Combined insulation. Combined attic insulation

An attic is a room in the attic, specially equipped for any economic purposes (greenhouse, office, etc.) or for summer residence of people. The configuration of the attic depends on the layout and purpose of the building, as well as the type of roof. But the rules for insulating from the inside are always the same for all types of attics.

Features of combined attic insulation

Everyone understands that the attic space is always colder, since there is no “thermal cushion” on top. That is why insulation made independently must be of very high quality. Insulation materials are selected according to these parameters.

There will be many difficulties, since there are few flat surfaces here, because under the roof there are rafter beams that will need to be walked around. A waterproofing layer is definitely needed so that there is somewhere for condensation to drain. The end walls of the attic, where the windows are usually located, will also have to be insulated, since a lot of heat escapes through them.

Combined attic insulation with different materials

Each house has its own characteristics, roof shape, roofing and wall coverings. Therefore, it must be adapted specifically for this attic space. To choose the right material, you will have to take into account: climatic conditions, roof structure, roof quality, etc.

The following materials can be used for insulation:

Styrofoam. This is the cheapest and most popular insulation material. It is easy to install and process, but its vapor permeability is low and dampness may appear in the attic. Besides, wooden rafters will dry out, so the gaps between the foam and the wood will become larger and there will be drafts in the attic, and mice also love to hide in the foam.
Expanded polystyrene. Block masonry has no joints and mice don't like it.
Mineral wool. Basalt mineral wool has many positive qualities - water resistance, strength, retains heat, does not burn. Mineral wool is also elastic and fits perfectly between the rafters. Glass wool is a good durable sound insulator and is not afraid of frosty weather.

If the climatic conditions are harsh, with low temperatures and strong winds, then the best option would be combined insulation. First, mineral wool is laid between the rafters, and only then a continuous layer of polystyrene foam boards is made, which covers the rafters.

How to properly insulate a roof

Waterproofing is first laid along the rafters, from the roof ridge to the very bottom. But if the roof is covered roofing iron, waterproofing is not necessary. When installing insulation, you need to know what its thermal conductivity is. This can be found on the Internet and in the Certificate upon purchase. Thanks to this, it becomes clear whether to install one layer of insulation or two.

When laying insulation, we must not forget that the material should not be close to the roof. An air gap is needed for good ventilation so that the rafters do not rot from dampness.

Insulation of the attic roof according to the scheme

If the roof is covered with corrugated material (tiles, metal tiles), then the thickness air gap make at least 25 mm. When the roof is covered steel sheets, asbestos cement or rolled materials, the air gap should be more than 5 cm.

If the thickness of the rafters and polystyrene foam boards different, they do it this way. If the slabs are thin, one layer is placed between the rafters, and the second layer of slabs is already covered by the rafters. If the thickness of the slabs is large, then they are stuffed onto the rafters. wooden slats the required thickness so that the slabs cover the rafters.

The insulation is protected from moisture using a vapor barrier. To do this, use: roofing felt, foil, polyethylene, glassine. The vapor barrier is overlapped, and the edges are secured with tape or thin wooden slats.

A few words about wall insulation

If the attic has walls (the roof does not reach the floor), then they are insulated according to all the rules. Slats are attached to the walls to lay waterproofing, insulation and vapor barrier layers. Then the walls are finished with fiberboard sheets, and they are fastened with screws or nails.

Combined insulation of the attic perfectly saves heat in the house.

Do-it-yourself attic insulation.

Insulation of the attic can be done either from the inside or from the outside. Here everyone is free to do as he pleases. Both methods have their pros and cons. So, when insulating from the outside, it is more convenient to do the work, and you can better control the correct arrangement of the ventilated gaps. But there is always a chance that it will rain and the insulation will get wet. Then it will definitely need to be dried, and this takes a lot of time, depending on the density of the insulation and the degree of wetting.

Insulating the attic from the inside can be done in any weather and this is great, but doing the work is no longer so convenient. If you use any mineral wool, you need to wear a respirator and protect your body. Despite all the assurances from manufacturers that their insulation does not make the body itch, this is not the case. Also, when insulating from the inside, sometimes it is necessary to perform additional steps to create ventilated gaps. We'll talk about this below.

Who doesn’t understand what kind of moisture this is, look at any metal roof, for example, in the early spring-autumn morning. You will see how much dew is on it. It is formed when metal, which has cooled below the dew point overnight, comes into contact with air that is already warming up in the morning. And since we have air not only above the roof, but also below it, then there is condensation, respectively, both above and below the roof.

Second type of films #8212; vapor permeable windproof membranes, although they have high vapor permeability, it is still not enough to ventilate the insulation to the required extent. That's why two ventilation gaps are needed. We will talk more about various films in a separate article.

Please note that in this scheme there is air circulation in the first vent. gap, it is necessary to ensure air access from below through the cornice filing (use soffits, ventilation grilles, wooden frame leave gaps or drill holes, etc.), and cut the waterproofing film on top. It would be more accurate to say that they don’t cut it, but simply spread it out not to the very top of the rafters, leaving 10-15 centimeters on each slope.

To prevent various debris, leaves, and snow from blowing under the ridge element of the roof, either special ridge elements are used (usually on soft roof), or special ventilation tapes (on tiles, metal tiles, corrugated sheets, etc.). These can be so-called ridge aeroelements (top picture), or PSUL (pre-compressed sealing tape #8212; bottom picture). They are all self-adhesive and very easy to install.

In the second vent. gap to ensure the necessary air circulation, everything is the same from above (sometimes they also install so-called #171;roofing vents#187;), and from below#8230; But what to do from below, more on that a little later. Let's look at the second scheme first.

Scheme No. 2: Scheme with one ventilated gap.

This scheme became possible to use after superdiffusion membranes appeared on the market. Its essence is shown in the figure below:

Due to the very high vapor permeability of superdiffusion membranes, there is no need to create a ventilated gap between the insulation and the membrane. Those. the roofing pie differs from the first scheme in that there is no first ventilation gap and a superdiffusion membrane is used as waterproofing, which, please note, is no longer cut at the ridge.

We have now completely switched to this diagram. Of course, such a membrane is more expensive, but its advantages are undeniable. Firstly, the insulation work itself is simplified, and secondly, with the same cross-sectional height of the rafters, we can lay a layer of insulation between them that is 5 cm larger than in the first scheme.

Five centimeters #8212; this one minimum height the first ventilation gap, which is necessary for sufficient ventilation insulation in the first scheme. Moreover, in the first scheme, waterproofing films should be attached to the rafters with a sag of about 2 centimeters (see figure on the right). In the second scheme there is no requirement for film sagging.

The thickness of the counter-lattice bars in both schemes according to SNIP II-26-76* must be at least 4 cm.

A little about the order of work. When laying insulation on top, in principle, everything is clear. First, a vapor barrier is secured to the rafters below, insulation is laid, waterproofing is attached, a counter-lattice is made, sheathing is made, and the roof is directly installed. When working according to the first scheme (with two ventilation gaps), make the first fan correctly. the gap is not tight. You can see everything clearly, you can see how much insulation you have put in, and whether it has bent upward (this happens if you place it too tightly), thereby blocking the first vent. gap.

When laying insulation from below, when the waterproofing, roof battens, sheathing and roofing have already been done, and when you are working according to the first scheme, check the quality of the first vent. clearance is impossible. By being a little overzealous with the insulation, you can simply block it.

To prevent this from happening, before laying the insulation, a mesh is tied between the rafters, for example, made of nylon lace or copper wire. What it looks like is shown in the figure. Those. First we hammer on nails, then we knit a mesh between them. When working according to the second scheme (with one ventilation gap), as you understand, this is no longer necessary.

Most of the territory of our country is located in climatic zones where the thickness of the insulation laid between the rafters (especially according to the first scheme) is not enough to pass thermotechnical calculation. What to do in such cases:

1) Use rafters with a section height of 200 mm. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for us to make rafters from 50x150 mm boards. But for warm attic a section of 50x200 mm is preferable. When making calculations, you can simply increase the pitch of the rafters.

2) Buy insulation with a thermal conductivity coefficient no higher than 0.04 W/mºC. This is not a problem now. Just look for insulation materials that have the designation #171;For pitched roofs#187; on the packaging. In addition, insulation materials with this designation have high dimensional stability, which prevents them from falling down the slope over time.

It won’t be bad if the insulation you choose is hydrophobic. The fibers of such materials are coated with a special water-repellent substance, and in the event of an emergency leak (here it’s better to spit three times) they get wet much less. Drops of water practically roll down along the insulation.

3) Do additional insulation.

To do this, bars of the required thickness (for example 5 cm) are attached perpendicular to the rafters from the inside. An additional layer of insulation is laid between them. Moreover, this layer covers those cold bridges that form between the rafters and the insulation that does not fit tightly to them.

As I said at the beginning, we as additional insulation We often use extruded polystyrene foam. It also acts as an additional vapor barrier.

This combined insulation also perfectly protects against the noise of rain when the roof is covered with metal tiles or corrugated sheets. The strength of sound is damped not only in each layer of insulation (mineral wool is better than in EPS), but also when moving from one environment to another.

As you may have already read in previous articles, foamed polyethylene #8212 can be used as additional insulation; regular or foil. When using foil, between it and interior decoration the attic requires a gap of 4-5 cm so as not to lose its reflective ability.

There is a scheme when additional insulation is done on top of the rafters. But it is used much less often. The insulation is laid only on top, which increases the duration of the work and, consequently, the likelihood of exposure to rain. We have never done this before, so I won’t dwell on it now. If you are interested, it is not difficult to find information on the Internet.

At the end of this article, I also wanted to dwell on how to properly make a cornice overhang to ensure good ventilation between the waterproofing and the roof with simultaneous removal of condensate formed on the inside metal roofs. This topic is now quite sore. The Internet is filled with schemes for making eaves overhangs, which often contradict each other and are, to put it mildly, incorrect. The saddest thing is that all these schemes were carried over from the instructions of various manufacturers of metal tiles or roofing films, i.e. as if from materials that need to be trusted.

Here are some examples of such drawings:

In the first picture, the waterproofing is hanging from under the counter-batten and according to the instructions it should be placed in the gutter. The curtain strip, as I understand it, hangs down so that there is a necessary ventilation gap between it and the film. But what is really happening. Firstly, the wind can simply bend the film upward and it will close the vent. gap. But this is still just a possibility.

Look at your gutters in winter. Often they are simply filled with ice and snow. Vent. the gap becomes completely clogged and we can no longer talk about any ventilation here. And this is in winter, when ventilation of the under-roof space is especially important.

Now look at the second and third pictures. It's basically the same thing. Here waterproofing film displayed on cornice strip. At the same time, when we place metal tiles on the eaves strip, it practically blocks the access of air to the ventilation gap. We have practically nothing left of the required height of 4-5 cm.

IN winter time year, the story here is exactly the same as in the previous case. And it is not difficult to guess that a hollow will form on the film, where it reaches the outermost board of the sheathing, especially at small angles of inclination of the slopes, in which the flowing condensate will accumulate. This is also not good.

Fortunately, quite recently many manufacturers have begun to revise their instructions. The scheme of the eaves overhang in them looks completely different. I first saw such a scheme several years ago at some European manufacturer natural tiles(I don’t remember the name now) and immediately realized that it was the only correct one. Now the same scheme has appeared in some instructions of our manufacturers.

For example, here is a drawing from new instructions from the company Grandline (Fig. 4) and for greater clarity, another drawing, I don’t remember where I got it from (Fig. 5):

Combined attic insulation

Why insulate attic coverings?

The attic covering should not only protect the house from precipitation (rain, snow), but also prevent the cooling of the premises top floor.

As you know, warm air, being lighter than cold air, always rises, so the air temperature under the ceiling is on average 2C higher than at the middle height of the room. With the same thermal insulation capacity of walls and roof, heat loss through the latter will always be greater, which is due to big difference temperatures between the outer and inner surfaces of the attic covering. In addition, moisture content warm air usually higher than cold, so condensation on the ceiling of the upper floor can form at higher temperatures than on the inner surface of the wall. In this regard, more stringent requirements are imposed on the thermal protection of roofing coverings than on external walls.

Heat loss through the attic is quite large, so properly insulating its coating can bring a tangible economic effect. When comparing two typical two-story houses with an area of 205 m2 with attics insulated in accordance with previous and new requirements, it has been established that the modern level of thermal protection can reduce heat loss through the coating by more than 3 kW and thereby significantly reduce the power of the heating system and reduce the cost of heating the house.

Icicles hanging from the roof pose a significant danger to people. In the process of knocking down icicles, there is a high probability of damage to the roof with all the ensuing consequences.

One of the reasons for the formation of icicles in winter is insufficient thermal insulation of the roof covering. The snow, heated by heat from below, the poorly insulated covering, begins to melt, and the water flowing from the roof turns into icicles. Only with well-performed thermal insulation will icicles not cause problems in winter.

Requirements for thermal protection of coatings

Thermal protection of enclosing structures, which include roofs, is regulated in accordance with SNiP II-3-79* Construction Heat Engineering (1998 edition), taking into account the average air temperature and the duration of the heating period in the construction area insulation frame attic. In accordance with these standards, the required reduced heat transfer resistance R o (see the article Is it worth saving on insulation?) of roofing coverings for Moscow and the Moscow region must be at least 4.7 m 2 C/W.

Design features

We should not forget that the moisture content of warm indoor air is higher than that of cold outdoor air, therefore the diffusion of water vapor (both through the attic covering and through the outer walls of the building) is directed from the room to the outside. The outer (upper) part of the roof covering is a waterproofing layer that does not allow water vapor to pass through well and promotes the formation of condensation moisture on the inner (lower) side of the roof. The consequences will not be long in coming: despite a well-performed roof waterproofing, wet spots and mold will appear on the inner surface of the roof covering, and the thermal insulation will deteriorate. insulation quality, with droplets of water will begin to fall from the ceiling (not due to a roof leak, but as a result of condensation of water vapor).

Considering the negative impact of moisture on thermal insulation characteristics materials, the insulation must be protected from moisture by water vapor contained in the air of the room with a layer of vapor barrier material, placing it on the inner (bottom) side of the insulation. To remove moisture that for some reason has entered the heat-insulating material, a ventilated air layer should be provided between the insulation and the outer (waterproofing) layer of the roofing.

2 Insulating the attic with mineral wool - arguments “Pros” and “Cons”

When choosing building materials, many of us prioritize price first, and characteristics second. And the reason for this is not so much the recent crisis as a simple desire to save money. True, you won’t be able to do this with mineral wool. budget materials she doesn't apply. However, the characteristics will more than justify everything that will be spent on mineral wool, which is fireproof (withstands temperatures up to 1000 degrees), moisture resistant, has a considerable reserve of hardness and, among other things, is an excellent sound insulator. And all this comes only in addition to excellent thermal insulation properties.

However, it should be borne in mind that mineral wool is far from safe material and you need to choose it carefully, giving preference well-known manufacturers. The fact is that the slightest violation of norms and standards in manufacturing mineral wool makes it extremely dangerous to health. Companies that have long established themselves in the Russian market guarantee the quality of their products, but dozens of little-known companies involved in the production of mineral wool give such guarantees, for the most part, unfounded.

As a result, you risk purchasing mineral wool, which will lose its hardness over time, turning into dust from many hard mineral fibers, tiny and sometimes invisible to the naked eye. When these particles enter the respiratory tract and eyes, they can cause many diseases. And formaldehyde resins used as a binding element, if the production technology is incorrect, over time begin to release substances harmful to humans: in fact, formaldehyde and phenol. From here it follows - choose mineral wool with an eye to the manufacturer’s reputation, or give preference to less harmful materials, polyurethane foam, for example.

3 Insulating the attic with polyurethane foam as an alternative to other materials

If you have free funds and a desire to have high-quality thermal insulation of the attic with little labor, consider an option such as polyurethane foam. In fact, this insulation is strikingly different from foam plastic and mineral wool, if only in that it is not laid in slabs or mats, but is applied by spraying. Externally, polyurethane foam resembles polyurethane foam, especially after hardening, however, it is completely different from it in its structure, being a type of gas-filled plastic, that is, a relative of expanded polystyrene. Having hardened, polyurethane foam has the density of mineral wool, and its thermal insulation properties surpasses all other insulation materials, including penoizol. Wherein this material is also a vapor barrier with high water resistance, that is, in additional protective layers there is no need to use it.

However, even such wonderful material has disadvantages. First of all, this is, of course, the price, but, taking into account the characteristics of polyurethane foam, this is only an indirect disadvantage. The low level of resistance to esters and concentrated acids can also only be partially attributed to the disadvantages, because it is unlikely that anyone would think of pouring sulfuric acid on the roof. But the low heat resistance of polyurethane foam is a really serious flaw in the properties of the material, because even if it has low level flammability, begins to deteriorate already at 80-90 degrees, and at higher temperatures it can ignite. Therefore, it is worth thinking about what exactly you would like to insulate the attic with, and how to minimize the disadvantages of this or that material.

Do-it-yourself attic insulation

Stages of combined wall insulation

Work on insulation in 2 layers is divided into several stages:

installation of waterproofing film;
laying insulation;
vapor barrier;
decorative finishing.

Additional thermal insulation of the house is always done outside. If you do this work indoors, the outer wall will freeze, condensation will appear, and subsequently mold and mildew will appear.

What is the cost of the service and what does it depend on?

Prices for services for the installation of combined thermal insulation on a turnkey basis are determined by the financial costs of purchasing materials and the complexity of the work performed at height. Independently cope with the installation of thermal insulation components and selection modern materials very difficult. You need to choose the right materials, know all the subtleties and technical points installation of the structure, etc., so you can’t do it without a specialist.

The owner of a private house or apartment has the right to choose which method of insulation is optimal for him, but it is still better to consult a specialist in this matter. A professional will tell you exactly which method to choose, which thermal insulation materials it is better to use it. Carrying out the work on your own is not always possible; apartments may be located on the upper floors. Without special climbing equipment it is simply impossible to carry out any work. Finding specialists will also take a lot of time and effort, and getting a guarantee of quality is only possible in words.

In such a situation, the Yuda website will help out, where you can very quickly find a real, proven professional.

How to take advantage of the offer from Yudu

Order a device service combined insulation“turnkey” can be done very quickly, all you need is:

leave a request on the website, indicating the desired amount that the user is willing to pay, all the nuances and difficulties of the work, the floor of the building, etc.;
select a specialist from the list of respondents;
get acquainted with the work of the master using reviews left by other users.

All data about the performers that is on the site is reliable, as it is constantly checked and updated by Yudu’s managers.

In terms of the ratio of thermal insulation ability and price, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the most energy-efficient building materials. Over the course of several decades, many various types foamed polystyrenes, significantly different from each other in a number of characteristics. How to insulate an attic with polystyrene foam, in which cases it makes sense to choose this particular material, and what are the features of installing an insulating roof sandwich - these issues are the subject of this review.

Polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam and mineral wool: comparative analysis

Important characteristics of insulating material for pitched roofs are:

Fire safety. In terms of this parameter, only mineral wool demonstrates satisfactory results. However, cotton wool does not provide safety in case of roof fire. It only increases the time available for fire evacuation. Some experts point out that in a house with wooden rafters it is not possible to achieve a significant increase in the guaranteed evacuation time.
Thermal resistance coefficient. For expanded polystyrene it is higher than for mineral wool, and for extruded polystyrene foam (EPS) it is even higher. In terms of energy efficiency, EPS boards are second only to polyurethane foam.
Vapor permeability. All types of expanded polystyrene (including polystyrene) almost do not allow steam to pass through. There are both pros and cons to this.

On the one hand, moisture does not reduce the energy efficiency of these materials. On the other hand, if the spaces between the wood and the PPS are not sealed, condensation may begin to form in these areas, which reduces the service life of the rafter structures.
Specific gravity. All three groups of insulation under consideration are comparable in this indicator and are acceptable for roof insulation.
Price. The most inexpensive of the materials considered is polystyrene foam. Mineral wool is a little more expensive, and EPS is at the top of the price list.

Below is Comparative characteristics materials in tabular form. Gradation of indicators on a 5-point scale.

	Styrofoam	EPPS	mineral wool
Fire safety	2	2	4
Thermal resistance	3	4	2
Vapor permeability	5	5	2
Specific gravity	4	4	4
Price	5	3	4

If you plan to insulate the attic yourself without the involvement of specialists and assistants, you should take into account one more property that is important for the upcoming installation: the strength of the material. In this sense, PPS and EPS boards are much more convenient than mineral wool. Alone insulation of the attic with isover or other roll material can turn into torture. In addition, it will be much more difficult to arrange a ventilation gap and fix the insulation, preventing it from sagging and local sliding down with the formation of zones of uneven density.

An example of combined insulation: polystyrene foam + mineral wool. The method is effective with standard rafter spacing up to 900 mm

In Scandinavian countries, attic insulation with extruded polystyrene foam is most popular. You can save on this option by replacing EPS with polystyrene foam. It is inferior in energy efficiency, but is much cheaper and has all the other advantages of expanded polystyrene.

Thickness of the insulating layer and the principle of similarity

The attic sandwich includes:

roofing material (tiles, metal tiles, bitumen roofing);
waterproofing membrane;
insulation;
vapor barrier membrane;
decorative ceiling decoration.

In each specific case, the calculation of the required thickness of roofing thermal insulation is carried out taking into account the climatic zone and the properties of all 5 layers listed above. You can find many options for construction thermal calculators on the Internet. Some of them are represented by manufacturing companies insulating materials, but we recommend using options developed by independent authors.

Here, for example, is a calculator from ROCKWOOL: http://www.calc.rockwool.ru/

You should be aware that without basic knowledge about building structures and thermal physics, using programs of this kind is almost useless. Therefore, you will have to, at a minimum, become familiar with the law of heat transfer through a flat wall and the role of the main significant parameters - thermal conductivity coefficient λ, layer thickness S and the difference between internal and external temperatures Δt. Otherwise, you may not notice a gross error in the substituted data and continue to be guided by an erroneous calculated value.

The calculator does not give a clear way of calculation. The data obtained depends not only on the materials and designs, but also on the desired level of comfort in the room, as well as the heating intensity that you can afford when living in the attic. Therefore, statements like “insulating the attic with foam plastic in middle lane In Russia, it makes sense for a layer thickness of at least 300 mm” or “you need to focus on the cross-sectional height of the rafter beams” - do not have much practical significance. However, if thermal calculation with an attic roof, you get the required foam thickness of less than 150 mm, this with a 99% probability indicates a mistake was made, even if the house is located in Krasnodar or Sochi. The same can be said about excessive (more than 350 mm) calculation results.

The principle of physical similarity allows us to simplify the choice of insulator thickness and heating system power. This is possible if you have information about a house with an attic in your region, similar in design to the one in which you will be working.

How to calculate the required insulation thickness in practice

Suppose you know that the sample house is equipped with a 5-layer roofing sandwich with a total thickness of mineral wool of 25 cm as the main insulation. At the same time, the practice of living on this attic floor indicates the sufficiency of insulation. In this case, using the proportionSmv/ λmv =SP/ λp is determined by the equivalent value for foam plastic:

Sn = (Smv x λp)/ λmv = (25×0.034)/ 0.040 = 21.35 (cm)

As an example, we took the average values of thermal conductivity coefficients various brands materials under consideration.

Instructions for installing polystyrene foam in the attic

The stages of working with polystyrene foam are not particularly difficult and you can insulate the attic from the inside with your own hands, without the involvement of hired workers. But there are certain points that are worth paying attention to.

As a rule, work begins with the installation of the lower part of the attic sandwich.

Let's consider the most common version of the load-bearing roof structure: wooden rafters with a section height of 200 mm, located with an axial pitch of 60 cm. All actions for arranging a roofing sandwich can be divided into those that are carried out from above, and those that are carried out from inside the room, from below. On the roof side, a waterproofing membrane is installed on the upper plane of the rafters, sheathing and roofing are installed. Before you start insulating the cells between the attic rafters with foam plastic, you should make sure that there is a membrane.

Attention! Vapor and waterproofing are sold in rolls, and during installation they must be overlapped. Typically, the overlap size is 10 cm. Therefore, when calculating the required amount of insulating membrane, you need to take into account the cost of overlapping layers.

Video: insulation instructions from professionals

Conclusion

The most important thing when insulating an attic with foam plastic is compliance with 3 conditions:

correct choice of insulation thickness;
installation of waterproofing and vapor barrier membranes in accordance with the recommendations;
thorough sealing of all joints.

Only if you follow them will you ensure a healthy indoor microclimate and save yourself from roof icing in winter period, moisture condensation on the ceiling and destruction of decorative cladding.

How can you insulate your attic yourself so that it retains heat? We will try to cover everything related to this issue. We will also give as an example how to insulate an attic with your own hands - video clips and links to Additional information associated with insulation. The attic will be insulated from the inside.

Those people who have an attic floor in their home are well aware that this place is subject to more heat loss than the floors that are located below. And there is a simple explanation for this - there is no “thermal cushion” on the attic floor. This room also has the largest surface of contact with the surrounding external environment in the entire house. In order to increase the level of savings and comfort, you need to approach the issue of attic insulation with responsibility. In order to increase thermal insulation for insulation, it is necessary to comply with strict requirements that apply to the selection of thermal seals and its installation. If your selection and installation of the seal is done correctly, heat will not pass through it. In order to increase the efficiency of attic insulation, the main thing is to correctly approach the issue of choosing insulation.

We insulate the attic from the inside with our own hands

For example, you can use a slab made of mineral wool whose efficiency is C = 0.004 W/m.

This insulation has its own structure:

a vapor barrier layer is provided on the inside of the insulating material;
the outer side of glass wool, for example, has a special layer for waterproofing.

Insulating the attic: installing insulation

An important factor when insulating an attic is correct installation heat-insulating element. It is necessary to have a sufficiently effective ventilation space between the lower surface of the roof covering and the upper surface of the insulating layer. This will promote ventilation. Also, through this ventilation space the inevitable flow of warm, moist air penetrating through the thermal insulation layer and vapor barriers will be removed.

Cover the attic floor with high quality not only to protect your home from the effects of precipitation (snow or rain), but also for maximum insulation. This way you can prevent the temperature in the rooms on the top floor from dropping. Everyone knows the property of warm air always rising. That is why the difference in air temperature in the middle of the room and under the ceiling is usually about 2 degrees.

Even if the thermal insulation capabilities of the roof and walls are the same, large heat loss will occur through the roof. main reason The difference is that there is a large temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the coating. Also keep in mind that warm air usually has a higher moisture content than cold air. Therefore, the formation of condensation on the ceiling of the attic floor occurs when higher temperatures compared to the inner surface of the wall. This is precisely the reason for the imposition of more stringent requirements for the thermal protection of roofing coatings, compared to products for external walls.

Attic spaces are always characterized by the greatest heat loss. Therefore, with proper insulation of its coating, you can get the most noticeable economic effect for your budget. If we compare two typical two-story houses with attics with total area, for example, 205 sq.m., in which the attics are insulated in accordance with new and previous requirements, then we can definitely come to the conclusion that installing modern-level thermal protection helps reduce heat losses by at least 3 kW. This helps reduce production capacity heating system, which in turn reduces heating costs.

Quite often, when a thaw sets in, due to the breakdown of attic insulation technology, icicles begin to hang from the roofs of houses, posing a serious danger to people. If you knock them down, you can damage the roof, which will lead to unpleasant consequences.

But icicles most often occur due to insufficient insulation of the attic. Snow, which is heated from below by heat passing through an improperly insulated surface, melts. Melt water flows from the roof and freezes again due to frost, turning into icicles. If you properly insulate, you won’t have to worry about problems such as icicles.

Basic requirements for creating thermal protection coatings

To control the maintenance of thermal protection standards when constructing enclosing structures, which include roofs, there is SNiP II-3-79. In “Construction Heat Engineering”, for this purpose, the duration of the heating period in the area in which construction is carried out is taken into account and average temperature air. If you follow these standards, then for the Moscow region and Moscow the heat transfer resistance (required given) of roofing coverings should be at least 4.7 sq.m. C/W

What should be the design features of insulation?

Warm indoor air contains more moisture than cold outdoor air. This leads to the diffusion of water vapor occurring outward from the room (through the walls of the building and through the covering of the attic floor).

Since the roof from the outer (upper) part is a waterproofing layer, it does not allow water vapor to pass through itself and contributes to the formation of inside roof condensation moisture. Such properties can have very unpleasant consequences:

The inner surface of the roof covering may become overgrown with mold and wet spots, despite correct execution roof waterproofing;
the thermal insulation qualities of the insulation used will significantly deteriorate;
Condensation of water vapor will cause water to drip from your ceiling.

Since moisture has a negative effect on materials and their thermal insulation characteristics, it is necessary to protect the insulation from the possibility of being moistened by water vapor contained in the air of any room. To do this, you can use a layer of vapor barrier element, which must be placed on the inside of the insulation (bottom).

And in order to remove moisture that can get inside the heat-insulating element, it is necessary to provide an air gap (for ventilation) between the outer layer of the roof covering and the insulation.

Quite often, attic spaces are converted into attics.

But such re-equipment is carried out while preserving rafter system. In order to reduce or minimize the additional load that is received bearing structures For such a building, lighter insulation materials with reduced density are most often used. The wind blows through such heat-insulating elements and carries away heat. In order to preserve the heat-protective characteristics of the structure, a layer is laid on the surface of the heat-insulating layer that borders the interlayer (ventilated) special material- vapor permeable and windproof.

If you are going to insulate your attic, you should not forget that heat loss is possible through the roof, as well as through the end wall. Therefore, the gable of the house will also need good insulation. And this insulation must also correspond modern requirements. The structure of the attic covering is made up of a system of rafters, which are installed at a certain pitch (600-1000 mm). There is free space between the rafters, which must be filled with insulation material (thermal insulation element). If you don’t know which insulation material is best, choose a mineral wool slab made from fiberglass or basalt fiber.

For proper insulation attics - laying of thermal insulation boards or mats can be carried out either in one layer or in several. In order to find out what the total thickness of the insulation should be, we will take into account the thermal conductivity coefficient of the insulation. Its value can be found in the certificate of conformity.

When installing insulation, do not forget to create a ventilated air layer between the roofs and the insulation material. Also, do not forget that the inside of the attic covering must be protected with a vapor barrier element and finished with clapboard or sheets of plasterboard.

We will also take into account the height of the rafter section. If it is less than the required thickness of the insulating layer, then wooden blocks must be attached to the legs of the rafters (with nails or screws). When laying insulation boards, do not forget that you need to leave an air gap between the roof and the thermal insulation. If the cross-sectional height of the rafters is insufficient, then horizontally located antiseptic wooden blocks can be attached to them. Thus, two layers of insulation will be located differently: one - between the rafters, and the second - between the bars.

We will insulate the attic so that it breathes

In order to determine the width of the air gap that should be between the roof and the insulation, we will take into account the profile of the material.

If profiled sheets of galvanized steel, metal tiles or other corrugated sheets are used as roofing, we will ensure that the thickness of the ventilated air layer is at least 25 mm.
If flat sheets are used as roofing (rolled sheets, soft bitumen tiles, galvanized steel, asbestos cement sheets) That required thickness the air gap should be at least 50 mm.

Ventilation holes can also be considered holes in the ridge and cornice. In order to protect the thermal insulation element on the side where the ventilated air layer is installed, you will need to use a windproof, vapor-permeable membrane.

If we evaluate this situation from a practical point of view, we can say that the most optimal roll products are “Monaperm 450 VM”, “Monarflex VM 310”, “Tyvek Soft”.

We will also tell you that Tyvek-type membranes do not allow liquid water to pass through, despite the fact that they perfectly allow water vapor to pass through. Such properties of this material prevent moisture that condenses inside the roofing from reaching the insulation. Thus, when using Tyvek materials, you can lay the thermal insulation element so that the thickness of the air gap is 25 mm, regardless of the profile of your roofing. This is very important if you are going to insulate the attic using the rafters that are already installed. You don't even have to install additional bars to increase the space for the air gap. In this case, the existing rafter height will be sufficient.

If you are building new house, then the windproof element will have to be laid on top of rafter legs and attach wooden blocks. And if the attic is located in an attic that already exists, then the windproof, vapor-permeable product is attached directly to the rafters that exist using special slats. Using Tyvek, you can protect the insulating layer from the effects of precipitation (snow, rain). After all, it very often happens that moisture gets under a loose coating or into air gaps. Tyvek insulation must be laid with an overlap of at least 150-200 mm. Laying is done along special dotted lines that are applied to the canvas. The panel is attached to the structure with glue, staples, nails or wooden slats.

In order to protect the material for insulating the attic from moistening by water vapor contained in the air, a vapor barrier layer is used on the inside: foil vapor barrier material "Polycraft", manufactured by Monarflex, roofing felt, glassine plastic film.

The film must be laid so that the overlap of the panels is 100 mm.
The resulting seams must be taped with adhesive tape.
In this case, it is very good to use tape because, in this way, you can ensure the tightness of the seams and reduce the overlap to 100 mm. And this does not depend on the roof slope.
The film must be attached to the bars or rafters with wooden slats.

If you use foil material, then it must be laid with foil to the room, so that the gap between the inner lining and the vapor barrier is small.

If everything is installed correctly, the shiny surface of the foil should reflect the heat radiation that goes out from the room. This will lead to a decrease in the amount of heat loss through the attic roof.

The inside of an insulated attic must be lined with clapboard, boards, plywood or plasterboard sheets.
Fastening facing material must be done using metal profiles or wooden blocks.

What to do if it’s cold in the attic?

Most often, the attic does not occupy the entire area of the top floor. The reason is that the longitudinal walls of the attic are arranged at a distance from outer wall. Therefore, take care of insulating the area that is located between the eaves and the attic wall that is not heated. To do this, you can use polyethylene film or Polycraft vapor barrier, which is laid directly on the floor boards with the foil side down. On top of it we lay a layer of insulation, and then a windproof material (vapor permeable). The insulation must be laid so that there are no “cold bridges” in the places where the ceiling comes into contact with the wall.

Quite often it happens that even with insulation, thermal insulation is not provided properly. All this leads to quite expected consequences: increased costs for services, the formation of icicles and other troubles. This means that additional insulation is urgently needed. In order to make high-quality insulation of your attic, you need to put it on top of the insulation that already exists. new insulation. In this case, it is necessary to adhere to the installation rules regarding thermal insulation of attics. If you choose this type of insulation, you will not have to reduce the height of the ceiling or usable area insulated room. But on the other hand, you will have to dismantle the sheathing and roof. Also to install new roof covering you will have to disassemble the supporting frame.

Method of installing an additional layer

Another way to install an additional layer of insulation is to place it under the existing thermal insulation. This can be done by installing the frame on the inner surface of the attic cladding. The frame is built from beams, and between them is placed thermal insulation material in slabs. Depending on the thickness of the insulation layer, the height of the bars is selected. On the inside, the insulation is sewn up with a vapor barrier material, attaching it to the frame bars. And to cover this entire structure they use plywood, plasterboard sheets or lining. Using this method of insulation, you do not have to dismantle the roof, so you can do all the work without waiting for the summer. But this method has its drawbacks - the height of the room and its usable area are reduced.

Quite often, another method is used to insulate the attic floor - a combined one. If you choose this method, you will have to insulate the ceiling with an additional ball of thermal insulation on top of the existing one. And they are insulated from the inside inclined surfaces roofs. But when choosing this method, we must not forget that it is necessary to additionally insulate parts of the floor and the vertical walls of the attic.

Some information about the attic

A fashionable element of architecture is the use of attics. They are widely in demand in industrial and civil engineering. Proposal from a French architect.

After three centuries, the attic is experiencing a real boom. These projects are used at any stage of construction. Thermal insulation boards easy to install and hide using suspended ceilings.
Quite often, repairs include arrangement attic space for housing. In this case, construction primarily considers insulation issues. Solving waterproofing issues is basic for roofing.

A breathable roof must use ventilation flows. Mansard roof For this purpose, it uses holes in the cornice rows. Improved ventilation makes it possible to use modern thermal insulation. For the attic, issues of heat conservation are especially acute. Classic material When reconstructing attics, mineral wool slabs are used. Innovative materials are also widely used.

Currently, extruded polystyrene foam is used to insulate roofs and attics. The cellular structure of closed pores gives a complete absence of water absorption.

The material is absolutely environmentally friendly and does not contain gas-forming additives. Manufactured in slab form for ease of installation. The high economic effect of heat conservation maintains strength. IN in this case The roof can be easily repaired. Here structural elements designs give large heat losses. To solve this problem, stretch ceilings are used in finishing. They perfectly hide the thermal insulation layer. Effective vapor insulation is installed throughout the entire circuit. Attics have been successfully used since the 17th century. This is reflected in architecture and established construction practices. The style of European architecture is now the most fashionable direction. Trusses of a special design are often used as decoration. A sloped or sloping roof often uses supports. Original design The ceiling uses vertical and horizontal beams.

Ceiling in the attic

Stretch ceiling attics can use panels and slats. Forming an original geometric pattern, they can alternate the color of the finish. Here the bars allow you to hide the seams of the PVC film. On inner layer The ceiling can be covered with a sound-absorbing layer. Dormer windows in the design approach they will help to combine the play of light and shadow. In this way, the construction site can always tie the interior to the exterior of the attic. The functionality of the finish also has no complaints.

The high tightness of the ceilings prevents the insulation from getting wet. This makes it possible to use attic floors for relaxation. Quite often they are used as beauty salons. Polyvinyl chloride film can imitate various textures and colors. Construction also pays great attention to the design of space in color. An unusual abstract pattern allows you to simulate interesting 3D compositions. The micron layer of Teflon makes it possible to maintain high hygiene. Stretch ceilings can be easily washed using any means. To prevent condensation from accumulating, use forced ventilation. Both construction and repair must include ventilation grates. In this case

You will ensure maximum service life. Stretch ceilings can withstand large temperature differences from 0 to 50 degrees. Maximum easy installation allows you to carry out insulation at any time.