Heat insulation of floors in suburban homes, garages and any other one-storey building is deemed necessary. Indeed, through a floor according to various estimates leaked to 20% of the heat accumulated in the building. Warm floor is easier than to carry out insulation of the walls or ceiling. Especially if use such material as a foam having many advantages over other floor heaters. In addition, foam floor insulation can be done independently, without the involvement of skilled specialists.
What is the foam
The name itself suggests the answer - it is foamed plastic mass (polymer). It is created by the formation of pellets filled with air, and stseplenennyh together. This technology creates a material more than 90% filled with air. It provides its low thermal conductivity and extremely low weight. The starting material for the production of this material can be various polymers. But traditionally it called expanded polystyrene foam.
There are two ways to create a Styrofoam.
- Plain polystyrene is formed when exposed to steam the raw material mass in the mold container. It is known to all easily crumbling tile material is usually white in color.
- Extruded polystyrene is made of pre-melted raw materials by forcing (extruding) a special molding units. The resulting material has a dense structure that provides greater strength and flexibility as compared with the conventional foam. But at the same time increases its weight.
Main article: warming the floor with sawdust.
The properties and characteristics of the foam as insulation
For thermal insulation of buildings and constructions of any required material with low thermal conductivity. The value is also the weight of the insulation. The following table shows comparative data on these characteristics to the foam and other building materials.
| Material | Thermal conductivity, W / m * ° C | Density, kg / m3 |
| Polyfoam of various marks | 0,038 – 0,043 | 15 — 50 |
| extruded polystyrene | 0,03 – 0,032 | 33 — 45 |
| Wood | 0,18 | 500 |
| Brick | 0,55 – 0,85 | 1500 |
| expanded clay lightweight concrete | 0,58 | 1200 |
| gypsum plasterboard | 0,21 | 800 |
| mineral wool | 0,07 – 0,08 | 125 — 200 |
As you can see, the tree from which the build country houses, inferior to the foam according to the degree of warming of 4 - 5 times. And the ease of foam is superior to virtually all other insulating materials.
But before you get acquainted with how to warm any floor foam, should list all its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of foam
The positive qualities of this heater is not limited to one or two properties. An extended list of its advantages is that:
- Low thermal conductivity allows to stack a relatively thin layer of insulation. This is critical for the insulation of floors in some low areas.
- The low weight does not create a burden on the surface.
- Moisture resistance. It is moisture and retains its shape in a wet environment.
- Foam retains its quality over a temperature range from minus 50 to plus 95 ° C.
- Ease of processing - amenable to conventional cutting knife. With that combines the simplicity of laying - out of it can easily be cut into slabs for any size.
- It does not require special skills during assembly. Place the foam layer to insulate their own hands can be anyone. This does not require any additional equipment or special clothing.
- Low price. For many, this is a decisive factor.
- Material "unattractive" to rodents and insects.
disadvantages of foam
- The main drawback - low fire safety. Expanded polystyrene is not only burn in an open fire, but during combustion releases harmful substances that can cause suffocation. It is for this reason it is recommended as far as possible to carry out the insulation foam to insulate the outside of the room.
- Poor water vapor permeability. Because of this, moisture can condense on its surface, which may lead to the emergence of fungi or mold.
- Weak mechanical strength. Normal foam breaks down at a bend, crumble under the stress. Extruded embodiment is more stable in this respect.
Whether for health foam is harmful?
This question still has no exact answer. On the one hand, you can find statements that polystyrene releases many harmful substances that adversely affect many aspects of human health. On the other hand, the use of foam for decades in different domains were found cases of diseases associated with exactly this material. And still it continues its use even in the food industry.
It is known that exposure to sunlight or high temperature because the foam is allocated unhealthy element - styrene. But under normal circumstances, and if the allocation of styrene occurs, its amount in the air does not exceed the limit concentration, the regulated hygienic standards.
However, it is necessary for safety reasons to pay attention to the content of styrene in the acquiree styrofoam. In the best examples, this quantity of imported materials harmfulness material does not exceed 0.05%. Unfortunately, low-quality grades of polystyrene styrene content reaches 0.2%.
If we want to apply the foam, but are concerned about health care, the floor is insulated with foam necessarily only from the outside, rather than inside the dwelling.
Tools for processing polystyrene
While it is clear that the foam is a lightweight material in the processing, can be found mention of the special termorezakah or machines for cutting this material. But rather, they are required for those who are constantly working with this material, or is engaged in cutting curly. For a single application is unlikely to be useful to purchase an expensive device, and shape cutting for insulated floor is needed.
When raskraivanii foam for thermal insulation of the floor may require the following tools:
- An ordinary knife. Sharpened knife with a long blade is able to cut any type of polystyrene. For thin plates fit even a kitchen knife with a serrated edge.
- Hacksaw. Someone can conveniently cut the material with a hacksaw. It should be borne in mind that cutting foam better suited hacksaw with fine teeth. The major tooth will generate more iskroshennuyu edge.
- String. For this purpose, you can use the old strings from the guitar, mounted on two arms. Sawing device such as a two-handed saw.
Of course, these tools are not able to provide a smooth edge to the incision site. But docking foam slabs for the floor perfectly smooth edge is not necessary.
Useful advice. When cutting the foam in any of these tools it is recommended to provide lubricant to the cutting surface. This will facilitate the work with the tool and reduce the unpleasant sound, accompanied by a sharp.
Features thermal insulation foam of different sexes
Strictly speaking, the "warming" - not quite the right term. Foam, as well as any other material offers no insulation, but simply provides a high-quality insulation. But it so happened that, in speaking of insulation used and the word "warming" with the same meaning.
Plank flooring differ in the manufacture of material (wood, concrete), and in terms of their location and use. For each of these types of sex has its own characteristics of thermal insulation and recommendations for its installation. Understanding how to create foam insulation for the type of flooring will help to avoid mistakes.
The main problem for the foam layer of the insulation is a violation of the insulation at the joints of sheets. Often for reliable joining two sheets of foam on the edges are chamfered. But now on sale there are styrofoam sheets with finished beveled edges.
But also produced foam sheets abutting each other on a "thorn - groove." This technology provides substantially unbroken insulation layer.
Sex with him is under unheated basement
If it is possible to hold the insulation from the basement, she should be sure to take advantage of. Of course, insulate the bottom slab floor - it is difficult and tedious, not to mention the fact that the work in the basement is often conducted in cramped and dark. But the insulation from the cold source, what is the basement - is correct for heat engineering laws. And it works so effectively and thermal insulation for a long time.
laying insulation technology is simple: the basement ceiling of the cover sheet of foam. Methods for attachment to the ceiling sheets:
- Glue. You can apply a conventional adhesive such as PVA. But it is better to buy a special glue for polystyrene. You can not use adhesives containing acetone. They will corrode the insulation.
- Attaching special dyubelyami- "umbrellas" with wide hats.
- Combined hardware. Sheets of foam glued to the ceiling, and then beaten for greater reliability several dowels.
Thermal insulation of the floor on logs
This is the easiest and most cost-effective way to the foam insulation. Its advantage is that the finished floor burden falls on the joists. Therefore, the strength characteristics of the foam layer does not matter.
- On prepared and purified from debris based waterproofing film stretches.
- Stacked wooden logs
- In between the logs are laid foam sheets
- The joints between the sheets and in places fit to logs can be filled with foam.
- Atop the insulation layer stacked and vapor.
- Mounted on logs finishing floor
Warming of the floor under the foam concrete screed
Such a structure in which a heater located under the layer of concrete, sometimes called warm coupler.
In this case, the foam layer has to load the entire floor, so you must take steps to reduce it. Significant level differences will lead to the destruction of the foam sheet.
- Preparation of the substrate must be carried out carefully. Sealed with unevenness (pits, cracks and crevices) could lead to disruption of the Insulating layer.
- Waterproofing layer is laid. Waterproof film overlapped with an overlap of 5 - 10 cm and with a stop on the wall at the same distance. The joints are insulated with tape.
- The next phase - installation of the foam boards. For reliable fixing them useful applied along the edges of each plate an adhesive or assembly foam.
- If the insulation sheets have chamfers or grooves with spikes, then the joints are filled with foam.
- Stacked on top of a heater stretches polyethylene film. Its mission - to prevent the penetration of moisture during pouring of the concrete screed.
- For uniform load distribution on the foam laying metal lattice is obligatory.
- At the final stage is filled with very concrete screed.
Can I insulate foam wooden floors
Some experts do not advise to carry out the insulation foam, stacked on a wooden base. For wooden supporting structures important proper ventilation, prevents moisture. The foam material is airtight, and when laying on the wooden base it is possible the complete absence of air flow to the tree. This creates the risk that sooner or later, under a layer of foam will accumulate moisture, which will destroy the wooden floor elements.
But the wooden floor, which is supposed to lay on the ground, it is possible to insulate foam.
The process of laying the following:
- Firmly compacted soil
- Ground fit pillow of sand and gravel
- Stretches waterproofing layer
- Stacked sheets of polystyrene foam. For laying the dirt is desirable to select high density material - not less than 35 kg / m3. For lower density foam is hold stacking in two layers, with a shift of seams between the sheets.
- Before laying the finished floor warming layer covered the entire insulation film.
