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It should be immediately noted that the windproof film in this case is fixed in exactly the same way as when insulating with materials in mats.
- Wet application of the material is carried out using special equipment that sprays material mixed with water and a special glue.
Ecowool is sprayed under pressure, so the material fills all the gaps and cracks, thus creating good heat and sound insulation.
After spraying, excess material is removed using a special roller and at the same time leveled.
Another installation option could be to fill closed wall or floor cavities with wet ecowool.
A vapor barrier film is first fixed and stretched on the walls from the inside, a hole is made in it, through which the space is filled with thermal insulation material - ecowool.
- The dry insulation method is excellent for laying ecowool on the attic floor. This method can be done manually or using the same equipment.
If insulation is done manually, the insulation is simply removed from the packaging and loosened. Then it is distributed between the floor beams and compacted. The thickness of the layer should be equal to the height of the floor beams.
However, it is better to install the insulation under pressure using special equipment.
Ecowool is covered with a vapor barrier film on top, and slats 20 ÷ 25 mm thick are placed on top of it on the beams - this lathing will create the necessary ventilation gap. After this, the floor covering is laid.
Video: “dry” method of application ecowool
Sputtering polyurethane foam
It is increasingly used for thermal insulation of buildings both inside and outside. It is especially popular for frame buildings and attics.
The only hitch in carrying out the work yourself may be complex equipment for spraying polyurethane foam, without which it will simply be impossible to do. There is an option to rent a device from a specialized company, but this will also be expensive, not to mention buying it. In addition, you need to learn how to configure it correctly and have at least basic skills in working with it.
Perhaps it will be easier and cheaper to invite a specialist who will do this work quickly and accurately. For small volumes, the process can be started and completed in one day.
Spraying can be carried out on any surface - smooth and rough, plywood, metal or even a dense vapor barrier film reinforced with rope weaving.
Sprayed polyurethane foam forms a seamless surface, while penetrating into all small and large gaps and sealing them hermetically.
PPU can be sprayed directly onto the inner surface of the roof and sewn on top with decorative material - this insulating layer will be sufficient if the building is located in a climate zone with mild or moderate winters.
Video: insulating the attic with sprayed polyurethane foam
So, each material has its own advantages and disadvantages. Of course, the price of insulation, the complexity or availability of its installation play a big role, but still the issues of thermal insulation efficiency and safety should come to the fore, so you need to focus on the material that will create the most comfortable atmosphere in the attic room and, at the same time, bring minimum damage to the health of the residents of the house.
Find out detailed information from our new article.
Every year, attic space is gaining more and more popularity. To increase living space, owners of private cottages build an additional floor by raising the roofing to a level slightly larger than human height. This option allows you not only to increase the number of rooms in the cottage, but also to significantly save on construction and finishing.
After the construction of an attic space, an important question often arises - how to insulate the attic if it is intended for permanent residence. The task is not easy, since such rooms lose heat faster and do not have a standard layout. But there are still certain recommendations for carrying out work - how, with what and in what order.
Preparing for insulation
The most important feature of most attic spaces is the sloping ceiling due to the peculiarity of the roof. But at the same time, in accordance with SNiP 2.08.01-89, the height of such a room must be at least 250 cm. In some areas (up to half the attic area), a reduction in height is allowed.
Other features of the attic include:
- the heat loss coefficient depends on the material from which the house is built - log house, gas/foam concrete, brick, stone, etc.;
- the presence of communications that “dictate” certain technical solutions for arrangement and insulation;
- various configurations and architectural forms of the room itself, depending on the shape of the roof - single or gable, broken, straight, etc.;
- for insulation, you can use all the same materials as for the building itself;
- Not only the internal content can be original, but also the very arrangement of the room - as a part of the house, taken outside with emphasis on columns, as an intermediate link between the individual parts.
All these features dictate the choice of heat insulator and insulation method.
It is recommended to insulate the attic, as well as a residential building, from the outside. This way the dew point will be shifted and condensation will not accumulate inside.
Where to start
In order for this room to retain heat as much as possible, you should choose the right insulator for insulation and decide on the cladding option. At the moment, the construction market provides a wide range of different insulation materials, the choice of which depends entirely on individual requirements.
Air circulation before and after thermal insulation
First of all, before deciding how and with what to insulate the attic space, you need to study the types of heat insulators, advantages, disadvantages, calculate budget possibilities and select cladding based on technical characteristics.
Selection of thermal insulation material
Among the most popular insulation materials are:
Glass wool
Glass wool is a budget option, the cost of which depends entirely on the required amount of material, thickness and density. On average, the price varies from 400 rubles for 3-4 sheets. However, installing fiberglass can cause some problems. During the installation process, glass wool crumbles a lot, which contributes to the release of large amounts of dust, which is dangerous to breathing and vision.
While working, you should carefully protect yourself with a special suit, gloves, mask, glasses and shoes. The main advantages of glass wool are:
- good thermal insulation characteristics;
- no release of toxic substances;
- high resistance to fire.
Before deciding how to insulate an attic with mineral wool, it is very important to take care of work safety.
Wood sawdust
Sawdust is an excellent option for people seeking to create a space that meets all environmentally friendly requirements. Sawdust can create good thermal insulation and sound insulation. Wood waste is mainly used for floor insulation.
The main disadvantages are:
- susceptibility to fungal, clay lesions;
- rapid absorption of moisture;
- short service life. Over time, the material settles and loses its properties.
Ecowool
Ecowool is durable and is also included in the category of environmentally friendly materials. It has a high thermal conductivity - 0.043 W/mK, which is considered one of the best values for such insulation.
Thermal insulation absorbs sound well, is resistant to aggressive chemical influences, and allows vapor to pass through, preventing the formation of fungus, mold or corrosion. After using ecowool, the owner will no longer have a question about how to insulate the attic.
Fiberboards
Fiberboard is most often used to insulate attics in bathhouses. The slabs have a simple installation method, which is what captivates those who are trying to figure out how to insulate an attic using fiberboard.
The slabs have good resistance to mechanical damage and are famous for their high heat and sound insulation. A smooth and durable surface allows you to save a significant amount of money on leveling the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Styrofoam
Most owners of private houses, faced with the task of how best to insulate the attic from the outside, unanimously claim that polystyrene foam will cope with this perfectly.
The great popularity of this material is justified by its simplicity in design, good heat and sound insulation properties, fire safety and water resistance. It is not suitable for internal insulation because it does not allow steam to pass through well, which can result in fungal formations.
Polystyrene foam has two disadvantages - a low degree of environmental friendliness and the love of rodents. If the attic insulation work is carried out from the inside, be prepared for mice to take up residence in the foam.
Polyurethane foam
Experts definitely recommend choosing this particular material. Outwardly, it is little distinguishable from foam plastic, but due to a special production technology, it is much more effective. Before insulating the attic from the inside, you need to calculate the number of sheets.
Among the main advantages is ease of installation; it does not require installation. It is necessary to blow foam into the area between the rafters, which ensures thorough thermal insulation of all gaps.
Polyurethane foam has resistance to humidity, increased fire safety, and a long service life, but it prevents air circulation. In such conditions, condensation accumulates and mold appears.
Installation sequence
After the owner of a private house comes to a definite decision about the best way to insulate the attic, you should study the strict sequence of installation of the material:
- walls;
- roof.
This method is the most correct and convenient to obtain the expected result.
VIDEO: Attic insulation technology
Floor insulation
If the floor has an uneven surface, you need to wisely choose the best option to insulate the attic from the inside, so that you don’t have to buy additional levelers. The technology consists of several steps: first, waterproofing is installed on the floor, then it is filled with granular material, carefully leveled with beacons, and fiberboard is installed on top.
To prepare for the classic method of installing wooden floors, experts recommend filling the openings with mineral wool. If you plan to install a “warm floor” system, then before you insulate the attic from the inside, you need to make a standard foam screed.
In addition to the above options, expanded clay, sawdust and waterproofing film can be used to insulate the floor.
Thermal insulation of walls
The walls of the attic room are often lined with plasterboard. In this case, basalt slabs or sheets of mineral wool are laid in the area between the base and the material.
Ceiling work
The process of insulating the ceiling area is the most difficult, since the ceiling is equipped with a large number of beams, which complicate the installation of insulating material. All work must be done following the basic rules.
- First of all, it is necessary to insulate the roofing.
- Next is the installation of a waterproofing layer made of a protective film that prevents moisture from penetrating the insulation.
- Afterwards you need to install the air gap.
- Laying insulation, the method of which completely depends on the type.
- Installation of ventilation holes or gaps for improved air circulation and creation of the most favorable microclimate in the room.
- Installation of a membrane film responsible for the regular removal of excess steam.
- Finally, there is a finishing lining of plasterboard or other similar finishing.
VIDEO: Do-it-yourself attic roof insulation
September 7, 2016
Specialization: Capital construction work (laying a foundation, erecting walls, constructing a roof, etc.). Internal construction work (laying internal communications, rough and fine finishing). Hobbies: mobile communications, high technology, computer equipment, programming.
Some time ago I completed an order to insulate the attic for winter living. While doing the work, I thought that the technology I used was quite simple and even an untrained person could make thermal insulation from the inside with his own hands.
In today’s material I will tell you what is better and how to properly insulate an attic from the inside with your own hands. This instruction will help you avoid making mistakes that I had to face at the beginning of my construction career.
I assure you, upon completion of the work, the attic floor of a wooden house will turn from a useless storage of rubbish into a cozy and comfortable room in which all your household members will fight to live.
Features and methods of insulating an attic space
Before talking about ways to insulate the under-roof space from the inside, I want to note that it is necessary to do this, even if you are not going to live in the house in the winter. The fact is that the attic, due to its location, is strongly heated by the sun in the summer, so without a reliable insulating layer, the temperature inside will be uncomfortable (or you will have to install a very powerful air conditioner).
If you have already insulated ordinary living spaces and think that you know how to insulate an attic, I have to disappoint you. Thermal insulation of a room under the roof (not an ordinary room on the second floor, but the attic) has some features that I simply must mention:
- The geometry of the attic space follows the contours of the pitched roof, and is therefore far from a standard cube or parallelepiped. The insulation will have to be installed on inclined surfaces, so the choice of thermal insulation material will have to be approached with special care. For example, the use of too soft and flexible products is completely excluded.
- The roof truss system and roof covering are always made of lightweight materials so as not to place a large load on the load-bearing walls of the house. Consequently, the heat-insulating cake should weigh so much as to only slightly weigh down the structure, otherwise the roof may collapse under a significant snow load.
- In addition to the roof slopes, the attic has two more gables and a floor (it is also an attic floor). If you do not thermally insulate these surfaces, all efforts to install insulation in the rafters will not lead to any significant result.
- Roofing material, no matter how reliable it is, can allow atmospheric moisture to pass through, which, in turn, can damage the insulating layer or significantly reduce its technical characteristics. Therefore, during installation it is necessary to reliably protect the thermal insulation from moisture.
- When buildings catch fire, the fire usually moves to the top of the home, where the attic is located. Therefore, to ensure the possibility of evacuating people from this room for thermal insulation, I personally recommend using non-combustible or low-flammable insulation. After all, the matter is further aggravated by the fact that the roof rafter system is made of wood, which cannot be classified as NG.
- Well, the last point is environmental friendliness. Care must be taken to ensure that the insulation does not pose a danger to people living in the attic, regardless of its operating conditions - heating, humidification, freezing, and so on.
First, let's decide on the method of thermal insulation. There are two options:
- Insulation of attic walls. This method is used when the roof slopes are not attic walls. The role of the latter is played by additional partitions made of wood, plasterboard, plywood, and so on, which should be insulated.
The advantage of this method is the presence of additional ventilated space under the roof. The downside is a reduction in the usable area of the room.
- Insulation of roof slopes. In this case, the heat insulator is installed in the rafter system, after which you can divide the spacious attic using thin partitions, without worrying about cold or heat. The advantage is that the entire under-roof space will be insulated. And with the help of partitions you can divide it into several separate rooms, arranging an additional storage room in the attic.
I prefer the second method of insulation, so it will be discussed further.
Selection of materials and tools
It's time to decide how to insulate the attic space from the inside. To do this, you can use polystyrene foam, expanded clay, polyurethane foam, ecowool and many other heat insulators that are offered for purchase by domestic and foreign industry.
But I insulate the attic using basalt wool. This material, in my opinion, best meets the requirements for the thermal insulation layer of such a room.
I will briefly list the most important advantages of basalt mats:
| Characteristic | Description |
| Low thermal conductivity | The material retains heat indoors so well that for effective thermal insulation it is enough to install a layer 10 cm thick. |
| Hygroscopicity | Basalt fibers do not absorb water and have hydrophobic properties, so moisture that gets inside is quickly removed through the gaps without reducing the performance properties of the material. |
| Vapor permeability | The material does not interfere with air infiltration, normalizing humidity in the attic and extending the service life of wooden parts. |
| Non-flammability | Basalt wool does not ignite in a fire and helps to extinguish the flame, giving time to evacuate people or eliminate the source of fire. |
I could talk for a long time about the advantages of mineral wool, but this is not the topic of today’s article. Therefore, I simply noted the better way to insulate the attic from the inside.
I prefer to use TechnoNIKOL Technolight Extra basalt mats, 10 cm thick, measuring 120 by 60 cm. It is not advisable to buy denser material, since it will not experience loads between the rafters.
It is very important to pay attention to the dimensions of the material. I chose TechnoNikol mats because their width is 60 cm, which is exactly the distance between adjacent rafters in the case I am describing.
In addition to direct thermal insulation, other materials are also needed:
- Wooden blocks with a cross section of 30 by 50 mm, with the help of which a counter-lattice will be formed for ventilation gaps that help remove moisture.
- Super-diffuse, vapor-permeable, hydro- and windproof membrane. These films are especially high quality from the companies Strotex and Juta, so I recommend buying them.
- Penofol. Thermal reflective material that I am going to use instead of the standard vapor barrier film that protects the mineral wool from moisture from inside the room.
- Antiseptic primer. It is necessary to treat the roof rafter supports with it to prevent the appearance of mold and mildew. You can buy a composition with fire retardants, thereby increasing the fire safety of the building.
- OSB boards. They will be needed to construct the sheathing, on which flexible tiles are laid on one side and eurolining on the other. If you are going to use other materials, then continuous sheathing may not be necessary.
- Polyurethane polyurethane foam. Useful for sealing seams between mineral mats.
- U-shaped perforated brackets for mounting galvanized sheathing. For me, they will hold the installed mineral mats in place until they are covered with decorative material.
Well, now you can safely move on to how to insulate an attic from the inside with your own hands.
Arrangement of insulation
The entire insulation process can be divided into several steps:
So, I’ll explain how to properly do the work with your own hands in each of the mentioned stages.
Step 1 - Laying waterproofing and roofing material
Let's start with the installation of the waterproofing membrane, since it is installed outside the room before fixing the roofing. This is the only way to reliably protect the insulating layer from atmospheric moisture entering it.
I’ll say right away that the entire roof truss system in the case I’m describing was installed. However, the roofing material and sheathing have not yet been laid.
The process consists of the following steps:
- I roll out the first layer of hydro- and windproof membrane. You need to start work from the bottom of the roof slope, gradually moving upward. The membrane is secured with staples and a construction stapler or nails with wide heads. It is necessary to install the film not under tension, but with a slight sag (about 2 cm per meter) so that it does not tear when the air temperature decreases.
- I lay the second and subsequent sheets of waterproofing film. You need to act in the same way as in the previous paragraph. But there is one point here. The edge of the upper membrane should overlap the edge of the lower membrane by a distance of 10 cm to ensure complete impermeability to moisture.
- I seal the seams of the membrane. Adhesive tape is used for this. It just needs to be glued to the joints of adjacent waterproofing membranes.
- I'm installing a counter batten. Its role is played by wooden blocks, which are secured with self-tapping screws on top of the waterproofing membrane on the rafter supports. I recommend pre-impregnating them with an antiseptic and fire retardant to extend the life of the roofing structure.
- I secure the additional sheathing boards. They are installed perpendicular to the rafters and fastened with self-tapping screws to the counter-grid. The step between adjacent parts is about 40 cm.
- I am installing OSB base boards. They are attached to the boards using self-tapping screws. Here you need to monitor the length of the fastening fittings so that too long screws do not tear the hydro- and windproof membrane located below.
- I install flexible roofing. To do this, an underlay carpet is glued to the slabs, after which shingles of flexible tiles are fixed to it.
If you are insulating an attic with a finished roof, then the waterproofing membrane will have to be installed from the inside. This method has two disadvantages:
- the labor intensity of the work being carried out increases;
- the waterproofing film will not protect the wooden roof rafters.
It is necessary to secure and seal the film so that it wraps around the rafters and adheres to the roof sheathing. Thus, unique baths are formed into which insulating material will be placed.
But before this, it is necessary to prepare the under-roof space for the installation of mineral mats.
Step 2 - Preparing the rafter system
I prepare the space under the roof, namely the rafter system, for thermal insulation:
- I clean the wooden parts from dust and debris, and remove objects that interfere with the installation of mineral mats. It is best to clean the rafters with a vacuum cleaner, which will remove dust, sawdust and shavings remaining after installing the roofing material. You should also check to see if the sharp ends of screws, nails, etc. are sticking out anywhere. They can cause injury or damage insulation materials.
- I install utility lines and insulate them. Ventilation and chimney pipes can be installed on the roof, as well as the electrical wiring necessary to connect household appliances in the attic:
- Ventilation pipes, if they are laid in an uninsulated part of the attic, must be thermally insulated using mineral wool or foam shells.
- For the chimney, a box should be designed to pass through the attic floor and roof. They must be covered with heat-insulating material (most often perlite or expanded clay), which will increase the fire safety of the room.
- Electrical wiring should be placed in polymer flexible or rigid cable ducts, which will prevent the rafters and insulation layer from catching fire in the event of a short circuit.
- I prime wooden surfaces. For work, it is better to use a universal composition that has both antiseptic and fire-fighting properties. For example, composition for wood BS-13 or Fire and Bioprotection Sentinel-2. It must be applied to wooden parts using a roller or spray, processing in two layers with intermediate drying for 3 or 4 hours.
- I install U-shaped brackets on the side surfaces of the rafters. It is not necessary to use them, since when the rafters are installed correctly, the mineral mats already become tightly spaced. But I’m used to playing it safe, and their purchase does not greatly impact the budget planned for insulation. But if you use cotton wool in rolls, you can’t do without it.
Step 3 — Installation of thermal insulation
Insulation of the attic from the inside continues. Let's move on to the main part:
- I am cutting mats. Mineral wool is cut into the required pieces using a sharp knife or file with very fine teeth. If the distance between the rafters corresponds to the width of the insulation, there is practically no need to trim.
- I install mats between the rafters. To do this, you need to slightly bend the material in the middle, and then insert the insulation into the desired place. Having straightened out, the basalt mat will take its intended place and will not fall out of the inclined surface.
- I secure the mats with brackets. You just need to bend part of the bracket so that its edge rests on the surface of the mat and holds it in place. Instead of brackets, you can use galvanized perforated strips that are attached directly to the lower edges of the rafters.
- I seal the seams of the material with polyurethane foam. The gaps must be filled using a gun. Moreover, act so that the composition is inside the entire crack, and not just on its surface. If you make a mistake at this stage, cold bridges may form at the joints, which will reduce the effectiveness of insulation.
To increase the reliability of the heat-insulating layer, you can install not one, but two layers of insulation. Just take mineral mats with a thickness of not 10, but 5 cm. Then the individual layers are installed so that the joints are spaced apart. And you don’t have to worry about cold bridges at all, although it’s still worth sealing the seams.
Step 4 - Finish Coat
Decorative finishing of the enclosing structures of the attic room is carried out as follows:
- I install a heat-reflecting and vapor barrier layer. As you understand, for this I will use penofol - foamed polyethylene with a reflective layer of polished aluminum foil. It is mounted as follows:
- The first sheet of penofol is installed with a foil layer towards the living room, after which it is aimed at the rafters using a construction stapler.
- The second and subsequent sheets of material are installed so that there is an overlap of 10 cm between the individual elements.
- The joints of penofol are glued with double-sided adhesive tape (inside the joint) or metallized tape (which is glued on top of the joint). It is necessary to ensure that a completely homogeneous and sealed layer is formed.
- If the thickness of your rafters is such that the edge of the insulation does not reach the cut of the wood, then penofol should be laid over the surface of the mineral wool, secured to the side surface of the roof support beams. Otherwise, it may rustle when air passes through the ventilation gap.
- I install counter battens to create a ventilation gap. You need to screw the planks using self-tapping screws to the rafters on top of the foam foam. These parts create a gap between the finish and the heat-reflecting surface, which is necessary to remove condensed moisture.
- Installing OSB boards. They are attached to the counter-lattice using self-tapping screws. Everything is standard here, except for some small nuances:
- It is necessary to install the sheets so that there is a gap of 1-2 cm thick at the edges (at the gables and the floor). This is necessary to remove excess moisture and compensate for possible changes in the size of the material.
- The seams between adjacent slabs should run randomly (in a checkerboard pattern) and be 2-3 mm thick to avoid warping of the surface during thermal expansion of the base.
- The slabs must be secured so that their edges are located on the counter-lattice bars. The distance between the screws is no more than 20 cm.
You can later install eurolining or other decorative material on the slabs. And we have ahead of us the insulation of the gables, which form two of the four walls of the attic room.
Step 5 - Insulating the gables
I strongly recommend insulating these parts of the attic from the outside, using dense mineral wool, which can be covered with cement plaster on top. The work flow is as follows:
- I prepare the surface for work. To do this, you need to clean the surface of the walls from remnants of mortar, debris, dirt and dust. After this, the following operations are performed:
- Damage repair. If gaps and cracks are found in the masonry, they must be sealed with cement mortar or blown out with foam.
- Surface priming. To do this, you need to take a primer for brick or (not the one you used to treat the rafters), and then cover the gables with it in two layers with intermediate drying.
- I am installing the starting profile. This is a perforated galvanized part on which the insulating layer will rest. It is fixed at the bottom of the wall strictly horizontally. If several of these parts are needed, install them with a small gap to compensate for the thermal expansion of the metal.
- I glue the first row of mineral mats.
Let me remind you that you need to use dense mineral wool, which is intended for subsequent finishing with cement mortar. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The surface of the mineral wool is pre-reinforced with cement glue, which is evenly distributed over the slab using a spatula.
- A bead of cement glue is applied to the mineral wool at a distance of 5 cm from the edge. Several lumps of glue are also placed in the middle of the mat so that at least 40% of the surface of the sheet is covered.
- The part is applied to the wall. in this case, its lower end must be supported by a pre-established starting profile. Using a water level, it is necessary to check that the basalt mat is installed strictly vertically in all planes.
- After the first layer, other mats are glued to the wall in the same way. It is necessary to monitor the verticals and ensure that the seams between adjacent parts are minimal.
- I glue the second and subsequent rows of mineral mats. There are no differences here compared to the procedure described in the previous paragraph. You just need to make sure that the vertical ones run away. That is, the seam of the top row was in the middle of the insulation sheet of the bottom row (as in brickwork).
- After the solution has hardened, I secure the insulating layer with dowels - “fungi”. They are installed as follows:
- A hole is drilled directly through the mineral mats in the wall using a hammer drill, the depth of which in the brick or concrete should exceed 2 cm.
- A dowel is inserted into the resulting hole, after which the core is installed inside.
- Using a hammer, the core is driven into the dowel so that its head is slightly recessed into the surface of the insulation.
- It’s not just mineral mats that need to be secured. “Mushrooms” should be installed in the seams of the insulating material so that the thermal insulation layer does not come off under load.
- I seal the seams of the material. To insulate the seams, polyurethane foam is used, which glues the insulation fibers together, preventing the formation of cold bridges at the junction of adjacent mineral slabs. It is necessary to fill the seam with a gun as tightly as possible.
- I reinforce the insulation surface with alkali-resistant fiberglass mesh. To do this, mineral mats are coated with a reinforcing compound, after which a mesh is placed on it and pressed into the solution with a plaster float. Then a little more solution is applied on top so as to completely hide the mesh inside.
- I am plastering the surface. The reinforced insulated surface of the gables is plastered and then decorated with the selected decorative material. In the simplest case, you can simply paint the pediment with facade paint.
That's all. Some people still resort to thermal insulation of the interfloor ceiling, but with such powerful insulation as I described, I consider this procedure unnecessary.
Summary
Now you know how to properly insulate the walls in the attic floor and floor yourself using mineral wool at the lowest possible cost. However, there are other options.
For example, sprayed polystyrene foam, which can be used to easily insulate difficult areas, including the Mauerlat in a heated attic. You can learn how to spray polyurethane foam yourself from the video in this article.
If you have any questions, ask them in the comments!