Insulation of the floor with expanded clay under the screed: advantages and a detailed description of the technique, the secrets of the correct execution of work. Expanded clay floor insulation: pros and cons Why use expanded clay in floor insulation

Insulation of the floor, walls, and other parts of a wooden house usually occurs with the help of expanded clay. This is an inexpensive, but high-quality insulation. True, it is used mainly in wooden houses, its use in brick, aerated concrete is not always appropriate (floor insulation can be done with it, but walls and ceilings are not). The article will consider the pros and cons of expanded clay as a heater, as well as instructions on how to use it to insulate the floor and ceiling.

Features of warming a wooden house

In order to understand how best to carry out the insulation of a wooden house, it is necessary to identify the qualities inherent in such buildings:

• wooden walls, ceilings, ceilings have excellent vapor barrier performance;
• have low resistance to mechanical damage, are not refractory;
• wooden houses immediately after construction significantly settle down (have a large shrinkage coefficient);
• have good thermal insulation qualities.

Based on the given criteria, you will need to choose a heater. And such a heater as expanded clay is an almost ideal solution for a wooden house. In fact, a heater for a wooden house should have the following qualities:

Expanded clay - one of the most popular insulation for wooden houses

One of the most important advantages of expanded clay is fire resistance and fire resistance, which is especially important for wooden houses.

Pros and cons of expanded clay as a heater

To begin with, it is worth deciding what, in general, is such a material as expanded clay? It is a construction gravelly porous porous material made from shale and clay, fired to give it various properties in special furnaces.

In fact, this is such a powdery shale clay. The material is really very cheap, while in terms of performance it is not inferior to sawdust, polystyrene foam, or other types of insulation used in wooden houses.

The scheme of insulation of the foundation of a frame house using expanded clay

This type of insulation boasts the following advantages:

• it has complete biological safety (for the human body, this material is harmless, insect larvae cannot appear there: it is for this reason that floor insulation with expanded clay, as well as the ceiling and walls, is so popular);
• resistant to mechanical damage (for example, it is very difficult to gnaw through mice and rats, which are often “companions” of a wooden house);
• fire resistant;
• has a small weight (lighter - only foamed polymers such as mineral wool, so it will practically not give a load on the floors);
• has excellent soundproofing and noise-absorbing properties (due to the porous structure, the insulation has the so-called “thermos” effect);
• simplicity and ease of installation (the insulation of the roof with expanded clay or the floor can be easily carried out by one person, and the latter does not need to have any special skills in the field of construction);
• low cost (one of the main advantages of this material);
• does not rot or decompose.

Of course, the described material has its drawbacks:

Moisture absorption is not such a terrible drawback, for example, mineral wool significantly outperforms the described insulation in this indicator.

Expanded clay is not a moisture resistant material - this is one of its main drawbacks.

But here the matter is different: the “wet” material will dry out for a very long time. Moreover, it will swell and significantly increase in its weight (accordingly, the load on the floors will also increase).

Floor insulation in a wooden house

Warming a wooden floor with expanded clay is, as noted above, quite simple. You can lay the material in 2 ways:

1. By scattering (the so-called “dry” screed, when the floor is laid directly on the material itself);
2. Under the cement screed.

It's hard to say which one to choose. On the one hand, if the house is frame, panel, made of SIP panels, then it is not recommended to make a heavy floor with a screed there. By themselves, such houses are very light, their foundation is designed for the minimum possible load.

On the other hand, if the house consists of the same rounded or glued timber, then a cement screed is not only possible there, it is simply desirable there. Expanded clay is laid by scattering when it comes to the so-called "earthen flooring" for the floor.

The scheme of insulation of the roof of the house with expanded clay

The soil is carefully compacted, a sand and gravel pillow is made on it, fractions are carefully scattered on this pillow, after which the floor is laid. The only nuance that must be taken into account is that with this method, the expanded clay layer must be at least 10 centimeters thick.

More is possible, but less than 10 centimeters is impossible, neither sanitary and hygienic nor engineering standards allow this. Under the screed, of course, it is somewhat more difficult to conduct insulation.

You will need the following materials:

The work is carried out in several stages:

1. If there was an old floor in the house, then it is completely removed, the lower surface is protected and, if necessary, leveled (the difference in surface height can vary from 3 to 5 centimeters, but no more);
2. The surface is completely protected from dirt and dust, for which it is treated with a brush with hard bristles, after which it can be vacuumed (if there is no construction vacuum cleaner, you can also use a regular home vacuum cleaner);
3. If there are defects such as chips and cracks, they can be repaired with tile adhesive, mounting foam or concrete mortar;
4. The next step is floor waterproofing. You can make it either with the help of waterproofing mastic or, which is much easier, with the help of an elementary dense polyethylene film;
5. Along the perimeter of the floor to a height of 10 centimeters, an edge tape must be glued to the walls, which will prevent further thermal deformation;
6. Beacons are installed as for a conventional cement screed);
7. The first layer of expanded clay is covered in a dry way;
8. The second layer of expanded clay is mixed with concrete mortar in a ratio of 5:1, the screed is poured, after which a new, already even layer of screed is applied, without expanded clay.

   
   Table of comparative properties of expanded clay, based on the size of the fractions

Waterproofing mastic is one of the best materials for waterproofing floors.

Ceiling insulation

Expanded clay for the floor is no different in composition and size of fractions from the material for the ceiling. Yes, and the insulation of walls with expanded clay can be said the same (although walls made of expanded clay are quite rare).

Comparison of physical properties of different materials

So, the ceiling insulation is as follows:

Video

You can watch a video where experts talk about how to insulate the floor with expanded clay.

The popularity of creating environmentally friendly buildings in a forest or remote area from the city is growing every year.

To do this, all owners strive to use appropriate materials both for organizing the structure itself and for interior decoration in the premises.

The most famous eco-building option is a wooden house. Often there are questions about how and with what to insulate the floor in this building, since many materials are not suitable for environmental friendliness. One of the solutions to the problem is to insulate the floor with expanded clay in a wooden house.

Insulation of the floor of a wooden house, options for insulation

Wood is a material that holds heat well. Only the structures of wooden houses are made in such a way that the supporting elements of the flooring are wooden logs, which are located at a distance of 40-80 cm from each other.

These elements are made of edged boards with dimensions of 50 x 150 mm and 50 x 200 mm.

They are laid on the initial level of the building, the strapping of which is bars 150 x 150 cm or 150 x 100 cm, connected to each other “overlaid”. The binding rests on the foundation.

It depends on the foundation how to perform the subfloor.

The draft floor in a wooden house is often mounted on logs.

For the construction of wooden houses, 3 foundation options are most often used:

• monolith;
• strip foundation;
• piles.

Each of these types has its own characteristics and recommendations for use in certain conditions. If a wooden house is placed on a monolithic foundation, then concrete itself will be the rough flooring, but if on a pile or tape, then the subfloor is made of wooden boards, which are hemmed from the bottom of the log.

To prevent cold air from entering the building through the floor, it is recommended to insulate it. The insulation is laid on the subfloor, which is pre-covered with a waterproofing film.

To date, the range of heaters that are suitable for use in wooden houses is quite diverse.

For floor insulation use:

• products based on mineral and basalt wool;
• glass wool;
• Styrofoam;
• expanded polystyrene;
• expanded clay.

Each material with which insulation is made has certain thermal conductivity indicators. The same insulation (its type) can be produced with different thermal conductivity and density.

Expanded clay, as a floor insulation in a wooden house, its properties

Expanded clay is an environmentally friendly material

Expanded clay is considered a natural and environmentally friendly material that is widely used in construction work for various purposes.

Many professionals consider expanded clay to be the first insulation that has excellent thermal insulation and sound absorption properties.

This material is also used for the production of building blocks, as well as for organizing a screed and a rough floor surface.

Before backfilling the material, line each cell with waterproofing material

Before organizing the dry method of warming a wooden house with expanded clay, it is necessary to treat the rough floor (if it is made of wood) with an insect and mold repellent, only after that it is worth laying a waterproofing membrane.

It is better to lay the film in each cell (gaps between lags) separately. If it is not possible to purchase modern waterproofing material, you can fully replace it with roofing material.

Filled granules must be compacted

After the waterproofing on the flooring is equipped, you should proceed to filling the gaps with expanded clay.

When pouring insulation into the cells between the lags, it should be distributed at the same time so that there are no unfilled areas, while slightly tamping the material. The level of the filled expanded clay should coincide with the top of the supporting logs.

To organize floor insulation in wooden houses, experts advise using this fine fraction building material so that individual granules fit as tightly as possible to each other, thereby creating a greater density of the insulated cover.

It is possible to lay expanded clay immediately in bags

Some builders use expanded clay filled in plastic bags to insulate the flooring of houses.

At the same time, the bags are selected in large sizes and the material is not completely filled into it, leaving the possibility of uniform distribution during laying.

Installation of a layer of insulation using expanded clay in bags avoids debris and dust, and also contributes to the uniform use of all material.

The thickness of the expanded clay layer is limited by the height of the log. For a certain region of the country, experts recommend an individual layer of expanded clay for floor insulation.

Insulation of the floor with expanded clay by the organization of a "wet" screed

A wet screed based on expanded clay is used as a heater, leveling cover and rough flooring, on which the finish coating is already laid.

Under expanded clay, it is advised to lay roofing material

Before laying the screed, it is worth rolling out the roofing material over the entire surface of the monolithic foundation, and its edges should go on the walls (up) by 10-15 cm. The screed - insulation should not come into contact with the frame of the house.

The proportions of the solution for organizing the coating are as follows, for 1 kg of cement there are 4 kg of expanded clay and 3 kg of sand. Water is added to the composition during kneading at the discretion of the builders. For more information about floor insulation with granules, see the emt video:

When organizing both wet and dry screeds, it is necessary to calculate in advance the amount of expanded clay for flooring a certain area.

To do this, you need to know: the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room, the thickness of the insulation layer and the weight of 1m3 of material. To correctly create a solution for a wet insulating screed based on expanded clay, you can use the examples of material ratios shown in the table.

Expanded clay is a universal building material that does not lose its popularity and competes with other types of insulation. Thermal insulation and noise reduction are the most important properties of expanded clay, which it does not lose even after many years of operation.

The variety of heat-insulating materials present on the modern market sometimes confuses when choosing. Experts also recommend choosing heaters according to the optimal price-quality ratio. And there are many such materials on the market. For example, expanded clay, which is used for thermal insulation of horizontal surfaces. This material is not only one of the cheapest and most affordable, but with proper use it will last for decades. Do-it-yourself floor insulation with expanded clay in a wooden house is not a problem if the steps of the technological process are correctly followed.

All about expanded clay

Expanded clay, as a heater, has been known for a long time. It is a round or oval-shaped granule, the structure of which is porous. The production is based on the firing of clay granules (fusible clay is used) at high temperatures. Clay swells from the inside, forming pores, and the top layer becomes ceramic with a sufficiently high strength. That is, it turns out a durable material, but light.

Manufacturers today offer three fractions of expanded clay:

1. Sand - it has granules up to 10 mm in size.
2. Crushed stone - the size of the granules is from 10 to 20 mm.
3. Gravel - with 20-40 mm granules.

If we compare expanded clay in terms of thermal insulation characteristics with other building materials, then, for example, its layer 10 cm thick is equal to brickwork 1 m thick or wooden flooring with a layer of 25 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages

In addition to the fact that expanded clay is a good insulation, you can add the following advantages to its advantages:

• low price;
• it is an eco-friendly material without any synthetic additives;
• a fairly serious service life - not less than 50 years;
• easily tolerates low and high temperatures;
• does not burn;
• it is not touched by rodents;
• small specific gravity;
• it is a good sound insulator;
• sufficient strength to withstand the loads acting on it.

As for the shortcomings, there are not so many of them. The main one is the hygroscopicity of the material. Expanded clay quickly absorbs water and moisture, which remains inside the insulation for a long time. At the same time, it immediately loses its thermal insulation qualities. Wet material sags unevenly, which affects the floor structure.

Now to the question, which expanded clay is better to use for floor insulation. Let's start with the fact that expanded clay sand is used for mixing concrete, which is used for pouring screeds and making blocks. Gravel is used for insulation of heating mains, basements, roofs and floors of industrial premises. But crushed stone is an excellent option for insulating floors in a wooden house. It cannot be said that this distribution is a strict requirement. Nobody forbids, for example, the use of gravel in pouring the screed. Simply due to this, the thickness of the poured layer will increase, which will lead to a decrease in ceilings.

And a few specs:

Types of floor insulation with expanded clay

The technology of warming a wooden floor with expanded clay is divided into two types:

• wet,
• dry.

Consider each option separately and indicate in which situations it is better to use one or the other. But first you need to understand what the floors in a wooden house can be. Here, in principle, there are two options: on the ground, on the logs (bearing beams). At the same time, in the second case, the floors can be an overlap between the first floor and the basement, where the insulation process is carried out using a completely different technology.

wet way

It is used if the floor is formed on the ground. In this case, the distance from the ground to the wooden walls of the house is insignificant, within half a meter. Here is the sequence of operations.

1. The soil between the foundation strips is cleared of debris and leveled.
2. A sand cushion with a thickness of at least 30 cm is filled up. The size was not chosen in vain, because moisture or groundwater can rise to this particular height, not higher. In fact, the pillow is a waterproofing layer.
3. Often a concrete screed with a thickness of 5-7 cm is poured. But this is an optional procedure.
4. A waterproofing layer of roofing felt or other polymer films is covered. Laying is carried out in strips with overlapping edges of 10-15 cm and gluing them with self-adhesive tapes. If roofing material is used, then bituminous mastic is used for sealing. Waterproofing is laid in two layers perpendicular to each other.

Attention! The waterproofing material necessarily covers the foundation completely in height, that is, up to the wooden walls. It is attached to them with nails or screws.

1. Next, expanded clay is backfilled with horizontal alignment. The thickness of the layer is determined taking into account the climatic conditions of the region where the wooden house is being built. On average, this figure is 10-15 cm.
2. On top of the insulation, exactly the same waterproofing layer is laid as under it.
3. A reinforcing frame made of metal mesh is installed on top.
4. Concrete solution is being poured. This is a screed that will later be used as a floor base for subsequent finishing.

In this technology, there is another option associated with concrete mortar. In the latter, expanded clay itself is poured as a filler. That is, the floors are formed precisely by concrete without backfilling with insulation, as a separate layer. In this case, it is recommended to increase the thickness of the pillow, which is filled with two layers of different materials. The lower one is ordinary stone rubble, the upper one is sand. Waterproofing can be omitted due to the thickness of the cushion and the strength of expanded clay concrete. Although the roofing material laid in one layer will not hurt.

Expanded clay screed is durable and insulated. It does not need to be waterproofed. An obligatory element of such a floor is a reinforcing frame made of steel reinforcement with a diameter of 8 mm with cells of 20x20 cm. When laying it, it must be laid on stands so that the armored belt is inside the expanded clay concrete layer, preferably in the middle. Stones are used as coasters, a metal profile cut into small pieces, ready-made coasters made of metal or plastic are sold today.

Attention! It is recommended to separate the poured concrete from the walls of the foundation with a damper tape. This is a one-sided self-adhesive material that is glued to the surface of the foundation structure around the entire perimeter of the room. Its purpose is to compensate for the thermal expansion of the screed.

Now to the question of the thickness of the expanded clay concrete screed - what should be its value. It all depends on the average winter outdoor temperature in the region where the wooden house is being built. The table shows the ratios of these two parameters.

It should be added that expanded clay concrete is rarely used as a heat-insulating material. It is often used in monolithic construction.

Dry option

Before insulating the floor with expanded clay in a wooden house along load-bearing beams or logs, it is necessary to understand what this type of flooring is. These are beams or logs, often just boards, which rest on the foundation of a wooden house with their ends. If the span is large enough, then intermediate support posts made of bricks, blocks, monolith, logs, metal profiles are constructed under the beams. A basement can be organized under them, and if the distance from the ground to the beams is small, then space is simply left.

House with basement

In this case, it is necessary to start warming the floor with expanded clay in a wooden house from below, that is, from the side of the basement. To do this, a waterproofing film with overlapping edges is stuffed along the lower edges of the supporting beams. Then from below, along the beams, any durable sheet, panel or any other flat material is stuffed. For example, it can be boards, plywood, chipboard, OSB, iron sheets, corrugated board, slate, etc. (you can use it).

The rest of the work is transferred to the room. Here, expanded clay is backfilled between the lags with filling up to the upper edges of the latter. Another layer of waterproofing film is laid along the logs, in the same way with overlapping edges and sealing the joints with self-adhesive tape. And already from above, floors are formed, the elements of which are attached to beams or logs. It can be a plank floor, plywood or OSB for subsequent finishing.

House without basement

Expanded clay insulation in a private house under a wooden floor, in which there is no basement, is made from the premises. This technology differs from the previous one in that the materials used in it are laid on top with fastening to the supporting beams.

First of all, wooden slats with a maximum section of 50x50 mm, which are called cranial, must be laid and fixed along the lower edges of the beams. Pieces of boards are laid across them, fixed to the rails with screws or nails. A cellular structure in the form of longitudinal niches should be obtained on the floor.

Now the floor must be covered with a waterproofing film, which is laid with a snug fit to all surfaces. Purely in form, the floor structure should not change. It will still be the same cellular structure.

Further, expanded clay is poured into the formed cells flush with the upper edges of the supporting beams. After that, another layer of waterproofing is laid, which is attached to the beams. It is impossible to pull strongly, a small sag should remain in case of thermal expansion or contraction of the material. And the last stage is the installation of flooring.

House on columnar and screw piles

In a wooden house on screw piles (and columnar ones), the problem of floor insulation is especially acute. After all, the wind often walks under the floor base. What you need to pay attention to when solving problems related to reducing heat loss through the floor structure.

1. Increase the layer of thermal insulation material. Expanded clay should fall asleep with a height of at least 30 cm.
2. The bottom flooring, on which the insulation is backfilled, should not have slots and gaps. Therefore, for this it is recommended to use plate materials or sheet materials, you can board, but only edged or tongue-and-groove. The installation of the flooring must be carried out with joint-to-butt sealing.
3. Mandatory processing of a wooden structure from below with antiseptic compounds, and preferably with bituminous mastic.
4. You can close the spaces between the screw piles (basement) with bricks, blocks, stone, siding, at least boards. But they need to leave ventilation products. By the way, this also applies to a wooden house installed on a strip foundation.

The technology of floor insulation in a house on screw or columnar piles is no different from the method on load-bearing beams. The process can also be carried out from below or completely from above. It all depends on the convenience of work.

Conclusion

All the above technologies for floor insulation in a wooden house with expanded clay can be done with your own hands, because they are simple. There are no complex operations, no special nuances that you need to pay attention to. The main task of the work foreman is to create a structure for the backfill of expanded clay, which would form a heat-insulating layer. Because expanded clay is a loose material, it cannot keep its shape, like, for example, expanded polystyrene plates or mineral wool mats.

Expanded clay successfully copes with many tasks in construction and repair. More often it is used when installing the floor for heat and sound insulation, however, the strength, durability and low cost of the material are also used in the insulation of ceilings and walls. Expanded clay as a floor insulation can be used in different ways: as part of a sand-cement screed or as a dry backfill. The universal material does not leave competitors a chance - it is used for rough floors on any base: concrete, wood, and even on the ground.

The choice in favor of expanded clay is made by fans of natural materials, because there are no chemical ingredients in expanded clay. This is an absolutely natural material, it is harmless to health, as it is produced from clay by firing. Under the influence of temperature (1000°C), the clay acquires a porous structure, and the scrolling technology in the kiln drum gives the material the shape of rounded fragments, which are convenient to work with and form the desired layer thickness in the floor sandwich.

When choose expanded clay

The range of heat-insulating materials on the modern market is so large that it can be difficult to stop at any one. However, it is worth knowing the whole range of properties of this unique material in order to understand that there is no better option than to insulate the floor with expanded clay.

The list of properties that make this simple material a leader among competitors:

• Low thermal conductivity - the porous material contains air bubbles that provide high-quality thermal insulation. A layer of expanded clay 10 cm in terms of thermal conductivity exceeds a similar wooden surface by 3 times, and brickwork by 10 times.
• Soundproofing - the property is in demand in apartments of multi-storey buildings, the expanded clay floor will serve as a reliable obstacle to the penetration of noise from neighbors from below, while preventing the spread of sounds in the opposite direction.
• The strength of the material allows it to be used in the lower layer of the floor pie without additional support structures (expanded clay is available in different grades of strength from 250 to 600).
• Resistance to decay and fungus, mold (unlike wood-shaving materials) increases the life of the floor, its durability.
• Chemical inertness - expanded clay is a natural material, does not emit any substances into the environment, and is itself resistant to chemicals.
• Heat resistance - quality is relevant in terms of fire safety.
• Frost resistance - expanded clay does not lose its properties at extremely low temperatures.
• Light weight - allows you to insulate the floor with expanded clay under the screed in houses where a large load on the floors is undesirable (read: "").
• The granular fraction of the material ensures the convenience of working with it - one person who does not have construction skills can handle backfilling.
• Low cost is an additional bonus for a material with a complex of excellent qualities.

The only disadvantage of expanded clay is its ability to retain moisture for a long time. This shortcoming is easy to level, following the technology of the floor with expanded clay, carefully gluing the waterproofing layer.

Preparation is an important step

Preparation of the base for backfilling with expanded clay begins with cleaning the surface. A clean base is evaluated for curvature and plane drops. This is done in order to see what layer of expanded clay is needed to insulate the floor, level the surface and calculate the required amount of material.

The optimal layer thickness is 80 - 100 mm, to determine the required amount of granules, a mark is made on the wall to a height of 8 cm at the highest point of the room, from which a horizontal line is then marked along the perimeter of the room using a level.

The average height of the backfill is obtained by measuring the distance to the horizontal line in several places, which is then divided by the number of measurements. So, if three measurements are made with values ​​​​of 10, 15, 8 cm, then the average height of the backfill will be (10 + 15 + 8): 3 \u003d 11 cm. Then the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room (width x length) is multiplied by the height (average value) obtained the figure indicates how much expanded clay is needed to insulate the floor of this room.

Actually preparation is reduced to the following actions:

1. Sealing cracks, potholes with mortar (for concrete floors).
2. Foundation waterproofing. For this, any available technologies and materials are used: special mastic, preparation of a waterproofing solution from polymer dry mixtures. If the floor is insulated with expanded clay on the ground, then the best solution would be a plastic film (not thinner than 100 microns) or roll material (roofing material). See also: "".
3. The device of beacons - metal profiles are set according to the level and fixed with a solution.

Note: beacons are not needed (clause 3) if the floor is dry-insulated with expanded clay along the logs of the old floor, which are not planned to be dismantled, but are going to be used for laying a new wooden coating

Expanded clay floor insulation methods

There are several ways to insulate and level the floor with expanded clay. The choice is made based on the features:

• surfaces;
• Permissible load on the base;
• Room assignments.

So, a dry expanded clay cushion is lighter than an expanded clay screed of the same thickness. The thermal insulation properties of dry expanded clay are also higher, but the surface strength and ability to withstand loads are better for expanded clay concrete floors arranged by the "wet" method of preparing the solution.

Dry fill for wooden floors

Wooden floors are placed on logs - horizontally located bars. If during the dismantling of the old wooden floor it turned out that the logs were well preserved and did not require replacement, then you should not remove them, adding to your work. In this case, it is easier to insulate the floor with expanded clay along the logs.

If it is planned to completely dismantle the wooden floor and install a concrete screed, for subsequent finishing with a decorative coating (tile, laminate), you should take care of the beacons. Without properly aligned guides, you will not get the smooth surface needed for flooring. A layer of dry expanded clay is shed with cement milk to fix the granules. After hardening of the milk, the surface is leveled along the beacons with a cement-sand mortar.

A similar technology is used for floor insulation and soundproofing in apartments with concrete foundations. A prerequisite is high ceilings. If the house has low ceilings, then a layer of expanded clay with a screed will make them even lower, which will affect the comfort of living. In this case, it is better to consider options with other materials, which are likely to cost more, but do not steal space.

Dry and fast method - clean work

The simplicity of laying such a floor allows you to do it yourself and quickly. Ideal for an apartment in a multi-storey building, since the weight of the structure is small, no mixing of the screed mortar is required.

Operating procedure:

• Free the floor from debris and dust.
• Lay a waterproofing layer. If the waterproofing is of a liquid, flowing consistency (mastic, cement-polymer mortar), then cracks and crevices are first covered to prevent fluid from flowing into the ceilings.
• Set up beacons.
• Expanded clay falls asleep, along the way it is carefully rammed.
• Lay sheets of plywood (chipboard, OSB) in two layers. The first layer is fastened together with glue, the second is screwed to the lower canvases with self-tapping screws.

The dry base of such a floor is suitable for finishing with any decorative coatings: from linoleum to laminate.

Expanded clay is available in several strength classes and 4 types of granule sizes, so inexperienced home craftsmen often ask: “which expanded clay is best for floor insulation?” To provide the floor with the best protection from the cold.

You should know that despite the fact that the heat-saving qualities are higher for expanded clay of a large fraction, a dry screed must be mounted from a mixture of material with different sizes. This will allow you to get a solid base, in which small granules will fill the space between large ones, providing a dense and durable coating. For apartments, medium (1 - 2 cm) and fine gravel (0.5 - 1 cm) are usually used.

Floor device with expanded clay concrete screed

Expanded clay as a floor insulation in a wooden house has no competitors due to its versatility. It can be used as an additive in a cement-sand screed for concrete floors in outbuildings: a garage, a bathhouse. Unlike a dry base, expanded clay concrete screed has increased strength, wear resistance while maintaining good thermal insulation qualities.

The device of the floor by the “wet method” consists in the fact that an aqueous solution prepared from sand, cement, expanded clay (ratio 2: 1: 3) is spread on the surface prepared in the usual way. As the screed is laid out, the screed is “slammed” with a heavy floor polisher or a special rammer. This will allow you to get a flat surface without roughness formed by protruding expanded clay granules.

The nuances that you need to know when insulating the floor with expanded clay with your own hands:

• If the priority is the heat-saving effect, then dry expanded clay is used. A dry pillow retains heat better.
• The execution technology of the dry method depends on which layer of expanded clay for floor insulation is sufficient in specific conditions. If the thickness of the pillow is large (more than 10 cm), then it is worth pouring two layers, separating them with sheets of plasterboard. plywood, etc. This design will ensure the stability of the coating.
• To fix the beacons, gypsum or alabaster can be added to the solution - this will speed up setting and allow you to start work on backfilling expanded clay immediately after setting the guides.
• The use of granules of different sizes provides better adhesion and, consequently, greater strength.
• Reinforcement of the expanded clay layer with a metal mesh increases the reliability and strength of the structure.
• The expanded clay-concrete screed reaches its final strength after 4 weeks, so you should not subject it to excessive loads immediately, despite the fact that it hardens literally on the second day.

Warming a wooden floor with expanded clay or leveling a concrete base in an apartment with your own hands will save money. They can be used on an expensive decorative coating, which will become an interior decoration and a great backdrop for home photos and videos.

Which waterproofing to choose

The price range of materials in this category is as large as their variety:

• Bituminous mastics;
• Polymer blends;
• Rubber hydrobarriers;
• Polyethylene film;
• Roll materials of various composition.

When choosing waterproofing that matches financial capabilities, it is worth remembering that:

1. Liquid mixtures and mastics require a clean and sound base, and sometimes a primer. After all, they must form a reliable adhesion to the surface.
2. Roll materials are laid freely, so they are indispensable for waterproofing expanded clay laid on the ground. It is necessary to ensure that the strips overlap at least 10 cm; for some types of waterproofing of this group, manufacturers recommend gluing the edges of the strips overlapping each other. See also: "".

Silica gel granules are another waterproofing option. It is scattered in a thin layer (1 cm) under expanded clay or mixed with dry backfill at the rate of 1 to 10. An excellent absorbent is not popular because of its combustibility, chemical composition, and explosiveness. However, under certain conditions (a thick floor cake with a reliable barrier to silica gel vapors), the method has the right to exist.

Most construction companies and private craftsmen are accustomed to using only one type of screed - cement-sand, or concrete. However, a good alternative to a concrete screed is the insulation and floor screed using expanded clay.

Expanded clay insulation, which is also a means of leveling the floor, is usually used in houses or premises where there are significant differences in the heights of the base or ceiling.

In addition, such insulation and leveling is very effective if any communications pass through the surface of your floor, such as water pipes or sewer pipes.

The usual set for dry floor screed with expanded clay is:

Advantages of expanded clay for insulation and floor screed

The main advantage of expanded clay stones used to level or insulate the floor surface is its complete environmental safety for humans. With any change in temperature and when interacting with any substances, expanded clay does not emit any harmful substances.

Secondly, expanded clay has excellent heat and sound insulation properties.

Thirdly, expanded clay mainly consists of ordinary clay, which is fired in special rotary kilns, and is a fairly durable substance. The term of continuous service of the layer of insulation and leveling of expanded clay in your house will be at least ten years.

Preparatory stage

At the preparatory stage, you have to disassemble the old floor and carry out a thorough cleaning on it. Remove all previous floor construction and work your way down to a solid base. As a rule, the primary foundation is a reinforced concrete slab.

Clean the surface of accumulated debris and dirt. You can use metal brushes and metal scrapers for this.

After mechanical cleaning, sweep the floor, you can vacuum it with an industrial vacuum cleaner and rinse with water.

Existing surface defects - cracks and pits must be repaired with a special adhesive or the same concrete mortar.

We fix communications

In order to prevent damage to communications passing through the room, they must be carefully fixed. This can be done in two ways.

It is possible to wind all pipes or wires with plastic wrap, then the resulting communication harnesses can be attached to the floor with adhesive tape.

You can also use special plastic or metal-plastic sleeves in which the communication harnesses are placed.

Floor waterproofing

At the next stage of warming and leveling the floor with expanded clay, you need to waterproof the floor surface. To do this, you can use waterproofing mastic or dense polyethylene, which is laid with overlapping strips with fixation with adhesive tape.

You can apply the mastic with a wide paint brush or roller. Its drying time is only three hours. To obtain a better insulating effect, the mastic must be applied in two or three layers.

On the walls, to a height of about ten centimeters, you need to stick a special waterproofing tape. After the screed dries, this insulation forms an even gap between the screed and the wall, which will prevent thermal deformations.

Installation of beacons for floor screed

When insulating and leveling the floor with expanded clay, it is similar to the process of installing them for a conventional concrete screed.

Please note that when using expanded clay as a filling material, it is recommended to use only T-shaped metal beacons.

The beacon rail is installed first, located at the Seine opposite the front door.

Installation of beacons - photo

The distance between the rails of metal beacons during the formation of expanded clay screed should not exceed one meter. Beacons are fixed on the floor surface with self-tapping screws or with a cement-sand mortar. Horizontal alignment of beacons is carried out using a building level using wedges. Please note that the wedges must be knocked out under both sides of the beacon rail.

Typically, the thickness of the expanded clay insulation layer is at least 8 centimeters.

Filling or backfilling screed

The first layer of expanded clay insulation screed can be covered both dry and combined, using a concrete screed.

When using the dry method, simply pour expanded clay.

And then lay dry floor elements on its surface.

However, it is possible to insulate the floor with expanded clay and using a concrete screed.

With this approach, the expanded clay screed is poured in two successive stages.

At the first stage, mix expanded clay with concrete mortar in a ratio of approximately "1 to 5".

Expanded clay - concrete screed

The thickness of the first layer should be two centimeters lower than the upper edge of the beacons-rails you have set up.

Since expanded clay has positive buoyancy, at each stage of pouring you need to carefully sink the expanded clay in the solution using a trowel. After it absorbs moisture from the solution, it will sink into its mass.

At the next stage, an ordinary concrete screed is poured. Its thickness should be at least two centimeters. This layer is poured on top of the expanded clay layer, along the upper edge of the lighthouse rails you have set up.

After pouring the top layer with a long rule, begin to pull off the remnants of the mortar protruding above the beacons from the walls towards you.

The drying time of expanded clay screed is about four weeks. In the course of its drying, it also needs to be cared for and protected from direct sunlight.

Video - floor insulation with expanded clay