Don't insulate the ceiling until you've read this article! Important nuances in ceiling insulation!
Good afternoon, dear readers! Some time ago I wrote a number of articles about wall insulation and different types of insulation. And several people indignantly declared that everyone writes about the walls, but there is not enough information about the insulation of the ceiling! Let's fix the situation! Let's talk today about the insulation of the floors of the house - #useful tips as properly insulate, and what to look for!
If your house is new and there is no insulation, then according to all standards it is necessary to put insulation with a thickness from 200 to 250 mm. We are talking about the most common insulation - mineral wool.
Mineral wool I call all mineral wool - glass wool, stone wool, basalt wool. There are high density mineral wool. They are of better quality and are more expensive than, for example, rolled ones, which have a declared thickness of 5 cm, in fact it turns out to be 4, and after a couple of months, 2-2.5 centimeters remain from it.
If you are going to insulate the floors with mineral wool, do everything taking into account the fact that the cotton wool gradually cakes. Therefore, put cotton wool 300-350 mm thick. So that in the end the necessary 200 remain.
If you have an old house, and there is already insulation there, you need to take into account that there is a lower layer of insulation, and just grow from above to the required 200-250 mm.
But I do not recommend using rolled cotton wool! It is better to use cotton wool in the slabs. There is not very expensive wool of not high density, but cut into slabs of 0.5 m by 1 m. It is more convenient for installation.
Insulation films - what and where are they used?
An important nuance in insulation is films. There is a hydro-barrier and a vapor barrier. For some reason, few people know about this, and as a result, they do not use this data in insulation.
Vapor barrier is laid under the insulation - this is a gasket between the ceiling and the insulation so that steam does not penetrate into the insulation layer. The vapor barrier cuts off the access of moisture (steam) to the insulation.
Hydro-barrier - this is a special film that is laid on top of the insulation. It does not allow water to pass through, but it allows air to pass through. All residual moisture that is collected in the insulation will freely leave through the hydro-barrier. And if your roof starts to leak, the water barrier will not let water into the house.
Many do not take into account the fact that cotton wool has a loose structure, which means good exfiltration. That is, they allow air to pass through well. And without the film, all the warm air from the room will easily pass through the cotton wool to the street, and the cold air will just as easily get inside. Be sure to take this into account when insulating floors with cotton wool. And use a hydro and vapor barrier!
!!! In no case should you cover the insulation with ordinary plastic wrap!
Unfortunately, many do this. They said to use the film, people grab the film for greenhouses, etc. But this is unacceptable! Because steam will enter the room, but it will not be able to evaporate, and will accumulate in the insulation layer, and then it will begin to flow.
The main heat loss in the house goes through the ceiling. Therefore, it must be insulated correctly, observing the technology and choosing the right thickness! So follow the correct sequence - vapor barrier, insulation, hydro barrier! And by no means plastic wrap!
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