Frame house insulation. How to properly insulate a frame house, step by step instructions Rules for insulating the walls of a frame house

The walls of a house built using frame technology are almost entirely made up of heat-insulating material inside. It is he who is the guarantor of the preservation of heat in such a dwelling. However, without additional insulation is still not enough. Which heater is best for frame house? There are options both traditional, used for decades, and new ones that have just appeared on the domestic market. Using each of them promises its own benefits.

The three most popular heaters for frame cottages

There is no single opinion on the better to insulate frame houses. There are several popular thermal insulation materials that are used most often. To choose the best option, you need to carefully evaluate the characteristics of each of them.

Comparative characteristics of heaters for frame houses

Sellers, as part of their advertising wars, spread a lot of rumors about competitors' heaters, but most of them are just myths. When choosing a heat insulator, it is necessary to focus on indicators of density, moisture resistance and thermal conductivity, as well as take into account the environmental friendliness of the material.

Option #1: Rock Wool Roll

The first in the list of heaters for frame houses is mineral wool. It was it that was originally used in the construction of skeletons. Modern mineral wool is obtained from glass melts, metal slags or rocks. Accordingly, it happens:

  • glass;
  • slag;
  • basalt (stone).

All three options for insulation differ from each other in characteristics. If we compare a roll of the same thickness, then the “warmest” is stone wool, it has the lowest thermal conductivity. And worst of all with the thermal insulation performance of slag wool. In the same order, the cost of mineral wool is reduced.

Characteristics various kinds mineral wool

However, when analyzing the heat-shielding properties of mineral wool, much depends on its saturation with moisture. If the material is dry, then air bubbles in the insulation do not allow heat from the home to go outside. When the material is moistened, the thermal conductivity increases sharply, which leads to a decrease in its thermal insulation qualities.

Important! The main enemy of all types of mineral wool is moisture. When wet, the material instantly loses its thermal insulation characteristics, starting to release heat from the house, as if there was no insulation in the frame walls.

No quality vapor barrier mineral wool saturated with moisture, which, when frozen, simply turns into ice. As a result, thermal insulation is reduced, and the material is destroyed. Mineral wool has another significant drawback - this is the fragility of the fibers, small pieces of which cause itching when it comes into contact with the skin. They can also cause breathing difficulties. Mineral wool should only be laid in protective gloves and a respirator with goggles.

The denser the mineral wool, the worse its thermal insulation characteristics. As a result, it has to be laid in a thicker layer. At the same time, with an increase in density, the strength of the insulation used for thermal insulation in the walls of a frame house increases. If you choose too loose material, then it will slide in the frame to the foundation, leaving a hole on top for the cold.

When installing mineral wool, the walls of a frame house must be vertically divided with a beam into segments a meter high, so it will be possible to reduce the likelihood of the insulation settling

It is recommended to choose mineral wool depending on its density as follows:

  • up to 35 kg/m3 - for unloaded horizontal surfaces;
  • up to 75 kg / m3 - for partitions inside the house;
  • up to 125 kg/m3 - for exterior facades;
  • up to 175 kg / m3 - for load-bearing vertical structures;
  • up to 220 kg / m3 - for floors under a concrete screed.

The cost of mineral wool grows along with an increase in its density. In most cases, overpayment does not bring this benefit, but the frame of the house will have to be made more durable and expensive due to the increasing weight of the insulation.

Option # 2: XPS - expanded polystyrene in the form of plates

Extruded polystyrene foam is one of the varieties of conventional polystyrene foam. XPS is lightweight and has excellent thermal insulation properties. In almost all respects, it is better than mineral wool. But there is a significant problem - it is flammable.

Scheme of the wall of a frame house with EPPS as a heater

Expanded polystyrene is used in the formation of sandwich panels, which are widely used in the construction of frame houses. It is laid between two sheets of OSB, resulting in a durable structural material with excellent thermal insulation performance. Two in one - SIP-panel (insulation and at the same time the frame of the building itself).

Important! XPS does not transmit heat, but it easily seeps into the joints between the polystyrene foam and the SIP panel strapping beam. If these gaps are not filled mounting foam, then all the money for warming the frame house will be wasted.

The density of expanded polystyrene is low, it is quite fragile to break. But in combination with oriented strand board, a building material is obtained that is good both for the construction of external walls and for laying floors and roofs. An XPS wall will not lose its thermal insulation properties even after half a century. She is only afraid of fire and rodents. But for this there are appropriate protective impregnations.

When installing panels with extruded polystyrene foam inside, it is extremely important to monitor the sealing of all joints

EPPS - according to the totality of characteristics the best insulation for a frame house. However, if the cottage with Styrofoam walls is poorly ventilated, it will be impossible to live in it. The material practically does not allow moisture to pass through, without well-organized forced air circulation in the rooms there will be too high humidity.

Advice! Expanded polystyrene as a wall insulation of a frame house is best used only if you purchase ready-made prefabricated SIP panels. It is quite difficult to independently fit the XPS boards in size exactly into the frame and close all the gaps.

Option #3: Sprayed Polyurethane Foam

This insulation for a frame house belongs to the sprayed heat-insulating materials. When mixing the two components, a foam with high adhesion is formed, which sticks to the walls and fills even small gaps. The result is a uniform insulating layer without cold bridges.

Comparison of technical characteristics of polyurethane foam, mineral wool and expanded polystyrene

Polyurethane foam is expensive, but thermal insulation from it is better than from foam and mineral wool. At the same time, it is non-flammable and easy to apply on walls, floors and ceilings. However, spraying will require special equipment that will have to be bought or rented, and these are additional expenses.

The construction of houses on the basis of the frame is famous for its cheapness. It is impossible by definition to attribute polyurethane foam to budget heaters. The heat-insulating layer from it turns out to be excellent, but the whole point of using frame technology is lost.

How good is cement bonded particle board

For the walls of a frame house, fiberboard slabs can be chosen as a heater. They are made from cement, liquid glass and wood shavings, which fit in the volume of the material in different directions.

The use of fiberboard in the construction of a frame house

Fiberboard is produced in plates:

  • low density - 250–450 kg/m3;
  • medium density - about 600 kg / m3;
  • high density - 950–1050 kg/m3.

The first option is designed for sound and heat insulation. brick walls, and the second is ideal for laying in the frame. It should be chosen for sheathing the partitions of a frame house. For external walls, it is better to use the third type of fibrolite.

In terms of density and weight, the structural fiberboard is comparable to expanded polystyrene, yielding slightly to it in terms of thermal insulation characteristics. But it is stronger than it and not combustible, and in terms of service life it approaches reinforced concrete and steel. At the same time, formaldehyde and other resins are not used in the production of fibrolite, cement acts as a binder.

If you need the cheapest insulation for a frame house, then it is best to choose mineral wool. Expanded polystyrene should be used only in the form of factory SIP panels, but it is better to replace it with fiberboard, which is more fireproof. Polyurethane foam is too expensive for a carcass. Also, the frame can be insulated with cellulose ecowool or straw. The final choice depends solely on the wishes and possibilities of the owner of the cottage. The main thing is to correctly install the insulation.

Frame houses have become an excellent innovation in our country - inexpensive and fast way erection of individual buildings.

But, despite the large number of advantages, these buildings have one important drawback, these buildings need additional thermal insulation, since the climatic conditions in Russia are very severe.

Consider which insulation is best for a frame house? How to properly perform thermal insulation work, and which insulation is better to use.

There are many materials for thermal insulation of houses made according to Finnish technology. Each has its drawbacks and positive aspects, therefore, in order to understand how to choose a heater for a frame house and apply the best option for thermal insulation, it is worth analyzing in detail the most popular heat insulators on the construction market.

Mineral wool for warming the frame structure

How to properly insulate a frame house with mineral wool? This material is often used not only construction companies but also private developers.

This is understandable - the insulation has excellent sound absorption and perfectly retains heat. Mineral wool is an eco-friendly, fire-resistant material. A layer of insulator of 5 cm is able to retain heat as well as brickwork half a meter thick.

The main nuance in the installation of basalt insulation is the arrangement of a vapor barrier to protect the material from moisture. The fact is that when wet, mineral wool loses its thermal insulation properties.

If you decide to use this insulation for insulation, then do not spare money for the purchase of vapor barrier material and special membranes.

How to make mineral wool insulation

The walls of the frame house are insulated along the crate, the cells of which should be in increments of 60 cm - this is important, since stone wool is produced in a roll of this size. The insulator must be cut so that the cotton wool enters between the bars with force and does not sag.

The thickness of the material is chosen based on the weather conditions in the region. If the climate is harsh, then it is better to use layers 20 cm thick, in a mild climate 5-10 cm is enough.

With multi-layer insulation, cold bridges may appear, in order to exclude them, 5 cm slabs are laid in two layers, in cells. It should be understood that the guide bars should be with a section of 10x10. The second two layers of material are laid on top of the frame bars.

Insulation of a frame house with mineral wool involves mandatory vapor barrier, but since outer wall buildings are already equipped with this material, then it can not be used before installing the insulation.

After laying the insulator, care must be taken to protect the mineral wool from condensation fumes. The vapor barrier material is sold in rolls, and it will not work to lay it with one sheet, so we buy construction tape to glue the joints.

Floor insulation in a frame house is made with the same basalt wool. Only in this case, the insulator layer must be at least 20 cm. The work is carried out as with the insulation of frame walls.

Ecowool insulation

An environmentally friendly and affordable insulation for frame houses, in the production of which waste from the production of cellulose products is used: paper, cardboard. Ecowool consists of 80% fiber and 10% antiseptic, which protects against the development of fungal formations and microorganisms. In order for the insulation to be less flammable, 10% of special additives were introduced into its composition.

Ecowool - disadvantages

Private developers very rarely use this material to insulate their buildings. Ecowool has a number of features that some builders consider as disadvantages:


Strictly observe the norms for filling surfaces with insulation, which are recommended by the manufacturer, otherwise areas without insulation may form during the shrinkage process.

Positive characteristics of ecowool

Many may think that such a process as insulating a frame house for winter living using ecowool is impractical, this material has a lot of disadvantages.

But with strict observance of the technological processes of application, the positive characteristics of the material are significantly enhanced:

  • A small consumption of material makes it cost-effective.
  • Ecowool has good noise-absorbing properties.
  • The best insulation is made from natural raw materials, which determines its environmental friendliness and safety for people living in the house.
  • The composition receives resistance to burning due to additives, and it is worth studying the composition of the product before purchasing. If components such as boric acid and ammonium sulfate are introduced into the composition, then it is better to refuse to use it. These components give ecowool an unpleasant and persistent smell, while the fire resistance of the material practically does not decrease. You should buy only the product in the composition of which borax is present.
  • The material is laid without seams, which is a huge plus, since there are no bridges of cold, and insulation wooden house turns out to be of high quality and reliability.

But the decisive factor, which speaks of the importance of using cross-insulation of a frame house from the inside with this material, is the inexpensive cost in a duet with positive characteristics.

Insulation of a frame house with ecowool - a technological process

As already known, there are two ways to insulate a frame house - “wet” and “dry”. You can simply spray the material on the walls by diluting it with water or glue, then you get a great result. But most private developers follow a simpler path and use the “dry” method of insulation, which we will consider.

So, we insulate the frame house with our own hands, with ecowool according to the following algorithm:

  • first of all, we will undertake to insulate the floor in the house, for this a pressed briquette of material weighing 15 kg, you need to loosen it well, you can use an ordinary drill with a special nozzle for this. After these actions, the volume of material will become three times larger;
  • thermal insulation of the floor of a frame house is quite simple - the material is poured onto the rough coating between the beams with a slight excess, which will be taken up by the weight of the board for the final coating;
  • Let's get to the walls. Before the start of insulation, a frame is constructed from bars of the desired section. A vapor barrier is fixed to the racks, an indispensable element when insulating with ecowool. The frame is sheathed with OSB sheets in such a way that there is a gap on top for filling the insulation. The material will be compacted under its own weight, as it falls asleep, and it should be well compacted from above.

Work on the thermal insulation of a frame house with ecowool is worth stocking up protective equipment: gloves, goggles and a respirator. You can significantly optimize the process by renting equipment that loosens the material and blows it in finished form.

Linen-based insulation

Flax has excellent heat-retaining parameters, this is achieved due to the optimal combination of density and porosity of the material.

Linen insulation is produced in several configurations:

  • plates can insulate the frame house from the inside;
  • linen strips of a structure made of glued laminated timber;
  • tow canopy walls made of logs.

Due to its high density, this insulator is used for insulation of roofs, floors, partitions and attic floors in which recreation areas are equipped.

A flax fiber heat insulator can be considered the most preferable for insulating a house from the inside - it is environmentally friendly, has been serving for more than 70 years, does not rot, and mold does not form on it. Unlike ecowool, it does not shrink.


Expanded polystyrene or polystyrene - which is more practical

The choice of insulation for a frame house is not an easy task, you need to take into account many nuances. As for heat insulators such as expanded polystyrene and polystyrene, both materials are successfully used to insulate a house from the inside and outside.

Styrofoam, of course, is inferior to its fellow in some positive properties, but, it is so cheap that many private developers prefer to use this material for home insulation.

Among the minuses are noted:

  • low level of sound insulation;
  • when burned, toxins are released;
  • the material is susceptible to attacks by rodents.

Thermal insulation of the facade with foam plastic

  • Insulation of a frame house from the outside begins with surface preparation, which needs to be leveled, cracks repaired, primed with deep penetration impregnation.
  • After the facade has dried, direct hangers must be mounted on it, which will not allow the plates to move off the surface, they will be securely fixed.
  • Five points of glue are applied to the foam, the edges are smeared around the perimeter.
  • The plate with glue is pressed tightly to the surface, acting from corner to corner.
  • The second row of foam boards is laid in a checkerboard pattern.

The composition of the adhesive is prepared in such a way that it can be worked out in an hour.

The inconsistency of the material is adjusted with a heated knife, when gaps form, they are closed with the following compositions:

  • crushed foam is added to the glue;
  • pour penoizol;
  • apply mounting foam.

For structural strength, the heat insulator should be attached to the surface with plastic dowels, 5 pcs each. on the stove. After that, you can apply any facing material.

Thermal insulation of the frame structure from the inside

The scheme for warming a frame house from the side of the room is similar to the previous version. The difference is only in the soil used - you need a composition for internal work with antiseptic properties.

When using an insulating insulator with inside as an adhesive, a simple tile adhesive, coupled with dowels, is used.

Installed foam boards are overlapped with a reinforcing mesh if it is supposed to putty the surface, but drywall is often used for wall cladding. This method of thermal insulation is much easier than insulating a frame house with ecowool.

Penoplex

Do not know what is the best way to insulate a frame house? Buy penoplex - an analogue of foam plastic, only with a denser structure, which is why it costs a little more. It is also worth noting that this material is much more demanding during installation - you need to protect it from moisture and sunlight.

In custody

We built a frame house - insulation can be done both independently and with the help of a team of specialists. Is the building located in a harsh climate? Apply cross-insulation, and how to choose an insulator, and how to properly insulate a frame house, we described in detail above.

Increasingly, when building a country cottage, frame structures that are easier to install are preferred. Finished panels with a thickness of 12 to 20 cm are not inferior in technical specifications stone walls. Building houses from SIP blocks is an inexpensive way to build your own house in a short time. Panels for such structures can be factory-made or be a type-setting structure.

The construction of frame houses has gained its popularity due to the ease of erecting walls, but they are rather poorly susceptible to cold, so they need to be insulated additionally.

When using multilayer "sandwich" panels, you need to think about how to insulate the frame house, which insulation to choose for walls and ceilings.

The post-beam structure, which serves as the frame of the house, is made of durable materials - wood or metal. Blocks of thermal insulation are placed between the racks of the frame of the house. It is better to choose a heater in plates, and not in rolls. Sheets are easier to mount in frame bases. The walls are sheathed, starting from the outside - in this sequence it is easier to fix the vapor barrier and insulation. A membrane wind protection is attached to the crate, followed by a layer of heat insulator, which is protected by a vapor barrier coating.

Thermal insulation materials used in frame structures

There are several possible options to insulate the cottage. All heaters on the market today have their own advantages, allowing you to build a warm, economical home. When choosing a heater in frame structures, it is better to focus on one of the following materials:

  1. Synthetic wool (mineral, fiberglass, slag).
  2. Eco-friendly materials (ecowool, wood fiber wool, reed boards and mats).
  3. Styrofoam.
  4. Extruded polystyrene foam - additional external insulation.
  5. Polyurethane foam.
  6. Foam glass.
  7. Natural heaters: expanded clay, slag, straw, flax tow, cereal husks, etc. are mixed with clay. For such materials, it is necessary to make frame walls of greater depth.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer is determined based on the capabilities of each insulation, the design of the house and the characteristics of the climatic zone. The multilayer wall as a whole has a thickness of 12 to 40 cm, which, according to its characteristics, corresponds to brickwork 50 cm. Due to the reduction of the area under the walls and the use of new modern materials thermal insulation, a building created using frame technologies is not inferior to a brick structure, provided that the technology is strictly followed during installation.

Insulation of building walls with mineral wool

Mineral wool is the most common material for warming a house on a frame. A high level of thermal insulation is provided by the fibrous structure of the mineral wool. The air gaps between the particles of a substance provide high level protection from noise and cold. An important condition for wool to perform its functions is its correct installation. The pressed plate is attached to the frame walls with a snug fit to wooden or metal racks without creasing and creases of the material. Mineral wool should not be tamped or compressed. It is better to lay cotton wool in layers of 50 mm. The total thickness of the layer should be about 15 cm.

The most highly effective representative of mineral wool is basalt, or stone wool, made in the form of slabs. They can not only insulate the walls, but also provide a reliable level of sound insulation. It is a fire-resistant material, withstands temperatures up to 1000 ° C and does not shrink. Basalt (stone) wool is produced from molten gabrobasalt rocks (95% is stone).

For the installation of energy-saving structures using mineral wool, you will need a minimum set of tools:

  • knife for trimming excess plates;
  • a hacksaw with a fine tooth for cutting material.

Among the disadvantages of mineral wool, the following features of this material can be noted:

  1. Fibrous material is able to accumulate moisture, so it is better to pay special attention to the layer of hydro and vapor barrier on the inside and outside of the wall. When the mineral wool gets wet by 2-3%, the heat-insulating properties decrease by 50%. Due to the low moisture-resistant performance, basalt wool is not recommended for floor insulation.
  2. One of the main disadvantages is the presence of formaldehyde in the composition of mineral wool. These carcinogens are harmful to health. To prevent exit harmful substances in the room, cotton wool is covered with environmentally friendly materials - membrane vapor barriers. It is better to use durable polyethylene for such purposes, as they do, for example, in Canada.
  3. Basalt wool serves up to 25 years. After this period, the walls will lose their energy-saving properties. The heater will have to be replaced with a new one.

On sale you can find glass wool. This material is easy to install, but it is too fragile for home insulation, sags in vertical structures and is harmful to health both during installation and in the further operation of the building. Slag wool has the highest thermal conductivity among mineral wools. When moisture gets in, slag wool becomes aggressive for metal structures.

Foam-based insulation for frame cottages

For the construction of energy-saving housing, double wall insulation will be required. Styrofoam is a lightweight and inexpensive material that can be used as a thermal insulator inside walls between studs and on the outside of a building. Polyfoam is often used in the manufacture of frame-panel structures assembled in factories. The foam sheets have different sizes and configuration. When buying this material, you need to carefully inspect the panels for cracks.

The advantages of polystyrene include the following indicators:

  1. It is used for insulation of horizontal and vertical surfaces inside and outside the house.
  2. With a smaller layer thickness (5 cm is enough), the quality of thermal insulation is not inferior to other heaters.
  3. Safe for health.

Expanded polystyrene has the same characteristics - a more modern material, in some respects better than the usual foam. It has an aluminum layer. Expanded polystyrene is produced in rolls and in the form of plates. It is easy to install due to the presence of a self-adhesive surface. Styrofoam sheets are placed on a special glue.
Styrofoam has negative qualities. These include:

  • when burning, it emits acrid smoke (modern analogues have a lower degree of flammability);
  • has poor sound insulation;
  • collapses under the action of heat - for external installation, additional protection from sunlight will be required - painting or plastering walls;
  • possible destruction by rodents.

A new and not very common insulation is foam glass. This is foamed glass, consisting of small cells. The heat insulator is better than its predecessors in many respects. Foam glass is an environmentally friendly substance, easy to attach, has high thermal insulation performance. Protects from external noise, and is also a vapor barrier in itself. The only drawback of foam glass is its high cost.

Seamless eco-friendly insulation for any surface

Heat insulators can be not only in sheets or rolls. There are a number of safe heaters with a loose structure - these are bulk materials, the application of which requires special equipment. Such heaters include ecowool and polyurethane foam. According to some characteristics, bulk insulation is better than sheet analogues.

Polyurethane foam (PPU) - comparatively new material in the market of heaters, with high rates of heat and sound insulation. The heat-insulating substance consists of two components that are mixed and sprayed between the uprights of the frame structure. Outwardly, it resembles a mounting foam.

With the use of polyurethane foam, roofs, attics, floors under the screed, exterior facades of buildings, internal partitions and walls are insulated. A layer of polyurethane foam of a certain density lies on different surfaces. For example, for facades and floors, the density of the heat insulator is 40-60 kg / m, and for roof insulation - 20-40 kg / m.

Polyurethane foam refers to a new generation of insulation, which have a number of positive qualities:

  1. Thanks to its sticky consistency, PPU adheres to any surface, fills it without leaving joints.
  2. Hardens in a few seconds.
  3. Does not accumulate moisture.
  4. The elasticity of the material allows it to be used on structures of any shape and at an angle.
  5. There is no need to use fasteners, PPU fills all joints and cracks.
  6. Non-flammable, resistant to temperature changes.
  7. Biologically neutral, environmentally friendly.
  8. Service life more than 30 years.

Ecowool belongs to loose environmentally friendly heaters. Thermal insulation particles are 80% cellulose. This adhesive material has the same characteristics as PPU. The difference between ecowool and the above-described heat-insulating agent is several ways of applying it to the surface: dry, wet and wet-adhesive.

During dry installation, ecowool is used to fill the closed space between two panels. The material is blown into the technological hole in the wall of the house. During wet application, cellulose particles are mixed with water, which is sprayed by a special blowing machine. With the wet-adhesive method of installation, water vapor is mixed with the adhesive. The disadvantage of PPU and ecowool is the high cost due to the need to call a professional team.

Natural insulation based on natural materials

Now that new ones are on the market modern facilities insulation of frame houses, sawdust concrete is used less frequently. Many experts are skeptical about the use of such products, arguing that a mixture based on sawdust cannot serve for a long time and will rot in a few seasons. The practice of building frame houses shows that buildings that have been in operation since the 60s of the last century have not lost their qualities.

During a shortage building materials the use of improvised means was the only possible way to insulate summer cottages. Today, suburban residents can be stopped not only by the age of origin of this material, but also by the laboriousness in its production. Mixing clay with sawdust, shavings, straw is done exclusively by hand. You also need to cut the straw yourself.

It will take a lot of time to produce 1 cubic meter of insulation. And for the thermal insulation of a one and a half-story frame house 6x9 m, it will take about 2 months. Sawdust concrete can be used in cramped financial situation because its main advantage is its low price.

Insulation is one of the most important components, without which it is impossible to build a frame house. The energy-saving characteristics of a residential building largely depend on the choice of a heat insulator. Before choosing one of the proposed materials, you need to carefully study the characteristics of each of them and the design features of the cottage. Knowing the requirements for insulation, it will be easier to navigate in all the variety of choices.

A frame house is the dream of many people who want to get the perfect home of their own. However, in practice, building such a building is still half the battle, because you also need to turn it into a cozy space in which there is a feeling of comfort at any time of the year.

Everyone dreams of a warm home. After all, no matter how beautiful your home is, with the advent of the first cold weather, you will acutely feel the need for thermal insulation. And in particular this applies to frame houses, where the insulation is mounted directly into the walls. In this article, we will look at how to insulate the walls of a frame house and how to do it to achieve the best result.

We warm the frame house

Thermal insulation of frame houses is a very responsible task, because in this case you have hollow walls, and therefore the choice of insulation fundamentally decides how comfortable your home will be in the winter months. Therefore, not “how”, but “the better to insulate frame walls” is the first question that should be of interest to any owner.

The choice of insulation

All insulating materials by and large can be divided into two categories:

  • organic, which include traditional insulation in the form of chips, tyrsy, tow, etc. Some of these materials are still used today, but are used mainly in traditional housing construction, using timber and logs as the main material.
  • Inorganic, which include heat insulators such as mineral wool, polystyrene foam and polystyrene. Naturally, these materials are more modern and fit perfectly for frame houses. Let's consider them in more detail:
  1. Styrofoam. Historically, foam plastic is the most popular insulating material for frame houses. Of its merits, the following should be noted:
  • Lightweight panels.
  • Low price.
  • The ability to insulate the walls with your own hands.
  • Polyfoam practically does not absorb moisture.

Foam Disadvantages:

  • Flammability. When burned, it produces toxic black smoke.
  • The fragility of the sheets, which often have cracks, so when buying, you should carefully examine each sheet.
  • Relative fragility. The service life of the foam is 10-20 years.

  1. Mineral wool. Recently it is the most popular heater. It is produced both in the form of a light fibrous substance and in the form of dense slabs. It has such positive properties:
  • The air gaps between the fibers provide the material with high thermal insulation properties.
  • Good sound absorbing qualities.
  • Ease of installation.
  • Durability (service life is several times higher than that of polystyrene).

The disadvantages are as follows:

  • Fear of excess moisture. Even with a slight wetting (2-3%), the thermal insulation properties of this material can be halved. Therefore, this insulation should be combined with waterproofing materials.

It boasts better characteristics than mineral wool. The specific gravity of this material is several times less, while the waterproof properties are very high.

Unlike foam, expanded polystyrene has fire resistance, resistance to chemical corrosion and high mechanical strength. Its service life is very long and exceeds the mark of 50 years.

It consists of 81% cellulose, and therefore, according to its characteristics, it is very similar to wood. At the same time, it does not rot, resists fire and is absolutely non-toxic.

The disadvantages of ecowool include the need for special equipment for performing insulation work.

Carrying out insulation work

Having figured out how frame houses are insulated, we proceed directly to thermal insulation. The methods of insulation depend both on the chosen heat insulator and the features of the building itself. We will look at the most common options.

We warm the wooden frame house

Wooden houses are known for their fickleness, and frame houses even more so. In the corners between the boards, cracks are often formed through which cold air freely penetrates into the room. Therefore, before warming it is necessary to make a thorough inspection of the walls from the inside.

First of all, you need to identify the places from which it blows. Such gaps can simply be filled with mounting foam, which is often used to seal joints, and the loggia can be insulated at all using foam as the main insulation. If necessary, remove the interior trim.

Insulation installation

Insulated wall of a frame house "in section".

Insulation should be laid between the inner and outer wall cladding. We should not forget about protecting the heat insulator from moisture, which can accumulate inside the frame, which contributes to the occurrence of mold and microbes. Therefore, a special vapor barrier film should be installed from the inside, and a waterproofing layer is required from the outside.

The process of insulating frame walls is very similar to the thermal insulation of pitched roofs, only instead of a log there is a frame.

Instructions for the behavior of thermal insulation provides for the following steps:

  1. From the inside, we stuff cross-beams onto the frame in increments of 30-40 cm. We will mount insulation on them.

Advice! The crate should be treated with special compounds that will protect the tree from moisture and pests.

  1. In quality, since this material is excellent for insulating frame houses. From the outside, we lay the insulation plates and fix them on the crate.

The photo shows the process of installing insulation boards in the frame of the house.

Advice! There should be no gaps between the insulation boards! If there are gaps, then they should be sealed with mounting foam!

  1. Now you need to install waterproofing. As mentioned above, mineral wool reacts very poorly to moisture, and therefore it is necessary to isolate the insulation as reliably as possible. To do this, we mount a waterproofing membrane from the outside. Any waterproofing material is suitable for this.

Advice! Penofol can be used as waterproofing. This material is a heater, and therefore the thermal insulation of your home will be more reliable.

A gap of 5 cm should be maintained between the waterproofing and the insulation layer.

  1. Next, you should create ventilation for the facade. To do this, we fill the bars along the frame over the membrane, which have a cross section of 25 by 50 cm.
  2. We fill boards across these bars, forming a crate. Remember that all wooden elements should be treated with special protective compounds. Otherwise, such a frame will quickly become unusable.
  3. We attach sheets of facing material to the crate. The best choice are siding panels. This material is durable, unpretentious in operation and has excellent appearance.
  4. Now let's move on to internal work. A vapor barrier should be installed on the inside. It is needed in order to protect the insulation from moisture penetrating from the inside of the building. The level of humidity in warm living quarters is always high, and therefore such measures are justified.

As a vapor barrier, you can use the same, or purchase a specially designed material. We fill the vapor barrier on the frame so that the foil layer looks inside the room.

Walls covered with foam

  1. On top of the vapor barrier, you need to install the interior lining of the room. It is best to use drywall for this - this material is easy to use, has a low cost and reliability.

Conclusion

Insulation of a frame house is a very serious and responsible process. Since the walls of such a house are hollow, the laying of high-quality insulation in this case is more important than ever.

But it is not enough to choose a good thermal insulation material - you also need to be able to use it correctly, creating warmth and comfort in your home. After all, if you carry out heat-insulating work of poor quality, then with the advent of the first cold weather, the results will make themselves felt.

In this article, you learned the best way to insulate a frame house and how to insulate it in order to achieve the best results. As you can see, there are no particular difficulties in carrying out these works, and you can easily carry out insulation work on your own, without involving specialists in this process. This will allow you to significantly save the family budget, because the services of masters are not cheap.

In the presented video in this article you will find Additional information on this topic.

The owners of suburban areas, when choosing a material for summer cottages, begin to analyze the available alternatives from timber, brick or log cabins, undeservedly ignoring the frame technology. But the construction of a frame house with proper insulation is a good solution to get a quick result with a limited budget.

In this article I will talk about what insulation is best used for frame houses and what parts of it must be protected from the penetration of cold air.

What needs to be insulated in a frame house

When building frame houses, customers sometimes agree to insulate only the walls, which leads to some cost savings during the construction phase, but greatly affects the level of comfort and the cost of heating in the future.

For optimal heat and sound insulation (provided that people will live in the house at least occasionally during the cold season), it is necessary to insulate all places where air from the street can enter the premises, i.e. in addition to walls, it is also a floor and under-roof space.

Only by observing the specified norms, it is possible to achieve the correct heat-saving effect.

Types of insulation for frame houses

In the very general case heaters can be divided into two large classes: natural and synthetic. Natural (or organic) materials are mainly natural substances such as peat, clay or. Currently, they are rarely used due to their low energy saving and moisture resistance characteristics.

They were replaced by synthetic materials with a much higher thermal insulation ability. Among them, for the insulation of frame houses, the following are most often used:

  • Styrofoam;
  • mineral wool;
  • polyurethane foam;
  • ecowool;
  • expanded clay.

Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss below.

Styrofoam

In the last century, it was the best insulation for a frame house - quite cheap, easy to cut and fit, has a low specific gravity and does not absorb moisture.

The main advantage of foam plastic is that when laying it, it is not required additional protection in the form of moisture-absorbing films, so the cost of installation is very attractive in comparison with other means of insulation.

However, polystyrene also has serious disadvantages:

  • flammability - upon contact with fire, very caustic and toxic substances are released;
  • low noise insulation - there are heaters that simultaneously protect the building from extraneous noise, which cannot be said about foam;
  • rodents love it, building their nests in it;
  • fragility - the material does not tolerate physical impact, so you need to work with it very carefully.

In general, polystyrene has a fairly high popularity among developers (due primarily to its low price).

Mineral wool

High-quality insulation, which is gradually coming out on top in popularity. For laying inside the walls of a frame house, rectangular mats are used, which are easily cut with a knife.

Among other advantages of mineral wool, it should be noted:

  • Light weight;
  • Good heat and sound insulation;
  • fire resistance;
  • Durability.

The main disadvantage is the presence of small particles that can penetrate the body and cause serious illness. Therefore, when installing mineral wool, the walls of the frame house are covered from the inside with special vapor barrier films - not so much for their intended purpose, but in order to avoid the penetration of mineral wool particles into the room.

Another disadvantage of this insulation can be considered susceptibility to the destructive action of moisture - when wet, even by a few percent of the volume of mineral wool, it can lose up to half of its heat-insulating properties. Therefore, when insulating walls and roofs, the openings of the frame block must be protected from the outside with waterproofing materials.

polyurethane foam

One of the most modern materials, which is characterized by high thermal insulation properties, resistance to water and fire, as well as a high speed of application to the surface.

This insulation belongs to the class of sprayed substances. It is obtained by mixing two components that are delivered to the facility separately, under the action of air.

In the process of spraying, toxic substances are released, so work with this material is done in protective clothing.

The main disadvantage of polyurethane foam is its high price - if the work on insulation with foam plastic or mineral wool can be done independently, then polyurethane foam requires the use of special equipment, so it will cost several times more to insulate something with it. And since the choice in favor of a frame house is often dictated precisely by economic considerations, polyurethane foam as a heater is still quite rarely used here.

Ecowool

Ecowool is a completely natural insulation, consisting of 95% cellulose (shredded paper, most often newsprint) and special fillers that make it non-flammable. It does not require the use of any protective films, so the entire structure of the house will be protected exclusively by environmentally friendly materials. This material has other advantages that provide it with increasing distribution:

  • very high rates of heat and sound insulation;
  • resistance to decay and fire;
  • lack of shrinkage and moisture resistance;
  • lack of seams and cold bridges.

The disadvantage of ecowool is the same as that of polyurethane foam: its application requires special equipment and qualified performers, which seriously increases the cost of work.

Exists different ways applying ecowool, but the most productive of them is “wet”, after which the material must dry for several days.

The laying of this insulation in the walls can also be carried out in a “dry” way, with a certain skill it can be done independently.

Expanded clay and other bulk materials

The use of bulk insulation for a frame house is possible, but has some limitations. The main problem when working with expanded clay, slag and other similar materials is that over time they can cake and settle, leaving part of the previously insulated surface unprotected. This greatly reduces the quality of all thermal insulation, therefore, when filling such heaters, they must be very carefully tamped.

Bulk materials are mainly used for. They can also be used for heat treatment of walls, but only in those areas where the average daily temperature does not fall below -20 ° C.

Before backfilling, waterproofing must be done to prevent the insulation from getting wet from the outside. At the same time, the use of any membrane films is undesirable; glassine is best suited for these purposes. In general, work with bulk insulation is quite complicated and time-consuming, in this they are much inferior to the same mineral wool.

Summarizing all of the above, two conclusions can be drawn:

  1. that in most cases, when the main goal is to build a reliable and solid house for little money, it is worth choosing mineral wool or polystyrene;
  2. If the environmental component is more important to you, your choice is ecowool (or mineral wool, subject to the installation technology).

For this, I round off, and I look forward to your questions and opinions in the comments.