Any owner dreams of building a warm, cozy and beautiful home. The comfort of living directly depends on what materials are chosen for the construction of the building. Particular attention should be paid to the roof, as well as competent roof insulation.
Content:
- Roof insulation ↓
- Why do you need to insulate the roof ↓
- Insulation materials ↓
- Mineral wool ↓
- Polyurethane foam ↓
- Expanded polystyrene ↓
- Cellulose or ecowool ↓
- Foamed glass ↓
- Foam concrete ↓
- Expanded clay ↓
- What insulation to choose ↓
- Main selection criteria ↓
- How to calculate the thickness of the insulation ↓
- Roof insulation technology ↓
- Typical mistakes in roof insulation and how to avoid them ↓
- Reviews about heaters ↓
Roof insulation
Currently, you can find all kinds of thermal insulation materials from various manufacturers on the market. The assortment is so great that it is sometimes difficult to understand among this variety.
Why do you need to insulate the roof
There are several reasons for this:
- Competently selected material will ensure a long service life of the roof and the whole house.
- Due to temperature changes, condensation may appear on the surface of the slopes, which leads to a deterioration in the quality characteristics of the roof. As a result, heat is lost and humidity inside the house rises.
It is especially worth noting that it is necessary to correctly calculate the thermal insulation. It is worth entrusting this business to professionals at the stage of project creation.
Insulation materials
The following types of thermal insulation materials are most in demand:
Mineral wool
It is considered an ideal insulation option. It does not burn and does not absorb moisture. The range is represented by the following manufacturers:
- Knauf - insulation is available in tiles and rolls. It can be used to create thermal insulation for almost any wall and all types of roofs. The production is carried out using ECOSE Technology, based on fiberglass. It is thoroughly tested, it is absolutely safe and environmentally friendly, meets all European quality standards. Thermal insulation indicators are very high, while mineral wool has a minimum specific gravity.
- Ursa. In addition to thermal insulation, it provides excellent sound insulation. Ideal for decorating a "noisy" roof (metal tile). This is due to the fact that Ursa has an original structure that allows you to delay and absorb sound waves from various sources of noise. As a result, the sound insulation in the room will be excellent. Due to the fact that the fibers are very elastic, installation is as convenient as possible. In this case, the material adheres tightly to the surface. This eliminates the appearance of gaps, cracks. The density of Ursa's insulation is low; it can be easily cut with simple scissors quite accurately.
- Ecover. Rolls and mats are commercially available. It is excellent for creating an insulating layer on pitched and horizontal surfaces. The service life reaches 25 years. A very important property is incombustibility. That is why mineral wool is recommended for the use of the roofing "pie", since during the installation of the roof, ventilation gaps are created. And in case of fire, air freely penetrates into the room, contributing to the spread of fire.
Polyurethane foam
The material has the following positive characteristics:
- Not prone to fire.
- Economy.
- Excellent thermal insulation properties.
- Used for any type of roofing.
Silence and warmth in the house directly depends on the quality of the work performed on heat and sound insulation.
Expanded polystyrene
Excellent heat insulator, effectively absorbs extraneous noise. With this material, a ventilated roof can be easily created. But there are certain limitations.
The material is flammable and vapor-tight, which does not allow it to be used to create thermal insulation on soft roof. When using this insulation option, it is important to create good ventilation.
Expanded polystyrene plates are attached from the inside of the roof, while one layer is sufficient, which is applied directly to the waterproofing layer. In this case, the joints are filled with polyurethane foam, and reinforced tape is used for a tighter fit of the edges.
Cellulose or ecowool
The production is carried out literally from waste paper. Moreover, this material is absolutely fireproof. This property is ensured by the fact that flame retardants are added to the composition to prevent fire.
Cellulose is impregnated with special antiseptics that protect it from the effects of microorganisms. This provides such positive characteristics as lightness, environmental friendliness, heat and sound insulation properties.
During installation, a special installation is used, which allows you to ensure a dense design of surfaces without gaps and cracks. At the same time, it is difficult to work with it on your own, so it is better to contact specialists.
The most famous and popular brands:
- Ecowool (Canada and America).
- Ekovata (Russia and Kazakhstan).
- Unizol (Ukraine).
Foamed glass
It is produced in the form of slabs, created by foaming glass production residues in combination with carbon. It has the following positive characteristics:
- Long service life.
- Strength.
- Resistance to all kinds of influences and deformation.
- Thermal insulation properties.
- Non-flammability.
- Resistant to microorganisms, high humidity and steam.
- It is used for finishing any type of roof, while the soft roof allows for elasticity.
The disadvantage is that the absorbency of the material is very low. During installation, care must be taken to use a special polymer-cement glue, which will ensure adhesion to the surface.
Foam concrete
An excellent modern option for insulating flat roofs. Possesses good properties:
- Durability and integrity are combined with light weight like foam. This allows you to reduce the load on the supporting structures.
- Fire safety.
- Water vapor permeability.
- Non-toxic.
- With its help, complete tightness is created.
For work, a special mobile installation is used, the installation is carried out by specialists.
Expanded clay
Bulk material that has excellent recommendations. Used in cases where the design allows. Installation is carried out by filling the outer side of the roof or floors. Subsequently, expanded clay is compacted or fixed with a concrete screed.
What insulation to choose
The answer to this question should lie in the possibility of long-term operation of the created heat-insulating layer. In this case, the following characteristics must be taken into account.
Main selection criteria
To determine the quality of the insulation, one should be guided by the following properties:
- Water resistance.
- Environmental friendliness (non-toxic).
- Inclination to fire.
- Resistant to deformation.
- Frost resistance.
- Thermal conductivity coefficient (recommended - not higher than 0.04W / m ° С).
How to calculate the thickness of the insulation
Determination of the thickness of the thermal insulation layer depends on two parameters:
- Temperature specific to the specific region where the material is to be used.
- Thermal conductivity of the insulation.
There is a table of large settlements, which indicate the heat transfer resistance for the roof R— m2 * 0С / W. Next, you should look at the coefficient of specific thermal conductivity of the insulation λB - W / (m * ° C). This parameter is indicated on the packaging or in the certificate for the material. The thickness of the insulation is determined as the product of these two parameters.
The lower the coefficient of thermal conductivity, the smaller the thickness of the insulation can be. This is directly related to the savings in total volume.
Roof insulation technology
If a non-residential attic is being created on the house, then it is more expedient to insulate the floor, and in the case of creating an attic living space, it would be rational to insulate the roof itself.
Insulation can be installed between the rafters, above or below the rafters. The basic rules for creating an insulating layer are as follows:
- The waterproofing is installed first, followed by the thermal insulation layer.
- The waterproofing is carefully fixed.
- Creation of ventilation gaps is mandatory.
- It should be borne in mind that the insulation is capable of expanding.
The main stages of work:
- Measurements of the distance between the rafters.
- Installation of waterproofing.
- Insulation is measured taking into account the gaps.
- Laying material between the rafters. Work is carried out from the bottom up, leaving gaps for ventilation between the waterproofing and heat-insulating layers.
- Creation of a vapor barrier. Here it is necessary to put the material correctly so as not to confuse the sides. The vapor barrier is fastened using a construction stapler and sealing tape.
- Securing the thermal insulation material with wooden strips. Fastening is made across the rafters, which serve as the basis for interior decoration.
Typical mistakes in roof insulation and how to avoid them
The main mistakes when working are:
- Excessive savings, which degrades the quality of thermal insulation. The cost of most materials is reasonable. It is worth giving preference to well-known manufacturers.
- You shouldn't skimp on the amount of materials. An overly thin layer will not bring the desired result.
- It is necessary to correctly select the material for a specific type of roof. Otherwise, there will be operational problems. For this, it is necessary to be guided, first of all, by the project documentation.
- The creation of high-quality layers of hydro and vapor barrier should not be neglected., as well as the creation of ventilation gaps when creating layers of the roofing "pie". Free air circulation between them must be ensured.
- Insulation should be measured more carefully, taking into account possible extensions of the material. Otherwise, cracks will form, and precious heat simply will not be retained in the room. This, in turn, will affect the heating costs of the house.
Reviews about heaters
“I finally made my dream come true and started building my own country house. Faced firsthand with such a heater as Knauf, I can say with confidence that this is the best option that can be used. The house is kept warm, it is easy to work with it on your own. I didn't have to strain people to help isolate. I did almost everything myself.
Good impression because the material is lightweight, tough and easy to bend. Pleased with the price. True, I had to work with gloves, as it turned out to be prickly to the touch. But this is a minor drawback in relation to the positive properties. Recommend."
“We built an attic room, but it was used only in the summer. I wanted to live there all year round, I had to look for an alternative option attic insulation. A friend works for a construction firm and advised Izover. I must say, good material, insulation was done outside. It is even stored well, because it was purchased in the fall, and the work was carried out in the spring. Now we can use one more room with comfort, everyone is happy! "
“There is hardly anything cheaper than mineral wool. It is inconvenient to work with teaching staff, I know from my own experience. And I choose cotton wool only from German technologies - Knauf. The insulation is excellent, you don't even have to work with goggles, gloves and a respirator, as with Soviet mineral wool. Modern material is absolutely safe. But for some, the price may seem high. The Ukrainian version is cheaper, but it is a little prickly. "