Which basalt insulation is best for a mansard roof? Insulation of the attic roof

Solve the problem of lack of useful living space in country house You can arrange the attic space. This part of the building is not distinguished by thick enclosing structures, so for all-season use, the owner of the building must install correctly selected thermal insulation. In our article we will talk about which insulation is best for mansard roof.

On at the moment in domestic construction market There are many products that can be used as insulation for an attic roof or other enclosing structure, gable.

How does heat exchange occur in the attic?

Work on insulating the attic began after installation heating system in the attic, because such materials allow you to save warm air in the middle of the house. In the absence of a heating system, laying thermal insulation does not always give the desired effect. The heat here is retained by a small air gap, which is located between the ceiling and the roof; this is also facilitated by a layer of snow on the roof.

When installing the heating system on attic floors the heated air will tend to rise, it will quickly heat the roof and melt the snow. To reduce energy losses, the owner of the house must provide insulation for the facade of the building. This work can be done using one of the methods described below:

1. Insulation of the roof of the house from the inside. IN in this case It would be advisable to lay insulation mats in the space between the roof rafters. This method of reducing energy losses is considered one of the most expensive, but in some cases it is considered the only one possible solution. Many people ask what is the best way to insulate an attic roof. One of possible options installation of mineral wool with further laying of a vapor barrier film is considered.

2. Another method of insulation is external thermal insulation. Experienced builders recommend this particular method, because when joining insulation boards, the possibility of the formation of cold bridges is reduced. It is advisable to carry out such work during the installation of the roof, in which case the thermal insulation materials are laid on a vapor barrier film. This element is fixed to the rafters using staplers. At the final stage of the work, the insulation is protected from moisture with a waterproofing film, the rolled products are fixed with the same stapler and installation of the roof covering begins.

If we compare internal and external insulation, the latter option has worse protection against precipitation. Materials for external insulation must hold their shape well and not allow moisture to pass through. For those who do not know what is the best way to insulate an attic roof from the outside, it is advisable to choose polystyrene foam.

What characteristics should the insulation have?

Most roofers know that the effectiveness of insulation of the roof, as well as the gable part of the building, depends not only on the quality of the work performed, but also on the type of thermal insulation material. Before you start purchasing a product you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements that the selected insulation must meet:

1. First, you need to take into account the resistance of thermal insulation to external aggressive factors. The best insulation for the roof and gable of the building throughout the entire period of operation must retain its original dimensions and structure. Insulation materials are resistant to influences such as sudden temperature fluctuations, moisture ingress, and changing freezing and thawing cycles.

2. The second requirement is low hygroscopicity. The term “hygroscopicity” itself indicates the ability of a material to absorb moisture. Moisture in the insulation structure reduces the thermal insulation properties of products, promotes the formation of fungi and mold, and increases the weight of a particular element.

3. The third requirement is low thermal conductivity, the possibility of hermetically joining adjacent parts. Products with low thermal conductivity retain heat indoors in winter. In addition, effective insulation for the attic roof will create coolness in the summer time year.

4. And last but not least important requirement– safety during operation. It is necessary to insulate the attic roof from the inside, as well as sheathe the pediment with elements of increased fire safety. Such products should not ignite when exposed to high temperatures and should support the combustion process. Another important point– thermal insulation materials must be absolutely safe for human health and not cause allergies or other diseases.

If you don’t yet know what is the best way to insulate the roof of a house, check thermotechnical calculation and calculate the thickness of thermal insulation products. This parameter is selected according to climatic conditions for a particular region. For example, in middle lane It would be desirable for Russia to arrange thermal insulation layer minimum thickness of 15 centimeters. In this case, the joints between adjacent products must be overlapped by the next row of slabs.

Types of materials for attic insulation

Mineral

This subspecies includes products that have a fibrous structure; they are sold in hardware stores in the form of rolls or slabs and are called mineral (basalt or stone) wool. The main types of raw materials for the production of such elements are waste from the glass industry and metallurgy. Stone wool is obtained from hard stone by melting, it has a fibrous structure. This material has excellent heat and sound insulation characteristics, is not affected by rot and mold, and can withstand high temperatures of up to 900 degrees.

Plates and rolls stone wool have a soft structure, so they are used to insulate the attic with inside. The thermal conductivity of this thermal insulation is within 0.4 W/m, but this value can double after moisture enters the structure of the material. To prevent this from happening, mineral wool protected from dampness by fixing a vapor barrier and waterproofing film.

Thermal insulation materials based on polymers

Not everyone knows what is the best material to use for insulating the gable and roof from the inside and outside. Experienced builders recommend using polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam for this purpose. A similar method is used to insulate old civil buildings. The described technology has several advantages:

Small mass. Each of the foam plates weighs several tens of grams, which reduces the load on load-bearing walls and roof structure.
Such products have minimal hygroscopicity. The surface of polystyrene foam repels moisture, so mold and mildew do not appear on it. The absence of moisture in the structure means the absence of destruction during freezing and thawing of the liquid, preserving the original properties of the insulation. There is only one answer to the question of which insulation to choose for the gable - polystyrene foam.
Products in question, except for increased ones thermal insulation characteristics, do not conduct sound. In this regard, foam plastic is considered an indispensable material for finishing civil buildings located near highways. Expanded polystyrene will reduce the noise of rain on a roof covered with corrugated sheets or metal tiles.
One more useful property The described products are fireproof. The plates do not burn, but melt under the influence of fire.
An important characteristic of polystyrene foam is the simple installation of slabs on smooth surfaces. The consumer can choose the insulation of the required thickness and install it with his own hands. Such products can be quickly cut using hand saw or a sharp knife.

The main disadvantage of the material under consideration is fragility; its structure is destroyed under minor mechanical loads. A similar problem can be solved by using products of increased strength and density (extruded polystyrene foam) or penoizol. The latter is blown between the rafters over a pre-laid plastic film.

Thermal insulation of the attic using natural components

People who are responsible for their own health are trying to understand which insulation for an attic roof is better. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to natural products that are made from fibers of agricultural crops such as flax or hemp.

Ecowool is quite expensive; it contains up to 12% antiseptics (additives that prevent rotting processes) and 7% antipyrine (minimizes the effects of fire). Specifications natural thermal insulation materials are as follows:

Thermal conductivity indicators are the lowest among all described types of insulation - 0.032 W/m;
The degree of moisture saturation in such products is almost 2 times less than in mineral wool or glass wool;
Natural insulation materials have a second class of flammability. According to this indicator, they are significantly inferior to stone wool;
Ecowool has a loose structure, its density reaches 75 grams per square meter;
Another important advantage of natural thermal insulation materials is the high degree of sound absorption.

According to experienced builders, ecological wool ranks first among insulation materials for attics of frame, timber and log buildings. It matches perfectly with wood, its use can reduce costs by 30%. family budget for heating.

Attics are wooden structures from partition walls adjacent to the roof beams. Since the roof is made using pitched technology, an impressive space is created underneath it, from which you can make a living space. The attic material, like the roof, does not have proper thermal insulation. It is also characterized by constant blowing and drafts. To make the room cozy and living in it comfortable, you need to purchase insulation for the attic and perform a number of works on cladding the attic.

Thanks to thermal insulation, it is possible to maintain a normal temperature for housing. Some materials can also provide sound insulation. By structurally improving the attic with insulation, you can kill two birds with one stone. But which insulation is better for the attic? First of all, you need to understand the characteristics that a heat insulator should have, and then choose the most optimal one.

Requirements for insulation for the attic

The key criteria for choosing a material are its cost, durability and thermal insulation properties. Good insulation must have the following qualities:

resistance to moisture;
frost resistance;
minimal hygroscopicity (the ability of a material to accumulate liquid in the structure);
environmental cleanliness;
no unpleasant odor;
fire safety;
water resistance;
minimal deformability;
thermal conductivity coefficient up to 0.04 W/m°C.

It is hardly possible to find a material that would 100% meet the above requirements. However, in the construction of private houses, a number of insulation materials are used that perfectly perform heat and sound insulation functions. These are:

mineral wool;
expanded polystyrene (aka polystyrene foam);
foamed materials (for example, polyurethane foam);
insulation made from natural fibers.

In addition to structure, materials differ in price and complexity of handling. Each type of insulation is discussed in detail below.

Mineral wool

Outwardly resembling regular mineral wool, it is made from various breeds, and is produced in the form of hard slabs or mats (soft sheets). There are three groups of insulation based on composition:

basalt (stone);
glass wool;
slag.

Basalt insulation is made from rocks of the gabbro-basalt group or marls (sedimentary rock with a clay-carbonate structure). For comparison: gabbro-diabase is often used in sauna stoves because it retains heat perfectly and heats up quickly. Stone insulation has a vapor permeability of about 0.3 mg/m h Pa, and thermal conductivity is about 0.035-0.04 W/m°C. Fibers basalt wool They do not prick, which makes it easier to work on lining the attic from the inside.

Glass wool consists of 1/5 of a mixture of soda, borax, limestone, sand, the rest is broken glass. The material is stronger, heavier than its basalt counterpart, and also has greater elasticity. It can easily withstand temperature fluctuations from −60 to +450 °C.

Slag material has the same length and thickness as basalt material, but has slightly lower thermal conductivity. The fibers are quite thorny; this complicates the cladding from the inside of the room. It also has high hygroscopicity. These shortcomings have made the material the least popular among representatives of mineral wool.

Each of the three types of material is an excellent sound insulator - insulation in the form of plates belongs to class “A” for the absorption of external noise, and mats - to group “B”. Often used as a fire barrier (not only in attics), since it has zero fire hazard (the most reliable group). Mineral wool is resistant to ultraviolet radiation, safe for humans, not afraid of pests (rodents or insects), does not reduce its effectiveness under the influence of aggressive chemicals. However, insulation is not without the following disadvantages:

hygroscopicity is higher than desired (forces additional layers to be laid when lining the inside - vapor and waterproofing);
irritates the skin (only work in long sleeves and gloves);
generates a lot of dust (a respirator is also advisable);
stands above other materials with similar properties.

There are negative aspects, but in terms of demand, mineral wool is second only to expanded polystyrene, better known by another name.

Foam plastic

Extruded material optimally combines the required parameters ideal insulation, being the most popular among consumers. Key Advantage expanded polystyrene - low thermal conductivity coefficient, usually 0.03 W/m°C. At least because of this indicator, insulation is preferable to mineral wool.

If the numbers don't tell you anything, you should turn to the practical side. When cladding the attic from the inside, to achieve the same temperature in the room, a much smaller volume of polystyrene foam will be required than cotton wool. This achieves space savings and optimal resource consumption.

The almost zero hygroscopicity of polystyrene foam extends the life of the insulation layer. Water does not flow inside; this eliminates the possibility of mold and premature deterioration of properties. Also, when using polystyrene foam, the load on the roof will be minimal. By the way, not only because of its good hygroscopicity.

1 m3 of foam weighs an order of magnitude less than the same volume of mineral wool. Therefore, it is easier to work with, and the load on the load-bearing roof beams does not increase regardless of the season.

Polystyrene foam for cladding an attic or other premises of a private house is mainly made in the form of slabs, which save time during fastening. You can completely insulate an attic with polystyrene foam alone.

The following material is notable for its ease of use; when hardened, it resembles foam plastic, but is supplied in liquid form.

Polyurethane foam

PPU is one of the highest quality roof insulation materials. This is achieved by applying it to vertical and inclined surfaces from the inside in liquid form, and when hardening it slightly increases in volume, effectively filling cracks or holes.

Light weight, low thermal conductivity, comparable to polystyrene foam, resistance to extreme temperatures and other advantages put polyurethane foam on par with mineral wool and expanded polystyrene. The fact that polyurethane foam is difficult to apply to the internal sloping surface of the roof is just a misconception. Good adhesion of the material prevents the appearance of difficulties.

After hardening, polyurethane foam acquires a single structure (like polystyrene foam) that does not allow moisture or steam to pass through. This eliminates the need for additional vapor and waterproofing. However, there is one caveat - the cost.

Work on insulating the roof attic from the inside of polyurethane foam requires special equipment. Most offices providing services interior lining roofs require 300-400 rubles (per 1 m2) for applying foam. It is not difficult to calculate how many extra thousand rubles can be given to specialists.

Polyurethane foam is applied in a small layer with a thickness of 4 to 10 cm. This is enough, since thermal conductivity is 1.5-2 times better than rolled materials.

If the user has large amounts of money to insulate the attic from the inside, PPU will become the best option purchases. Once you have completed the work of applying the material to inner part roof, you can hope for 30-35 years of comfortable indoor temperatures.

Natural fiber materials

In Central and Eastern Europe Insulation materials made of flax, wood, and hemp, held together with starch or polyester, have become widespread. There are products based on wood sawdust or seaweed. They are good, but not suitable for the attic, because they occupy a large volume. Russia learned about such insulation materials about a dozen years ago.

Natural materials have a capillary structure that allows vapor or air masses to pass through. Their advantages include:

safety for humans;
fire resistance;
noise and heat insulation characteristics are close to the properties of polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, and mineral wool;
do not generate dust or prick when covering the inside;
self-regulation of the room microclimate;
no shrinkage;
long service life (more than half a century);
there is no need for special clothing when working.

Examples natural insulation materials- Ecowool, Eco-linen, cotton fabric; These and other names are sometimes found on the shelves of hardware stores.

Little-known materials that are not inferior in quality to generally recognized ones. Perhaps in 10-15 years they will gain popularity.

Cost of various insulation materials

mineral wool (from 400 rubles per 1 cubic m);
polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam (1000-3000 per cubic meter);
natural insulation (price reaches 10-15 thousand rubles per cubic meter).

If you have enough finance, it is recommended to insulate the attic from the inside with polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam. More cheap material(cotton wool) is also good, you just have to tinker with it longer.

Based on the above-listed characteristics of the materials used in cladding the attic, the user can decide how best to insulate the attic and begin implementing plans. Each material is good in its own way, but science has not yet come up with an ideal one. Based on your wishes or possibilities, you can choose the most suitable one among dozens of insulation products.

Many owners of country houses and country houses in order to increase living space, an attic space is equipped to create an office, bedroom, or living room. Such a room is usually called an attic. It needs to be insulated.

Several are used as insulation different materials: mineral and glass wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, other insulation materials. But not all of these materials are suitable for thermal insulation work. attic space to convert it into a real attic.

Requirements for materials for insulation

Materials used for attic insulation must have:

Fire safety. They should not support combustion.
Perform sound protection functions that prevent the penetration of noise from the outside.
Vapor permeability function to ensure the necessary microclimate in the attic room.
Compliance with environmental, sanitary and construction standards.
Strength and durability.
Resistant to deformation.

According to the recommendations of many experts, the insulation layer should be 25-30 cm. It is better to arrange a double or triple layer. This method of insulation prevents the appearance of cold bridges. When insulating the attic, we must not forget that the pediment is also a wall of the attic. A wooden gable requires a thicker layer of insulation than brick walls.

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Some characteristics of insulation

Foam plastic is widely used for insulating walls, floors and ceilings. In the attic, the functions of walls and ceiling are performed by the roof of the building. It is not recommended to use polystyrene foam to insulate it for the following reasons:

all roof elements, including insulation material, must be well ventilated;
the insulation must allow air and moisture vapor to pass through well.

According to the laws of physics, warm air rises from bottom to top. Polystyrene foam does not allow moisture contained in warm air to pass through at all. This will lead to the formation of condensation from inside the room. As a result, within 1-3 years the parts of the rafter structure will become damp, streams of water will begin to flow through the insulation material, mold will appear, wooden parts the roofs will begin to rot.

Very common materials are mineral wool and glass wool. They have low cost and excellent resistance to high temperatures. When working with glass wool, special protective measures must be taken, since the smallest particles of glass when they come into contact with open areas of the skin cause severe irritation and significant pain. You can only work in protective clothing, gloves and goggles. The thickness of the thermal insulation layer made of mineral wool or glass wool is selected at the rate of 15-30 cm. This depends on the climatic zone in which the house is located.

Attic roof insulation elements: 1 – mineral wool; 2 – vapor and wind barrier (membrane); 3 – waterproofing; 4 – air currents; 5 – rafter; 6 – roof; 7 – attic cladding.

TO negative aspects This insulating material must be attributed to its slight deformation and hygroscopicity, which can lead to a decrease in thermal insulation properties. Glass wool is also not an environmentally friendly material. Therefore, it is preferable to use mineral wool. You need to purchase mineral wool based on a density of 40-45 kg per cubic meter. This is optimal. Mineral wool is a material that provides:

environmental safety;
non-flammability;
good sound insulation;
resistance to moisture and temperature changes;
frost resistance;
protection from rodents and other pests;
resistance to fungus and mold;
quick and easy installation.

You can use felt, hemp, sawdust, and reed slabs. But all these materials require preliminary antiseptic and fire retardant treatment. These operations significantly increase the life of thermal protection equipment.

Sandwich panels are more expensive than mineral wool, but guarantee the quality and durability of the insulation. They consist of several layers: vapor barrier, insulation, waterproofing, decorative.

Foam glass slabs are a relatively new and expensive insulation material. Has high strength. The material is quite elastic and resistant to various mechanical influences. Ideal for thermal protection when using soft roofing.

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Insulation of the attic room

The attic roof usually consists of rafter system covered with roofing material. The rafters are installed every 60-100 cm. These gaps are filled with insulation. It is recommended to use mineral wool or fiberglass as insulation material. This material is available in the form of slabs or mats. They are laid in layers, the number of which depends on their thickness. What should it be like? is produced based on the thermal conductivity coefficient, which is indicated in quality certificates. You can rely on the following data:

Coefficient Insulation thickness

0.035 150 mm;
0.04 180 mm;
0.044 200 mm;
0.045 205 mm;
0.046 210 mm;
0.047 215 mm;
0.05 225 mm.

With a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.04, the calculation of the average thickness of the insulation layer for different cities in Russia will be as follows:

City Thermal Insulation Thickness (mm):

Table for calculating the average thickness of the insulation layer for different cities of Russia.

Arkhangelsk 220;
Astrakhan 160;
Anadyr 290;
Barnaul 210;
Belgorod 170;
Blagoveshchensk 230;
Bryansk 190;
Volgograd 160;
Vologda 210;
Voronezh 180;
Vladimir 200;
Vladivostok 190;
Vladikavkaz 150;
Grozny 150;
Ekaterinburg 210;
Ivanovo 200;
Igarka 290;
Irkutsk 220;
Izhevsk 210;
Yoshkar-Ola 210;
Kazan 200;
Kaliningrad 170;
Kaluga 190;
Kemerovo 220;
Kirov 210;
Kostroma 200;
Krasnodar 140;
Krasnoyarsk 210;
Kurgan 210;
Kursk 180;
Kyzyl 240;
Lipetsk 180;
Magadan 250;
Makhachkala 130;
Moscow 190;
Murmansk 220
Nalchik 150
Nizhny Novgorod 200;
Novgorod 190;
Novosibirsk 220;
Omsk 210;
Orenburg 190;
Eagle 190;
Penza 190;
Perm 210;
Petrozavodsk 210;
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 190;
Pskov 190;
Rostov-on-Don 160;
Ryazan 190;
Samara 200;
St. Petersburg 190;
Saransk 190;
Saratov 180;
Salekhard 280;
Smolensk 190;
Stavropol 150;
Syktyvkar 220;
Tambov 180;
Tver 200;
Tomsk 230;
Tula 190;
Tyumen 210;
Ulyanovsk 190;
Ulan-Ude 230;
Ufa 200;
Khabarovsk 220;
Cheboksary 200;
Chelyabinsk 200;
Chita 240;
Elista 160;
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 210;
Yakutsk 290;
Yaroslavl 200.

If the cross-section of the rafter legs is smaller than the thickness of the layer of insulating material, additional wooden blocks are attached to them using nails, screws or self-tapping screws. They must be treated with an antiseptic composition. There should be ventilation in the form of an air gap between the insulation layer and the roof. The air gap is 25-50 mm. The insulation is protected on top by a windproof membrane. It is better to use Tyvek HD, Monaperm 450 VM, and Monarflex VM 310 films for this purpose.

The bottom layer of insulation for the attic is covered vapor barrier film and mount finishing cladding from lining, plasterboard or other materials.

To create comfortable conditions V attic room need thermal insulation. Then you need to insulate the roof and gables. A wide variety of materials can be used for these purposes. It is best to use mineral wool. It has excellent characteristics and is easy to install.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer is calculated according to the region of residence.

The colder the climate, the larger the insulation layer should be. Properly installed thermal insulation significantly reduces building heating costs.

The attic can serve not only as a place to store all the necessary and unnecessary things - you can arrange a bedroom, living room, nursery, office or even a bathroom there. To make the room under the roof itself comfortable, it is not enough to make repairs there and install powerful ones - you need to take care of high-quality insulation. - one of the coldest places in the house, because from above and on at least two sides it borders on the street, and the slopes of the roof here play the role of not only the ceiling, but also the walls. If you do not insulate the attic, then no heater will help create normal living conditions there, and all the heat will easily escape into the street. So what kind of insulation for the attic is better to choose than to insulate the walls and roof and what thickness should the insulation be?

No. 1. What kind of insulation should be used for an attic?

Not every thermal insulation material is suitable for insulating an attic, since this is a rather specific room. High-quality insulation should have the following characteristics:

low thermal conductivity– the most obvious requirement. The material must reliably protect the room from the cold, keeping maximum warmth inside. In addition, it must withstand temperature changes, be durable, not crack or lose its integrity over time;
noise insulation properties should be higher, the more “loud” roofing material selected. and, for example, during rain and hail they emit an unpleasant ringing sound, and high-quality can significantly reduce discomfort;
moisture resistance. It is advisable to choose a material that is inert to moisture and does not accumulate it, because when water is absorbed, the weight of the insulation increases (therefore, the load on all structures increases) and its thermal insulation qualities decrease. If the material meets all other parameters, but is prone to moisture accumulation, then it is better to use hydro- and vapor barrier together with it - this will complicate installation, but will make the insulation more durable;
fire resistance, especially if the roof frame is made of wood. For maximum flame resistance, even some low-flammability materials are treated with fire retardants - substances that prevent the spread of fire;
resistance to fungus and rodents;
environmental friendliness;
efficiency;
ease of installation will be a plus, but some very effective spray-type thermal insulators cannot be applied with your own hands.

To insulate the attic today they use mineral wool, extruded polystyrene foam, ecowool, polyurethane foam and some other heat insulators. It is not recommended to use a fill-in thermal insulator (for example), since you will need quite a lot of it to achieve the required thermal insulation qualities. In the mountainous Caucasus regions, even wool- By thermal insulation properties it is close to mineral wool, but is subject to negative impact insects and rodents.

No. 2. Mineral wool for attic insulation

Glass wool

Glass wool is cheaper than stone wool, but is used infrequently due to inconvenience in work. Since the material is produced from glass waste, it contains small sharp particles that can easily injure the skin and respiratory tract. However, if you work with glass wool in compliance with all the rules of personal protection, you can insulate the attic inexpensively and efficiently. To the main benefits materials include:

No. 3. Foam plastic for attic insulation

No. 4. Extruded polystyrene foam for attic insulation

In popularity, extruded polystyrene foam is catching up with mineral wool. By chemical composition This is still the same ordinary polystyrene foam, but a fundamentally different production technology makes it possible to obtain a material with more favorable performance properties. The whole point is that regular foam obtained by expanding microgranules under the influence of steam, and extruded, as the name suggests, by extrusion at elevated temperature and pressure, as well as by adding a foaming agent.

Basic advantages:

high-quality thermal insulation. Thermal conductivity coefficient is at the level of 0.029-0.034 W/m K;
moisture resistance, which is largely ensured due to the structure of the material with closed pores;
ease of installation, which is ensured by low weight and ease of processing;
sufficient strength;
low price;
resistance to mold and rodents.

Among cons not the highest vapor permeability, so you will have to approach the attic space more responsibly, and also low resistance to combustion. To insulate the attic, it is better to take polystyrene foam of the G3 flammability class - according to the standards, it can be used even in rooms with increased fire safety requirements. Since the material belongs to tile insulation, a cold bridge may form at the junction of individual slabs, so it is better to take expanded polystyrene with a special lock.

No. 5. Polyurethane foam for attic insulation

Basic advantages:

thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.02 W/m K, and this is one of the best results;
the ability to create a completely seamless surface, so the problem of cold bridges will be completely solved;
absolute moisture resistance, which is important for the material that will be used under the roof itself;
high adhesion to most materials;
the ability to insulate an attic of the most complex shape - in some cases, the use of slab insulation is generally impractical, and foam makes it easy to fill all the cracks and hard-to-reach places;
high vapor permeability;
resistance to mold and rodents;
high speed of work.

Among cons price and the need to resort to the help of professionals, but all work will be carried out very quickly. In addition, the ignition temperature of the material is not very high - about 200-215 0 C, and when burned the material emits toxic gases.

No. 6. Foam glass for attic insulation

When calculating, it is worth taking into account the heat transfer resistance of all fencing elements, including gable walls and roofing pie. It is convenient to use special calculators for this or even turn to professionals. With a certain degree of error, you can make a calculation, taking into account the required heat transfer resistance of only the attic covering, because it occupies the largest area among all the external fences of this room. According to the rules, the heat transfer resistance of existing materials is subtracted from the tabulated or independently calculated value, but for a roofing pie this value is very small, so we neglect it.

It turns out that to insulate an attic in Moscow with mineral wool (0.035-0.045 W/m*K) (heat transfer resistance 4.7 m 2 K/m), a thermal insulation layer of 16.5-21 cm is required, depending on the characteristics of the wool, the thermal conductivity index is always indicated on the packaging. In this case, experts recommend making thermal insulation with slabs 20 cm thick, and installing rolled mineral wool on top another 5 cm thick.

Naturally, the attic space is insulated from the inside, and the practice of combining two types of insulation is common. Correctly performed thermal insulation allows you to use the attic all year round and turn it into a full-fledged living space.

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 attic.

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.

PU foam can be sprayed directly onto inner surface roof and sew up on top decorative material- this insulating layer will be sufficient if the building is located in climatic 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 the 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 and, at the same time, will cause minimal damage to the health of the residents of the house.

Find out detailed information from our new article.

Which basalt insulation is best for a mansard roof? Insulation of the attic roof - comfortable housing instead of an attic