Thermal insulation of the facade with polystyrene

In recent years all more private and multi-storey houses are insulated with polystyrene, as this material is easy to install, it is quite effective in its direct destination and is affordable.

The insulation of the facade with foam plastic with its own hands is really possible without much effort if the house has one or two floors. Conducting the same measures to install a heater on the walls of a higher building will require the use of assistants and special equipment.

If you want to insulate the facade of an ordinary private house, then before starting the , you need to study the process technology. If you violate the installation rules, you can not get the proper effect from the insulation, and it's useless to spend your energy, means and time for wasted work. If mounting is performed qualitatively, the insulation of the walls from the outside will help to save on heating a pretty decent amount.

What will it take to work?

For facade mounting, you can uses two kinds of polystyrene - extruded polystyrene and foam( foam).The first of these - is the same polystyrene, but with a much higher density. To know which one to choose for the insulation of walls, it is worth considering the characteristics of both materials.

Expanded polystyrene foam( foam )

Foam plates can be easily mounted on walls with a flat surface. This material is often insulated facades of houses located in areas with cold winters.

Foamed panels are especially effective for fixing them outside the house, as they prevent cooling of walls and keep the heat inside. The positive qualities of this heater include the following properties:

- ease of installation;

- lightness material by weight;

- low thermal conductivity;

- water resistance.

- an affordable price not only for the heater itself, but also for the fastening parts and building materials;

- the material is produced in slabs of convenient size and thickness, that autumn is comfortable for installation work;

The following qualities are considered to be disadvantages of the foam plastic:

- if the installation rules for this material are not observed, the insulation effect can be completely lost;

- polystyrene is not environmentally friendly, so it is most often installed outside the building, and the top is covered with a layer of plaster that neutralizes the negative effect;

- very often the foam is damaged by rodents, which also reduces the thermal insulation of the walls;

- combustibility of the material;

- insufficiently long service life.

Polyfoam should be purchased from a manufacturer that has a license for its production. Alas, the simplicity of manufacturing such thermo insulator attracts many, including not the most conscientious entrepreneurs, and therefore the market is literally full of low-quality goods like of the genus

Extruded polystyrene foam( EPAS )

As mentioned above, the extruded polystyrene foam - is the same foam, but with improved qualities and fixed flaws. Warming the facade with this type of expanded polystyrene, you can get a more durable and durable surface than with the installation of conventional materials. But the extruded polystyrene foam has a slightly higher thermal conductivity, therefore , choosing it, you need to buy plates that have a greater thickness than ordinary polystyrene.

The positive properties of extruded polystyrene include:

- low flammability, due to its density and flame retardant additives;

- lightness mounting - as a rule, the EPPS panels have a system of locks "pinch-groove" which greatly simplifies the work;

- sufficiently low thermal conductivity;

- water resistance and water resistance;

- longer service life than conventional styrofoam.

- high strength indicators - EPPP is used even for the warming of foundations and socles - those places that are most susceptible to mechanical stress.

The disadvantage of extruded polystyrene foam is, perhaps, only a higher price. In addition, its installation has certain features that should be considered when working.

Other materials for facade insulation

Based on the considerations of "economic feasibility", let's consider a cheaper method of facade insulation - using foamed polystyrene( foam).

In order to be able to estimate the upcoming costs in advance, the reader is offered a sign with an approximate consumption of materials for finishing 1 square meter of the facade area, the prices from the same ratio are recalculated per unit area.(Prices are very relative, they can vary significantly by region or seasonally).

So, to conduct the insulation you need the following materials:

Material	Unit	Consumption for 1m ²	Price in rubles
Total for 1 m² of the area of ​​the insulating facade	600
Primer Primer	liter	0.25	15
Adhesive compound	kg	10	182
Polyfoam PSBS-25-50	m ²	1	130
Fixing plug	pieces	10	35
Reinforcing mesh	m ²	1.3	52
Leveling layer	kg	0.5	46
Primer with quartz sand	kg	0.33	20
Decorative plaster	kg	0.5	120

In addition to the materials listed in the table, it will be necessary to purchase, with taking into account dimensions and other building parameters:

• Plaster corners with reinforcing mesh.
• Starting slats, width in thickness of the heater.
• Mounting foam, better - professional quality.
• Sandpaper.
• Self-tapping screws of different lengths.

Finishing and consumables should be taken with a small margin. Experienced builders advise to expect a surplus of about 15%, so that during work there is no sudden shortage of this or that element. It's a shame to stop work because of a trifle!

Tools for the operation of

Without tools, it will not be possible to carry out quality insulating measures. Therefore, when preparing for work, should provide:

• Ladder.
• Spatulas, ironing board, grater .
• Construction knife.
• Capacity for kneading glue.
• Drill with mixing head or mixer.
• Hammer.
• Rotary hammer.
• Construction level, plumb line and cord for straight lines, roulette.
• Roller with long handle.
• Screwdriver .

Prepare the in the for the tools and necessary materials, you can proceed with the installation of the heater.

How to insulate the façade with foam

To conduct the warming process correctly, you need to act step-by-step. Both heaters are mounted on the facade using the same technology, so its description will suit for both one and the other material. The scheme of the insulating "pie" is as follows:

1 - The wall of the building.

2 - Adhesive composition.

3 - Foam or extruded polystyrene foam

4 - Filler "fungus".

5 - Reinforcing corner.

6 - Plaster layer.

7 - Reinforcing mesh-serpyanka.

8 - Putty layer.

9 - Decorative plaster.

In this scheme, one of the materials that is applied to each plaster and puttying layer is lost, before priming the next - .It is she who will contribute to the long-term service of finishing materials, increase their adhesion among themselves, will keep the whole system from the appearance of mold and fungus, since it has antiseptic properties.

In order not to admit mistakes, it is necessary to consider in more detail all the stages of mounting the insulation on the wall.

Video: warming the walls of the house with polystyrene

Preparing the walls

For the insulation to work effectively, it must be as close as possible to the surface of the walls. Therefore, , it is very important to carry out the preparatory work with the facade. The preparation process includes such important points as leveling and sealing up cracks and chips, since it is these flaws that can become bridges of cold that will cause the plates to lag behind the wall surface. In addition, they can find "shelter" various insects, which sooner or later will move to the house.

Sometimes crevices and cracks in the not are visible through thick plaster - on it appears only a thin mesh of almost imperceptible cracks, but in this place the plaster and begins to lag behind the wall. In order for the foam to adhere to the wall to be strong, the plaster layer needs to be removed, especially in those places where it leaves the on its , or if there are signs of its fragility, instability.

The cleaning process is carried out as follows:

• From the wall and windows it is necessary to remove all additional elements and devices, such as air conditioners, lamps, grilles , low tide, etc. On the not place should remain places inaccessible for cleaning.
• Further, off-walls of plaster, whitewash, paint and other various coatings are removed from the walls.
• If there is a relief pattern on the walls that protrudes more than 5 mm, it must be knocked off with a conventional hammer, or with a perforator.
• After removing the protruding reliefs on separate sections of the walls, proceed to eliminate small and large irregularities on the rest of the surface.
• After clearing events, is sure to show cracks, chips or dents. Above them you need seriously to work, because they will not become smaller, but start expand - may well. Therefore, they need to be expanded independently with a drill or a spatula, if it is possible , then it is good to clean it from dust, sprinkle with water. Depending on the size of the cracks formed, they are filled with a sealant, a concrete solution, a glue mass on a cement basis or a mounting foam.

• After the repair patches on the cracks and chips have dried, it is necessary to remove the material of the seal that has come out.
• Next, goes checking the walls for smoothness, as very often the walls have either small, or even enough serious skews that will prevent the fast installation of the insulation and its tight fitting. If these are found, then they are recommended to be aligned in advance, so that the installation of flat foam plates passed quickly and easily.

The wall is straightened out using plumb bob and the building level. After leveling the surfaces, they need to be dried well.

• Prepared walls it is recommended to cover with a first coat and wait it full absorption and drying of a surface.

• Further, the walls are reinforced with a serpentine net. For this , starting from the top of the wall, on it with a wide spatula is applied the plaster composition, and it is superimposed on the serpian. From above it is pressed against the wall with a spatula, and the excess putty is removed.
• After drying putty , the wall needs to be treated more times with a primer, which will create good adhesion between the wall surface and glue, on which will be installed a heater.
• Before beginning installation of the heater, the surface of the wall must be dried well.

Installing the stand profile

For reliable to maintain the entire insulation system from below, as well as to specify the correct direction, a special profile-stand( or starting strip) is fixed to the wall, which will not allow the heater to slide down during its gluing. The width of this element of the thermal insulation system should be equal to the thickness of of the purchased foam.

Before fix profile Wall , you need to carry out marking his place fixing - this proce ss etc. Gadfly using a spirit level or painted rope , which Wall bounces even horizontal line - on it and the start bar will be aligned.

The fixing of the profile to the wall is made by dowels with washer, size 6 - 7 mm - they are usually screwed( screwed in) every 350 ÷ 400 mm.

At the corners of the house the starting bars are fastened with special angular joints made of plastic. It is these parts that will be compensators for temperature drops that suppress the linear expansion of the material.

Installation of insulation

When the base for the installation of foam is fixed, the next stage goes conducting communications, which must be hidden under the layer of insulation, and securing the ebbs under the windows.

• After these actions you can proceed to install the insulation on the slopes of the windows.
• The instructions for manufacturing the adhesive mass - are studied in advance, it must be kneaded strictly according to the specified proportions.

• The adhesive is applied to the foam plates pointwise and on all edges. The thickness of the applied layer will depend on how much the surface of the wall is leveled. For example, if there are unevennesses of 9-15 mm on the wall, then the solution is applied with a thickness of 12-20 mm.

• Measurements are taken from the window and door slopes, and a heater is cut out on them. Then it is applied glue mass. The blanks are applied and pressed against the slopes. When this work is completed, go to the insulation of the main surface of the walls.
• Installation of foam begins from the bottom of the wall, with the support of the profile prepared for it. The slab with applied on it glue well pressed to the wall and hold for a few seconds.
• The second plate is also pressed against the wall and the is aligned with its in level. The first row is also output in the same way.
• The second row is set so that the seams between the plates form the letter T - the "" dressing in the bandage "is formed, by analogy with the pattern of brickwork.

• . Throughout the work, the evenness of the wall is constantly controlled by the building level, so it should always be at hand.
• The joints between the foam plates should be 2 ÷ 3 mm, and no more. Excess glue, protruding from the seams when at rusting foam to the wall, you need to carefully remove.
• If the distance between the plates is wider( for example, because of light curvature of the walls or due to a violation of the integrity of the edge of the foam panels), then the thermal effect kt zn will decrease significantly. Therefore in this case , until the glue between the installed blocks is finally dried, it is removed, leaving an empty space instead of seams, which later should be filled with a mounting foam.
• To give the clutch the rigidity of at the corners , both outer and inner, the slabs in these places are laid with " jagged" joint over the entire height of the building.

• When the installation work on the insulation is complete, the walls are left to dry. The drying time is two with a half or three days, depending on the characteristic to lei.

• After this time, each of the plates is nailed in 4 ÷ 5 places to the wall with "fungi" - dowels. It is specially designed for such insulation elements consisting of a sleeve,with a hat on top and to in the sleeve and fastening the nail, which wedges the anchor in the thickness of the wall material.

On slopes and other difficult areas, if necessary, additional fastening elements are used.

To fix the plates with such dowels, a hole with a diameter of usually 8 mm is drilled directly through the foil in the sten at a depth of 50-60 mm. A fungus is placed in it, and a special nail is driven into the hole in the middle. The hat of the fungus should press the foam against ene, and stop the at the same level with the surface of the insulation.

Install in fastening elements, they need to be covered on top with a small layer of putty .

• Next, you need to reinforce the corners of the building with a reinforcing mesh with plastic or aluminum corners, since this - is the most vulnerable place, where chipped and cracking is the first to occur. At the corners the adhesive mass is applied, on top its the corners are planted, the serpyanka is pressed with a spatula from both sides of the corner, and the is going to be surplus to lei.

• After the glue has dried at the corners, it is necessary to stretch the reinforcing mesh over the whole surface of the walls. It decomposes the onto the onto the worn onto the surface of the adhesive starting on top of the wall. Individual its canvases are laid overlapped by .The glue is applied gradually, in the course of the work, the net is smoothed to the surface with a wide spatula or a smoothing brush like " Christmas tree ", that is, movements from the middle to the edges. For better adhesion of the adhesive to the surface of the foam, it is recommended to walk in advance with coarse-grained sandpaper.

• When the glue under the mesh dries, is put on top of this layer , which should completely hide the sickle and level the surface of the walls for finishing plastering.
• Aspen in Surface of walls, its must be left to dry for three days. After that, a primer is applied to the surface, is enriched with with purified quartz sand. This is necessary to create conditions for good adhesion of the wall with decorative plaster.

Plaster application is considered in other publications of our portal.

Video: master class on facade insulation with expanded polystyrene

Knowing the details of the technological process, and having tools and materials for the work, the insulation can be carried out independently. Warming the house with your own hands, you can get significant savings not only on paying for fuel, but also on construction work, which is not cheap .