I decided that I would not tell how I insulated my house or how I helped my friends or neighbors do it. Each of them has their own project. And those tips that helped some people back then may turn out to be absolutely useless for you.
At the request of workers, in this review we will consider only those sets of measures that can be carried out inside the house, leaving facade insulation for separate articles.
Audit
So, where should an owner begin who has undertaken to turn his home into a frost-proof fortress? Of course, from the audit! To plan your future actions, you need to understand how things are at the moment.
We will move from bottom to top.
First, let's check what gender we have. If it is just a poured concrete screed or plank flooring, it cannot be warm a priori, which means it needs to be insulated.
Then look at the carpentry - these door and window openings very often serve as the main factors of heat loss, which means they can easily ruin you.
Now we have to check the attic floor and, of course, the roof. I can tell you from experience, since you are reading this article, the attic and roof were definitely left without proper attention - if not, I’m sorry, I could have made a mistake.
Floor
There are plenty of floor insulation methods today, but are they all rational? For example, dry expanded clay screed from Knauf is widely popular. By the way, it costs a lot of money.
But why not use good old polystyrene foam? Harmful? Ha! Under concrete screed and you can hide toxins, especially since heating the foam in the ground is impossible.
Not breathing? Honestly, the floor is not the place where excess steam escapes; there are usually plenty of holes for this in a country house.
Well, now the advantages:
That is, if for tolerable thermal insulation of the floor you need a layer of polystyrene foam of at least 150 mm, then you will have to pour more than half a meter of expanded clay!
Even with this approach, the cold cannot penetrate.
Carpentry
And it’s a no-brainer that if you still have old Soviet windows in your house, then you heat not only the room, but also your yard. Thermal conductivity of glass is 0.81 W/ (m*K), exactly the same as brickwork, however, the thickness is only 3-4 mm.
The glass unit is another matter. Properly manufactured, it significantly increases the heat transfer resistance of a window unit, and therefore people, without hesitation, take two, three, and if they sell even five chamber glass products.
The trap is that optimal width cameras are 16 mm, and the width of the produced window profile 32 mm.
It would seem that a two-chamber product can still be “fitted” tightly, but let’s add the thickness of the glass, and there will be as many as 3 of them and we’ll get an extra 1.2 cm.
It is important not to chase the chambers, but to understand that it is not the glass that retains heat, but the air sandwiched between them, and if the amount of this air is reduced by the same volume, heat loss will only increase.
Conclusion: not everything is good because it’s expensive!
Walls
We've finally come to the topical issue. Insulation of walls. Probably the most discussed topic before winter.
There are exactly two main materials. These are polystyrene foam and mineral wool. The first option is cheaper, but the second one “breathes”. In fact, all this is nonsense and fables of PR people.
Cotton wool wrapped in a steam membrane allows steam to pass through no better than polystyrene foam, which means you still have to organize good ventilation in the room. But this is for general development, but you still have to buy Isover.
The reason is simple - it is practically harmless and non-flammable, plus (if you have it) it has good contact with wood, without mold or rot. All this cannot be said about polystyrene foam.
And those who have heard about the fire in the “Lame Horse” completely bypass the foam material, especially since the thermal conductivity of the products in question is almost the same.
And now a few words about the insulation itself.
What value of heat transfer resistance of walls is needed for your region and what it actually is.
Let's say you have a two-brick wall and you live in Moscow. Keep track of the arithmetic
Two bricks equal 51 centimeters of wall. Thermal conductivity of brickwork is 0.814 W/ (m*K).
To find out the actual heat transfer resistance, divide the wall thickness by its thermal conductivity.
0.51/0.814= 0.62 mK/W
If you look at the tables, you can see that the norm is 3.28 mK/W
Let's subtract the actual from the necessary and find out that we still need to get 2.66 mK/W. Cool right? This is four times more than we actually have.
It turns out that fifteen centimeters will be just right.
Ceiling and roof
The attic floor and roof are most often the “black hole” of any home, where your heat disappears without a trace. It's logical. The heated air, according to all the laws of physics, rises upward, where, without meeting the proper resistance, it first heats the attic, and then the snow lying on the roof, thus creating another danger - icicles.
On the eve of winter, many are wondering how to insulate a country house for winter accommodation. Here we will try to sort out all the modern and traditional ways and technology.
Why is thermal insulation needed and why should you not neglect it?
If you have decided to break away from the bustle of the city and spend winter time in your own country house, it is necessary to prepare it thoroughly. Installation heating system should not be the only event. Good thermal insulation country house will help significantly improve energy efficiency and significantly save on heating costs. In addition, living in a properly insulated house will be much more comfortable. The absence of drafts and cold walls is also more beneficial for health.
What is better to choose
Basically, the choice is between two main methods of insulation: external and internal. Ideally, the building should be treated both outside and inside, but in order to save money, you can limit yourself to just one. The choice largely depends on climatic conditions, existing finishes, the chosen heating method and structure, available funds. So, if interior spaces already fully completed and new renovation While there is no opportunity or desire to do this, it is better to insulate the house from the outside. Accordingly, you should act in the opposite case.
However external finishing more difficult to install, often more expensive, and the possibility of installation greatly depends on weather conditions. This makes it less suitable for cases where work needs to be completed in a short time. You can insulate your dacha from the inside, even if the cold weather has already set in.
External thermal insulation
First of all, when deciding how to insulate a country house, you should think about insulating the walls outside. The most common insulating materials for exterior use are foam or polystyrene foam boards and basalt wool. Today the building materials market offers a lot of other materials, but these are the easiest to use, affordable and time-tested. Mineral wool is usually placed under the siding; expanded polystyrene panels can also be covered with siding, or covered with plaster and various decorative coatings. Today these methods exterior finishing most popular.
If the house itself is wooden, then before starting any work it must be treated with special compounds that increase the moisture resistance of the wood and reduce the fire hazard, as well as with an antiseptic!
To compare these materials, consider an approximate installation diagram for both:
Siding installation
To finish facades with siding panels, a sheathing is first constructed from metal profiles or wooden blocks. The resulting chambers are filled with the selected insulation. It would be good if there were no gaps. Decorative panels and other necessary elements are fixed on top.
When working with glass wool, be sure to use a respirator and protective gloves!
Installation of polystyrene boards
Internal thermal insulation
Internal insulation of the room is also carried out by laying heat-insulating materials under decorative coating. Due to the fact that indoor conditions are much softer, the choice of materials and finishing methods is much greater. As for external thermal insulation, the same insulating materials are suitable for insulating a dacha from the inside: mineral wool, foam or polystyrene panels and others. You can also use blow-in insulation.
Installation frame structure also begins with the treatment of the walls themselves, depending on what they are made of. Be sure to treat the walls with a special anti-mold compound. When erecting such structures, it is not necessary to level the walls; this will help significantly save time and materials. After erecting the frame, a layer of foamed foil vapor barrier film should be laid. It also has heat-reflecting properties. If the wall is wooden, then you can attach the film with ordinary nails, but a construction or furniture stapler will help save a lot of time and effort. Then the heat-protective material itself is laid directly, which is sewn on top with sheets of fiberboard, chipboard, OSB panels, sheets of plasterboard, MDF panels or other materials. This kind of multi-layer sandwich helps to conserve heat in the room.
It is imperative to first insulate those walls that are in contact with the street. It is permissible not to provide such thermal insulation for unheated rooms, such as balconies or verandas, if they will not be used in winter, but it is worth paying attention to the walls adjacent to such rooms. The layer of insulating material for them can be chosen thinner if the veranda is warm enough. There is no point in insulating partitions and walls inside the house itself, except perhaps to increase sound insulation. Insulation of the external premises adjacent to the house will allow them to be used during the cold season and will increase the efficiency of heating the entire house.
Window insulation
Understanding how to insulate country house In no case should you forget about windows. Gaps, improper installation, and poor-quality sealing can also cause heat loss. Of course, modern plastic windows with multi-chamber double-glazed windows filled with inert gases are most effective. But it is not always possible to spend a decent amount of money on replacing them. And sometimes new ones could use some “upgrade”.
Plastic windows
At correct installation they should not require repairs for many years. However, it doesn’t hurt to inspect the places where they connect to the wall. Pay attention to whether there is a draft around the edges. Where it is, the voids should be filled polyurethane foam. The slopes should be repaired externally and internally. May need to be replaced rubber seals on opening doors.
Wooden windows
For quality repairs wooden windows you will need:
- Silicone sealant (if you take it in a special tube, you will need a glue gun);
- Polyurethane foam;
- Small spatula;
- Masking tape;
- Seal;
- Unnecessary newspapers, magazines or film;
- Plaster;
- Nails (small, you can take furniture ones) and a hammer.
If there are broken or cracked glasses, it is better to replace them. This also applies to glazing beads. First, remove all old caulking, loose pieces of plaster and cement from the cracks between the frame and the wall and from under the flashings and sills.
Before filling the holes with polyurethane foam, it is necessary to protect the glass and the surfaces surrounding the window opening with paper or film, securing it with masking tape. It leaves no marks on various surfaces and can be easily removed even from wallpaper. Carefully place a small amount of foam into the gaps. Keep in mind that its volume will increase several times during the day, so you should not add too much of it. After about a day, when the foam has completely hardened, you can remove the protective tape and paper. Now you can trim off the excess. The most convenient way to do this is with stationery knife. After this, you can level the surface with plaster.
Be careful when working with polyurethane foam! It is almost never removed from various surfaces and skin. Do not touch uncured foam with your hands! Avoid getting it on clothes, floor coverings, glass, frames and other surfaces.
If it is not possible to dismantle the corners, glazing beads with window frames, then just glue the cracks silicone sealant. It is necessary to place the sealant as deeply as possible into the holes. You can push it there and smooth it with your fingers moistened with water. Thanks to this, the glass will not rattle and there will be no draft.
At the joints of the sashes and frames it is necessary to glue a special sealing tape. Self-adhesive ones are most convenient. Before gluing, the surface must be cleaned and degreased. It is best to try to glue with a continuous line without joints around the entire perimeter.
How to insulate a summer house for living in winter? The fact is that many gardeners are attracted to active recreation outside the city not only in summer, but also in winter. Therefore, in order to be able to spend time in the garden comfortably with the onset of winter, you should insulate the floor, wooden walls and the attic of the house.
In this article we will tell you how to insulate a brick or timber garden house on your own for living in the winter. At the end of this material see detailed video instructions on this topic.
How to insulate a country house in the garden?
You should decide on thermal insulation materials before starting work. For foundations, basements and basements, it is better to use extruded polystyrene foam, which is very durable and resistant to high humidity.
For residential premises, you should choose mineral wool or fiberglass as environmentally friendly insulation.
Most practical materials For thermal insulation of a summer house, basalt materials, expanded polystyrene or foam plex boards are used. Expanded polystyrene should be used when self-insulation foundations and blind areas.
Penoplex slabs are dense and durable material, which is not afraid of high humidity, but these materials can emit harmful substances.
Insulation of a garden house for winter living
When using mineral wool, high-quality vapor barrier is required on the side of the warm room.
When laying, mineral insulation materials should be placed tightly into the frame. It is believed that mineral wool is not eaten by rodents and is environmentally safe for humans. In order for the thermal insulation layer to be optimal, you should first calculate the thickness of the wall insulation using a thermal calculator.
How to insulate a garden house with your own hands
After following all the tips in this article, even small oven there will be enough in the house for the whole family to live comfortably in the winter.
Approach your work responsibly in order to prevent the construction of cold bridges in structures. At the same time, do not forget to pay attention to the ventilation of residential premises, since insulation worsens the microclimate in the room, reducing the ability of structures to “breathe”.
External thermal insulation of structures shifts the dew point towards the street, reducing the risk of moisture appearing on the walls in the room.
Insulation of a garden house from the outside
Wall finishing can be done using the " wet facade"or "insulation under siding."
Insulation of a panel house for winter living: selection of materials and technology
In the first case, the insulation is attached to the facade with glue, a reinforcing mesh is glued over the insulation and applied facade plaster. In the second case, the thermal insulation is attached between the guides made of bars, then the insulation is covered with a vapor barrier film and sheathed with siding.
Insulating a garden house with polystyrene foam from the outside
Insulating a garden house from the inside
In addition to insulating floors and walls, do not forget about protection against heat loss through doors and windows in the summer house.
Window openings, especially window slopes and window sills, require careful insulation. It’s good if you have a small vestibule, then the cold will not penetrate into the house, but front door In a country house it is better to insulate it. For this you can use dermantin, padding polyester and furniture nails.
Insulating a garden house with mineral wool from the inside
Insulation of a garden house for living in winter
Floor insulation
First, you should insulate the base with polystyrene foam and the floor on the first floor.
Most often, in dachas, the floor is made of wood, so let’s look at this design. If you want to save money, you can use traditional materials– sawdust or expanded clay. If you take your work more seriously, then you can insulate the floor with mineral wool over wooden joists.
Thermal insulation of walls
If the house in the garden is built from sand-lime brick or from timber, then insulation must be done from the outside.
In this case, you will save space in your living space and protect the walls of the building from freezing and possible mold. It is best to insulate the facade with mineral wool followed by finishing vinyl siding. Read how to choose the right mineral wool on our website here.
Insulation of the facade of a house without cold bridges
Attic insulation
Through the ceiling private house loses the most heat because warm air always goes up.
It is better to do insulation from the side of the cold attic. On horizontal surfaces You can use traditional and inexpensive bulk materials - sawdust mixed with soil or expanded clay. If mineral wool is used, then a roll vapor barrier is first laid on the surface.
Video. How to insulate a summer house for living in winter
How to properly insulate a garden house
Insulation of walls in a country house is a pressing problem in modern world. It can save a lot 
the amount of money that goes towards heating the dacha.
But this is only possible with high-quality insulation.
And for this you need to know some installation tricks, as well as be able to choose the right insulation material.
From the article you will learn how to choose insulation for walls inside a country house.
How to choose the right insulation
It is known that a large amount of heat loss from a house occurs through the walls.
In numerical terms, this is about 40% of all lost heat. Therefore, it is very important to properly insulate this particular structure.
The amount of material should be taken depending on the parameters of the wall: height and width. You should also take into account the thickness of the insulation used. 
When choosing an insulation material, you need to ensure that it satisfies the following qualities:
- Environmental friendliness.
This means that the insulation material should not harm human health and have toxic properties;
- Safety (non-flammability). In other words, the ability to impede fire;
- Low thermal conductivity is an indicator of the ability to retain heat;
- Durability. So that the completed repairs and insulation work last a long time and keep the house warm;
- Water and steam holding capacity, that is, the ability of insulation to repel water and steam;
- Cost-effective, that is, an acceptable price for consumers.
The most popular materials for wall insulation are polystyrene foam and mineral wool.
Each of them has its pros and cons. 
Foam plastic
This material is a sheet with a smooth surface. It has high strength indicators. At the same time, the foam is quite light, which means that installation can be easily carried out independently, without additional help.
However, polystyrene foam has a significant drawback. Due to the fact that the insulation is represented by layers rectangular shape, then seams will form during installation.
Through them, heat can subsequently escape from the house.
In order to minimize these losses, the following measures were invented:
- The sheets must be adjusted to each other as closely as possible; this should be done special attention. Therefore, you cannot rush while working;
- If necessary, it is better to use special sealants;
- In addition to using sealant, the seams are sealed from above.
Installation of foam sheets is carried out in a certain sequence.
On the cleaned and pre-prepared surface, sheets of foam plastic are glued, which are pre-coated with an adhesive composition over the entire surface.
The resulting seams are sealed with sealant. If necessary, the seams are sealed over. Then you can begin finishing work.
Mineral wool
The presented insulation is usually produced in the form of rolls and slabs.
To insulate small walls, it is better to use mineral wool in tiled form, since it does not have such properties as wrinkleability and deformation.
How to save heat in a country house using insulation
Since it is easier to work with it on a large scale.
The result is a perfectly flat surface that is easy to install. finishing material. A negative property of mineral wool is its ability to absorb moisture.
What to pay attention to:
That is why it is impossible to insulate only with this material. It is better to use it in tandem with a vapor barrier film.
A vapor barrier layer is installed on the wall itself.
Then an insulating material is attached to it, in our case it is mineral wool.
It is attached to the vapor barrier using glue or self-tapping screws, or both. It is secured with slats onto which the interior decoration of the room is attached.
Polyurethane foam
Recently, polyurethane foam has been gaining popularity. It is considered one of the most reliable insulation materials.
The presented material has positive properties:
- Withstand mechanical loads;
- Withstand thermal loads;
- Fire resistant;
- Durable;
- There are no seams or joints that need to be sealed.
In other words, this insulation does not have the disadvantages that mineral wool and polystyrene foam have.
If we look at the properties of this product, we can say that it has no disadvantages.
The only difficulty you may encounter is applying the material. Polyurethane foam consists of two components that, when mixed, form foam. It is applied using a special device.
The foam is sprayed directly onto the wall on which the frame is installed.
There is no need to use fixatives. Polyurethane foam hardens and dries quickly.
A nylon mesh can be installed on top, and any finishing work can be done on it. 
Insulation technology
Regardless of what type of insulation material you choose, they all have approximately the same insulation technology:
- Preparing the wall for construction work: cleaning from dirt, leveling with a primer;
- Apply glue over the entire surface of the insulating material and glue it to the base;
- Performs such manipulation with each sheet;
- After fixing with glue, the material can be further secured using self-tapping screws or dowels.
However, this is not necessary, it all depends on desire;
- If joints or seams are formed during installation, they must be sealed;
- We fix the material with mesh and putty;
- We carry out finishing of thermal insulation;
- At this stage, finishing and decorative works. That is, work on decorating the wall itself from the inside.
Sometimes when installing insulation, special frames are used.
Then the material is fixed directly onto it. Then it will be easy to put plasterboard or plastic panels on top of this frame.
Insulating the walls of a country house can cost a fortune, even if you use budget insulation materials like mineral wool.
However, no matter how big the costs seem now, remember that it will definitely pay off.
In addition, it should be remembered that when carrying out internal insulation of a house or cottage, it is better to combine it with external insulation. Only then will you receive the highest quality insulation and minimal heat loss.
There is nothing better than a weekend or vacation spent on own dacha. Residents of large cities especially value this type of recreation, and therefore often visit their country estates even in the cold season. But the design of country houses is not intended for comfortable stay at low temperatures air, so in this case, high-quality insulation is necessary, the organization of which has its own characteristics.
Thermal insulation of these two types of residential buildings should occur according to different schemes. These differences are dictated by the fact that a private house is heated year-round, while the internal temperature in a dacha drops significantly during the cold season.
The main task of insulating a house is to retain heat inside the room. This can be achieved most effectively by creating internal and external insulation. The dacha, in turn, is heated only when it is in use, and it is necessary to achieve a comfortable temperature in a short period of time. Such a sharp change in conditions is very harmful to the very structure of buildings and finishing materials.
Therefore, when deciding how to insulate a country house, it would be preferable to choose only thermal insulation from the inside, which will reduce negative impact from sharp increase temperature. At the same time, the heating time of the room will be reduced, since energy costs for insulating walls, floors and roofs will be reduced. An important advantage of this method of thermal insulation of a dacha is its low cost.
But exclusively insulating from the inside can lead to the development of fungus, which occurs due to a shift in the dew point (the boundary of condensation formation inside the wall, which can shift under certain conditions). Therefore, to avoid such consequences, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- A layer of vapor barrier film is required between the insulation and the wall. It is highly undesirable to save on this aspect of repair work.
- Regardless of whether you use insulation in the form of slabs or rolls, the joints between the pieces of material should fit snugly against each other.
- There should also be no empty space between the wall and the insulation layer. Therefore, before starting work, it is advisable to treat the wall surface with an adhesive composition.
- Almost the only way to significantly reduce humidity in a dacha is a system forced ventilation. If you have the opportunity, be sure to equip your seasonal country house with it.
- The thickness of the insulation layer must clearly correlate with a number of parameters, the most important of which is the climatic conditions in the region. Information about specific calculation formulas can be found on the Internet.
- Before starting work, it is necessary to treat the inside of the walls with an antifungal compound.
If you follow all the tips given, then such internal thermal insulation will be quite effective and at the same time you will have to avoid problems with fungus.
Internal wall insulation
There are many ways to organize wall insulation from the inside, so we will consider only the most popular ones. For this type of work, mineral wool, glass wool and polystyrene foam are most often used (for Russian market presented under the name "penoplex"). Last option is most preferable, as it has high vapor barrier parameters. Let's consider the algorithm for the simplest thermal insulation using the example of penoplex panels:
- The quality of thermal insulation from this material largely depends on the base surface to which it will be attached. Therefore, before starting work, the wall must be thoroughly cleaned or even leveled to rough.
- After waiting for the putty to dry, you can apply a layer of waterproofing. But the good vapor permeability of penoplex allows you to get rid of this protective measure.
- Next, you can begin gluing the foam panels. For better contact, the surface of the insulation must be perforated using sandpaper or a knife. The glue is applied to one side of the panel using a spatula, after which it is pressed against the wall, starting from the bottom corner. Mounting slots are treated with sealant.
- Additionally, it is necessary to secure thermal insulation material using disc-type dowels.
After completing this stage of work, it is necessary to install a vapor barrier layer. It is best to use foil materials for this, which are attached to the sheathing. During installation, it is necessary to leave a little space between the insulation layer and the vapor barrier.
Installation of mineral wool or glass wool is not much different from the process described above. The differences are that due to the flexibility of these materials, they can only be attached to the sheathing, and it will also be impossible to do without basic waterproofing.
Insulation of a wooden floor in a country house
A significant portion can escape through the floor internal heat premises, especially if there is a basement. Therefore, effective thermal insulation of a dacha will also require internal thermal insulation of this structural element.
- The most effective will be insulation with floor removal, which is carried out according to the following scheme:
- A plank beating is nailed to the floor joists, which will form a flat base surface. The best alternative for ordinary wood there will be OSB boards.
- Then a layer of waterproofing material is laid, which can be used as ordinary polyethylene film.
- The next layer is formed from insulation. Best choice in this case there will be porous materials that provide good natural ventilation.
- The final stage is the installation of the second plank, which will serve as a subfloor. In this case, there should remain a distance of 5-10 mm between the edge of the knurl and the wall, which is necessary for natural ventilation. Later it can be covered with a plinth.
Choosing thermal insulating materials for internal insulation floors, you need to choose those that can withstand large physical activity. In particular, it can be polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam and expanded clay.
Unlike walls, it is best to insulate the floor both from the outside and from the outside. inside, therefore, it is highly recommended to thermally insulate the external base of the dacha.
Internal roof insulation
It is impossible to provide heat without an insulated roof, since it is through this part of any structure that the overwhelming majority of internal energy escapes. The technology is also a classic thermal insulation cake, which is installed using the following method:
- The initial stage is laying waterproofing materials. Slightly sagging waterproofing strips are placed perpendicular to the rafters. The resulting cracks are sealed with tape.
- Rolls or slabs of thermal insulation are laid end-to-end between the rafters. From the inside, they are additionally strengthened with ropes or thin wooden blocks. If required thickness thermal insulation requires laying insulation in two layers, then the outer layer must cover the knocks of the inner one.
- After this, a vapor barrier layer is created. The smooth surface should be located towards the street. To attach the vapor barrier, it is enough to use tape or a stapler.
- At the final stage, the guide sheathing is installed, onto which the final decorative trim is mounted.
Foamed thermal insulation, the technology of which is radically different from that described above, is becoming increasingly popular. It uses polyurethane foam, which is sprayed under high pressure from a tall device. But it should be taken into account that this approach will require the installation of a forced ventilation system, since polyurethane foam does not allow steam to pass through at all.
The design of a country house is usually intended for living in it in warm time year. The main task is protection from precipitation, wind and dust.
During the cold season, live in country house becomes impossible, it is not able to sufficiently provide a comfortable temperature. You have to constantly heat the stove or boiler, keep electric heaters on, which creates increased consumption of energy, fuel and, accordingly, money.
Let's look at how to insulate a country house for winter living and solve the problem with your own hands.
Why insulate?
Insulating a country house for year-round use automatically turns it into a full-fledged home. Fashion for country houses appeared quite a long time ago, and insulating a dacha makes it possible to acquire such a home relatively inexpensively and easily. Possibility of year-round living outside the city limits, on fresh air, is attractive to most owners of country houses.
In addition to considerations of economy, insulating a country house with your own hands has another, more important reason. At permanent residence people, the house creates its own atmosphere, saturated with water vapor. They appear due to cooking, using the bathroom, toilet. But the main amount of steam appears due to people's breathing. The steam that comes out of your mouth in the cold is also released when breathing in warm rooms, it’s just not visible. In the internal atmosphere of a house, steam is under a certain pressure, which is called partial pressure. Normally, this moisture is gradually pressed through the walls and removed outside, evaporating from the outer surface of the walls.
If the structure of the house is not designed for living in winter, the wall surfaces are not able to retain heat. They are constantly cold, which causes steam to condense on them. The walls get wet, soaked in water, with outside freeze and begin to collapse. Metal elements begin to rust and fail.
Insulating the dacha for winter living, which consists of, and (if required), will help to avoid this.
Materials for thermal insulation
To insulate the outside of a country house with your own hands, various materials can be used:
- hard(slab). These include polystyrene foam, penoplex, basalt mineral wool, etc.
- roll. In most cases this various types mineral wool, of which there are several dozen
- sprayed. Polyurethane foam, ecowool
- bulk. Expanded clay, vermiculite, sawdust, polystyrene foam granules, etc.
The main indicator characterizing a heat insulator is vapor permeability. There are:
- permeable materials- mineral wool, all loose types, ecowool, etc.
- impenetrable species- polystyrene foam, penoplex, polyurethane foam, penofol and other synthetic types of insulators
In addition, important indicators for heat insulators are:
- thermal permeability. The lower it is, the better material capable of retaining thermal energy
- ability to burn. Most heat insulators either do not burn at all or are subject to appropriate manufacturing procedures. At the same time, the possibility of combustion may remain. For example, polystyrene does not support combustion, since its granules are filled with carbon dioxide. At the same time, a puddle of molten polystyrene burns quite well
- ability to hold shape and don't change yours linear dimensions over time. If the insulator changes size or shape after several years of operation, so-called problems occur. cold bridges that contribute to wet walls and corrosion of metal parts
- high temperature resistance
- moisture resistance, hygroscopicity. In this regard, mineral wool, which requires the installation of protective films, lags noticeably behind.
- biologically neutral. The insulator must not rot, support the growth of mold or mildew, or support insects or rodents.
The most common are mineral wool and polystyrene foam. This is due to high performance, relatively low cost and availability. Recently, materials made from polyethylene foam have been actively developed, which are absolutely resistant to moisture and biological manifestations.
The choice is usually determined by price and general ideas user about this or that material, its qualities and properties. For those who want to insulate their country house for winter living price matters a lot, which often predetermines the choice of material to the detriment of the quality of work. When deciding how and with what material to insulate a country house, you need to take into account the specifics of the operation of a particular insulator and have an idea of the physical processes occurring in the structures of the house.
How best to insulate
There are two ways:
External insulation is considered the most effective and preferable option. It consists of installing a heat insulator on the outside of the walls and has many advantages:
- The inner surface of the walls is kept intact, which allows you to finish it in any way, install hanging furniture or household appliances
- all are saved conditions for unhindered release of water vapor, ensures durability and safety of wall materials and structures
- walls are included in the thermal circuit buildings, which contributes to more efficient operation
To the disadvantages external insulation include:
- work cannot be done in cold weather, in the rain or at night
- not all types of insulation are suitable for outdoor installation
Insulation from the inside involves installing heat insulators on the inside. The room becomes as if enclosed in a cocoon of insulating material installed on all external walls. The disadvantages of this method are:
- becomes more complicated or even worse steam output through the walls stops
- the surface of the walls is covered with insulation, which requires installation of protective casing or another layer
- installation on walls hanging items are excluded
- the volume of rooms is reduced
- external walls are excluded from the thermal circuit, remaining only mechanical barriers
The advantages include:
- opportunity carry out work at any time or in any weather
- there is free access to any surfaces
The main difference between these methods is the steam output mode. With external insulation, it passes through the wall, enters the insulation, from where it is removed outside. It is necessary to use a vapor-permeable insulator, most a good option which is mineral wool. With internal insulation, steam escape becomes almost impossible. If an impermeable insulator is used, cutoff occurs. If mineral wool is installed, then the steam passing through it ends up in front of the wall. Its permeability is lower than that of the insulator, so steam accumulates in the thickness of the insulation, the material becomes wet and loses its working qualities.
Vapor permeability rule
There is a rule according to which the vapor permeability of materials should increase in the inside-out direction. According to him, installing an impermeable insulator on the outside will “lock” the vapors inside the wall, causing it to become wet and begin to deteriorate.
At the same time, installing permeable material on the inside will create conditions for vapor absorption by the insulator, but will prevent passage through the wall. Guided by this rule, you can avoid common mistakes when choosing and installing heat insulators.
When choosing an installation method, The outdoor option should definitely be preferred. However, sometimes you have to choose internal insulation if there is no possibility or access to the surface of the walls. For example, the architecture of the house cannot be disturbed, or the walls are located too close to the neighboring building, etc. Choosing internal insulation, you should immediately take care of creating quality ventilation system . The removal of internal air will remove steam, which will eliminate the problem of excessive air humidity.
Insulation technology
Installation Methods different materials have their own characteristics, but the general procedure remains unchanged. In addition to vapor permeability, it is necessary to take into account the material of the walls and ceilings in order to select the most suitable thermal insulator. In addition, insulating the walls of a country house will not completely solve the problem.
It will also be required insulate the floor in the country house from below or from above, as well as insulation of the ceiling and, if necessary, the roof. Typically, an insulator is installed on the roof in order to make the attic a full-fledged living space.
All work is carried out after appropriate preparation, which consists of removing hanging elements, brackets and other foreign parts from the surfaces. Contaminants are cleaned, crumbling or peeling areas are completely removed. The old coating or layer of paint is removed, if possible.
Gaps or cracks are sealed with putty or solid plaster. After this, the surface is covered with a double layer of deep penetration primer, after which you can proceed to the direct installation of the insulation.
Insulation of floors on the ground
Do-it-yourself floor insulation in a country house is done in accordance with the material or design of the floor slab. Country houses are usually built with floors laid at a low height above ground level or, as they say, on the ground. Proximity to the soil creates high humidity on the lower level of the house, the floor surface is constantly cold, which promotes moisture condensation.
When insulating the floor in a dacha with your own hands on the ground, you must sequentially perform the following steps:
- remove boardwalk and joists
- level the base soil, compact it
- pour a layer of sand about 20 cm (thickness depends on the level of the floor, existing or desired)
- pour a layer of crushed stone, compact it well, add 305 cm of sand and also compact it tightly
- lay geotextiles and a layer of vapor barrier film on top of it
- lay a layer of insulation. Optimally - extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex), but also a good option is insulating the floor at the dacha with expanded clay. It is poured in a layer of 20 cm
- pour a layer of screed 5 cm thick or more, depending on the desired floor level
After drying, the screeds are laid either flooring, or install a warm floor.
Ceiling above the basement and attic
Insulation of the floor in a country house located above an unheated basement is best done from below, from the subfloor side.
A layer of vapor-permeable insulation (mineral wool) is installed on the surface of the prepared floor slab. Because the insulator will need to be protected from moisture, first you will need to install lathing with a thickness of bars no less than the thickness of the heat insulator. The sheathing pitch (the distance between adjacent planks) corresponds to the width of the insulation.
The gaps are tightly filled with insulator, all cracks are filled with polyurethane foam. Then a layer of vapor-waterproofing membrane is installed with the exit down (to the basement), after which you can begin installing the sheathing.
It is optimal to insulate the ceiling of a country house from the outside, from the attic.
The optimal way is to install a high sheathing and fill the resulting cells with expanded clay, laying plank flooring that allows free movement around the attic. It's inexpensive and fast. Alternatively, you can lay a layer of mineral wool.
The use of polystyrene foam or penoplex is allowed only if the attic is residential and heated. Otherwise, the ceiling will get wet and rot.
Wall insulation
There are two ways to insulate the walls at your dacha yourself - from the inside or the outside. We have already examined the advantages and disadvantages of these methods; now we will determine the procedure.
Preparation
Work on insulating the façade of a dacha from the outside begins with preparation - cleaning the walls of all foreign elements, removing cladding or old coating, crumbling or peeling areas. Detected cracks or potholes must be puttied or plastered; the surface is primed with a double layer of primer (deep penetration primer).
Lathing
After this, you need to install the sheathing. First, the outermost vertical strips are installed, aligned vertically and by distance from the wall surface. Then control cords are stretched between them, along which the remaining strips are installed in increments equal to the size of the insulation.
Installation of insulation
Slabs or cut pieces of insulation (mineral wool) are inserted between the sheathing strips. Installed on top of the insulator layer of vapor-waterproofing membrane with moisture escaping (you must carefully monitor which side the film is unfolded).
Then horizontal strips for lining or are installed.
Internal option
Insulating a country house from the inside with your own hands is somewhat easier. On the prepared surface of the external wall heat insulation boards (foam plastic or penoplex) are glued. You can use a laying mixture as an adhesive. ceramic tiles. The insulator is glued and additionally fixed with special dowels with a wide plastic washer.
After installing the insulation, a reinforcing mesh is attached to its surface with brackets and a layer of plaster is applied.
Mansard roof
If you need to create a full-fledged living space from the attic, you need to insulate the roof. The only one affordable option- . To do this, you need to install a heat insulator on the lathing layer that supports the roofing.
A sheathing is installed, between the slats of which heat insulation mats are inserted. It is recommended to use impermeable types of material. All cracks are filled with polyurethane foam. After installing the insulator, sheathing made of clapboard, OSB, chipboard or plywood is installed on the ribs of the sheathing. The choice depends on the type interior decoration attics, because sheet materials allow for more finishing options than lining.
Installation prices
