During the overhaul of the floor, special attention should be paid to its warming. For this, of course, you will need to incur certain material costs, to spend time and effort. But the result obtained in the form of significant savings on heating, improving living conditions and microclimate of the premises is worth it.
What kind of insulation for the floor is better?
Each of the heaters existing in the building market has certain technical characteristics. In many respects, the subsequent choice of the material depends on them:
- Extruded polystyrene foam has excellent thermal insulation properties. Its dense honeycomb structure makes the material resistant to deformation and moisture. In addition, extruded polystyrene foam is resistant to chemicals, fungi and bacteria, and aggressive environmental conditions. However, when heated, it releases strong toxic fumes harmful to humans, and a low level of vapor permeability does not allow it to be used for wooden floors.
- Cork substrate is an exceptionally natural and environmentally friendly insulation for the floor. It is resistant to severe compression loads, does not shrink, is inert, does not burn and does not rot. Its service life is about fifty years. And its only drawback is the fear of moisture.
- Foamed foamed polyethylene consists of a layer of polyethylene and aluminum foil. Despite the small thickness, it gives an excellent thermal insulation effect. On the positive side, it also characterizes strength, durability, ease of installation, safety and ability not only to not let the cold from outside, but to keep heat inside.
- Expanded clay is granules of round shape made of clay, peat and sawdust. The thermal conductivity of claydite depends entirely on the size of the granules. The distinctive features of this heat insulator include resistance to moisture and temperature changes, naturalness and good soundproofing qualities. And due to the light weight of expanded clay, even with a thick layer of laying does not create a load on the foundation.
- Basalt wool is one of the mineral wool , which is produced in the form of rigid slabs. This material is not afraid of high temperatures and fire, loads and perfectly passes air, but it should be protected from moisture. And the minimum layer of this insulation in 4 cm does not allow it to be used in rooms with low ceilings.
The technical characteristics of the heat insulator is very important to consider when installing them in rooms with different purposes, as well as with a particular flooring:
- heaters for the floor of a wooden house must be loose, porous or loose, and also necessarily "breathable" and vapor-permeable. Therefore, for these purposes, as best as possible, keramzit or mineral wool will do;
- insulation for the warm floor, which is laid under the concrete screed, must keep the heat formed inside the room, not letting it down. A heater for a warm water floor is also resistant to moisture. Therefore, foil-foamed polyethylene will be the ideal solution for the "warm floor" system;
- for the ordinary floor "under the coupler" to the insulation requirements such as the ability to keep the shape and not deform, and necessarily waterproof. In this case, it is possible to use extruded polystyrene foam or a cork substrate.
Therefore, when choosing a heat insulator, it is not worth saving, but it is reasonable to estimate the possible subsequent financial damage and harm to health from the incorrectly chosen heater.