Among the numerous building materials used for the construction of both residential and non-residential buildings, one of the most used and in demand is concrete. It is valued for its ease of “preparation” (concrete can be obtained directly at the construction site by mixing the required components), relatively low cost and significant quality and durability of the result. However, even a thick concrete wall is not a serious protection against the most pressing problems for our country: low temperatures winter, frequent precipitation, large quantity freeze-thaw cycles. Deal with negative impact the described factors allow high-quality insulation concrete structure, which we will now consider.
Despite its apparent density, concrete still allows moisture to pass through.
Any material has its own characteristics and character traits"behavior" when different conditions. Concrete is superior to wood and brickwork in many respects - alternative options, used in the construction of residential buildings.
Before the beginning thermal insulation works The following nuances should be taken into account:
- Despite its apparent density, concrete still allows moisture to pass through. This is bad both for the insulation (if it is not resistant to moisture) and for the wall itself - in winter time years, repeatedly freezing and thawing liquid will quickly lead to the destruction of the structure.
- Before starting work, the concrete must be treated with an antiseptic to prevent the appearance of fungus and mold.
- The entire facade should be insulated, and not its individual sections.
- Consider the thickness of the wall: the thinner the partition, the more insulation is needed.
In fact, the tips listed above are typical not only for concrete walls - they should also be taken into account for wooden and brick structures.
From inside or outside?
It is best to insulate concrete walls from the outside
Polyurethane foam is perfect for insulating any type of wall: frame walls, brick walls, wooden and
Conclusion
From its inception to the present day, this material has been an ideal insulation material used for a wide variety of purposes. Spraying a thin layer of polyurethane foam allows for much better quality than several layers of polystyrene foam (and it will take much less time), although it will cost you a little more.
This option is suitable for those who want to get a perfectly insulated building, protected from both cold and moisture.
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A concrete wall often creates big problems in winter. The apartment becomes cold and uncomfortable. If in own home the problem can be solved external cladding walls, then in apartments all that remains is to insulate the walls from the inside.
Concrete walls are cold and uncomfortable, so they need to be insulated.
Modern Construction Materials have good thermal insulation properties. Their use allows us to solve such an important issue as. In order to carry out such insulation, you only need to choose one of possible options and carefully produce necessary work with your own hands.
Features of internal wall insulation
Usually, major insulation of walls from the inside is carried out out of urgent need, because external insulation is impossible. Internal insulation has a number of specific disadvantages that must be taken into account when choosing a method of insulation. First of all, applying wall coatings changes the overall indoor climate. Creating an insulating layer does not allow the wall to “breathe”, which increases moisture condensation and requires additional ventilation premises. Inside the wall, due to changes in heat exchange conditions and moisture transfer, moisture accumulates, which can lead to the formation of fungi and mold. These phenomena may reduce load-bearing capacity walls.
Additional thermal insulation enhances the effect of internal drafts in the room. Finally, internal lining reduces walls usable area rooms. In addition, changes in wall design must be taken into account when creating the overall design of the room. Specific conditions arising during insulation concrete wall from within, dictate the main technical requirements. The internal coating of the wall must be a good heat insulator and create a reliable vapor barrier, provided that the room is well ventilated.
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Insulation of walls using plaster
The most in a simple way The insulation of the wall from the inside is plaster. However, this method is not very effective for areas with cold climates, especially when the apartment is located at the end. At the same time, for areas with mild climates, plaster serves as sufficient thermal insulation.
Work on wall insulation should begin with its preparation. First of all, you need to treat the entire surface antiseptic. After this, the surface of the wall must be thoroughly dried.
In order for the plaster to act as insulation for a concrete wall, it is applied in three stages.
At the first stage it is applied thin layer solution (spray). Used cement mortar(1 part cement to 4-5 parts fine sifted sand) of liquid consistency. The solution is applied with a rigid spatula with force so that the composition penetrates as much as possible into the pores of the cement. The thickness of the first layer of plaster is 5-10 mm. The plaster should evenly cover the entire surface of the wall.
The second stage consists of making a primer layer and begins after the first layer of plaster has dried. It is recommended to use standard solution as a solution. plaster mixture on cement based for primer (rough) plaster. It is advisable to use a mixture with increased thermal insulation properties, for example, mortar type "TechnoNIKOL". The total thickness of the primer layer is 50-60 mm. It is formed from three layers, each 15-20 mm thick. Moreover, each subsequent layer is applied after the previous layer has dried. All layers are evenly distributed over the wall surface.
The final stage is the application of the thinnest outer covering(covering). It is advisable that this layer does not exceed 5 mm. The finishing putty mixture diluted in water is used as a solution. When applied to the wall, the solution is practically rubbed into the primer layer of plaster. The main task of the outer layer is to create an even smooth surface walls. After the plaster has dried, it is grouted and sanded using sandpaper or emery cloth.
Tools required for applying plaster:
- set of spatulas;
- sanding mesh;
- sandpaper;
- roulette;
- meter ruler.
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Insulation of walls with foam plastic
One of the simplest and effective ways Insulation of a concrete wall from the inside is lining it with foam plastic. First, the surface of the wall is treated with an antiseptic and dried well. Then you need to level the surface with plaster. Plaster is applied liquid solution standard finishing putty mixture. The plaster layer is 5-10 mm. After the coating has dried, the surface is grouted. A layer of waterproofing 3-5 mm thick must be applied on top of the plaster. It can be made from a special waterproofing mixture.
Sheets of foam plastic (expanded polystyrene) are glued to the wall using a special adhesive composition for expanded polystyrene, for example, Ceresit glue. Adhesive mass It is sold in the form of a dry powder, so 1.5-2 hours before use it is mixed in water until it becomes a thick, homogeneous mass. The adhesive mass is evenly applied to the wall surface. In addition, it is recommended to apply glue to the middle of the sheet. After this, the foam sheets are glued to the wall one by one by lightly pressing them with your hands. Fastening foam sheets begins with bottom corner walls. The sheets are butted together. After gluing is completed, the seams between the sheets are puttied or filled polyurethane foam. The glue dries completely after 2-4 days. To strengthen the foam fastening, you can additionally use plastic dowels.
For subsequent finishing, the foam sheets should be plastered. To do this, a polymer mounting mesh is glued to their surface. When laying the mesh, it is embedded in the adhesive composition. A layer of finishing plaster about 5 mm thick is applied on top of the mesh. After drying, the surface is rubbed and sanded.
Tools for making foam insulation:
- set of spatulas;
- paint brush;
- sanding mesh;
- sandpaper;
- hammer;
- electric drill;
- scissors;
- roulette
- meter ruler.
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Do-it-yourself mineral wool insulation
You can effectively insulate a concrete wall using fibrous materials. Thus, mineral wool has found wide use as good thermal insulation. Insulation of walls is carried out in the following order. The preparation of the wall is carried out similarly to the installation of polystyrene foam (antiseptic treatment, plaster).
To attach the insulation to the wall, a frame of wooden slats is installed, which are pre-treated with an antiseptic. The slats are fixed to the wall strictly vertically to the entire height of the wall. The distance between the slats is chosen to be about 60 cm. Fastening is carried out using anchors, for which holes with a diameter of 8 mm are drilled in the wall, three for each slat. Plastic dowels are installed. The slats are attached with screws.
Between the slats, a layer of roofing felt waterproofing is applied to the wall. Roofing felt is attached to the slats. Mineral wool in the form of a roll, sheet or slab is laid on top of the waterproofing. We can recommend, for example, tiled mineral wool brand "Teploknauf". The width of the roll (sheet) of insulation should slightly exceed the distance between the wooden slats, so that there is no gap between the insulation and the slats. Mineral wool is laid in 2-3 layers. Placed on top of the insulation vapor barrier film with a layer of foil. The film is attached to the slats using a construction stapler.
A hard covering of plasterboard, plywood or chipboard is made on top of the insulation. The coating can be made of metal reinforcing mesh. The main condition is that the space between the wooden slats must be tightly filled with insulation. For high-quality further wall finishing wooden slats in the frame they can also be laid in a horizontal position like a lattice. The covering sheets are secured to wooden slats with screws.
When using plasterboard, longitudinal and transverse profiles can be additionally used.
The surface of the hard coating is puttied and sanded.
Tool for insulating a concrete wall with mineral wool:
- Bulgarian;
- hacksaw;
- screwdriver;
- hammer;
- sanding mesh;
- construction or furniture stapler;
- electric drill;
- perforator;
- scissors, knife;
- putty knife;
- roulette;
- meter ruler.
One of the disadvantages of concrete buildings is freezing of the walls in winter. It is not very comfortable to be in a cold room; colds and additional expenses for heating the house. Heat and money flow through the ice walls at great speed. How to insulate a concrete house?
Insulation methods
IN general view there are two of them: external and internal. External is preferable: the material does not prevent the base from “breathing” (especially if used in the design of a ventilated facade). With internal insulation, everything is somewhat more complicated. There is no wall ventilation; Condensation accumulates on the wall; A fungus starts to form and the base is gradually destroyed.
Therefore, if it is possible to insulate concrete walls from the outside, then it is better to do so. They insulate it from the inside if it doesn’t work from the outside (for example, the walls freeze in a city multi-story building).
When insulating walls from the inside, it is necessary to strictly follow the installation technology, choose the most suitable material(even if it’s expensive) and think through a complete ventilation system for the room.
Facade insulation
Insulation of a concrete house from the outside should be done at above-zero temperatures. If it is colder, then it is necessary to add an anti-frost compound to the glue.
Insulation of a concrete facade with mineral wool
1. Substrate preparation: cleaning old plaster, paint, dirt.
2. Alignment. The permissible level difference is no more than one and a half centimeters. Large irregularities are sealed with putty or plaster (depending on the thickness of the layer). Sometimes plaster with reinforcing mesh is necessary. For better adhesion, the surface is primed before leveling.
3. When insulating concrete walls, the first profile strip is attached to the base, and the strips are placed along the entire wall. The pitch between the profiles should be equal to the width of the insulation slab, the width of the profile should not be less than the thickness of the slab.
4. Glue is applied to the insulation blank (in the corners and in the center). The plate is placed on the wall and fixed with dowels at the rate of four pieces per square meter. The dowels are chosen to be five centimeters longer than the thickness of the slabs.
5. Installation of reinforcing mesh with a square cell, the length of the cell side is half a centimeter. Adjacent sections are laid with an overlap of ten centimeters. After this, the structure is covered with plaster mortar.
6. As a finishing touch, you can paint the surface or cover it with textured plaster.
Insulation from the inside
The surface preparation is carried out in the same way as on the facade: clean the wall, level it, install the frame in accordance with the size of the slabs.
The main requirement for installation: the mandatory presence of a waterproofing and vapor barrier layer. The first layer is laid on top of the sheathing, the second layer on top of the insulation.
In this case, the fleecy surfaces of the membranes are located to the sides of the insulation outward. If the second layer has a foil covering, then it should face towards the room (reflect heat inward).
After installing the vapor barrier, you can begin finishing- for example, plasterboard panels. The insulation of the concrete house is completed.
Often the walls of new buildings are no different high level thermal insulation, especially those made of concrete, which means they need additional insulation. This can be achieved through the use of various thermal insulation materials, not only with outside buildings, but also from the inside.
However, it is worth considering the fact that the internal insulation of a building is still less effective than the insulation of concrete walls from the outside. In addition, such insulation often causes damage to the house due to the temperature difference between the insulating layer and the wall itself.
External insulation is not without a certain complexity. Thus, the main obstacle to insulation is considered to be the fact that the insulation layer cannot be installed at the joints outer wall and floors. Such places subsequently become a source of heat loss even to a greater extent than the entire insulated wall.
Basic methods
Modern manufacturers delight customers with a wide range of various thermal insulation materials that meet the basic quality parameters of these products.
However, experts with sufficient experience in the construction industry give advice on how to insulate a concrete wall in an apartment using only three main methods, which are considered the best:
- Insulation using foam plastic,
- Insulation using a warm plaster solution.
Application of foam plastic
To date popular insulation considered polystyrene foam (for example,). It is lightweight, easy to use and low price make it the most common insulation material.
Insulation of premises from the inside with polystyrene foam
This method of thermal insulation is both the simplest and cheapest:
- Carefully plaster the concrete wall.
- Let the solution dry completely.
- We begin to level the surface by applying one layer of putty.
- Upon completion of puttying, lay waterproofing material around the entire perimeter.
Note! Neglecting this stage of thermal insulation work often causes condensation at the junction of the wall and the insulation, as well as its further dampening. After all, it’s no secret that even polystyrene foam is afraid of moisture and rots from its excess, losing its beneficial properties.
- Next we move on to installing the insulating layer:
- we treat the walls with special glue,
- We lay the sheets of foam plastic end-to-end, one to the other, avoiding the formation of cavities between them.
Freezing of the walls of a house or the formation of condensation on them is a very unpleasant moment, so in such cases it is necessary to insulate the facade in a timely manner, and it is advisable to do this from the outside.
Thermal insulation of concrete buildings is carried out only on the street side. Internal insulation leads to condensation forming between the surface of the walls and the insulation. Subsequently, it will contribute to the formation of mold. This will negatively affect decorative finishing(wallpaper, plaster), and can also cause serious illnesses.
Options for insulating reinforced concrete facades
For concrete house Currently, it is recommended to use three technologies for thermal insulation of external walls. The first is the installation option " wet facade“, the second is spraying with polyurethane foam and the last is plastering the surface with a heat-insulating mixture.
Wet facade
To insulate walls using this method, you can use dense mineral wool or polystyrene foam. Any of these materials will significantly increase the thermal insulation of the house in comparison with previous indicators.
If we take a closer look at both options, we can identify certain differences between them:
- Price characteristics. Insulating a façade with polystyrene foam will cost much less than with mineral wool;
- Vapor permeability. Expanded polystyrene has fewer properties associated with this criterion;
- Ease of installation. Due to the fact that foam plastic has a higher density, its fixation to the wall and subsequent processing is somewhat simpler than that of mineral wool.
Installation of the structure
Insulation of walls using the “wet method” is performed as follows:
- Vertical plumbs are hung in the right and left corners. After which horizontal beacons are stretched between them. By moving them from top to bottom, the distance required to fix the insulation on the wall of the house is determined. For example, with an insulation thickness of 5 cm, the value from the surface to the horizontal beacon should be at least 6 cm;
To the thickness of the thermal insulation you need to add 1-2 cm necessary for applying glue.
- The next step necessary for insulating the facade of a reinforced concrete house from the outside is the preparation of an adhesive composition. This is done according to the instructions printed on the package with the dry mixture.
- The insulation is fixed using the resulting adhesive composition. It is extremely important to align the corners of the sheet directly with the beacons. This is how uneven walls are leveled.
It is important to know
Insulation from the outside is carried out only with the distribution of thermal insulation boards in a checkerboard pattern. Seam matching is not allowed.
Design advantages
“Wet facade” technology is used to insulate the walls outside the building. In our case, for reinforced concrete buildings this option is optimal, since it has a number of undeniable advantages over all known methods of thermal insulation:
Spraying polyurethane foam
This method of insulation appeared not so long ago, but is gradually gaining popularity all over the world. Insulation with polyurethane foam is performed using special equipment. The insulation is obtained by mixing two chemical components, which are applied to the wall using a compressor (the operating principle is similar to the usual use of a spray gun).
In a few seconds, the material hardens and creates a homogeneous layer that does not allow air and water vapor to pass through. The advantage is that no measures are required to fix it. In addition, it is not afraid of moisture and sticks to the wall in the blink of an eye. The downside is that when used outside under the influence sun rays, polyurethane foam deteriorates very quickly, so it must be covered with facing material.
useful in work
Due to the fact that mixing and spraying it requires special equipment, which is available only in specialized companies, the method of insulating a house in this way is the most expensive of those listed.
Facade plaster
To plaster reinforced concrete wall will require slightly more effort than is required to perform the same work on brickwork. This is due to the fact that the surface of the facade has practically no differences in the form assembly seams. Therefore, you need to use a reinforcing mesh. 
In addition, you will need following materials and tools:
- Antiseptic liquid and a roller or spray for it;
- spatulas;
- primer;
- perforator, dowel nails 6x40;
- reinforcing mesh with a square of at least 40x40;
- plaster with thermal insulation effect.
Preliminary preparation of the wall is carried out in the same way as in the previously described methods. Then you need to attach an abrasive mesh to the surface. This can be done using dowel nails. The next step is to dilute the mixture to a homogeneous consistency.
Advice from the “façade designer”
Depending on the brand of “warm” plaster used, the amount of liquid required for mixing may vary. Therefore, it is recommended that you carefully read the manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the packaging.
The resulting viscous solution is applied to the wall with a spatula and distributed over the surface in the direction from bottom to top. Having processed one side, you can proceed to the next. The recommended layer thickness is 5-8 mm, and their total number is at least three.
Plastering the walls outside is the least expensive and easy way in order to insulate a reinforced concrete house. But at the same time, it has the lowest thermal protection coefficient compared to the above options. 
Special requirements
Thermal insulation of a concrete wall requires compliance with all technological conditions, the violation of which can affect the efficiency of the work performed, as well as the service life of the structure and the entire house. Before you begin installing thermal insulation on the facade of a building, you need to consider the following factors:
- The surface of the walls must be treated with an antiseptic solution. This will prevent the formation of mold and the appearance of insects that can disrupt the integrity of the structure;
- It is necessary to insulate the entire surface of the external walls of the house, and not just individual elements. This will serve as an additional guarantee that there will be no “cold bridges” in the facade;
The term “cold bridge” refers to a section of the wall that is colder in winter compared to the rest of the façade surface. These mainly include cement joints, through metal elements(gas pipeline pipes), metal floors in window or door openings.
- Installation should begin only after completion of all communications necessary for human life, so that it does not happen that, after the insulation is fixed to the wall, drilling or gouging out an additional hole from the outside is required.