Do-it-yourself insulation of a balcony with mineral wool: how to insulate - Setafi

Do-it-yourself insulation of a balcony with mineral wool does not require special skills. However, some care is needed, because the material is fragile and can crumble, forming dust. Since it is not resistant to moisture, it is very important to provide waterproofing. How to do this is described in detail in the material presented.

Is it worth using mineral wool: pros and cons

Balcony insulation with mineral wool is a technology that is used quite often due to the affordable price and other advantages of insulation:

• good thermal insulation;
• noise protection;
• convenient form for mounting (rectangles);
• resistance to burning;
• good vapor permeability - air and water circulate freely, so the room always has a normal microclimate;
• resistance to chemical and biological influences;
• resistance to temperature changes, which is especially important for an unheated balcony.

On the other hand, warming the loggia with mineral wool has its drawbacks:

• easily deteriorates from exposure to moisture;
• the material crumbles well, forming dust;
• the weight is quite large due to the high density - transportation costs increase.

The main disadvantages of warming the loggia with mineral wool can be resolved. Good moisture protection - waterproofing layer. As for dust, you can deal with it if you put a finishing layer on top, which is almost always done. During work, it is important to use goggles, a respirator and wear special clothing.

How to insulate a balcony

Insulation of the floor on the balcony with mineral wool, as well as other surfaces, is carried out in several stages:

1. Take the necessary measurements, remove unnecessary items from the balcony.
2. Seal the gaps with foam.
3. Installation of wooden or metal crates. The thickness of the material, for example, a beam, should be 1 cm more than the blocks of material. Thanks to this, the insulation of the balcony with cotton wool will be carried out correctly.
4. The elements of the crate are created so that the cells are 1 cm smaller in width than the blocks. Otherwise, the insulation of the loggia with stone wool will not turn out to be reliable enough - over time, voids will appear due to the inevitable shrinkage of the material.
5. Carrying out the installation of material on the ceiling and walls. And for this, they take the most dense varieties of material to ensure maximum insulation. The main way to insulate a metal balcony is to glue the blocks using a special adhesive. Additionally, they are fixed with brackets or self-tapping screws.
6. Mineral wool to strengthen the balcony is installed in the cells of the frame (battens), therefore, recesses are made in the appropriate places of the wooden beam. Thanks to this, the slats will not protrude above the surface.
7. The insulation of the balcony with stone wool is completed by laying the material on the floor. There is no need to fix it - the joints are coated with glue and the surface is mounted. During work, it is impossible to step on the insulation, so it is better to immediately lay a board on top.
8. The way to insulate a balcony with mineral wool is quite simple. But even with careful installation, gaps form in some places. Eliminating them is quite simple by cutting out a small piece of insulation. As for the main parts, they are carefully inserted between the slats. Do-it-yourself warming of the loggia with mineral wool is carried out carefully - if you squeeze it a little, a crack will appear, the material will crumble.
9. At the last stage of the instruction on how to insulate the balcony with cotton wool, it is necessary to proceed with the vapor barrier from the inside of the room. It is best to use penofol for these purposes, setting the fragments tightly to each other. In this case, the foil layer should “look” inside the balcony. There is another option - a dense plastic film, which is overlapped. After that, the finish coat is installed.

As can be seen from the review, it is quite possible to insulate the balcony with mineral wool with your own hands. Despite the low strength of the material and instability to moisture, these shortcomings are quite possible to eliminate. At the same time, you need to work in a respirator and in a mask, act carefully - otherwise the blocks may break.