It's no secret that the concrete floor in the ground floor in winter becomes hellishly cold, and if you do not take care of normal thermal insulation, then over time, dampness and microbes will simply destroy expensive parquet or laminate. But it's not even about the flooring, the ice floor in the house is the shortest path to the disease of the joints of the legs, so before fine finish it is imperative to insulate the floor with foam plastic under the screed on a concrete solution.

Why is foam used

For specialists, the answer is obvious - laying penoplex under a screed on a concrete floor is no more difficult than any other material, the technique is proven and reliable. In addition, the technology for installing an insulated floor by laying foam plastic is technically feasible even for people with minimal experience working with this kind of material.

In fact, penoplex is the only material that simultaneously combines several unique qualities:

• High strength foam for bending and contact pressure. You can safely step on a foam sheet in shoes, with virtually no consequences for the material;
• Extruded polystyrene foam, from which the insulation is made, does not produce dust, does not emit gases or volatile substances, it can be worked with practically without SZOD, in this sense, foam plastic compares favorably with mineral wool or basalt mats;
• Penoplex can be laid under a screed even on a floor slab over a wet basement; the laid layer of thermal insulation will not absorb moisture and will not lose its insulating properties even after 30 years of operation.

If we compare penoplex with the closest relative - polystyrene, then it can be noted that with almost equal heat-insulating characteristics, EPPS compares favorably in that it does not crumble and does not collapse under uneven load. The extrusion technology makes it possible to obtain closed pores in foam that are inaccessible to moisture and water vapor.

Important! The only significant drawback of penoplex is its sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation and various kinds of organic solvents.

The first drawback is compensated by a protective layer of concrete floor screed on foam. The second is just something to keep in mind. If you decide to paint the insulation layer with some paint on an organic solvent, or primer the concrete screed on the foam, then instead of a thick layer of insulation you will get a thin layer of molten polystyrene.

Sellers of mineral thermal insulation materials like to scare developers with the combustibility of polystyrene foam, but at the same time they forget that foam flooring is laid under a concrete screed, which means that in the absence of air oxygen, in order for the polystyrene foam to begin to decompose with the release of carbon monoxide, it is necessary to heat the concrete floor at least than up to 200 o C.

XPS insulation technology

Theoretically, foam under the floor screed can be laid on almost any surface, without even removing the remnants of debris and gravel. In many cases, foam plastic is laid on a floor made of soil or a pillow of gravel, but in such conditions a layer of expanded polystyrene is pressed against the floor and fixed by a thick concrete screed or reinforced foundation slab. In our case, the thickness of the screed does not exceed 4-5 cm of reinforced concrete, and it depends on how carefully the foam layer is fixed on the floor, whether cracks appear in the screed from vibrations of the insulation.

Preparation of the base for laying foam plastic under the screed

At the preparation stage, you need to do the following:

• Measure the floor area and calculate the required amount of foam in square meters. For laying, we buy insulation 10% more than the received footage for trimming and marriage;
• Using a chisel, an angle grinder, we level the concrete floor, knock down and remove all bumps, humps and growths more than 7 mm high;
• Carefully remove dust and dirt from the concrete surface;
• Any traces of oil, kerosene, organic solvents, which are always abundant on the floor in garages and utility rooms, are neutralized with a solution of caustic soda and washed out with plenty of water;
• We carefully prime the cement floor with a deep penetration primer, no matter what brand, most importantly, high-quality, and dry it for at least another day.

For your information! All the procedures performed were aimed at ensuring that air pockets did not form between the concrete floor and the foam layer, in which, as a rule, condensate accumulates under the thermal insulation, and often cracks form in the screed.

We prime the floor, then we mark the laying of foam sheets. The main condition for fitting the material is that the seams between the sheets must be the same along the entire length of the joint.

Laying foam on the floor under the screed

To stick foam on a concrete floor, it is best to use a special adhesive for mounting foam and mineral-based insulation. We apply the adhesive mass on the floor and on the working surface of the sheet along the perimeter and in the center of the plate. When laying under the screed, it is important to roll the insulation tightly to the floor and secure the laid layer with mushroom-shaped dowels. A day later, the seams between the plates are cleaned of adhesive residue and foamed with ordinary mounting foam.

Experts recommend that along the perimeter of the laid foam field, along the walls, make an expansion gap of 4-5 mm thick. The gap is filled with polyethylene foam tape. After pouring concrete under load, the insulation layer will settle and expand in width.

The seams and joints between the foam slabs are sealed with construction tape so that the concrete milk from the screed material does not seep in and form a bridge of cold and moisture on the floor.

Pouring foam concrete

Before pouring the screed, the surface of the laid foam is covered with a vapor barrier membrane, the panel is glued around the perimeter of the laid insulation, and the edges are laid out on the walls. The membrane must be leveled without folds and loosenings over the entire plane of the floor.

If it is planned to reinforce the screed with fiberglass or steel mesh, then you must first lay the mesh on the “cups” of wire scraps so that the reinforcement plane is at a height of at least 2 cm from the membrane. In this case, the concrete screed works for deflection, so we deliberately shift the reinforcement plane closer to the floor, into the area of ​​tensile stresses.

At the next stage, we expose beacons; for a home screed, you can use wooden, aluminum or galvanized profiles. Due to the laid grid, the beacons must be installed on supports, screw stands resting on a layer of insulation. After pouring concrete, such supports are usually unscrewed from the floor screed.

The width between the rails should not exceed ¾ of the length of the rule. We check the position of each rail with a one and a half meter building level.

To prepare the concrete mass, you can independently make a batch of M400 cement, washed sand and a small amount of fine 1-3 mm gravel. To obtain the smoothest possible surface, the plane of the poured concrete screed after leveling is smoothed by the rule with a plaster trowel moistened with an aqueous PVA emulsion.

The room with a filled foam screed must be closed from sunlight, and the ventilation must be opened to the smallest air. If the room is hot enough, then once a day the floor can be sprayed with water for 5 days. After two weeks, you can start cleaning the floor, but further operations are recommended to be carried out no earlier than after three weeks of curing the screed.

Protecting your home from cold penetration is an important part of maintaining comfort and reducing home maintenance costs. The owners of urban apartments are less concerned about this problem. The floors there are not the main source of heat loss. For some owners of housing on the ground floor, this issue is also relevant.

Owners of private houses have to solve this problem more often, especially if certain rules and norms were not observed during construction. In this case, you need to know how to insulate the floor yourself.

In most cases, the use of special equipment is not required to perform the work. Any home master or a man who regularly does housework has a set of necessary equipment.

It is necessary to prepare the following mandatory set of tools:

• Level. The laser device is very handy. If not, you can use the hydraulic analog. You can also make the level yourself from a transparent elastic tube of the desired length or a rubber hose by inserting glass tubes of a suitable diameter onto the ends. Use a manual metal or plastic level with great care. At large distances, it can give significant deviations.
• Measuring tool. Ruler, tape measure and square. They will help to accurately determine the area, mark the waterproofing material and insulation.
• Cutting tool. Most of the work can be done with a construction knife, but sometimes it is convenient to use a regular hacksaw when cutting polystyrene foam.
• Equipment for mixing screed mortar. If the household has a household concrete mixer, then the work will go quickly. There is no it, you can choose a container of the desired volume or mix the mixture directly on the concrete surface, after laying a dense film or old linoleum on it.
• Power tool - drill, puncher, grinder. This kit will help you quickly and efficiently install beacons on a concrete or wooden floor base, cut mesh and reinforcement to strengthen the screed.

As you can see, nothing special from the tools is required. It is much more important to have a desire and clearly follow the recommendations. Then the insulation of the floor with foam under the screed will meet the necessary requirements. Care and diligence will good helpers at work.

From the materials you may need the following products:

• Insulation. For the ground base, it is recommended to use a 100 mm thick slab. In all other cases, it is enough to purchase 50 mm material. It is preferable to purchase floor insulation under the screed.
• waterproofing material. The range allows you to choose the best in specific case option for floor insulation. The most common materials in this category are: roofing felt, roofing material, bituminous mixtures, specialized films and membranes. Foil waterproofers have a shielding effect, and are laid with a metallized surface up on the foam plastic under the floor screed.
• Mounting and guiding elements. Depending on the method of screed device, the following products are used: self-tapping screws, anchor bolts, beacons and slats level screed.
• Sand-cement mortar. The dosage is traditional and does not depend on the quality of heat insulators. Sometimes it is advisable to make a top coat with bulk compositions for laying technological materials that require a particularly flat surface.

Floor insulation under the screed on the ground

The successful implementation of this type of insulation will be done if the master complied simple rules, the main of which is high-quality surface preparation:

• ground level measurement. Beacons are set along the perimeter and points inside it;
• the entire surface is compacted. It is better to do this operation several times, each time, pouring plenty of water into the soil for shrinkage;
• after tamping, a control measurement of the soil level is made. Height changes are kept to a minimum. Ideally, the floor under the screed should not have horizontal discrepancies of more than 1 cm. In this case, the insulation boards will lie flat, and the foam screed will be of the same thickness.

Features of insulation under the screed on a wooden floor

Two types of such work should be distinguished. The first option involves laying the screed on an already finished floor, with a set level and sufficient strength of the base. In the second case, the scope of work involves the construction of a wooden base, on which a floor screed with foam plastic will subsequently fall. The process is time-consuming and requires strict adherence to the rules. The flooring must be strictly horizontal.

Wood, unlike concrete, has a high shrinkage coefficient and a tendency to a significant change in size with natural fluctuations in humidity. To qualitatively insulate the floor it is necessary to qualitatively isolate the base from the screed.

Reinforcement for floor insulation under a screed on a wooden base must be reinforced. The thickness of the concrete mixture is at least 50 mm. This will be enough to create a single durable layer, identical to the floor slab, with sufficient mass for a snug fit and to exclude the effect of dimensional fluctuations of wood on the screed material.

Technology of insulation of concrete floors under the screed

A qualitative basis in all respects and in most cases does not require additional measures to protect housing from the penetration of cold. Exceptions will be buildings with an unheated basement or houses on pile and column foundations.

The floor is insulated with polystyrene foam under the screed on concrete floors according to the general rules. A thickness of 50 mm insulation will be enough. In this case, the dew point moves to the inner surface of the floors, and to prevent condensation, it is necessary:

• qualitatively repair all chips, holes and cracks throughout the entire thickness of the plate;
• lay a waterproofing layer on the floor from any available material: bitumen, roofing material, film with access to adjacent walls at least 20 cm high;
• tightly, with the minimum possible gaps, install expanded polystyrene plates;
• with adhesive mortar, mounting foam or similar materials, seal the seams that the insulation boards have under the screed. Thus, a waterproofing layer is created over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room;
• after the floor insulation is laid under the screed, the sand-cement composition is poured over polystyrene foam in the traditional way. If there is no confidence in the integrity of the layer, then a waterproofing material is preliminarily laid;
• reinforcement is carried out directly on the insulation, or half of the screed layer is made with a dry mortar, on which a metal mesh is laid, and then a liquid concrete mixture is poured over the existing base.

The strength characteristics of the concrete floor do not exempt the master from the mandatory reinforcement of the floor screed on the foam. The insulating layer is quite elastic. The coefficient of its dynamic expansion with temperature fluctuations will differ somewhat from that of the sand-cement composition.

A metal mesh or reinforcement compensates for internal stresses and prevents the concrete from cracking, violating the integrity of the layer. Properly made screed ensures that the thermal insulation will last long years without losing their original qualities.

Do-it-yourself floor insulation under a floor screed is within the power of any home master who has little experience and skills in general construction work. By following simple step-by-step recommendations, the main goal of the event is achieved - housing is reliably protected from the penetration of cold.

When installing underfloor heating with screed insulation, the maximum effect is achieved and thermal energy losses are minimized.

When choosing foam for the floor under the screed, you should pay attention to the class of products. Marking PSB-S-25 and above is suitable for floor insulation. Smaller numbers in the abbreviation, such as 15, are not recommended for this purpose. The strength characteristics are insufficient for this species and it is not used for floor insulation under the screed.

Efficient thermal protection underlies the idea of ​​energy-saving housing construction. The use of this technology will significantly reduce the cost of heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. Private developers are paying more and more attention to this issue. The maximum result is achieved by complex measures.

If floor insulation solves the problem of creating an insurmountable barrier to the penetration of cold in this area, then other weak spots in housing. It may be necessary to eliminate other sources of cold penetration into the house.

Insulation is placed under the floor screed in two cases - on floor slabs or floors on the ground. Depending on the operating conditions (basement, attic or interfloor overlap), flooring and the maximum allowable level of lifting the finished floor, the construction pie and the arrangement of individual layers in it will change.

The floor is insulated under the screed in several cases:

In addition, insulation is laid under the contours of a warm floor on any floor, if a decision is made not to use a massive ceiling as a heat accumulator. Therefore, all options will be considered in detail.

There are three types of screeds, which also affects the choice of insulation. For example, expanded clay sand is used, which has both heat-insulating and sound-proofing properties. For wet and the same heaters and principles of hydro-, sound- and vapor barrier are used.

Floor slab

When laying factory slabs or pouring them in place, it is impossible to provide a vapor barrier for this structure from humid air from below. Therefore, a vapor barrier layer is applied over the ceiling, taking into account the following nuances:

Insulation is laid under the screed, taking into account the following scheme relative position layers:

Important! The concrete and the acoustic material underneath make up single system soundproofing. The sound wave coming from below is partially dissipated in the acoustic material, then reflected by the massive concrete.

In the basement

In this particular case, under the floor slabs there is either a basement or a technical underground. To ensure natural ventilation in the underground, products are used:

• the total size of all windows must be at least 1/400 of the underground area;
• the recommended height of the windows from the blind area is 0.5 m, so that in winter they are not covered with snow;
• it is forbidden to close the vents for the winter.

Pie screed on the basement.

These conditions are not always met, so there may be excess moisture in the underground. Therefore, thermal insulation should have minimal moisture saturation, be laid on top of the vapor barrier.

between floors

Unlike the basement and attic levels, there are no heat losses in the interfloor ceilings. There are heating devices on all floors. However, to save energy, the insulation is still incorporated into the design:

• without this layer, part of the heat will be spent on heating the floor slab, which will reduce the efficiency of the warm floor;
• thermal insulation will reflect the heat flow, and completely leave it indoors.

Therefore, instead of extruded polystyrene foam and foam glass, foamed polyethylene is enough here.

Important! The most effective in screeds with underfloor heating contours along interfloor floor slabs is reflective insulation coated with aluminum foil. The reflective layer should be on top, that is, the foamed polyethylene is laid with the foil up.

Attic

When installing thermal insulation of the upper floor in a building with an unheated attic space, the following factors must be taken into account:

• a dew point appears in this design, since the attic freezes completely;
• the dew point must be moved outward so that condensed moisture can be removed from the surface by natural ventilation;
• dormer windows are used to provide ventilation in an unheated attic, which must be open all year round by analogy with the products in the underground.

According to the requirements of the construction standards of the joint venture, the vapor barrier of individual layers in the floor pie must increase from the inside to the outside. When laying insulation on top of reinforced concrete floor slabs, the condition is completely preserved:

• steam penetrates from the ground floor room through the slab into the thermal insulation;
• then the moisture freely evaporates from it and is removed by the flow of natural ventilation to the street.

However, for normal walking on the insulation, ladders or a full-fledged boardwalk are often laid on it. In this case, the condition ceases to be fulfilled, condensation forms at the boundary of the thermal insulation and the boardwalk. The insulation loses its properties, and the boards rot, the development of fungus and pathogenic bacteria is possible.

Ground floor

The location of the layers of the floor cake on the ground must correspond to the operating conditions:

• capillary suction of soil moisture and wet evaporation are possible from the soil;
• soundproofing is not needed here, since there are no sources of noise inside the soil
• in the presence of thermal insulation on the outer faces of the foundation and under the blind area, the soil under the floor on the ground will never freeze;
• on the screeds, you can use any floor coverings, including a tongue-and-groove board along the logs;

When choosing a heater, you should consider:

• absolutely tight vapor barrier layers do not exist;
• moisture that has got inside the insulation will not be able to evaporate from it through a layer of concrete;
• when wet, mineral wool and Ecowool sharply lose their thermal insulation properties;
• foamed glass and polystyrene retain their characteristics even when immersed in water;
• from these materials, it is necessary to exclude foam, the density of which is too low and does not give 100% guarantees against shrinkage of the screed.

Ground floor.

Thus, from the whole variety of heaters the best option for the floor on the ground, extruded high-density polystyrene XPS or XPS and foam glass remain.

In the absence of underfloor heating circuits, high heat losses remain. The soil under the floor on the ground has a stable temperature of +5 - + 8 degrees, which is significantly lower than the same parameter in a residential area (+ 25 degrees). Therefore, it is necessary to qualitatively insulate the foundation, the basement and the blind area from the outside at a depth of 0.4 m in order to prevent freezing of the supporting structures in winter. Soundproofing in this case is not required.

with underfloor heating

The situation for these operating conditions is similar to interfloor slabs. Thermal insulation is laid under the pipes of a water or electric underfloor heating. Under it is a film, a membrane or a deposited roll material of a vapor barrier. As a heater, it is better to use foam glass or extruded polystyrene foam here, since the possibility of moisture penetration remains.

Thus, when designing thermal insulation of a screed on a concrete base, different schemes of the construction pie are used, taking into account specific operating conditions.

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Floor insulation improves the thermal insulation of the room, contributes to the efficient use of energy. But what does a classic thermal insulation cake look like, its arrangement, what materials are used for this?

There are several types of floor insulation, each of which has advantages and disadvantages.

Based on their characteristics, as well as the features of the premises in which they will be used, it is necessary to choose a material for insulation.

You should start with the most common, well-known, but impractical and inefficient material - glass wool. It is rarely used for domestic insulation, more commonly known as industrial insulation. The main disadvantages: it absorbs moisture, which subsequently destroys its structure, the elements in its composition cause irritation of the skin in unprotected contact.

There are legends about the strength of Penoplex, they say that he is able to withstand even an airplane. And indeed it is. This material is used to insulate runways and highways, which is the best proof of reliability.

The process of insulation with Penoplex is quite simple. It is necessary to lay out sheets of material on the floor surface, fix with an adhesive mixture. There should be no gaps between Penoplex plates; laying is carried out joint-to-butt on the same level. It has already been said above that quartz sand can be used to create a smooth surface, which eliminates minor irregularities.

After laying, you can apply the next layer of material. In the case of Penoplex, it is permissible to do without waterproofing, since it has a fairly good performance of this parameter, and proceed to laying the finishing screed.

Classic options for floor insulation

There are several options for floor insulation. In fact, if you delve into the nuances, then as many as the masters. But there are so-called technological skeletons, from which it is impossible to move away with all the desire. This is an algorithm, a sequence of actions and general rules for the selection and use of materials.

The process of floor insulation also has such skeletons, and everything here depends on the type of material for insulation:

• Mineral wool is laid on a ready-made concrete screed, which must be smooth without flaws. For this, a special box is assembled, it is divided into compartments, compartments, where the insulation is placed. From above it is sewn up with wooden slabs. The same method of insulation is used for expanded clay;
• In the case of using foam, Penoplex, the material is laid on a rough screed. Layers of top coat are applied on top. In this case, the insulating effect can be enhanced by using a foil film.
• The expanded clay pillow can be poured with cement or the material is added to the solution. In the first case, it is necessary to pour the insulation with cement milk. This will ensure the best solidification of the solution.

When laying sheet materials, it is necessary to leave a small gap between the insulation and the wall. This is done with . The gap is necessary for the unhindered expansion of materials during temperature changes.

When insulating a house, it is very important to pay attention to the floor. Walk barefoot on warm floor Very nice. In addition, it should be taken into account both at the initial stage of construction and during the repair of old buildings that the condensate that forms during temperature changes on the floor surface, as well as near the floor and walls, leads to the general destruction of the building. Therefore, it is necessary to insulate by any means. You can insulate the cold floor with polystyrene foam under a concrete screed, you can use logs, you can foam it with polyurethane foam. So there are many ways and they all depend on the selection of material.

Penoplex insulation

The heat-insulating material penoplex is an extruded polystyrene foam, which has a structure consisting of closed cells. Due to this, it does not absorb moisture and has a high compressive strength, which makes it attractive as a thermal insulation for the floor.

Insulation of a cold floor with foam plastic under a concrete or other screed occurs as follows:

• Well compacted soil.
• A layer of rubble is poured.
• A sand cushion is being made.
• Penoplex, fits exactly without gaps, all joints are glued with adhesive tape.
• A waterproofing layer is laid.
• A reinforced screed is made on the basis of sand and cement, 4 centimeters thick.
• Any floor covering. It can be laminate, linoleum, tile.

Before pouring, it is necessary to install an expansion joint along the perimeter of the walls. This is a fastening of a tape 2 centimeters wide from foamed polystyrene. A gap is also made between the wall and the screed - 1 centimeter, for expansion during an increase in temperature.

Warm floor

If you are installing a "warm floor" system, then you also use penoplex. Here is the sequence of layers:

• Concrete base.
• Penoplex.
• Polyethylene.
• Underfloor heating system.
• Finishing pouring is done using a special mixture with your own hands. Or the filling is done with a cement-sand mortar.

Warming of the first floor

If we insulate the floor of the first floor with penoplex, then we follow the following sequence of laying with our own hands:

• Reinforced concrete floor slab.
• Penoplex.
• Waterproofing - polyethylene.
• Screed filling.
• Flooring.

Insulation under a concrete screed in a private house

Warming with mineral wool

What other heaters can you choose?

Mineral wool is one of the most popular materials, it can provide not only good insulation, but also achieve a high-quality soundproofing effect.

To insulate a cold floor in an old house on the 1st floor like this:

• All old floor covering is removed and the floor is cleaned to the very foundation.
• Insulation is laid mineral wool in the form of rigid boards. For example, Floor Butts - 50 mm.
• A vapor barrier layer is laid, for example, glassine.
• A mesh of 3 mm wire is laid on the clamps so that there is an air gap of 1 or 2 centimeters.
• A concrete screed of sand and cement is made from above. Expanded clay can be added to facilitate it.

Foam insulation

It is possible to insulate floors with polystyrene foam in granules. For screeding, cement and foam granules are mixed in a 1: 1 ratio and the floor is poured with this mixture.

If you just use plates, then floor insulation with foam plastic for any screed is:

Thorough cleaning of the base and sealing all cracks and cracks in the base with cement mortar. We do the waterproofing of the base with our own hands. To do this, we use roofing material mastic, or any other material. If this is roofing material, then we lay it with our own hands overlapping with the obligatory entry into the walls. Liquid mastic can be applied simply with a brush or brush. Styrofoam fits tightly. Fasten with plate-shaped dowels to the floor. Be sure to reinforce the foam. This technique will protect the material from destruction and give concrete rigidity. Beacons are installed, and the laying of the screed begins. Concrete is spread over the surface, and leveled with a rule or rake. Then everything is smoothed with a spatula.

Floor waterproofing

Foam and glass screed

There is a special filler made of foam and glass used for pouring. This screed has good fire protection characteristics. It does not burn at all and has very good durability. The warming method is as follows:

• High quality leveling.
• Surface primer.
• Installation of a damper temperature tape.
• A screed is applied in a thick layer over the beacons.
• It is leveled with a long bar.
• Lighthouses are removed, voids are filled with the same material.

When performing floor insulation, so that voids and cracks do not form under it, it is necessary to properly lay the screed. Any violation of the screed will reduce all your efforts to zero. The heater is damaged. Everything will need to be redone. Here are some tips for pouring the screed.

The time of complete drying of the screed is 28 days and this time period must be maintained.

If you prepare the solution yourself, then you can not violate the proportions. As a result, cracks form in the screed. Some people pour a lot of water to facilitate the process. This is also unacceptable.

All soft insulation must be covered with a reinforcing mesh.

The thickness of the screed for more durable heaters is -40 mm, for fragile ones - 50 mm.

You can not force-dry the screed. It is also unacceptable in a room where the filler floor dries the presence of drafts.

The screed must be constantly moistened

The beacons along which the floor is poured are reinforced on the same material so that there is no difference in drying time with the source material.

Be sure to comply technological process. This is to install a damper tape and apply a vapor barrier layer.