Insulation of the foundation with your own hands - some useful information
The insulation of the foundation with polystyrene( or polystyrene, as its special case) proved to be a very good solution, because according to the results of inspections of houses of fifty years ago in the construction of which this material was used, it turned out that it practically did not sufferno changes. Thanks to this, the production and consumption of expanded polystyrene has grown tenfold, especially in the USA and Western Europe.
Extruded polystyrene foam is a material with a uniform structure of closed cells. It has a low density, due to which it has excellent thermal insulation properties. At the same time, it is very durable and can tolerate quite significant loads.
Also, polystyrene foam is practically not wetted and successfully resists the influence of aggressive chemical media. In addition, the material withstands multiple freeze-thaw cycles without loss of performance. It is produced most often in the form of plates.
Warming the foundation with expanded polystyrene - why choose this material?
The basic advantage of the foundation , insulated with expanded polystyrene, is that it is not necessary, due to its high physical strength and resistance to aggressive media of this material, to shelter its underground part, which will lead to additional costs.
Also, the material has a low weight and is easily cut, which facilitates its installation. Of the shortcomings, there is only a relatively low fire safety, which, however, is much better than other types of foam. So, when the foundation is to be insulated, extruded polystyrene foam will be the best material that satisfies almost all technical requirements.
Thermal insulation of the foundation with polystyrene - from theory to practice
To begin work, it is necessary to first dig out the outer part of the foundation to the full depth and make its waterproofing by sticking the welded material with an industrial hair dryer and mastic. We will need the following set of tools: perforator, knife, fly brush, hammer, bubble level.
In order to make the insulation of the foundation with expanded polystyrene with your own hands , you need to do the following: start work from one of the corners of the basement, and lay the plates from the bottom up with a half-plate displacement between rows, like brickwork.
At a height approximately equal to the width of the expanded polystyrene plate, using the level, we stretch the string with which we will expose the first row of insulation. This is necessary so that when laying down the next rows the plates do not diverge relative to each other, which reduces the insulation effect to "no".
How to handle EPS boards?
Then use the brush with a brush to apply the molten mastic to the wall of the foundation, after which we firmly press the expanded polystyrene slab to it. In the same way install all the plates in the row, carefully looking for the neighboring plates to be clearly and seamlessly connected in the lock.
The combs of the locks at the joint at the corners are cut off, if necessary, fill the joints with foam.
As soon as the higher rows are laid, the subsoil begins to be thrown with soil for the convenience of work, and also to press the already laid insulation. Plates that are below ground level are glued only to the mastic, so as not to damage the waterproofing, in addition, they are pressed from the outside by compacted soil.
A warmer above ground level is additionally strengthened with the help of dowel-nails "umbrellas", for which directly through it holes are drilled in the foundation wall with a perforator. The dowel-nails should be driven in the center of the plate, as well as in the joints of four plates at once. If you follow all of the above, warming the foundation with polystyrene will not give you much trouble.