Thermal insulation of the attic as a way to save
Nowadays, expanded polystyrene or, in other words, styrofoam is better known as a packaging material, rather than as a heater. As a result, glass fiber and mineral wool are not very useful for health, they are more popular than the widespread foam. Meanwhile, the insulation of the attic with polystyrene foam would save a lot of money. Especially since the second life as a thermal insulation can get ordinary packages of foam, although, of course, it is better to use special heat insulation plates. The latter include expanded polystyrene slabs with a groove joint, very convenient for installation. So, inexpensive and widely available, light and durable, polystyrene foam can provide your attic with excellent thermal insulation.
Foam plates are laid, designed to insulate the attic, as usual, from the inside of the roof, between the rafters. Knowledgeable people advise to lay polystyrene foam with a gap of 5 millimeters( if it is not polystyrene plates), and the resulting gaps fill with construction foam. This is not an accident, the fact is that the roof eventually gives a slight shrinkage under its own weight, and the foam plates, laid out to the back, can begin to press against each other. As a result, the seams can swell. Correctly laid slabs of foam in combination with a mounting foam is a guaranteed lack of bridges for cold.
Steam-proof expanded polystyrene, which also has an extremely high moisture resistance, does not need additional protective layers, like a vapor barrier, for example.
Of course, what to hide, there is a foam and negative sides. So, expanded polystyrene is easily occupied by mold and other fungi, especially in areas with high humidity. In addition, it is important to know - the foam is very afraid of fire and no impregnations and coatings will help it to increase resistance to high temperatures, at which it starts to melt, and then flashes. When burning foam gives off acrid black smoke( very poisonous), which can considerably reduce the chances of salvation during a fire. Think about the probability of a fire in a wooden house belonging to you and whether it is worth creating a thermal insulation of the roof with expanded polystyrene, especially if the walls were insulated with polystyrene, when there is, for example, basalt mineral wool.
Insulation of the attic with mineral wool - the arguments "For" and "Against"
When choosing the building materials, many of us put first of all the price, and secondarily the characteristics. And the reason for this is not so much a recent crisis as an elementary desire to save money. True, with mineral wool you will not get it, it does not apply to budget materials. However, the characteristics will justify everything that will be spent on the mineral wool, which is fireproof( withstands temperatures up to 1000 degrees), moisture resistant, has a considerable margin of hardness and is also an excellent soundproofing device. And all this goes only in addition to excellent thermal insulation properties.
Insulation of the attic with mineral wool is also carried out easily, as well as the above-described work with expanded polystyrene plates. However, other insulation layers, such as a superdiffusion membrane, located directly on the lathing with the transition to rafters, are neglected. Already on top of this moisture-proof layer with a small air gap, plates of basalt mineral wool are laid, which is then covered with a vapor barrier and then with finishing decorative panels or plasterboard. Minvatoj also it is possible to make and internal warming of walls.
However, it should be borne in mind that minvate is not a safe material and should be chosen carefully, giving preference to well-known manufacturers. The fact is that the slightest violation of norms and standards in the manufacture of mineral wool makes it extremely dangerous for the health of .Companies that have long established themselves in the Russian market, guarantee the quality of their products, but dozens of little-known firms involved in the production of mineral wools give such guarantees, for the most part, without foundation.
As a result, you risk acquiring a mineral wool, which in time will lose its stiffness, turning into a dust of many hard mineral fibers, the smallest and sometimes imperceptible to the naked eye. Getting into the airways and eyes, these particles can cause a lot of diseases. And the formaldehyde resins used as a binder, with the wrong production technology, eventually start to release substances harmful to humans: actually, formaldehyde and phenol. Hence follows - choose a minate with an eye on the reputation of the manufacturer, or give preference to less harmful materials, polyurethane foam, for example.
Insulation of the attic with polyurethane foam as an alternative to other materials
If you have the spare means and the desire to have a quality heat insulation of the attic with a small amount of labor, consider such an option as polyurethane foam. In fact, this insulation is strikingly different from polystyrene and mineral wool already at least in that it does not fit in slabs or mats, but is applied by spraying. Externally, the polyurethane foam resembles a mounting foam, especially after hardening, but it is completely unlike its structure, being a kind of gas-filled plastics, that is, a relative of expanded polystyrene. Hardened, polyurethane foam has a density of mineral wool, and its thermal insulation properties surpasses all other insulation, including penoizol. Moreover, this material is also a vapor barrier with high water resistance, that is, there are no additional protective layers for its use.
To realize the attic insulation with polyurethane foam, only a special sprayer, dense work clothes with a hood and sleeves, tight gloves and, preferably, a mask is needed. The reason for the need for such equipment is not the harmfulness of the insulation, but its remarkable adhesion( adhesion to any surfaces).If your hair gets such a foam, resistant not only to household chemicals, but also to gasoline, as well as to weak acids, there will be nothing else than to take the razor and completely get rid of the scalp. Using the same minimal means of protection, you very quickly cover the entire inner part of the roof between the rafters with a thick layer of insulation( average speed of work - up to 500 square meters per day ).A uniform layer excludes the appearance of bridges for cold and damp, and also provides a high reliability of thermal insulation, which often begins to break down along the line of joints( if any).
However, there are disadvantages even for such a wonderful material. First of all, this is, of course, the price, but, given the characteristics of polyurethane foam, this is only an indirect drawback. A low level of resistance to esters and concentrated acids can also be attributed to minuses only in part, because hardly anyone will be visited by the idea of pouring a roof with sulfuric acid. But the low heat resistance of polyurethane foam is really a serious flaw in the properties of the material, after all, even if it has a low level of flammability, it begins to break down already at 80-90 degrees, and at higher temperatures it can also ignite. Therefore, it is worth considering what exactly you would like to insulate the attic, and how to minimize the shortcomings of this or that material.
