it.
- Creating a single composition with the overall design of the room.
Warming the walls inside the house is one of the most effective ways to protect your home from the penetration of cold and the negative effects of condensate, the main thing is to observe the technological sequence of stages. You can read more about the technology of warming homes from the inside in this material.
Modern types of insulation for walls, properties and characteristics:
Tips for wall insulation in the apartment - a review of common mistakes:
Warming the house, made with even the least expensive materials, is not cheap pleasure. Now there are many types of insulation for interior work, which are presented in an extensive price range. Therefore, choosing an inexpensive and high-quality material is not difficult.
A warm house in the winter and comfortable coolness in the hot season, as well as a reduction in utility bills, will show that the thermal insulation of the room is made well and of high quality.
And what material did you use to warm the walls of the house? What guided you when choosing and are you satisfied with the result? Please tell about it in the comment block. There you can ask a question about the topic of the article, and we will try to respond to it promptly.