In domestic climatic conditions, the need for insulation of residential buildings is beyond doubt. Owners of private houses have to solve this problem on their own. Wooden boards, from which in most cases the floors are made in suburban households, deform over time, and gaps appear in the initially tightly knocked down coating.

It is hard to imagine, but up to thirty percent of thermal energy can escape through these cracks in the cold season. As a result, heating costs rise sharply, and the comfort of living in the winter period decreases. To prevent these consequences, it is necessary to insulate the floors with high quality.

Variants of wood floor insulation technologies

The procedure for thermal insulation of a wooden floor should be provided for at the stage of designing and building a house, and then minimal labor and financial resources will be required. If it is necessary to perform this manipulation, when the overlap is already ready, the technology for performing work is much more complicated. In this case, it is possible to do the work correctly and insulate the floor from above, directly along the old coating, or with its partial dismantling. There is also the option of insulating the flooring from the bottom of the basement.

Thermal insulation of floors is made from above if the house has a low basement. If at the same time the flooring is dismantled, only logs are left. The procedure is very labor intensive. In the event that the basement is of sufficient depth, the laying of the insulating material can be done from below. This is much easier and faster, since in the process of doing the work you will not have to dismantle and disassemble the flooring if it is in good condition.

The better to insulate the floors in a private house

Do-it-yourself floor insulation in a private house is quite realistic. In this case, a variety of heat-insulating materials are used. Which one is better is determined after analyzing their performance characteristics and the specific conditions in which they will be operated. Insulated floor significantly increases the comfort of living in the house at negative ambient temperatures and reduces heating costs.

Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene are widely used, the use of glass wool and mineral wool has its own characteristics. The simplest and cheapest method of insulating the surface of a wooden floor is with expanded clay or using sawdust. The so-called dry screed has good performance characteristics.

Advantages and disadvantages of polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam

Many people know that it is possible to insulate the floor with foam. Expanded polystyrene for the floor is also popular with professional builders and home craftsmen. Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene, due to their excellent performance, are most widely used as insulating materials. Except for minor differences, their specifications are comparable to each other. The use of these thermal insulation materials has the following advantages:

• low cost;
• low thermal conductivity;
• small mass;
• wide area of ​​use;
• long service life;
• resistance to pathogenic microflora;
• ease of installation.

In addition to the above advantages, these materials also have operational disadvantages. Their list is also quite impressive, the following negative qualities can be noted:

• emit harmful substances when ignited;
• prevent the passage of water vapor;
• afraid of exposure to direct sunlight;
• attractive to rodents;
• are destroyed on contact with solvents;
• have low mechanical strength.

Characteristics of "Dry screed" for floor insulation

The so-called "Dry screed", which is made from gypsum fiber, is great for thermal insulation of the wooden floor of a private house. The use of this composition implies the following positive aspects:

• excellent thermal insulation;
• fire safety;
• ease of installation;
• compatibility with all finishing coatings;
• small thickness;
• good sound absorption characteristics.

At the same time, since we are insulating the floor with a factory-made dry mixture, its high consumption should be taken into account: twenty kilograms of the mixture are required to process one square meter of surface. In addition, when water penetrates, the geometric dimensions of the dry screed change, which can lead to damage to the finish coating.

Possibility of using mineral wool

Mineral wool is widely used to provide thermal insulation for wooden floors. The material is made in the form of plates, which are easy to lay on the floor with your own hands.

Mineral wool has many positive properties. The material is distinguished by excellent sound-absorbing and heat-insulating qualities, fire safety, prevents the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, and is resistant to aggressive chemical environments.

However, when water enters, deformation and partial loss of heat-insulating qualities occur. In addition, mineral wool has low mechanical strength and does not belong to environmentally friendly materials.

Features of the use of glass wool

Glass wool is similar in its characteristics to mineral wool. A feature of its use is that when performing work, you need to carefully ensure that it does not get into the organs of vision or on the skin.

The production process is complicated by the need for the employee to use personal protective equipment. The negative quality of this material is its significant shrinkage over time, as a result of which, if improperly installed, thermal insulation is violated.

Pros and cons of using expanded clay

Expanded clay is a clay-based foamed and fired granules of a porous structure. The big advantage of this material is its low cost, environmental friendliness, low weight and long service life of about fifty years. Expanded clay has excellent soundproofing and insulating qualities. Thus, the thermal insulation of the surface of a wooden floor with expanded clay will not make a hole in the family budget.

The downside of its use can be considered the need to make a layer of backfill that is significant in thickness, otherwise the wooden floors will remain cold, especially at sharply negative ambient temperatures. In addition, it absorbs moisture well, although it does not lose its insulating properties.

Sawdust is the cheapest material

The cheapest material in terms of cost is finely chopped sawdust. They do not pose any danger to human health, the technology for performing work is extremely simple: the space between the rough and finish flooring is filled with sawdust. Before use, this material must be thoroughly dried for at least twelve months, otherwise it will quickly become unusable. Cutting waste from freshly cut trees cannot be used immediately.

By increasing or decreasing the thickness of the layer, the level of thermal insulation is adjusted. In the northern regions with a very cold climate, a very thick layer has to be poured. It is necessary to take into account the attractiveness of this material for rodents and to repel them, add two parts of dry slaked lime to the composition. The disadvantage of sawdust is the occurrence of rotting processes in them when wet.

Modern choice - isolon and penofol

Undoubted operational advantages are the use of such modern materials as isolon and penofol as a heater. Izolon is a foamed polyethylene covered with a layer of foil and has excellent soundproofing qualities with a very small thickness. The material does not support combustion, prevents the development of pathogenic microflora and corrosion processes, a two-centimeter layer is comparable in soundproofing and heat-saving properties with masonry in one brick.

Penofol produced in the form of rolls consists of several layers of insulation, on top of which there is a reflective foil. It acts as a screen that prevents large losses of thermal energy.

When using penofol, it is not necessary to carry out additional work on waterproofing or arranging a vapor barrier layer.

The easiest way is laying a double floor

The easiest way to perform insulation is to provide for the laying of a double floor at the stage of building a house, which is a rough and finish coating. Such a system of insulation should be used in a room with high ceilings, as you have to take up useful space.

The construction technology provides for the laying of logs on which the subfloor will be strengthened. The covering can be made of wooden boards, particle boards, OSB or other similar materials, it is only important that the structural elements fit snugly together without forming gaps.

Insulating material is laid on the surface of the subfloor between the guides. At the same time, sand should not be used as its quality at high natural humidity, since in this case condensation may form. A finishing coating of wooden boards about five centimeters thick is mounted on top of the insulation. The new coating will have to be painted, as described in the article

Of course, the old floor can also be insulated in the same way, however, the reduction in the relative height of the ceiling should be taken into account.

The most correct floor insulation - according to the logs

When building a new house or dismantling the coating, the most correct floor insulation is the method of performing work on logs. In this case, the insulation is placed between the logs, which serve as the basis for the finished floor. Depending on the design of the building, the basis for the installation of logs and insulation can be a subfloor made on their own logs, as well as a concrete coating or even soil. In the latter case, it is useful to equip a clay castle to protect it from moisture with a layer of about 5-10 cm.

In the technology under consideration, the height of the lag and the distance between them must correspond to the height of the insulation and its width. Before installing the floor covering on top of the insulation, it is necessary to equip a vapor barrier layer of a waterproof film fixed on the logs. The joints of the film can be fixed with adhesive tape.

How to insulate floors with your own hands from below without removing the old floor

If a private house has a deep cold basement, the most correct way would be to insulate the floor from below without removing the old coating. This does not require choosing a material that can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and other mechanical loads. In this case, not only the finished surface will be protected, but the entire floor as a whole, and the dew point of the floor will shift outward, and the floor will not rot.

When performing such a task, some difficulties lie in rapid fatigue when working with constantly raised hands. There are also restrictions on the types of heat-insulating material and the need for its fastening with increased reliability.

Schematically, insulation from below is performed as follows:

• first, a waterproofing layer is equipped;
• then a heat insulator is located;
• on top of it, insulation from water vapor;
• then an overlap is performed to ensure the retention of the thermal insulation of the floor.

Adhering to this technology when doing the work with your own hands, you can get the most comfortable temperature conditions in the living quarters of the house. The heat insulator should be of low weight, since it will exert a constant load on the fasteners, bulk materials are not suitable in this case.

Floor insulation in a wooden house from the inside with foam or glass wool

Insulation from the inside with foam or glass wool gives good results. These materials are lightweight and have excellent thermal insulation properties. First, waterproofing is fixed to the lower surface of the ceiling using a stapler. Next, you can lay the thermal insulation boards in such a way that they are held during installation due to frictional forces. To do this, their width should be slightly larger than the distance between the lags. When working with glass wool, be sure to use personal protective equipment for the respiratory system, vision and skin.

A vapor barrier film is applied over the insulation, which is attached to the logs with staples and a stapler. Further along the logs, a frame is mounted that holds the insulation. It can be made from any material that suits you in appearance and durability. Between the retaining elements, gaps are allowed through which the insulation is guaranteed not to fall out.

Step-by-step instructions for thermal insulation of a wooden floor with polyurethane foam

At present, thermal insulation of a wooden floor with polyurethane foam has become widespread. To perform this work, it is necessary to first prepare the base on which the ecowool will be applied, and spray the composition onto the lower surface of the floor. The step-by-step instruction looks like this:

• the coating is cleaned of contaminants and thoroughly degreased;
• the base is dried to a moisture content of not more than five percent;
• the high pressure unit is connected by hoses to containers with mixture components;
• polyurethane foam spreads evenly over the floor surface;
• the drying time of the coating occurs within two days from the moment of application.

High-pressure equipment used to spray polyurethane foam is very expensive. It is irrational to purchase it for arranging thermal insulation in a private house and it is better to rent this equipment.

26014 0 21

Independent floor insulation in a wooden house - 3 options for high-quality installation

Most modern people associate wooden houses with comfort and warmth. And in principle, this is true, because wood is a living, natural, breathable material. But many of my friends methodically step on the same rake, forgetting that floor insulation in a wooden house is no less important than wall and roof insulation. In this article, I will first tell you how to insulate the floor in a wooden house in the three most accessible ways, and then I will personally go through the application of each type of insulation specifically for wooden buildings.

Design options for floor insulation in wooden houses

Let's start with the fact that modern wooden houses can be built both on a light pile or strip foundation, and on a monolithic concrete slab, respectively, and the insulation scheme in all these cases will be different.

In addition, the floors in wooden houses can be insulated both from below, that is, from the basement side, and from above, from the living quarters. Naturally, it is easier to do all this during the construction of a house, but not everyone is so lucky and sometimes you have to insulate the floors in an old house, which leaves its mark on the technology.

Any major types of work in wooden houses, including wall and floor insulation, are recommended to be carried out only after the structure shrinks. And this shrinkage in a house assembled from a dry forest lasts about a year. If freshly cut wood was used for construction, then shrinkage can last up to 5-7 years.

Option number 1. Arrangement of thermal insulation in a house with a low underground

Low underground is a disease of most old houses and summer cottages. In my experience, almost all owners who bought or somehow got a cottage built in the old fashioned way, back in Soviet times, face a serious problem of cold, and often rotten floors.

I’ll hasten to reassure you right away, it’s not necessary to break everything, if the log house itself is still intact and strong enough, then you can insulate the floor in a wooden house with your own hands in a few days, and for this, it’s not at all necessary to be a real builder. It is enough to confidently use a hacksaw, drill and hammer.

As you probably already guessed, if in a private house there is a low underground, then the floors will have to be insulated from above. And for this we need to disassemble the entire structure completely, leaving only the supporting logs;

If the boards and baseboards of the finished floor are in good condition, and you are not determined to completely change them, then when you tear off the flooring, be sure to draw a sketch of the masonry for yourself and number each board. This will save you a lot of time and effort when you start to return everything to its place.

• When you have free access to the logs, the first thing to do is to carefully examine the condition of the wood. Logs are a supporting structure, respectively, they must be strong and reliable. If the number of rotten logs does not exceed 20-30%, then you should tinker with their restoration;
• In general, according to the rules, a damaged beam must be removed completely, and the same one should be installed in its place. But this work is not for an amateur, there are too many small, professional subtleties. When I first encountered the problem of partial replacement of the bearing beam, I did it simply. -I cut out the rotten sector, and in its place I inserted the same part of a healthy beam.
  I fixed this sector on self-tapping screws using 4 standard metal corners 35 mm, making an overlap on the old beam of about 50 cm. But if there were no corners at hand, you can fill an ordinary board with a thickness of about 30 mm on both sides;
• Now you can start arranging the subfloor. Opinions on how to do this correctly among builders vary. The classic technology looks something like this: on both sides of each lag, along the lower edge, the so-called bearing cranial beam is stuffed. I recommend taking a section of at least 30x30 mm, if you take it thinner, then it may not withstand the load or burst from a nail or self-tapping screw;

• The distance between the lags often fluctuates around 50 - 70 cm. In our version, the draft floor will be assembled from planks laid on the cranial timber, perpendicular to the lags. Therefore, we will first need to cut these boards and soak them well with an antiseptic, since they are located directly above the ground.
  For these purposes, a non-edged board with a thickness of about 20 - 30 mm is well suited. The question of what can be impregnated is solved simply: the market is full of various impregnations, but I went the simplest way, dipped each board into engine oil;
• I am often asked the question of whether subfloor planks need to be attached to the joists or to the cranial support beam. So, as far as I have seen and done myself, these planks simply fit on the cranial bar and that's it.
  Moreover, when you measure and cut the planks, they need to be made 10 - 15 mm narrower than the gap between the lags. This tolerance is necessary to compensate for temperature and humidity deformations of wood;

• Further, the instruction prescribes to lay a layer of hydro or vapor barrier on the subfloor. The difference is this: if the soil under the house is dry and there is no heavy spring flood in your area, then it is necessary to install a vapor barrier membrane, and so that the steam freely escapes from the insulation, but in no case penetrates from the soil into the insulation.
  Waterproofing is installed in places with a high level of groundwater and on wet soils. As a waterproofing, technical polyethylene or roofing material is most often used. Any of these membranes is covered with a continuous layer of overlap, over the log, so that the subfloor is completely covered, without any gaps or crevices. I usually fix such a canvas with a stapler;
• In the resulting improvised boxes, the insulation you have chosen is laid. What is possible, and also the better to insulate the floor in a wooden house, I will tell you in detail a little later, now we will not dwell on this;

• The presence or absence of a vapor barrier sheet on top of the insulation is determined by what materials were chosen for insulation. But in any case, a small ventilation gap, 20 - 30 mm, should remain between the fine wooden flooring and the insulation layer.
  To do this, if possible, the insulation is mounted a little, below the upper cut of the lag. If this is not possible and the material is laid flush with the joists, then you will have to stuff a wooden counter crate perpendicular to the joists, in increments of 30 - 40 cm.
  Moreover, hydro or vapor barrier, if any, should be under the counter crate. Otherwise, if the finished wooden floor is not provided with proper ventilation from below, the boards will sooner or later begin to deteriorate;
• The top layer, of course, is the finishing wood coating.

Option number 2. We insulate the floor above the cellar

Proper floor insulation from below in a wooden house, in general, is carried out using a similar technology but trust me, it's a lot easier to do it. After all, under the condition of the normal state of the finishing coating, you do not need to disassemble it. Otherwise, the technology is the same, only all actions are performed in reverse.

• According to the rules, in order for the insulation not to “stick” to the finishing coating and the necessary ventilation gap to remain, it is supposed to fill a log in the upper part, on the border with the finishing floor, a small cranial bar of 20–30 mm. But to be honest, I never do that.
  It is much easier to fix the vapor barrier membrane with a stapler, just below the finished floor. No one forces you to clearly measure everything, the main thing is that the ventilation gap remains;
• To mount a cranial beam and hem a draft floor from planks using the previous technology on the basement ceiling, I also do not see much point. After laying the insulation in the niches, so that it does not immediately fall out, I stuff a number of small carnations on the logs and pull on several strings of fishing line or wire;

• Further from the bottom, with the same stapler, a waterproofing sheet is attached to the lags. And on top of this canvas, to strengthen the structure, an unedged board or an ordinary slab is stuffed. If the basement is damp and there is often water in it, then it makes sense to sew a galvanized profile under drywall instead of an unedged board on the ceiling. I usually fasten it in increments of 20 - 30 cm, in any case, it is only needed so that the insulation does not fall out.

According to a similar technology, the second floor is also being equipped, more precisely, a wooden floor between the first and second floors along the logs. The only difference is that instead of a subfloor layer, most often some sheet material, such as plywood or drywall, is sewn from below.

Option number 3. We insulate the floor of a wooden house standing on a concrete slab

The floor in a wooden house on a solid concrete base can be insulated using two technologies: mounting on logs and arranging a screed. The choice depends on what end result you want to see and how much money you are willing to spend on all this. Most often, the first option is used in such houses; according to it, at the finish you get a covering from a natural floorboard.

Compared to the two previous options, in my opinion, it is much easier to insulate a concrete slab. As a rule, such a base initially has an absolutely flat plane, in addition, the weight of the insulating structure itself does not matter here.

According to the first method, you need to mount a wooden crate on the stove. It will replace us with those same load-bearing logs.

Only at first the concrete must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. In this case, it is quite enough, technical polyethylene. The thickness of the bars under the crate depends on the type of insulation.

For a full-fledged floorboard with a thickness of 40 mm or more, the laying step of the batten guides varies between 50 - 70 cm. In the case when it is planned to sew up the floor with thick plywood or OSB, the step is about 30 - 40 cm.

The battens are attached to the concrete slab with anchors. After that, just like when mounting from above, a heater is laid in the niches, and a finishing coating is sewn on top of it.

Warming a concrete slab under a screed is made even easier. Looking ahead a little, I’ll say that the best insulation here is extruded polystyrene foam, which we better know as Penoplex. I will talk about its capabilities later, but now let's get back to the technology.

So this Penoplex is laid in a continuous layer on a flat concrete slab, attached to it and all the cracks are blown with foam. After that, you can choose: either lay a metal reinforcing mesh on it and fill it with a screed, or equip the flooring from plywood, OSB or drywall and mount a floating technology laminate on it.

If you are interested in a blank for the “warm floor” system, then for both electric and water versions, the extruded polystyrene foam base is perfect.

In addition to extruded polystyrene foam, such a floor can be insulated with expanded clay. Of course, you will have to mess around more, but the price of such insulation will be disproportionately less.

The technology here is about the same. Initially, the concrete is covered with a waterproofing film with a call to the walls, just above the finishing coating. Then a layer of expanded clay is filled up and leveled along the horizon.

You can put reinforcement on expanded clay and pour cement-sand mortar, it will be a wet screed. Or lay a double layer of plywood, OSB or drywall, this is already called a dry floating screed.

Choosing a heater

We figured out how to make the insulation itself, now it remains to find out which floor insulation in a wooden house is more suitable in a given situation. To make it easier for you to understand, I conditionally divided all the materials into 2 large areas:

1. Budget, that is, not expensive;
2. And what is now called new technologies, respectively, their cost is an order of magnitude higher.

Traditional budget heaters

• Wood sawdust is deservedly considered the patriarch in this direction. It is not difficult to guess that the price for them is cheap, if you try hard, you can even get it for free. But in order for this material to be used as a heater, it must be well prepared. Otherwise, after a couple of months, the sawdust will simply rot.

First of all, remember that sawdust must be aged in a dry place for at least a year, freshly sawn material is not suitable. And in order for the mice not to arrange a hostel in this heater, you need to add slaked lime there.

Since we are talking about self-cooking, then I will take the liberty of giving you the 2 most popular recipes:

1. For the floor, the bulk option is best suited. Here, 8 parts of dry sawdust will need to be thoroughly mixed with two parts of dry powder of slaked lime, in stores such lime is called fluff. In principle, the material is ready, now it can be poured into the space between the subfloor and the finishing floor.
   Only to achieve the expected effect, in the middle lane of our great motherland, this layer should be at least 150 - 200 mm. And in the northern regions, it can reach up to 300 and even 400 mm;

1. It is much easier to work with plates. But these plates will need to be made first. In the composition of the solution, in addition to sawdust, the same fluff is present, and cement is added as a binder. Standard proportion 8/1/1 (sawdust/lime/cement).
   Naturally, all this is abundantly wetted and mixed well. When the solution is ready, it is poured into molds and lightly compacted. In the warm season, after about a week, the plates will dry and be ready for use. It is possible to lay the raw mix directly into the floor, but in this case you will not be able to sew up the finish coat, because you will have to wait a couple of weeks until the mortar is completely dry.

• The second number we have is expanded clay. This material is widely used in our country. Expanded clay is a granule of foamed and fired clay. The material is porous, lightweight, strong and durable.
  Its only drawback is its hygroscopicity, expanded clay is able to absorb moisture. Hence the conclusion follows, expanded clay needs mandatory installation of waterproofing.
  As for the depth of insulation, it is about the same as that of sawdust. To equip the floor in a wooden house, 2 fractions of expanded clay, gravel and sand should be used. So your mound will be denser;

• But perhaps the most popular floor insulation in the public sector is polystyrene foam. The material is comfortable in almost every way. In the underground, protected from all sides, the foam will lie indefinitely. Where sawdust or expanded clay needs to be covered with a minimum thickness of 150 mm, it is enough to install foam plastic with a thickness of only 50 mm.
  This insulation is absolutely indifferent to moisture and waterproofing is installed here only to protect the wood itself. To install it, you only need to cut the slab exactly to the size of the niche, insert it and blow out the gaps with mounting foam.
  In a wooden house, rodents are the weak point of the foam embedded in the floor. They really like to arrange their nests in it and it is almost impossible to fight this with folk methods;

• It would not be fair to miss such a common insulation as mineral wool. You can’t call it really cheap, but there are several inexpensive models in the line. In particular, glass wool and soft mineral wool mats are not expensive.

But to be honest, I don’t recommend them to you, this material quickly caking, mice love it and when wet, it completely loses its qualities. No matter how hard you try, soft cotton wool will have to be changed about once every 10 years.

There are also mineral wool basalt slabs, they are more expensive, but their density and quality are much higher. I recommend that if you install cotton wool, then take only slabs with a thickness of about 100m.

Of all the above budget options for insulation, only sawdust and polystyrene are considered combustible. Expanded clay and cotton wool are the standard of fire safety.

New technologies

• Among the newfangled heaters, extruded polystyrene foam is now breaking all records of popularity. It is a modern derivative of foam, both materials are made from styrene granules, the difference is only in technology.
  Extruded polystyrene boards have a closed cell structure. As a result, the material does not pass not only moisture, but even steam. In fact, we are dealing with a good waterproofing. Above, I already mentioned that Penoplex can be laid in a screed, this is due to the fantastic strength of extruded polystyrene foam.
  If this material can be used to insulate airfields, roads and concrete foundations, then there is nothing to say about the strength of a small wooden house. In addition, mice do not particularly favor him either;

• The next number we have is the so-called ecowool. It is approximately 80% cellulose, the remaining 20% ​​are flame retardants and antiseptics. In the production of ecowool is not very expensive, because cellulose is obtained from shredded waste paper.
  I think that the high price here is due more to the fact that the material is new. There are two ways to install such a heater. If you are interested in self-assembly, then the cotton wool is simply poured into the floor cells and fluffed up with a construction mixer.
  But it is better to order machine blowing. In this case, cotton wool is blown onto any surface, including vertical and overhanging surfaces, with the help of a compressor. Ecowool has one advantage over other modern heaters, if you are sure of the high-quality installation of the rough and finishing floor, then in old houses you can simply make a hole and blow out the entire subfloor with ecowool through it;

• Polyurethane foam pleasure is quite expensive. It is impossible to apply this material on any surface with your own hands; professional equipment and specialists with the appropriate qualifications are needed here.
  According to its characteristics, polyurethane foam approaches extruded polystyrene foam, only it will not withstand the screed. The best option here is to foam the floor from below in a wet basement. The fact is that the foam will hermetically close the tree from below, and the warranty period for the operation of such a heater starts from 30 years;

• Penoizol will cost less than polyurethane foam. But for its application also need specialists. Personally, in the case of floor insulation in a wooden house, I don’t see much point in paying for such material. Indeed, in fact, penoizol is the same foam, only in liquid form. Of all the advantages, only quick installation and a sealed continuous coating;

• Finally, I wanted to talk about the so-called isolon. In a nutshell, isolon is polyethylene foam. It can be coated on one or both sides with foil, and also go without a foil coating. But it is difficult to call it an independent floor insulation in a wooden house, most models have a thickness of up to 10 mm.
  With such a thickness, isolon can only be used as an auxiliary coating. In particular, it is used in the arrangement of electric floor heating. Or they are sometimes additionally covered with cotton wool. Foil isolon is a good waterproofing agent, and personally, I often mount it instead of the top insulating layer under the finish coat.

Conclusion

Insulating the floor in a wooden house with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. If you choose the right insulation and prepare well, then the floors in a medium-sized house can be equipped in a maximum of a week. In the photo and video in this article, I have placed additional information on the topic of insulation. If you have any questions, write them in the comments, I will try to help.

The better the building's performance in terms of heat saving, the lower the financial losses for maintaining the house in the winter. But there is one point - if the correct use of heaters gives a significant positive effect, then the wrong one is very negative. How to choose the right insulation for the floor in a wooden house? Which is better? We will tell you more in today's article.

A wooden house was previously considered a very warm structure that did not require any additional insulation work. True, not all modern developers know that the floors in old houses were made from logs cut in half, and the thickness of such coatings reached 20–25 cm. The walls of the log house were assembled from round timber Ø 55–60 cm. and for floors, boards with a thickness of no more than 2.5 cm are used. Such thin lumber cannot in any way comply with the requirements of current regulations.

According to the existing standards for heat saving residential buildings (SNiP II-3-79), in order to achieve energy saving R = 3.33 ° С m2 / W, the thickness of the timber in the Moscow region should be 50 cm. In order not to install such thick walls, modern insulation materials must be used . 12 cm of styrofoam has the same heat saving effect as a 53 cm thick wood or a 210 cm brick wall.

The construction industry offers consumers a wide range of thermal insulation materials that differ in structure, manufacturing technology and thermal conductivity parameters.

Table. Varieties of floor heaters

One of the common and important problems of a private house made of wood is a cold floor. This is due to the outflow from the ground of cold air currents that penetrate through the cracks. In order for the room to be warm and comfortable, it is necessary to carry out floor insulation in a wooden house from below. How to do this, what materials are used for this and the main points of installation work are described in this article.

Helpful advice! Working with cotton wool requires special protective clothing for the body, gloves and goggles. This is due to the fact that during the installation work, small fibers are separated from the plates. They can cause skin irritation and itching.

Floor insulation with expanded clay

Expanded clay is a small round porous balls of slate or clay. They are obtained by firing materials in a furnace at high temperature. Expanded clay is considered a safe and environmentally friendly material. Among its advantages are:

• high sound insulation;
• resistance to low temperatures;
• environmental safety for humans.

A noticeable disadvantage of this material is the compaction under its own weight. Expanded clay balls are pressed together. This leads to an increase in the weight of the substance and a decrease in thermal insulation properties.

Helpful advice! You should not choose this material for floor insulation in a wooden house on screw piles. An increase in the mass of the floor covering can lead to subsidence of the foundation of the structure.

Using sawdust for floor insulation

Sawdust is a waste product of the woodworking industry. They have good steam and sound insulation characteristics, retain heat, and are environmentally friendly for humans. Sawdust are of low cost. The resulting thermal effect is no worse than that of expensive materials. Thanks to the cement component, they are also well suited for floor insulation in a ground floor apartment. Subsequently, laminate, linoleum, tiles, etc. can be laid on such a screed.

Before use, sawdust is subjected to special treatment. This helps to prevent the appearance of rodents and beetles in them. After, they are mixed with cement and water and evenly applied over the entire floor area.

Helpful advice!Clay can be used instead of mortar. This material is environmentally friendly and has better thermal insulation characteristics than cement.

Sawdust is ideal for insulating floors on the ground, especially if the building does not have a solid and solid foundation.

Floor insulation with foam

Popular floor insulation with polystyrene foam. Most often, this material is called foam. The advantages of this heater:

• low vapor and sound permeability;
• low thermal conductivity;
• resistant to external factors and chemicals;
• does not lose its properties for a long time;
• easy to install.

A significant disadvantage of polystyrene is its susceptibility to moisture. He can absorb it into himself. This negatively affects the basic performance characteristics. He is also afraid of exposure to fire and high temperatures. But the simple and inexpensive technology of floor insulation with polystyrene is its significant advantage. This is what, in most cases, the owner of the house is guided by.

Helpful advice! If your dacha or private house is located on land with a close occurrence of groundwater or a high risk of flooding, you should not choose polystyrene foam as a heater. If the choice has already been made, you should take care of good waterproofing.

Ecowool

Polyurethane foam (ecowool) is a great way to solve the issue of floor insulation in an apartment on the ground floor and a private house (cottage). This material is blown into the free space using a compressor. So it evenly fills all the voids. Fine particles that make up ecowool provide excellent vapor barrier. The material is not exposed to moisture, so additional waterproofing is not needed during its installation. This allows you to reduce the cost of insulation.

Related article:

How to put it in correctly. Features of different types of heaters. Floor maintenance tips. Popular manufacturers and cost of materials.

After hardening, a solid, even layer is obtained. It handles loads very well. Light weight does not increase the weight of the structure. The service life of this heater is more than 20 years.

A significant disadvantage of ecowool is the need to use special industrial equipment.

Helpful advice! Professionals say that when insulating with this material, waterproofing is not needed. However, when insulating the floor in a country house without a foundation, it is better to lay an additional waterproofing layer.

Penofol: floor insulation

The combination of polyethylene foam and a thin layer of aluminum foil is called foam foam. It is sold as a rolled roll. The thickness of the seal is from 3 to 10 mm. Penofol retains heat well, is environmentally friendly, has high sound insulation.

Retains heat well

The big disadvantage of this material is exposure to moisture due to the presence of aluminum foil in the composition. Another disadvantage is that penofol does not differ in long-term operation. After five years it is necessary to carry out re-insulation.

The main points of the installation work

All materials used for floor insulation have their own fixing methods. However, there are highlights of the thermal protection device. They are recommended to be observed when installing any material.

The order of arrangement of the main layers when installing floor insulation in a wooden house with your own hands:

• waterproofing layer;
• thermal insulation layer;
• vapor barrier material;
• direct structural elements of the floor;
• flooring.

Experts say that such an arrangement of the main layers will allow you to get the optimal thermal regime inside the room. This technology maintains the necessary circulation of moisture in the house.

Helpful advice! When insulating the floor of the basement in a wooden house, you can choose beams with a cross section of 50 to 100 mm. They are fixed from below, and a layer of insulation is laid between them. The additionally obtained "pie" should be sewn up with boards.

Waterproofing

When insulating the floor in a private house, you can not do without waterproofing. Due to the ability of cold air to condense on a warm surface, the wood floor is exposed to moisture. Its constant presence in the room leads to the active development of fungus, mold and causes decay of the structure itself. Especially if special tools were not used during the construction of the house.

When laying thermal insulation without a waterproofing layer, the effect of moisture negatively affects the heat-conducting properties of the material. The result is an increase in humidity in the room and a decrease in temperature. Waterproofing helps to avoid these unpleasant moments.

A waterproofing layer is laid from the side of exposure to cold air currents.

Vapor barrier

Human heat and equipment operating in the home emit warm air. It passes through the ceiling and condenses when it encounters cold air. The problem with this phenomenon is that moisture settles inside the structure. As a result, the tree swells and begins to rot from the inside. It will not be possible to prevent this process by processing special means. Therefore, when insulating the floor in a wooden house from below with foam or other material, the presence of a vapor barrier is mandatory.

When carrying out installation work from below, the vapor barrier layer is laid first. The simplest and most affordable material for this is polyethylene film. It is excellent for both steam and waterproofing.

The presence of such layers in the flooring should be designed in advance. If this was not done on time, then it is necessary to lay the film immediately after putting the house into operation.

Helpful advice! An excellent material for hydro- and vapor barriers are moisture-windproof membranes. This material allows air to circulate and retains moisture from it inside. It can be used when insulating the floor with penofol or other insulation.

The main stages of laying insulation

The best installation option is laying floor insulation along the logs. These cross boards are used for subsequent flooring.

The main stages of work:

• a log is installed on the finished foundation. The recommended distance between the bars is not more than 1-1.2 m;
• after that, thick plywood or chipboard sheets are installed. They are fixed with self-tapping screws. This is how the base is prepared for laying the heat-insulating layer;
• insulation is laid between the wooden lags. Depending on the material used, the thickness of this layer may vary. In any case, it should not exceed the size of the lag itself;
• then a layer of waterproofing is laid. Although this step is recommended by experts for maximum effect, it can be skipped. This is due to the resistance of some materials to moisture;
• Now you can lay the flooring. It may be old. Or it can be replaced with a new one.

Compliance with this sequence will allow you to insulate the wooden floor with foam or other insulation.

Features insulation with sawdust

Floor insulation with sawdust is an eco-friendly and affordable way to keep the heat in the house. When choosing this heater, you must adhere to a number of recommendations:

• broken glass should be added to the prepared mixture of sawdust with cement or clay. This will prevent the appearance of rodents. Do not forget about the use of special solutions;
• the mixture consists of five parts sawdust, one part cement (clay) and half water. This proportion must be observed. When mixing a steeper solution, you will get a durable insulation, but with a low thermal conductivity;
• carefully fill the voids between the lags. This will allow you to get an even layer of insulation. If this technology is not maintained, the thermal insulation will be “leaky”, and the floor will remain cold.

Helpful advice! Due to the large number of insulation materials on the market and the time spent on preparing the mixture, sawdust is rarely used for insulation. However, they will help solve the issue of isolation with a limited financial budget.

Features of foam insulation

Due to its high strength and affordable cost, foam floor insulation in a wooden house is more common than other materials.

Among the features of the installation of this insulation, we note the following points:

• penoplex is laid between the lags and fastened to the floor from below with mounting glue;
• it is necessary to accurately and tightly fit the edges of the plates. This will avoid the penetration of cold air;
• joints are additionally glued for maximum adhesion;

• a waterproofing layer is required. This is especially important for a private house or cottage in a swampy area;
• before laying foam plastic, wooden beams and crossbars are treated with a special solution. This will avoid rotting and the appearance of bugs.

Helpful advice! If you live in an apartment building, then choosing foam as a floor insulation is the best solution. This material is laid in a thin layer and does not affect the height of the room.

Due to its light weight, penoplex is great for floor insulation in a frame house. The load on the foundation of the building will be minimal. This will avoid shrinkage of the house over time.

The main points of expanded clay insulation

The laying of this insulation takes place according to the technology described above. However, there are a number of features that you need to be aware of. To conduct floor insulation in a wooden house with expanded clay, you must:

• be sure to lay a pillow of sand. It is poured in an even layer and carefully rammed;
• a layer of liquid mastic is applied on top of this pillow. It plays the role of waterproofing;

• now expanded clay falls asleep. In order for the layer to be as even as possible and without voids, it is recommended to use a material of different fractions. This will allow the granules to fit closer to each other;
• vapor barrier is required. Only after it can the main flooring be laid.

Due to the significant weight of this material, it is better to insulate a wooden floor with expanded clay with a solid foundation.

Do-it-yourself warming of a wooden floor in a house: video

Today on the Internet there are a great many training videos for self-assembly of insulation. Viewing them will allow you to understand the technology of work, the principles of choice and the main stages of laying materials. In addition, these videos contain a large number of useful points. So you can find out, for example, about the correct filling of the floor screed with insulation with polystyrene foam.

In order for the floor in the house to turn out to be warm, it is necessary to take into account many nuances. The right choice of insulation plays an important role in this. When choosing a material for yourself, you should not start from the price or installation technology. Consider the type of building, the nuances of the landscape and the features of the operation of the house (permanent or seasonal). Based on this, you can choose the perfect floor insulation.

P Before you think about how to insulate a wooden floor in a house, you need to decide what kind of problems you intend to solve with this, and at the same time think about what problems may arise as a result of this. Otherwise wooden floor insulation in the house can be not only unnecessary, but also harmful. Especially if the problem is solved floor insulation in a wooden house.

Content
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The device and features of the operation of a wooden floor

To better understand what you have to deal with, let's look at the device of a wooden floor.

The basis for it is wooden bars, the so-called "logs" (these floors are sometimes called ""). Milled boards are stuffed onto the logs in a special way, forming a finishing coating, or the so-called “rough” floor from unplaned, or even uncut boards, artificial materials (plywood, chipboard, OSB). The draft floor serves as the basis for, and similar coatings.

An important factor in the normal operation of wooden floors is the correct ventilation of the floor from below, that is, under the board covering and between the joists (ventilation of the space under the floor covering). If ventilation is insufficient, over time, due to high humidity, the tree is affected by a fungus, and the resulting microclimate contributes to the appearance of various insects, including woodworms.

For good air circulation on the floor boards, from below, they even arrange special gutters (see Fig. 1).

Places where you need to do the insulation of a wooden floor

Experience in the operation of buildings says that for effective thermal insulation, it is necessary first of all to protect the place where the floors adjoin the outer walls.

If we are talking about floor insulation in an apartment building, often the entire surface requires insulation. For example, below there is an unheated basement, the temperature in which, although in winter, is maintained above zero (otherwise the sewerage and water supply would freeze), but lower than in the apartment. And even a difference of five degrees is already noticeable heat loss.

How to insulate a wooden floor exactly where it is needed will be prompted by observations, design standards and ordinary common sense.

As for how to insulate the floor in a wooden house, it’s more difficult. A wooden house can be chopped and frame, from a bar, log. Lined and not lined. All of these options are subject to change. Therefore, in the article we will try to give general principles, and in each specific case, on their basis, you need to think about what and how to do right here and now.

The insulation is poured or laid between the lags, and between the top of the insulation and the lower plane of the coating there must be at least 4-5 centimeters of a gap for normal ventilation of the subfloor.

Before laying the insulation, it is necessary to lay an insulating carpet that cuts off vaporous or liquid (osmotic) moisture (if the base is soil). When using mineral wool insulation, a hydrobarrier is additionally made from above. That is, a warm “pie” is created, into which it is difficult for moisture to penetrate, but from where it easily evaporates through a vapor-permeable waterproofing.

If foam plastics are used for insulation, steam and waterproofing is not done, and the seams between the individual plates, between the insulation and the logs (walls) are filled with mounting foam.

When insulating the floors of the first floor, when there is soil or a warm basement ceiling below, it is enough to lay the thermal insulation at the junction of the floor and external walls, making a belt 80-100 centimeters wide. The task of the belt is not to insulate the wall, but to insulate from the side of the soil that freezes in winter (see Fig. 2).

Tooling for floor insulation in a wooden house (wooden floor)

Warming a wooden floor in a house does not require a significant set of tools. Cutting foam insulation and films of vapor and waterproofing is carried out with a mounting knife and ordinary scissors. When working with mineral wool, a knife is also used (rigid and semi-rigid plates), large scissors (soft roll insulation).

Of course, if an already assembled structure is insulated, carpentry tools are required for. However, this has a rather indirect relation to the issue of insulation.

Conclusion on the insulation of a wooden floor

So, we have considered how to insulate a wooden floor. As already mentioned, the question of the need for insulation arises in two cases:

New construction;
imperfections of the existing floor.

Leave your tips and comments below. Subscribe to