Thermal insulation of a house is an important event that allows you to extend its service life and reduce operating costs. One of the modern types of thermal insulation materials is extruded polystyrene foam. The largest company in Russia that produces such a heat insulator is Penoplex, therefore, among many builders, the words extruded polystyrene foam and penoplex are synonyms. Insulation of walls with penoplex is an effective measure. The technology is quite simple.
The choice of material for insulation
After the owner of the house has already decided that the insulation will be used for penoplex walls, you need to choose among its types. Manufacturers produce material that can be classified according to the following criteria:
- Thickness. May be in the range of 5-30 mm. Here the choice depends on the material of the outer walls and the climatic features of the area. In order to make a full heat engineering calculation, it is not at all necessary to contact specialists. You can do it yourself without even knowing the regulatory framework. To do this, you need to find the Teremok program on the network. It is available in two versions for PC and online. There are no differences between them. Using the program is quite simple. Before starting the calculation, you need to know the thermal conductivity of the wall material and thermal insulation and the wall thickness. There are two modes of operation: the thickness of the insulation for the facade is selected or the verification of already accepted.
- Density. Another important indicator. Manufacturers produce plates with a density of 31-45 kg / m3. When used in the construction of the wall, the material will not be subjected to high loads, so you can take the minimum value. It is rational to choose a more durable material if, when warming the facade, the foam will not be closed by anything, but only covered with plaster on top. In this case, high mechanical strength, and therefore density, is needed.
Plates are available in a standard width of 60 cm and a length of 120 cm. To choose a quality material, when buying, you should pay attention to the following points:
- when compressed with fingers, there should be no dents on the material;
- packaging should be high-quality and holistic;
the product must have a barcode and a hologram of the manufacturer; - the presence of protective labels;
- the seller must, upon request, provide all the necessary documents for the products, which include a passport, quality certificate, sanitary certificate.
These are the methods of checking the quality of the material that are available in the store. It is possible to verify the compliance of thermal insulation and water-repellent characteristics only in laboratory conditions. But these tests will require additional financial costs.
It is recommended to buy products of large manufacturers with all certificates in place, this will protect yourself from buying low-quality insulation.
Insulation technology
Insulation of the building facade can be done in two ways:
- from the inside;
- outside.
Choosing the option of fixing from the inside is only if there is no possibility of using another method. The disadvantages of this technology include:
- decrease in the area of the room;
- the material protects only the interior, the supporting structures are left without protection from cold and moisture, which leads to their premature destruction.
It is these two shortcomings that make the choice in favor of insulating the facade from the outside more correct. There are two options for finishing the insulated facade:
- facing elements (siding, block house, facing panels and the like);
- plaster.
If the walls are insulated from the outside, penoplex needs protection from mechanical damage and atmospheric phenomena.
To provide this function for facade decoration, it is better to choose hinged elements than plaster mortars. In addition, there is no guarantee that the plaster simply will not fall off after some time. It will require redecorating and investing in this financial means.
The technology of insulation of the facade with the help of foam is as follows:
- Cleaning the base from dirt and dust. Elimination of wall irregularities and small cracks. Removing fungal infections, as well as moss and mold from the walls. To prevent their appearance, the surface is again treated with antiseptic compounds.
- Base profile fastening. This element will ensure the support of the first row of insulation boards. In addition to supporting, the profile will ensure even bonding of elements and protect the lower edge of the heat insulator from damage by moisture, harmful microorganisms and rodents. The dowels for securing the profile are placed in increments of 30 cm.
- Having fixed the base profile, they begin to cut the insulation plates. For cutting, you will need a steel ruler, a square, a knife and a saw with small cloves.
- Before gluing each element, it is tried on in the design position. This will ensure the geometric correct installation.
- Next, you need to prepare the adhesive composition. For bonding, it is strongly recommended that you use the formulations recommended by the manufacturer of the heat insulator. The fact is that some chemicals can destroy polystyrene foam. Preparation of the solution from the dry mixture is carried out according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Glue application on foam. Before application, the surface of the insulation is sanded with a machine or sandpaper. This is necessary to increase the adhesion of the material to the wall. If the slabs have factory milling, there is no need to sand them. The thickness of the adhesive layer is selected depending on the roughness of the surface and is 15 - 25 mm.
- Gluing the plate. The first row is mounted on the base profile. The insulation is glued to the surface by controlling the location with respect to adjacent elements. All of them should be located in one plane. After gluing, excess solution is removed. The installation of the plates is carried out from top to bottom, while it is important to ensure dressing, that is, there should not be extended vertical joints between the plates. It is not permissible to place vertical and horizontal joints at the same level with the corners of door or window openings.
- Lastly, adjacencies to door and window openings are performed. Elements for this are cut out in place.
- After completing all the stages, the slabs are attached to the facade with dowels, checking the correctness and strength of the fastening. For work, plate-shaped dowels are used.
- The gaps between the insulation elements are sealed with sealant.
When consolidating, it is important to remember several mandatory requirements:
- simultaneous fixing to glue and dowels;
- provision of bandaging plates;
- proper preparation of the foundation;
- sealing gaps between the plates.
If the technology is followed, the insulation will last a long time and provide reliable protection of the facade from low temperatures.