Alternative Options For Installing A Heat-insulating Layer Of A Concrete Floor

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Features of insulation
• Material requirements
• Chipboard
• Raised floor and plywood
• Izolon
• Styrofoam
• Cork material
• Heat insulating paint
• Underfloor heating system

Floors in any building can be classified as places of great heat loss. This is especially true for concrete floors, since the surface itself has low temperatures without sufficient insulation. High-quality thermal insulation in several layers will get rid of problems. All types of work are not particularly difficult, but will differ depending on the material used in the work. It is only necessary to strictly follow the technology in order to obtain a warm concrete floor.

Features of insulation

Before you start insulating a concrete floor, you should dwell on the features of the technology itself, as well as the choice of a specific material for installation. The work includes several very important stages, which must be carried out sequentially one after another.

1. The first stage is carried out before pouring the concrete floor mortar.
2. In the process of creating a concrete floor.
3. When laying any kind of flooring.

Work on creating a warm concrete floor should be started from the very beginning. Only in this case you can get a really high-quality result. The level of insulation will be high.

There are enough ways to insulate a concrete floor. Each of them can be performed at a certain stage of the floor installation. They can be used in combination with each other, as well as separately. Everything will depend on the specific situation. If it is not possible to lay the insulation under the screed, then you should dwell on the use of expanded clay in the work, and subsequently - the finishing coating in several layers. But when it comes to a warm floor, then a warm coating at the finish can be omitted.

Material requirements

Thermal insulation material has its own characteristics. But at the same time, certain requirements are imposed on him. The service life, as well as all possible characteristics, properties will depend on its quality. The following main points are distinguished, which should be inherent in the insulation used in the work for the concrete floor:

• Compressive strength.

  

  During operation, external pressure is applied to the floor. Consequently, the insulation itself must remain intact even under pressure, any load.

• Moisture permeability. The material must be able to pass a certain amount of moisture through itself. There should not be any savings in it or this item should be reduced to minimum indicators. Otherwise, all the properties of the insulation will disappear altogether.
• Density. The strength will be higher if this characteristic is higher. But immediately the porosity of the material will begin to suffer, which leads to an increased degree of heat conductivity. In order for the insulation of the concrete floor in a private house to occur at the proper level, you should choose an insulation with a density of 50 kg per square meter.

• Thermal conductivity. High-quality material will be in the case when the heat transmission coefficient is lower. There are minimum level limits - 0.110 W / (m * K).

  

• Water vapor permeability. A higher indicator indicates a better quality of the material itself. By passing steam, air exchange between the environment and the building itself is regulated. Consequently, optimal living conditions are created for people inside the building.

  

Chipboard

Many people think about how to insulate a concrete floor in a private house. Here you can select a large number of materials for work. Particle board stands out among them. It is great for concrete substrates. The shavings that are part of the concrete floor insulation are able to minimize the noise level. But at the same time, it retains the necessary level of heat in itself.

The final quality is influenced by the thickness of the chip layer. The minimum indicator is 22 mm. If the layer is smaller, the result will be negligible.

The installation process is very simple and does not take much time. To begin with, a waterproofing layer is laid, which can be an ordinary polyethylene film, and then chipboard sheets are stacked tightly to each other. Next, it remains only to carry out the flooring of the selected flooring option.

Raised floor and plywood

Another option for insulation under a concrete floor is to create a raised floor from boards or plywood sheets.

The floor becomes noticeably warmer, but it acquires one main drawback - the room is reduced in height by about 20-25 cm. If the room has already low ceilings, then it is better to put this option aside and consider the others.

Wood logs are created, on which plywood is subsequently laid. The resulting space under the plywood can be filled with absolutely any material for thermal insulation. This option for creating a warm base facilitates the use of any floor covering in the future. There are no restrictions.

Izolon

Not so long ago, such a material for thermal insulation of a concrete floor, as isolon, appeared. It can be called a new technology presented in the form of a foam base.

Izolon is perfect as a substrate for floor coverings such as laminate or parquet.

The installation process does not take much time and requires minimal knowledge of the construction industry. A roll of this material is spread on the concrete floor. It remains only to stick it on the base with foil tape. It is in this way that it is fixed on the surface.

Styrofoam

This insulation for a concrete floor is very popular. In addition to everything, the foam has sound absorption properties. It is very easy and convenient to stack, handle and cut to the required size. The density of such a material will tell about the compressive strength. In this case, all other useful properties must be preserved. When installing foam, certain conditions must be observed:

1. Thorough preparation of the base. Debris and dirt are cleared, after which a layer of waterproofing made of polyethylene film is arranged. The film must be of the appropriate thickness and each subsequent sheet is overlapped on the previous one by about 100 mm. Scotch tape is used to fix the film.
2. After that, foam sheets are laid tightly to each other, as well as to walls and other structures. To prevent moisture from entering the base later during the operation of the floor, another layer of waterproofing film is laid after the foam layer.

3. Creation of a reinforcing layer and pouring the floor screed, which is usually at least 50 mm thick

   

The greatest efficiency in using the material is inherent in concrete floors, which are arranged directly on the ground. Moreover, each sheet of insulation must be at least 100 mm thick. Only in this case the result will be the best and there will be no further questions about how to insulate the concrete floor.

Polyfoam can also be used on the ground. For this, the base is initially covered with gravel with a layer of 40 cm. The "pillow" must be carefully tamped down. Then a 100 mm layer of sand is poured. There must be pressing of this "pie".

When all these activities are completed, a rough foundation is made of reinforced concrete. As soon as the solution dries, a polyethylene film is laid and everything is insulated with foam.

The quality will be noticeable immediately: the heat will go away to a lesser extent, the level of sound insulation will increase, and it will be comfortable to live and stay in the room.

Cork material

Cork acts as an environmentally friendly insulation of the concrete floor. In addition, it has such qualities as practicality, lightness, a high degree of heat retention and moisture repellency.

Cork can be laid directly on the concrete base without additional waterproofing layers.

After installation, the cork is perfectly decorated. The material can be processed, varnished, painted. The thickness of the cork slabs will depend on the requirements for the level of insulation. As a result, you get a warm floor on a concrete floor.

Heat insulating paint

When a concrete floor is arranged, it can be easily insulated using such a concrete floor insulation as heat-insulating paint. Many will immediately wonder how to insulate a concrete floor in a house in this way. The prepared base surface (removal of stains, dirt, dust) is leveled with cement mortar. To fill cracks, voids and cracks, liquid penoizol is used, which is injected inside using a construction syringe.

As soon as the screed after pouring has set and is completely dry, paint can be applied. Usually the coating is at least 2-3 coats. Everything will depend on the requirements and the need for insulation. But there is a very important condition here - one layer of paint must dry for at least a day before the next application. Only in this case will effective thermal insulation be obtained. So you should know how to properly insulate a concrete floor.

Underfloor heating system

Another very popular option to insulate the floor in a concrete house is to create a "warm floor" system. On such a basis, it will be possible to move comfortably even with bare feet. There are two options for the device - water and electric floor heating. Each of them has its own characteristics and nuances. It is the concrete water floor that is considered more difficult. Here, additionally, installation of equipment for heating, as well as forced circulation is carried out. This is reflected in labor costs and the volume of work performed.

The entire system can be laid on a layer of thermal insulation. At the same time, we must not forget about an important feature of how to arrange a warm concrete floor - the material must have a foil coating so that it is possible to reflect the incoming heat into the room. No heat loss should appear. If any other material is used, then an additional foil barrier is laid on top.

Once the system is completed and laid on the base, running and tested, it is possible to arrange a reinforcing layer and pour the floor screed solution. It is worth noting that the concrete solution can do without adding expanded clay or crushed stone.

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