House warming. Insulation of a house made of blocks and bricks

September 5, 2016
Specialization: facade finishing, interior finishing, construction of dachas, garages. The experience of an amateur gardener and horticulturist. He also has experience repairing cars and motorcycles. Hobbies: playing the guitar and much more, for which there is not enough time :)

Brick wall cladding is a reliable and durable way to finish the facade, which can transform the appearance of the house. However, the brick itself does not insulate the walls much, so if you want your home to become warm and energy-saving, you need to place a heater between the main and facing walls. In this article, I will tell you in detail how to insulate the walls of the house under brick cladding.

Technology of insulation and wall cladding

The brick cladding technique with insulation is quite complicated and includes several main steps:

Below we will get acquainted with the main nuances of work at each of these stages.

Selection and preparation of materials

Before starting work on wall insulation and its further finishing, it is necessary to determine the type of insulation. Currently, there are quite a few heat-insulating materials, however, for the purposes voiced, the following heat insulators are most often used:

mineral mats are an environmentally friendly and durable material that is absolutely fireproof. The disadvantage of mats is the high level of moisture absorption and relatively high cost. In addition, keep in mind that the fibers of mineral mats, getting on the skin, mucous membranes or in the respiratory tract, cause irritation, therefore, when working with this material, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment;

polystyrene foam - is a lightweight material that has a much lower level of moisture absorption than mineral wool and at the same time is cheaper. However, keep in mind that Styrofoam is less durable, moreover, it supports the combustion process and is toxic in case of fire;
extruded polystyrene foam - is a type of conventional polystyrene, but it is more durable and durable, as well as zero moisture absorption, therefore, in terms of performance, it is also excellent for a wall under a facing brick. The disadvantage, in addition to toxicity and fire hazard, is the high cost.

The thickness of insulation for walls made of brick or other materials depends on the climate in your area. If the temperature in winter often drops below 25 degrees Celsius, a 150 mm thick insulation should be used. If you live in a warmer climate, 100 mm thick insulation is enough.

As you can see, all materials have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, everyone must decide for himself which insulation is better to use.

In addition to the insulation, it is necessary to prepare other materials. You will need:

antiseptic primer for wall treatment (if the walls are wooden, you will need a protective impregnation for wood;
vapor barrier film;
dowel umbrellas;
flexible connections (anchors that allow not only to fix the insulation, but also to connect the load-bearing wall with the facing);

Wall preparation

The next step is to prepare the walls. To do this, you need to do the following with your own hands:

start work by dismantling all existing attachments. These can be antennas, all kinds of visors, ebbs, window sills and other details that will interfere with the insulation of the facade;
if the facade has peeling and crumbling areas, they must be removed. To do this, you can use a chisel and a cloth;
if the house is wooden, log or timber, it is necessary to insulate the intervention gaps. To do this, you can use tow, mounting foam, latex sealant or other suitable thermal insulation;
after that, the walls must be treated with a protective deep-penetrating composition or impregnation for wood. Instructions for use of the compositions are always available on the packaging.

If the house is newly built, it is possible to start its insulation and cladding after the completion of the interior decoration, i.e. after the walls are dry. Otherwise, the wall material will absorb moisture, which will lead to a number of negative consequences, such as wetting of the insulation, mold, etc.

This completes the work on the preparation of the facade.

In the diagram - the construction of a brick wall with insulation

wall insulation

The next step is the installation of insulation. I must say that the insulation is often mounted on flexible connections in the process of erecting a facing wall. However, it is more convenient to first “grab” the plates with dowels, and then build a wall and establish flexible connections.

Regardless of what type of insulation you will use for thermal insulation of walls, the instructions for its installation look like this:

First of all, you need to waterproof the blind area. To do this, you can coat it with bituminous mastic and then glue roofing material to it. The latter should overlap by about 10 cm, and the joints should also be smeared with bituminous mastic.
I must say that instead of roofing material, you can use other rolled waterproofing materials, however, roofing material is the most budgetary solution;
now you need to fix the insulation on the wall. To do this, use special dowels, which are popularly called umbrellas or fungi. Installation of insulation should start from the corner, and perform it in rows.

During the installation process, make sure that there are no gaps between the insulation plates, as well as between the insulation and the waterproofed blind area.

To fix the thermal insulation, simply press it against the wall and drill holes for the dowels through the slabs. After that, insert umbrellas into the holes and hammer expansion nails into them.

To begin with, in order to simply “grab” the thermal insulation, a pair of dowels per plate is enough;

now fix the vapor barrier membrane on the insulation, overlapping it. To attach the film, also use dowels umbrellas.
If you line the walls with facing bricks, then vapor barrier can be omitted, since this material has an almost zero moisture absorption coefficient.

People are often interested in the forums - do I need a heater between gas silicate and brick? Despite the fact that gas silicate itself has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, additional insulation will make housing even more comfortable and energy-saving.

It should be noted that according to this scheme, insulation is installed only on monolithic, brick and wooden walls. If the walls are made of aerated concrete, the work is carried out somewhat differently:

first of all, you need to mark the location of flexible connections, taking into account the fact that they should be laid in horizontal seams between bricks. Therefore, from the foundation, count the height of the brick.
Anchors should be located in increments of about 50 centimeters, both vertically and horizontally;
now you need to drill holes in the diameter and length of the tips (sleeves) of flexible connections;

after that, it is necessary to screw the tips of the anchors into the holes using a special key. In this case, the sleeves must be completely immersed in aerated concrete;
further, a heater should be pricked onto the protruding flexible connections. Install it so that there are no gaps between the plates;
after that, fix the vapor barrier membrane on top of the insulation, which is also pricked on the anchor;
at the end of the work, fix the insulation and the vapor barrier film with clamps that are put on the anchor and snap into place, thus pressing the vapor and heat insulation against the wall.

Vapor barrier in an aerated concrete house must be installed not only between the block and the brick, but also from the inside, i.e. from the side of the room.

After installing the insulation, you can start laying bricks.

The nuances of laying a facing wall

First of all, I note that the facing wall is heavy enough, so it must be built on the foundation. If the foundation of the house was not originally designed for the construction of a facing wall, an additional strip shallow foundation must be made around the perimeter of the house.

On our portal you can find detailed information on how it is done. The only thing to keep in mind is that there should be a space of several centimeters between the insulation and the facing wall.

Before laying bricks, it is necessary to waterproof the foundation. To do this, lay several layers of roofing material on top of it. Further work is carried out in the following sequence:

work begins with laying the first row. In this case, beacons and a building level are necessarily used, ensuring an even arrangement of the row;
if flexible connections were not installed in advance, a hole is drilled in the wall above the first row of bricks to the required depth and an anchor is driven into it. After that, a limiter is put on the anchor, which additionally holds the thermal insulation;

the end of the flexible connection is laid between the bricks to a depth of about 10 cm. To do this, a solution is laid directly on it;
in the second row, blowouts are performed. To do this, every two bricks leave a vertical seam that is not filled with mortar;

according to this principle, the entire facing wall is erected, taking into account the fact that flexible connections should be located in increments of 50 cm vertically and horizontally. In addition, they are installed around the perimeter of window and door openings;
in the top row of bricks, i.e. under the overhangs, airflows are carried out according to the scheme described above. This is necessary to ensure ventilation of the space between the wall and the insulation.

Here, in fact, is all the information on how the walls are insulated under the facing brick. The only thing, in the end, I note that the cladding process itself is quite complicated, requiring high qualifications from the bricklayer, so it is better to entrust this stage of work to specialists. True, the price of this service is also not small - on average, it starts from 800 rubles per square meter.

Construction of a three-layer wall with brick cladding

In low-rise construction, the construction of an external three-layer wall is very popular: the load-bearing wall is a brick insulation-cladding (120 mm), Fig.1. This wall allows effective for each layer materials.

Bearing wall made of brick or concrete blocks, is the power frame of the building.

insulation layer. fixed on the wall, provides the necessary level of thermal insulation of the outer wall.

wall cladding from a facing brick protects a heater from external influences and serves as a decorative covering of a wall.

Fig.1. Three layer wall.
1 - interior decoration; 2 - load-bearing wall; 3 - thermal insulation; 4 - ventilated gap; 5 - brick lining; 6 - flexible connections

Multilayer walls also have disadvantages:

limited durability of the insulation material compared to the material of the load-bearing wall and cladding;
the release of hazardous and harmful substances from the insulation, albeit within acceptable limits;
the need to use special measures to protect the wall from blowing and moistening - vapor-proof, windproof coatings and ventilated gaps;
combustibility of polymeric heaters;

Bearing wall in three-layer masonry

Insulation of the walls of the house with mineral wool boards

Mineral wool slabs are fixed on a load-bearing wall with an air ventilated gap between the surface of the slabs and brick lining, or without a gap, Fig.1.

The calculations of the moisture regime of the walls show that in three-layer walls condensate in the insulation falls during the cold season in almost all climatic zones of Russia.

The amount of condensate falling out is different, but for most regions it fits into the norms established by SNiP 23-02-2003 "Thermal protection of buildings". There is no accumulation of condensate in the wall structure during the year-round cycle due to drying in the warm season, which is also a requirement of these SNiP.

As an example, the figures show graphs of the amount of condensate in the insulation according to the results of calculations for various options for facing the three-layer walls of a residential building in St. Petersburg.

Rice. 2. The result of the calculation of the moisture regime of the wall with mineral wool insulation as the middle layer (expanded concrete - 250 mm, insulation -100 mm, brick -120 mm). Facing - ceramic brick without ventilation.

Rice. 3. The result of the calculation of the moisture regime of the wall with mineral wool insulation with plaster coating (expanded concrete - 250 mm, insulation - 120 mm, plaster coating -10 mm). Facing - vapor permeable.

Rice. 4. The result of calculating the moisture regime of a wall insulated with mineral wool boards with a ventilated gap and a "siding" type coating (brick - 380 mm, insulation -120 mm, siding). Facing - ventilated facade.

From the above graphs it is clearly seen how the lining barrier, which prevents ventilation of the outer surface of the mineral wool insulation, leads to an increase in the amount of condensate in the insulation. Although in the annual cycle of moisture accumulation in the insulation does not occur, but when facing with bricks without a ventilation gap, a significant amount of water condenses and freezes in the insulation every year in winter, Fig.2. Moisture also accumulates in the layer of brick cladding adjacent to the insulation.

Humidification of the insulation reduces its heat-shielding properties, which increases heating costs building.

In addition, water annually, when freezing, destroys the insulation and brickwork of the cladding. Moreover, the cycles of freezing and thawing during the season can occur repeatedly. The insulation gradually crumbles, and the brickwork of the cladding is destroyed. I note that the frost resistance of ceramic bricks is only 50 - 75 cycles, and the frost resistance of the insulation is not standardized.

Replacing a heater covered with brick cladding is an expensive pleasure. Hydrophobized high-density mineral wool boards are more durable under these conditions. But these plates have a higher cost.

The amount of condensate is reduced or no condensation at all if you provide better ventilation of the surface of the insulation - fig.3 and 4.

Another way to eliminate condensation is to increase the vapor permeability resistance of the load-bearing wall. To do this, the surface of the bearing wall is covered with a vapor barrier film or heat-insulating boards with a vapor barrier applied to their surface are used. When mounting on a wall, the surface of the boards covered with a vapor barrier must face the wall.

The arrangement of a ventilated gap, sealing the walls with vapor-tight coatings complicates and increases the cost of the wall structure. What does moistening the insulation in the walls in winter lead to is written above. Here also choose. For construction areas with severe winter conditions, the installation of a ventilated gap can be economically justified.

In walls with a ventilated gap, mineral wool boards with a density of at least 30-45 kg / m 3, pasted over on one side with a windproof coating. When using plates without wind protection on the outer surface of the thermal insulation, wind protection coatings should be provided, for example, vapor-permeable membranes, fiberglass, etc.

In walls without a ventilated gap, it is recommended to use mineral wool boards with a density of 35-75 kg / m 3. In a wall structure without a ventilated gap, heat-insulating boards are installed freely in a vertical position in the space between the main wall and the facing layer of bricks. The supporting elements for the insulation are fasteners provided for fastening the brick cladding to the load-bearing wall - reinforcing mesh, flexible connections.

In a wall with a ventilation gap, insulation and a windproof coating are attached to the wall using special dowels at the rate of 8-12 dowels per 1 m 2 surfaces. Dowels should be deepened into the thickness of concrete walls by 35-50 mm, brick - by 50 mm, in masonry of hollow bricks and lightweight concrete blocks - by 90 mm.

Wall insulation with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam

Rigid slabs of foamed polymers are placed in the middle of a three-layer brick wall structure without a ventilated gap.

Polymer boards have a very high vapor permeability. For example, an expanded polystyrene (EPS) wall insulation layer has a resistance 15-20 times greater than that of a brick wall of the same thickness.

Insulation with hermetic laying is a vapor-tight barrier in a brick wall. Steam from the room simply does not get to the outer surface of the insulation.

With the right thickness of the insulation, the temperature of the inner surface of the insulation must be above the dew point. When this condition is met, steam condensation on the inner surface of the insulation does not occur.

Mineral insulation - low density cellular concrete

Recently, another type of insulation is gaining popularity - products from low-density cellular concrete. These are heat-insulating slabs based on materials already known and used in construction - autoclaved aerated concrete, gas silicate.

Thermal insulation slabs made of cellular concrete have a density of 100 - 200 kg / m 3 and dry thermal conductivity coefficient 0.045 - 0.06 W/m o K. Mineral wool and polystyrene foam heaters have approximately the same thermal conductivity. Plates are produced with a thickness of 60 - 200 mm. Compressive strength class B1.0 (compressive strength not less than 10 kg / m 3.) Vapor penetration coefficient 0.28 mg/(m*year*Pa).

Heat-insulating slabs made of cellular concrete are a good alternative to mineral wool and polystyrene foam insulation.

Trademarks of heat-insulating slabs made of cellular concrete well-known in the construction market: Multipor, AEROC Energy, Betol.

Advantages of cellular concrete thermal insulation slabs:

The most important one is higher durability. The material does not contain any organic matter - it is an artificial stone. It has a fairly high vapor permeability, but less than mineral wool insulation.

The structure of the material contains a large number of open pores. Moisture that condenses in the insulation in winter dries quickly in the warm season. There is no accumulation of moisture.

Thermal insulation does not burn, under the influence of fire does not emit harmful gases. The heater does not stick. Insulation boards are harder and mechanically stronger.

The cost of facade insulation with cellular concrete slabs, in any case, does not exceed the cost of thermal insulation with mineral wool insulation or expanded polystyrene.

When installing heat-insulating plates made of aerated concrete, the following rules are followed:

Heat-insulating slabs of aerated concrete up to 100 thick mm fastened to the facade with glue and dowels, 1-2 dowels per plate.

From plates with a thickness of more than 100 mm close to the insulated wall lay out the wall. Laying is carried out on glue with a seam thickness of 2-3 mm. With the bearing wall, the masonry of the insulation boards is connected with anchors - flexible connections based on the calculation, five connections per 1 m 2 walls. Between the bearing wall and the insulation, you can leave a technological gap of 2-15 mm.

It is better to tie all layers of the wall and brick cladding with masonry mesh. This will increase the mechanical strength of the wall.

Wall insulation with foam glass

Three-layer wall of the house with foam glass insulation and brick cladding.

Another type of mineral insulation that has appeared on the construction market relatively recently is foam glass slabs.

Unlike heat-insulating aerated concrete, foam glass has closed pores. Due to this, foam glass plates poorly absorb water and have low vapor permeability. A ventilated gap between the insulation and the cladding is not needed.

Foam glass insulation is durable, does not burn, is not afraid of moisture, and is not damaged by rodents. It has a higher cost than all of the above types of heaters.

Installation of foam glass plates on the wall is carried out using glue and dowels.

The thickness of the insulation is chosen in two stages:

They are chosen based on the need to provide the required resistance to heat transfer of the outer wall.
Then check for the absence of steam condensation in the thickness of the wall. If the test shows otherwise, then it is necessary to increase the thickness of the insulation. The thicker the insulation, the lower the risk of steam condensation and moisture accumulation in the wall material. But, this leads to an increase in construction costs.

A particularly large difference in the thickness of the insulation, selected according to the above two conditions, occurs when insulating walls with high vapor permeability and low thermal conductivity. The thickness of the insulation to ensure energy saving is relatively small for such walls, and to avoid condensation - the thickness of the plates should be unreasonably large.

When insulating aerated concrete walls (as well as from other materials with low resistance to vapor permeation and high resistance to heat transfer - for example, wood, from large-pore expanded clay concrete), the thickness of polymer thermal insulation, according to the calculation of moisture accumulation, turns out to be much larger than it is necessary according to the standards for energy saving.

To reduce the flow of steam, it is recommended to arrange vapor barrier layer on the inner surface of the wall(from the side of the warm room), Rice. 6. For the device of vapor barrier from the inside for finishing, materials with high resistance to vapor permeability are chosen - a deep penetration primer is applied to the wall in several layers, cement plaster, vinyl wallpaper.

A vapor barrier from the inside is mandatory for walls made of aerated concrete, gas silicate for any type of insulation and facade cladding.

It should be borne in mind that the masonry of the walls of a new house always contains a large amount of building moisture. Therefore, it is better to let the walls of the house dry well outside. It is recommended to perform facade insulation works after the interior decoration is completed, and not earlier than one year after the completion of these works.

Facing the exterior walls of the house with bricks

Facing the exterior walls of the house with brick is durable and, when using a special colored facing facing brick, and even better clinker brick. quite decorative. The disadvantages of the cladding include the relatively large weight of the cladding, the high cost of special bricks, and the need to broaden the foundation.

It should be especially noted the complexity and high cost of dismantling the cladding to replace the insulation. The service life of mineral wool and polymer insulation does not exceed 30 - 50 years. At the end of the service life, the heat-saving properties of the wall are reduced by more than a third.

With brick cladding use the most durable insulation, providing them with conditions in the wall structure for maximum long-term operation without replacement (minimum amount of condensate in the wall). It is recommended to choose high-density mineral wool insulation and polymer from extruded polystyrene foam, XPS.

In brick-lined walls, it is most advantageous to use mineral heaters made of autoclaved aerated concrete or foam glass, with the service life of which is much longer than mineral wool and polymer.

Brick cladding is done in half a brick, 120 mm. on conventional masonry mortar.

A wall without a ventilated gap, insulated with high-density slabs (mineral wool - more than 50 kg / m 3, EPS), you can veneer with brickwork on the edge - 60 mm. This will reduce the overall thickness of the outer wall and plinth.

Brick cladding is connected to the bearing wall masonry with corrosion-protected steel wire or reinforcing mesh, or with special flexible ties (fiberglass, etc.). Vertically, the grid or connections are arranged in increments of 500-600 mm.(height of the insulation plate), horizontally - 500 mm., while the number of bonds per 1 m 2 blank wall - at least 4 PCS. At the corners of the building along the perimeter of window and door openings 6-8 PCS. for 1 m 2.

The laying of brick cladding is longitudinally reinforced with masonry mesh with a vertical step of not more than 1000-1200 mm. The masonry mesh should go into the seams of the masonry of the bearing wall.

To ventilate the air gap in the bottom row of facing masonry, special vents are arranged at the rate of 75 cm 2 for every 20 m 2 wall surface. For lower ventilation, you can use a slotted brick, placed on the edge so that the outside air through the holes in the brick has the opportunity to penetrate into the air gap in the wall. Upper vents are provided in the eaves of the wall.

Ventilation holes can also be made by partially filling the vertical joints between the bricks of the lower row of masonry with cement mortar.

Placement of windows and doors in the thickness of a three-layer wall should ensure minimal heat loss through the wall at the installation site.

In a three-layer wall insulated from the outside, a window or door box installed in the same plane with the insulation layer at the border of the heat-insulating layer- as it shown on the picture.

Such an arrangement of the window, door along the thickness of the wall will ensure minimal heat loss at the junction.

Watch the video tutorial on the topic: how to properly lay a three-layer wall of a house with a brick lining.

When facing walls with bricks, it is important to ensure the durability of the insulation layer. The longest service life will be provided by thermal insulation with low-density cellular concrete or foam glass slabs.

It is also important to reduce the amount of moisture in the outer walls in winter. The less moisture condenses in the insulation and lining, the longer their service life and the higher the heat-shielding properties. To do this, it is necessary to take measures to reduce the vapor permeability of the bearing wall, and for a vapor-permeable insulation, it is recommended to arrange a ventilated gap at the border with the cladding.

To insulate a three-layer wall with mineral wool, it is better to use plates with a density of at least 75 kg / m 3 with ventilated gap.

A wall insulated with mineral wool with a ventilated gap dries out faster from building moisture and does not accumulate moisture during operation. The heater does not burn.

The use of foam as a heater for external walls, it is not limited by any federal regulatory documents. However, there is Order No. 18 of the Minmosoblstroy dated May 23, 2008 “On the use of three-layer wall enclosing structures with an inner layer of slab effective insulation and a front layer of brickwork in the construction of civil buildings in the Moscow region.”
This order of the Minmosoblstroy states that the three-layer external wall structures used in recent years in the construction of frame-monolithic multi-storey residential buildings with an inner layer of slab effective insulation and a front layer of brickwork have significant damage to a significant number of buildings in operation. As a rule, design flaws are revealed during the operation of buildings and it is practically impossible to eliminate construction defects by the forces of operating organizations.
The air exchange process through the outer walls - "the breathing of the walls", is a natural and inevitable physical process of the release of moisture in the form of steam from inside the house to the outside. And if the layers of the “pie” of the wall have different vapor permeability, while the outer ones are less than the inner ones, as is the case with foam plastic and aerated concrete blocks, then there is nowhere to get moisture due to the different throughput of materials. As a result, it accumulates in the form of condensate at the boundary of such a vapor permeability difference. And if the outer facing layer is thin enough, and the inner one, on the contrary, is thick so that in severe cold the temperature at the place of condensate accumulation is less than zero, then this leads to freezing of moisture inside the material, which in turn leads to loss of thermal insulation properties and destruction of the insulation.
In addition, the accumulation of moisture in the wall can also affect the microclimate in the premises of the house. Since a wet wall does not benefit any comfortable microclimate.
In order to prevent possible negative consequences of using such solutions in enclosing structures, the Minmosoblstroy prohibits the municipalities of the Moscow Region, developers, design and contracting organizations from using three-layer wall enclosing structures with an inner layer of slab effective insulation and a front layer when designing in the Moscow Region for buildings and structures from brickwork.
Such are the unfortunate things for polystyrene and other slab effective heaters based on it when used for thermal insulation of external walls in three-layer wall enclosing structures. However, it remains possible to use these materials in ventilated facade systems.
Of course, it is possible to use three-layer wall enclosing structures in private housing construction. It should only be taken into account that the front brickwork in this case will perform only the function of external decoration in the ventilated facade system and is derived from the heat-insulation calculation.

The problem with heat loss in residential buildings always exists, somewhere it seeps through the roof, somewhere through the foundation, but most often heat is lost through the walls. The actual question is how to avoid these losses, because because of this you have to spend more on electricity, forcing the heating equipment to work for wear and tear?

The answer is simple, competently insulate the facade walls. And about how and how to do it, you will learn from our article.

Characteristic features of brick walls

Building bricks are very different in their characteristics from concrete blocks or wooden beams:

The walls can be made of both hollow and hollow. It all depends on various factors: the load on the foundation, the average temperatures in the region, the thermal insulation materials used.
You can also lay bricks in two types: solid (the most common and easiest way) and well (with an air pocket that is filled with insulation). For example, there may be a heater between the foam block and the brick, where the brick is the front side.

Reinforced sound insulation is not required for brickwork, the material itself prevents extraneous sounds from entering the room quite well.

Otherwise, the building materials are similar, all walls can be insulated both from the outside and from the inside. The combined method - not everyone can afford thermal insulation from all sides, and the usable area is significantly reduced.

Types of thermal insulation materials

If you decide to build brick walls with insulation, then this section will help you decide which one.

The price in this case is not taken into account, the comparison takes place only according to the technical characteristics:

Mineral wool- one of the most popular materials that has been used for many decades. It has a fairly low thermal conductivity coefficient (within 0.041 - 0.044 W / (m * K)), while a good compression density indicator (from 20 kg / m3 to 200 kg / m3). Of the shortcomings - high moisture absorption, not like a sponge, but inferior to other materials.
Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene)- also has a high demand, due to resistance to high humidity. With a coefficient of thermal conductivity slightly lower than that of mineral wool, but strength (compressive density) suffers, the material is easily damaged. Plus, if it is exposed to fire, it will emit acrid smoke.
Extruded polystyrene foam- is considered an ideal option, both for internal work and for external. It does not emit toxic fumes, has the lowest thermal conductivity threshold of solid thermal insulation materials, but also suffers from “brittleness”.

Note! It, like polystyrene, is easy to mount with your own hands; this does not require special equipment or any special knowledge. We will tell you more about the process of insulating brick walls a little later.

Expanded clay- bulk material, which has excellent performance in terms of thermal conductivity, vapor barrier, but is more often used to insulate the floor or ceiling. Although, just for well masonry, it fits perfectly.

Warm plaster- another material, only already liquid. As for any technical characteristics, plaster is slightly inferior to other thermal insulation options. However, there is one advantage - saving usable space, it can be applied directly to a brick wall (on a reinforcing mesh).

These are not all materials, but we have described only the most popular and practical. And how the insulation is fastened to a brick wall (we will take the double silicate brick M 150 as the basis of the house), we will tell in the next section.

Thermal insulation of the house from the outside

Consider the process of insulation using the example of foam, which can be used in any conditions, when, as a mineral wool, it is effective only when warmed from the inside:

The first step is to prepare the wall: close up all the cracks, cover up the crumbling seams of the brickwork.
Install the crate using wooden blocks. The peculiarity of this process is that it is better to maintain a distance equal to the width of the foam between the vertical posts, so there will be fewer joints.
Cut the material to length.
Prepare an adhesive base or dish-shaped nails for fixing the insulation.

Note! There is not much difference, each mounting option is good in its own way, only one is considered dirty (you need to drill under the nails), and the second is clean. There you just need to smear thick glue and that's it.

Fix the heat-insulating layer by sealing all joints and cracks with mounting foam.

Cover with a windproof membrane on top, using a furniture stapler as fasteners.
Now it remains to choose the finishing material and revet the house.

As you can see, the instructions for installing the insulation from the street side do not require any special skill. That is why you can easily save on the construction team by doing all the work on your own.

Thermal insulation of the house from the inside

This process is slightly, but different from the above. Here, in fact, what are the differences:

A waterproofing film is necessarily attached under the insulation, which does not allow moisture to enter the surface of the heat-insulating material. It is especially relevant in the case of the mineral wool option.
If a crate is required on the street side, then in the premises, finishing materials can be mounted directly on the insulation, of course, if solid material is used. To do this, it is necessary to level the surface, close up all the cracks and use a reinforcing mesh.
When insulating a house from the inside, it is worth taking care in advance of isolating communications in the walls, this, at a minimum, requires safety precautions.

Advice! For wiring, use plastic corrugated pipes, reliable and durable "protectors".

We considered options when brick walls with insulation interact directly, a solid version of thermal insulation. Now let's take a closer look at the well masonry.

two walls

Let's take for example the case when it is required to fix the insulation between the brick and the foam block. Let's break it down into several steps:

First of all, the outer wall is laid out. It is laid in accordance with the rules for working with bricks, with the exception of one moment - every 4-5 horizontal rows it is necessary to insert a metal pin into the solution. This is the connecting element of the two walls.

Note! An ordinary wire with a diameter of about 5 mm is enough. In terms of length, it must be taken into account that the pin is recessed by 2-3 cm in the first masonry and the same in the second.

The next step is to install the heater. If it is polystyrene foam, then it can be fastened directly through the wire, using it as a supporting element. For rolled materials, it is better to use an adhesive base, at worst, fix it with dish-shaped nails.

Important! For bulk material, such as expanded clay, it is necessary to first build both walls: external and internal. After that, for example, the insulation between the brick and the block is filled up, carefully compacted.

The last stage is the construction of the inner wall. The peculiarity of the process is that the wire is fastened between the bricks, in the solution. Some experts advise using a windproof film over a thermal insulation material. In fact, with quality work performed, it will be superfluous.

As for brickwork, it all depends, of course, on your skill, but we advise you to build walls in sequence. For example, you built a 1-1.5 meter outer wall, fix the insulation and build an inner wall. Then return to the outside again.

Note! With such construction, all joints of heat-insulating materials must be sealed, you can use adhesive tape or mounting foam.

Features of insulation

Insulation is different for insulation, it is necessary to choose according to the weather conditions in your region and various effects on the material.
If funds allow (this is not the biggest cost item), use two types of fastening: an adhesive base, for fixing around the perimeter, and nails. This will eliminate the likelihood of subsidence and collapses of heat-insulating materials.
The joints of mineral wool insulation must be isolated from moisture and wind, for this you can use various materials, ordinary tape is suitable.
In some cases (without the use of facing bricks), the surface of the wall for insulation is primed and leveled. The process, although costly, allows you to increase the efficiency of any insulation.
In different regions, the temperature in winter may vary, it may happen that your temperature does not drop below -15 degrees, then the use of heaters can become a moot point. If only because it would be a waste of money.

Conclusion

The use of thermal insulation materials should be accompanied not by simple “I want” and “I can”, but by clear information about whether it will be effective and useful. In any case, even if insulation is laid between the block and the brick, it is necessary to understand how much it saves heating costs and how long the work will pay off.

Exterior decoration of houses made of aerated concrete blocks with bricks is very popular these days. A building that is built from this material, and then lined with brickwork, is much cheaper than a completely brick building, while the view becomes modern, more aesthetic and status with the least investment. But is it only a matter of external attractiveness?

Advantages and disadvantages of facing an aerated concrete wall with a brick

Let us consider in detail the advantages and disadvantages that facing aerated concrete with bricks has.

Advantages

Soundproofing.
visual aesthetics.
Strengthening the building.
Service life extension.

disadvantages

If the masonry is not installed correctly, condensation may accumulate in the wall cavity.
Additional costs for construction and materials.

A consumable article is expected in any case when lining a building, while aerated concrete blocks are one of the most inexpensive and stable structures. According to Engineering and Construction Journal No. 8 (2009), after conducting serious tests for the strength and durability of an aerated concrete wall with brick cladding in 2009 in St. Petersburg, it turned out that the life of such a wall varies from 60 to 110 years or more. A single climatic zone and material of the same quality was considered.

A house made of aerated concrete lined with bricks can have a service life that differs by almost half.

Why such a difference in strength and wear resistance? It turned out that the matter was the presence of a gap and ventilation between the base of the gas blocks and the brick lining.

What are the ways of facing a gas block with bricks

The gas block wall can be lined in several ways. This refers to the distance between the brick and the aerated concrete block, as well as the presence of heaters, if there is a gap between the wall and the cladding. Let's consider each of them in detail.

Dense masonry without gaps and ventilation

The danger of early destruction appears when it is planned to use a heated room. That is, the temperature difference inside and outside the house will significantly reduce the life of such a building. When the room is heated from the inside, water vapor will begin to move through the porous aerated concrete to the outside. In the absence of a gap or insulation, they will accumulate between the gas block and the brick, destroying both materials. In this case, the condensate accumulates unevenly, which accelerates the process of decomposition and deformation of the structure of the gas block. The most cost-effective will be the use of external insulation in the form of mineral wool or wet plaster finish. A similar finishing of aerated concrete with bricks (without a gap) applies only to unheated buildings.

Brick laying at a distance from gas blocks without ventilation

In the rules of SP 23-101-2004 (Design of thermal protection of buildings) there is a prescription on the principle of arranging layers between the wall and the surface of the cladding, which states that the closer to the outer layer of the wall, the lower the vapor permeability of the material should be. In accordance with paragraph 8.8, layers with greater thermal conductivity and vapor permeability should be located closer to the outer surface of the wall. British experts after a series of studies explained that it is necessary to arrange the layers so that the vapor conductivity to the outer layer increases with a difference of at least 5 times from the inner wall. If this cladding method is chosen, then according to the rules of paragraph 8.13, the thickness of the non-ventilated gap must be at least 4 cm, while it is recommended that the layers be separated by blind diaphragms of non-combustible material into zones of 3 m each.

Finishing aerated concrete with bricks with a ventilated space

This method of cladding is the most rational in terms of the technical characteristics of the materials and the durability of the structure. However, the construction of such a structure must be carried out according to certain rules (SP 23-101-2004 clause 8.14).

Consider how to overlay a house made of aerated concrete with a brick with a ventilated gap between the masonry in accordance with all the rules. The air space must be at least 6 cm thick, but not more than 15 cm thick. Wherein the aerated concrete wall itself serves as thermal insulation. If the number of storeys of the building is higher than three, then perforated partitions are placed in the gaps (1 time per 3 floors) to cut the air flow. There must be through ventilation holes in the brickwork, the total area of which is determined by the principle: per 20sq.m area 75sq.cm holes. At the same time, the holes located below are made with a slight slope outward to drain condensate from the wall cavity.

In that case, if you plan to insulate the aerated concrete wall additionally to the air gap, then for this purpose heat-insulating materials are used, the density of which is not less than 80-90 kg / m 3. The side of the insulation that comes into contact with the air layer must have an air-protective film on the surface (Izospan A, AS, Megaizol SD and others) or another air-protective shell (fiberglass, glass mesh, basalt wool). It is not recommended to use ecowool and glass wool as a heater, as these materials are too soft and not dense enough. It is also not allowed to use foam and XPS due to their flammability and vapor barrier characteristics. When facing walls made of aerated concrete with bricks with additional insulation on gas blocks, soft, loose, combustible materials are not used. The vapor conductivity of these materials must be sufficiently high to avoid the formation of condensate.

Summing up

So, what conclusions can be drawn about the methods of facing aerated concrete walls with bricks? For convenience, we summarize the features of each cladding method in a table:

Characteristics	Cladding without gap	Gap cladding without ventilation	Cladding with ventilated gap
Brickwork	+	+	+
Protection of an aerated concrete wall from external influences	+	+	+
thermal insulation	Insignificant increase	Increase (resistance of brickwork), decrease (moisture content of the aerated concrete wall increases)	No increase (ventilation of space between walls)
Terms of operation, destruction of the building	There is a reduction in the period of use by 60%.	Shrinkage due to humidity and condensation.	No reduction or increase due to lack of condensation and controlled air circulation.
Construction costs	The costs of the foundation, expansion (up to 15 cm), brick, mortar, flexible connections are increasing.	The costs for the foundation, expansion (up to 19 cm), brick, mortar, flexible connections are increasing.	The costs for the foundation, expansion (up to 21 cm), brick, mortar, flexible connections are increasing.
Profitability and expediency	Economically disadvantageous due to reduced thermal insulation and service life.	No special benefit in most cases. It is advisable only in an even temperate climate that does not require heating of the building from the inside.	It is not economically profitable, but it is advisable if brick cladding is required on the outside of heated buildings.

Thus, by lining an aerated concrete wall with bricks, it will not be possible to significantly save on materials, and it will also not work to increase thermal insulation. The only positive aspects are a respectable appearance and an increase in service life, but this is achieved subject to the proper organization of construction processes, the use of materials and technologies recommended by SP 23-101-2004.