Technology of wall insulation with foam

Penoplex - market name extruded polystyrene foam. It is a light slab insulation of orange color with a thickness of 20 mm or more with small (0.1-02 mm) closed cells, used for thermal insulation of any premises and structures - walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, building facades and etc.

There are both universal types of foam, and specialized for different load-bearing and enclosing elements of the building.

Penoplex, like the familiar foam, is made by foaming molten plastics with water vapor and foaming additives. Further, everything is also hot-formed, the sheet is formed, after which it hardens and is cut in accordance with the standard size range.

It is used as a universal insulation for roofs, foundations, floor slabs, walls (from the inside and outside) in any climatic conditions. Due to its low water absorption, it provides good protection against dampness, however, you should not neglect the full waterproofing of the room.

The properties

Penoplex provides high thermal insulation performance with a small thickness of the material: for example, a 2 cm thick plate will retain heat like a foam sheet of 3 cm, a layer of mineral wool of 4 cm or brickwork 3.7 cm.

Penoplex water absorption occurs only in the first 7-10 days, when the cells outside are filled. The penetration of water into the material does not occur.

Specifications:

1. Density - 30-45 kg / m^3.
2. The compressive strength is 200-500 kPa.
3. Thermal conductivity under standard conditions is 0.030 W / m-K.
4. Fire safety - G1-G4.
5. The degree of vapor permeability is about 0.008.
6. Price - from 150 rubles per square meter of a plate of minimum thickness.
7. The service life declared by the manufacturer is 50-70 years, however, in normal use, in practice it is much longer.

Standard sizes:

1. Thickness - 3 - 10 cm.
2. Width - 60 cm.
3. Length - 120 - 240 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros:

1. Light weight material (about 90% of its volume is occupied by air bubbles), therefore, insulation does not burden the structure.
2. Immunity to temperature fluctuations (the material does not change the geometric shape, does not impair the thermal insulation performance).
3. Easy to install (material is easily cut with an ordinary knife).
4. Durability to aggressive chemical influences.
5. Incombustibility under standard operating conditions (amenable to temperature only above 500 degrees Celsius i.e. in a strong fire it will burn, but from an unquenched cigarette or an accidental spark does not flashes).
6. Water resistance (does not get wet, does not rot).
7. High strength for compression and tension.
8. It is an adverse environment for the development and reproduction of fungus, insects and small rodents.
9. Durability and wear resistance.
10. High frost resistance (withstands multiple cycles of freezing - defrosting without loss of shape, structure and thermal insulation indicators).

Minuses:

1. High price (relative to most other types of insulation).
2. Dense structurenot allowing the walls to "breathe."
3. Low adhesion (adhesiveness) with glue.
4. Relatively low noise isolation.

Insulation technology

Materials:

• foam sheets;
• glue or adhesive mastic;
• polyurethane foam;
• scotch tape or masking tape;
• screws;
• plastic dowels;
• plaster;
• skin;
• primer;

Instruments:

• sharp knife for cutting sheets;
• screwdriver;
• wide spatula for applying glue;
• roulette;
• gun for polyurethane foam;

Detailed step by step instructions:

1. Like any plate material, foam is demanding on the surface to which it will be attached. First of all, it should be cleaned of dust, dirt, traces of the old insulation (if it was), peeling paint, etc. If there were places fungal infections, moss, algae and other biological contaminants, they are removed with aggressive cleaning agents, and the surface is thoroughly is drying out.
2. If a monolithic concrete structure is insulatedthen from its surface it is necessary to remove the remains of the grease applied when installing formwork.
3. Also the wall should be flat - i.e. large protrusions should be removed, cracks and cracks should be repaired, the surface should be plastered, and after the plaster has dried, sanded. For better adhesion of the adhesive to the wall, a primer is used.
4. As already mentioned, penoplex does not interact very well with adhesives. Therefore, for a more durable fastening, it is better to use both glue and screws with dowels (at the rate of 4 pieces per square meter of surface). Glue is applied both on a dry wall and on insulation sheets either over their entire surface, or with wide strips or large spots. For ease of installation, you can install metal profiles to the bottom and top of the wall, to which penoplex is already attached.
5. Material is fastened butt to butt, cracks are closed up either with liquid options of heaters, or sealing compounds, as well as with mounting foam. Indoors, you can restrict yourself to ordinary tape or masking tape. Plates are laid in the direction from the floor to the ceiling. It usually takes about 3 days for the glue to completely dry under normal weather conditions.
6. When warming with foam slabs indoors, it is recommended to paste over the insulation after installation foil vapor barrier. On top of the insulation plates, the wall is plastered in two layers, and after drying it can be painted or glued with wallpaper (if insulation is carried out indoors).

It is possible to carry out the installation of the foam at any time of the year, at any temperature, the material is not afraid of dampness, drafts, the work of heating and other heating devices. Due to the low weight of the sheets of material, its installation can be easily carried out alone.

Tips

1. When installing foam at the corners of the surface, around the door and window openings it is recommended to increase the number of screws for fastening to 6-8 pieces per square meter.
2. Seats must be reserved in advance. and prepare fasteners for various structures installed after insulation - air conditioners, plates with house numbers, street lighting, gutters, etc. It is not recommended to violate the integrity of a ready-made insulation, this will significantly reduce its thermal insulation indicators.
3. For the strength of plate mounts It is recommended to lay according to the principle of brickwork - i.e. in a checkerboard pattern.
4. If the stove has slight defects production in the form of irregularities, it is better to process it with a grinder.
5. Care should be taken when choosing glue., not all types of compounds are able to fix the material well. Some will be just useless, others are even able to corrode insulation boards.
6. With all the resistance to environmental influences, penoplex still needs a topcoat - plastering, siding etc.
7. It is easy to check the quality of the insulation- just squeeze the plate with your fingers