How to insulate the floor of an apartment on the first floor. Insulation of floors in a first floor apartment. Proper use of extruded polystyrene when creating floor insulation

The floor is the coolest surface of the room. Up to 20-30% of the heat can escape from a room through a poorly insulated floor! This mainly happens on the first floors with an unheated basement. At the same time, heating bills increase, but the rooms are still cold. In this case, it’s time to start thinking about how to insulate the floors in the apartment. This will help reduce heat loss and create a more comfortable indoor climate.

Insulation of floors is relevant not only for a private home. It is often necessary to insulate the floor in an apartment on the ground floor, in this case it is simply necessary. It is possible to carry out thermal insulation work with your own hands, the main thing is to choose the right material and become familiar with the installation technology.

Materials for floor insulation must meet certain requirements: lightness, strength, durability, high thermal insulation characteristics.

Materials with the desired properties include: mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, polystyrene foam, expanded clay, wood shavings.

Mineral wool. Effective for sound and heat insulation. Fireproof (has high fire resistance), not susceptible to mold and mildew. Flaw– this is hygroscopicity, the ingress of moisture reduces its properties.

Expanded polystyrene, foam plastic. Lightweight, durable, retain heat well, and do not allow external noise into the room. They are not afraid of water, do not deform, and are easy to install.

Expanded clay, wood shavings. Bulk materials, inexpensive, environmentally friendly. They have quite significant disadvantages. The shavings are afraid of moisture and are susceptible to rotting; insects and mice infest them. Expanded clay is not afraid of water and is durable, but it can place a strong load on structures if the insulation layer is too large.

Penoplex. Modern material, is rapidly gaining popularity. Simple technology installation, it is possible to perform insulation yourself. Available in slab form.

Methods for insulating the floor of an apartment on the first floor

When choosing a method for thermal insulation, you should take into account the design features of the building and the peculiarities of the insulation installation method. Insulation of floors in a ground floor apartment can be done in several ways:

Installation of thermal insulation from the outside, from the basement side. For insulating the floor of an apartment located on the ground floor, this method is very effective.
Floor insulation using joists. This will require complete dismantling of the old coating.
Using a screed over the insulation.

All that remains is to choose more convenient way. After all the work is completed, heat leaks will stop, a comfortable microclimate will be created in the apartment, and heating bills will decrease.

Insulation of the floor of a first floor apartment from the basement side with polystyrene foam

IN ordinary houses Concrete floor slabs are used, which on the ground floor border the basement. Unheated and damp room takes away an overwhelming amount of heat. To achieve maximum results, it is necessary to carry out work on insulating the floor of the apartment from the basement. How to do this?

You don't need expensive insulation materials. The floors in a ground floor apartment from the basement can be insulated with foam plastic 50 mm thick.
Before you start installing the insulation, you must polyurethane foam blow out all the cracks between the slabs and along the perimeter from the basement.
Next, treat the concrete surface of the slab with a liquid primer deep penetration. It is applied with a brush.
All that remains is to insulate the subfloor with sheets of foam plastic. They are glued to the ceiling using Ceresit adhesive or construction adhesive, they will provide reliable fastening insulation to the surface.
When the glue has completely hardened, the gaps between the plates must be sealed using sealant or polyurethane foam.

This method can be used to insulate wooden floors. Only in this case, it is recommended to additionally secure the foam sheets with the help of double-umbrellas. This way you will retain heat in the house and additionally protect wooden floors from exposure to dampness from the basement.

The floor is the coolest surface of the room. Even with relatively warm temperature air, the floor may remain cold. There is nothing strange about this. Let's remember the laws of physics: cool air always goes down, and warm air always goes up. But that's not all. The cold penetrates into the floors of our apartments through interpanel joints, corner cracks, and damp basements. Up to 20-30% of the heat can escape from a room through a poorly insulated floor! At the same time, heating bills increase, but the rooms are still cold. In this case, it’s time to start thinking about how to insulate the floors in the apartment. This will help reduce heat loss and create a more comfortable indoor climate.

Choosing insulation material

The floor is insulated with materials with high thermal insulation properties, which prevent heat from escaping outside the room. For these purposes, the most popular are:

Bulk materials(expanded clay, wood concrete, shavings) - have good thermal insulation qualities and are relatively inexpensive;
Mineral wool and glass wool- effective in terms of heat and sound insulation, fireproof, not susceptible to infection by fungi and rodent attacks, hygroscopic (require mandatory vapor barrier);
Polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam- materials are moisture resistant, not subject to deformation, do not ignite, conduct heat poorly, and dampen sound noise.

It is impossible to say which of these materials is the best. You need to choose based on your financial capabilities and the functionality of the insulated room.

Insulation of a wooden base

The traditional method of insulation is to lay the selected type of heat insulator in the space between the joists.

Scheme of insulation of a wooden floor by logs

To do this, perform the following steps. First of all, remove the old one flooring, open the floor. Lay a layer of vapor barrier, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene film. Unroll the material and lay the strips over the wooden floor frame, overlapping them by 15-20 cm. The joints are securely insulated with special tape. When laying, place a vapor barrier film on the walls to a height of 3-5 cm.

Laying a vapor barrier film is necessary to prevent moisture from penetrating into the insulation layer

Insulation is laid between the joists. When using expanded clay, it is poured evenly between the joists, leveling it to the same level as a rule. Sheet or roll insulation is laid close to the joists, without gaps.

Formation of an insulating layer of mineral wool

On top of the insulation (if mineral wool or glass wool was used) create another layer of vapor barrier.

The second layer of vapor barrier protects the insulation from steam penetrating into the ceiling from the room

Expanded polystyrene is an affordable insulation material that does not absorb moisture and is quite easy to install. You can read more about the use of such material in our article:.

Lay on top of an insulated floor wooden boards, thick plywood, OSB or GVL sheets.

If necessary, install the finishing coating: laminate, parquet, linoleum, carpet, etc.

Insulation of concrete floor

In most cases, the floors in apartments in city high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete slabs. The concrete floor itself is very cold, but if you add to this the gaps between the slabs and insufficiently tight joints between the walls and the floor, then it becomes truly icy. Therefore, insulation of concrete surfaces is a top priority for residents of multi-storey buildings who seek to increase comfort in their apartments.

Each master involved in insulation develops his own formula for the ideal insulation “pie” on concrete slabs. Let's look at the most popular possible options.

Option No. 1 - insulation + screed

The thermal insulation properties of a concrete floor can be significantly improved by laying insulation between the floor slab and the cement leveling screed. In this case, floor insulation in the apartment is performed as follows. The first step is to remove the old floor covering and remove the screed. The surface of the slab is cleaned of debris, dust, and unevenness from cement screed residues is eliminated.

Insulating the floor in an apartment using thermal insulation material and reinforced screed

Then a vapor barrier is performed. A polyethylene or polypropylene film is laid on the concrete base, laying the strips overlapping by 15-20 cm and extending 3-5 cm onto the walls. The overlap joints are insulated with special tape. Foam plastic with a minimum thickness of 50 mm and a density of 25 mm is laid on the vapor barrier film. Instead of polystyrene foam, you can use polystyrene foam, mineral wool, etc. The insulation sheets are laid as closely as possible to each other so that cold bridges do not form in the seams. After this, another layer of vapor barrier is laid. If polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene were used as insulation, then this step can be skipped.

Now they're laying down metal mesh with square cells (cell side – 50-100 mm). The mesh will act as a frame for the cement screed, making it more durable. Pour over the mesh cement screed with a minimum thickness of 50 mm. A thinner screed will be unreliable - after a while it will begin to crack and crumble. The cement screed must dry, this will take about two weeks. After which, to strengthen the top layer, it is necessary to cover it with a primer. After all this, any decorative covering is laid on the screed.

Expanded clay is well suited for insulating concrete floors. You will learn about how to properly use such insulation in the material:.

Option No. 2 - insulation along joists, without the use of wet processes

This option is similar to insulating a wooden floor. The difference is that the thickness of the wooden floor initially contains logs, between which it is convenient to lay any type of insulation. In the case of concrete floors These logs will have to be constructed independently.

Insulation of the concrete floor along the joists eliminates wet processes and does not burden the ceiling

Technology for insulating concrete floors using joists:

1. Clean first concrete slab from old screed, debris and dust.

2. Arrange waterproofing. It is convenient to use ready-made waterproofing polymer-bitumen solutions, which are applied to the concrete surface with a roller or brush. Another option is to use a vapor barrier film for these purposes, which is laid out overlapping on the floor, extending onto the adjacent walls. If you want to save money, then the most suitable material for hydro- and vapor barrier would be ordinary polyethylene film.

3. Install the logs at a distance of no more than 0.9 m from each other; if you take a step larger, the floors will sag. Instead of logs, if you plan to use bulk material for insulation, metal beacons are attached to the floor.

Installation wooden logs on concrete floor

4. Lay the selected insulation. Both mineral wool and polystyrene foam, and any type of bulk thermal insulation materials are suitable. Insulation in the form of sheets or rolls is laid out tightly, without gaps between the joists. Bulk material(for example, expanded clay) are poured between the beacons and leveled to one level using a metal rule.

5. Lay the floor. To do this, you can use sheets of plywood, gypsum fiber board, OSB, Chipboard thickness 10-15 mm. It is safer to lay them in two layers so that the seams bottom sheets covered with panels of top sheets. Thus, the floor covering will be seamless, which will eliminate the possibility of cold bridges. After laying, the layers of sheets are connected to each other and to the joists (beacons) using self-tapping screws.

Laying sheets of dense material (plywood, gypsum fiber board, etc.) on joists

6. Suitable for any finishing floor covering.

IN short video They will clearly demonstrate the process of insulation using joists:

Features of floor insulation by spraying

In addition to the insulation methods described above, there is another, professional one - spraying a thin layer of polyurethane foam (PPS) onto the base of the floor. As a result, a monolithic surface devoid of seams with a thickness of 50-100 mm is formed on the ceiling. The technology for applying PPS involves the use of special equipment and certain skills, so this work can only be done by specialists.

Equipment used for spraying high pressure, which allows you to apply the material to the floor in the form of an aerosol liquid. Within seconds, this liquid spray layer turns into rigid polyurethane foam. The effectiveness of the resulting thermal insulation layer is superior to any other insulation - PPS has a thermal conductivity coefficient that is lower than that of mineral wool, polystyrene foam, expanded clay, foam concrete, etc. In addition, polyurethane foam is absolutely moisture resistant, so it does not require additional waterproofing or vapor barrier. This material does not require floor preparation before application, is not damaged by rodents, does not rot, and does not burn. The service life of the thermal insulation layer of PPS is estimated by the manufacturers of this material at 30-50 years.

Polyurethane foam - effective way creating an insulating and waterproofing coating in the apartment

Alternative methods of insulation

If heat loss through the floor is small, then you can use more in simple ways insulation. Their essence is to use a material with a low thermal conductivity coefficient as a floor covering.

The simplest thing is to lay a carpet or carpet over the existing floor. Products made from natural wool with long pile have the greatest insulating properties.

Another option is to use thickened linoleum on a warm substrate (felt, jute) or on a foam base. Similarly, you can “insulate” the laminate by laying a thickened backing made of cork, polyethylene foam or polystyrene foam underneath it.

Thus, in order for the floor to maintain a comfortable temperature even in winter, it is not necessary to use additional systems heating and “warm floor” construction. In most cases, to increase the floor temperature by several degrees, it is enough to properly insulate it using available materials.

Insulation of the ground floor floor, choice of thermal insulation material and installation technology for each type of insulation.

The need for floor insulation on the first floor

Thermal insulation of floors on the ground floor is necessary both in a private house and in an apartment building. In the first case, insulation will help save a decent amount of money on energy, which is important for the cold season; in the second, it will make the apartment cozy and warm.

IN multi-storey buildings, especially panel ones, the basements are always cold. As a result, in winter, no matter how hot the radiators are, the floor always remains cool, and the temperature in the apartment often drops below the comfort level.

Thus, there are quite a few reasons to insulate the floors of the first floor in a house:

Saving money. Up to 30% of the heat escapes through the floor. By insulating it, you can save a lot. The question is relevant for owners of private residential buildings.
Improved tactile sensations. Walking on a cold floor barefoot is unpleasant. You have to wear slippers and socks to boot. The insulated floor is pleasant to the touch; you can walk on it barefoot without fear of getting sick.
Eliminating dampness. On the ground floor of a private house, moisture penetrates from the ground, in a high-rise building - from the basement. Most insulation requires waterproofing of the base. After laying them, the floor will always be dry.

Selection of material for insulating the floor of the first floor

Before insulating the floor, you need to decide on the material that will be used. The insulation market is diverse. On sale you can find thermal insulation made from natural substances and synthetic ones. To select optimal material Based on the technical characteristics/price ratio, you will have to look at each type separately and then draw conclusions.

To insulate the floor of the first floor in a private house or high-rise building, the following materials are used:

Expanded clay. Made from pure clay, which is fired in ovens at high temperatures. There are three fractions - crushed stone, gravel, sand. For best thermal insulation floors use a mixture of two fractions (gravel, crushed stone, sand is obtained by partial destruction of the material at the time of installation). The insulation varies in density. To insulate the floor, you need to choose a fairly dense material. Expanded clay absorbs moisture well and does not release it well, so waterproofing is required during installation. This can be mastic or thick plastic film. The thermal conductivity of expanded clay is 0.18 W/m*K.
Ecowool. It is made from waste paper from the paper industry. Borax and boric acid are used as mandatory additives. Borax is a strong antiseptic that prevents moisture accumulation and rotting. Boric acid acts as a fire retardant, making ecowool less fire hazardous. The insulation goes on sale in highly compressed form in plastic bags. Before work, you need to fluff it up using a drill with a mixing attachment and first dumping the contents of the bag into a large tank. Thermal conductivity of ecowool is 0.032-0.041 W/m*K. The insulation is air and vapor permeable. Double-sided waterproofing is not required, since when wet, ecowool forms a thick, fairly durable crust and protects the rest of the insulation, while the thermal conductivity remains at the same level. Fire hazard class - G2, non-spontaneous. Ecowool is not interesting for mice.
Mineral wool. There are three varieties - glass wool, slag wool, basalt wool. The best technical characteristics The last one is different, it costs 30 percent more. Available in rolls, mats, slabs. Thermal conductivity depends on density: the higher it is, the better material conducts heat. Technical characteristics of mineral wool: low thermal conductivity (0.032-0.045 W/m*K), good air and vapor permeability. The insulation does not burn; it melts at a temperature of +1000°C. Mineral wool is not interesting for mice.
Expanded polystyrene. This includes regular polystyrene foam and the brand of extruded polystyrene foam that has become a household name, penoplex. Despite the same base, insulation materials differ not only in appearance, but also in technical characteristics. Penoplex is better than polystyrene foam in many respects: thermal conductivity - 0.032 W/m*K, water absorption - 0.4% (4% for polystyrene foam), flammability group - G1-G4. The insulation does not allow moisture to pass through and is easy to cut. True, it is expensive. It is cheaper to use simple foam plastic for a regular cement screed, and penoplex for a “warm floor” system.
Polyurethane foam. It has low thermal conductivity (0.019-0.028 W/m*K), almost zero water absorption and low vapor permeability, fire hazard class - G2-G3 (GOST 12.1.044), absolutely inert to chemical media and natural solvents, uninteresting to rodents. It is applied using a special installation that sprays the material under pressure. If you purchase it (disposable ones are available), then all the work can be done with your own hands. Polyurethane foam comes in different densities (from 18 to 300 kg/m3), the lower this indicator, the weaker the thermal insulation layer will be in terms of mechanical strength. The material “grows” strongly when in contact with air, covering all cracks and pores, and has excellent adhesion to any type of substrate.
Foil insulation. Presented on construction market rolls of thin mineral wool or polyethylene foam. Such thermal insulation has two purposes - insulation and repulsion of heat back into the room. In order for the foil thermal insulation to work correctly, a counter-lattice is installed (the thickness of the timber is 3 cm or more), and a tongue-and-groove board is laid on top as the finishing floor covering.

Before floor insulation work, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the insulating material. If you lay too thin a layer, the desired effect of protection against the penetration of cold will not be achieved; if you install too thick insulation, extra financial resources will be spent, which is impractical.

First floor floor thermal insulation technology

Each of the listed insulation materials is installed in its own way. It also matters what kind of base needs to be insulated - solid concrete, wood or a floor with joists. Expanded clay and expanded polystyrene are laid both under the concrete screed and under the finished wooden floor. Expanded clay is also poured over the joists with mandatory double-sided waterproofing. Penoplex (extruded polystyrene foam) is always placed under “warm floor” systems, ecowool is poured into the cavity between the subfloor and the finished floor, mineral wool is laid along the joists and is never used in concrete screed due to insufficient strength characteristics and increased water absorption. Foil insulation is not used independently, as it is thin.

Insulation of the floor on the first floor with expanded clay

Several types of floors are insulated with this material: on the ground, in houses on screw piles, by lags. The first two options are similar in installation technology.

For work you will need: expanded clay, cement mixture (concrete screed), mixing container, drill with mixer attachment, trowel, reinforcing mesh, dense polyethylene (thickness 200 microns and above), rake.

The procedure for insulating the concrete floor of the first floor:

Disassemble the finished floor. Carefully remove the wooden one, inspect each floorboard, remove the old paint, treat it with antiseptics, set it aside to dry, then lay it horizontally so that it does not become warped. Other types of flooring, tiles, plywood, chipboard, are dismantled and thrown away.
Inspect the rough base, remove debris and dust, check for evenness with a level. This is necessary to pour expanded clay as evenly as possible, without differences in height.
Treat the subfloor with an antiseptic and let it dry.
Lay polyethylene, be sure to place it on the walls, 5-7 centimeters above the level of the intended finished floor. Trim after installing baseboards. Secure the film joints with tape.
Pour out the expanded clay, level it with a rake, check with a level in places where there were deviations from the horizontal. Add insulation there, if necessary, and level it again.
Spray the expanded clay with cement laitance. This will strengthen the adhesion between the granules.
Install the reinforcing mesh. The height of the installation posts is 3 cm.
Shut up cement mixture water according to the instructions, let stand for 5 minutes and stir again.
Fill the floor in parts, first carefully leveling each of them with a trowel and checking with a level.
Allow the surface to dry and gain working strength. This will take about a month (28 days).
Install the finishing coat. Don't forget to install baseboards and trim off excess plastic film.

The procedure for insulating the floor of the first floor with expanded clay on the ground and if the house is on stilts is approximately the same. The tools and materials are the same as when working with a concrete base. Additionally, you will need sand and crushed stone to arrange the pillow.

We do the work like this:

Disassemble the floor.
Remove the top layer of soil and go deeper into the soil about half a meter.
Compact the bottom of the resulting pit. For these purposes, either a small roller, or a special machine, or homemade device, consisting of a heavy handle and a dense, durable sole of any size.
Fill the sand with a layer of 10 cm, spill it with water, compact it.
Lay crushed stone on top of the sand in a layer of 15 cm, compact it. Here it is better to use a special tamping machine.
Fill the sand again (10 cm), spill it with water, compact it. Check the resulting surface for evenness with a level.
Lay plastic film, place it on the walls to a height of 5-7 cm above the level of the future finished floor, secure the joints with tape.
Pour out expanded clay, layer thickness at least 15 cm, level with a rake and pour in cement laitance.
Install the reinforcing mesh.
Pour the concrete screed and let it dry for a month.
Apply the finishing coat. Install baseboards. Trim off excess waterproofing film.

It is also possible to insulate with expanded clay along the joists. In this case, the rough base is cleaned, plastic film is laid and secured to the joists with a construction stapler. The joints of the film are fixed with construction tape. Expanded clay is poured flush between the joists. Another layer of polyethylene is mounted on top and a tongue and groove board is laid - the finishing floor.

Important! For houses on pile foundation no excavation required. The thickness of the sand-crushed stone cushion, insulation and concrete screed should reach the level of the finished floor in the house.

Thermal insulation of the first floor floor with mineral wool

For such thermal insulation it is convenient to use rolls. They are cut to size before installation. The width of the roll should be half a centimeter greater than the pitch of the log. You can also use mats. Mineral wool is used to insulate the wooden floor on the first floor along the joists.

Work order:

Remove old wood flooring. Inspect the boards, remove old paint, sand, treat with antiseptic. Leave to dry, then lay horizontally.
Remove debris and dust from the subfloor. Carefully inspect the logs and replace any rotten ones.
Treat all joists with an antiseptic and let dry.
Lay thick polyethylene, insulate the joints with construction tape, and secure the waterproofing with a stapler to the joists.
Cut the mineral wool and place it between the joists. The insulation must lie tightly!
Cover the top of the material with a vapor barrier membrane, also connect the joints with tape and attach them to the joists with a stapler.
Lay the prepared old boards. Install the baseboard.
Trim off excess waterproofing.
Paint the finished coating.

If a private house has a basement, you can insulate the floor mineral wool below. In this case, you will need the help of someone from your family or friends. The ceiling in the basement needs to be primed with an antiseptic, then install a lag system as thick as insulation, cut the mineral wool, and secure it waterproofing film, lay thermal insulation between the joists, cover it on top with a vapor barrier membrane and carry out finishing, For example, moisture resistant plywood. In this case, the height of the living space will remain the same, and the floor temperature will become much more comfortable.

Floor insulation on the first floor with ecowool

This insulation is laid in several ways: blown, sprayed (water or adhesive composition), fall asleep. For independent work, only one option is suitable - backfilling.

It is convenient to insulate wooden floors in this way:

Disassemble the finished floor.
Treat the boards in the same way as with mineral wool.
Clean the base from dust and debris.
Open the bag of insulation and place it in a large tank.
Fluff the material using a drill with a mixer attachment.
Lay a layer of waterproofing, dense polyethylene will do. Secure the joints with tape. Don't forget about climbing the walls.
Place ecowool in the first compartment between the joists. Start tamping using a wide trowel, or make a tamping surface with a trowel-type handle.
Press until you feel significant force under your hands.
Add insulation and repeat the steps. The final option is tightly laid insulation flush with the level of the joist.
Repeat all steps with the remaining cells between the lags.
Lay down the final covering, install skirting boards and trim off excess waterproofing.

Thermal insulation of the floor on the first floor with polystyrene foam

For thermal insulation of the floor on the ground or in a house on a pile foundation, it is recommended to use polystyrene foam (under a concrete screed). If you need to insulate a concrete base, polystyrene foam is also poured into the concrete screed. It is important to consider the height of the room here. IN standard apartments with a ceiling height of 2.3-2.4 m, such insulation will “eat” at least 10 cm.

Polystyrenes are sensitive to the quality of the base on which they are laid. If there are obvious bulges and large horizontal deviations, this insulation may crack under load. Therefore, it may additionally be necessary to level the subfloor, and this will take another 3-5 cm of the height of the room.

If it's the only one possible option, proceed according to the following plan:

Remove finishing- remove the wooden floorboards, tiles shoot down.
Inspect the base and check for evenness with a level.
If the height differences are more than 1.5 cm per linear meter, there are humps, the base needs to be leveled. Knock out any uneven surfaces, dust off the floor, and pour a self-leveling cement screed of the required thickness (3-5 cm). Let it dry and gain working strength.
Next, proceed directly to insulation.
Cut the foam using a small hacksaw.
Lay thick polyethylene on the subfloor, connect the edges of the panels with construction tape, place the film on the walls and secure.
Lay the foam in two layers. This way you will avoid cold bridges. Place the first layer with the vertical seams bandaged. The second is similar, but above each seam of the first layer there should be a whole slab from the second. Also observe the dressing.
Install the reinforcing mesh. The height of the racks should be 3 centimeters.
Prepare the mixture for the screed: mix with water according to the instructions, stir using a drill with a mixing attachment.
Concreting the base. Fill the floor in sections. Smooth each section with a trowel and check for evenness with a level.
Wait completely dry and strength gain (approximately 28 days, depending on conditions).
Carry out a clean finish. The best option- tiles, laminate, linoleum, carpet. A wooden floor on joists will “take up” additional centimeters of height, so this option is for standard premises unacceptable.

Insulation of the floor of the first floor with polystyrene foam on the ground or in a house on joists is carried out similarly to thermal insulation with expanded clay.

Brief technology:

Disassemble the floor, remove the top layer of soil, and go half a meter into it.
Make a sand and crushed stone cushion.
Lay polyethylene on top of the insulation board, observing the dressing.
Install the reinforcing mesh and pour the concrete screed.

Just as in the case of expanded clay insulation, in houses on a pile foundation, digging a pit is not required to insulate the first floor. Level the soil surface and compact it. Next, accurately calculate the thickness of the thermal insulation cake: sand-crushed stone cushion + insulation + concrete screed.

Its height should completely cover the distance between the soil and the finished floor in the house. A recess below the soil level may be required only if there is not enough space from the ground to the floor to install a fully insulated concrete screed.

Combined thermal insulation of the ground floor floor

It is optimal to insulate the floor with penoplex on the first floor in combination with foil insulation (it is better to take foil insulation, it is thinner than foil mineral wool in rolls). In the case of such thermal insulation, the finishing coating can only be a tongue-and-groove board laid along the joists, otherwise the foil will not work.

Installation technology of a combined thermal insulation cake:

Remove old topcoat.
Clear the rough base of debris and inspect the joists.
If necessary, replace rotten joists, lay new ones, and treat all wooden parts with an antiseptic.
Lay foam boards. The thickness of the insulation is flush with the joists. The material should be placed in the niches as tightly as possible. The slabs should not hang around!
Cover the insulation with foil insulation on top, overlap and secure the joints with metallized tape, attach to the joists.
Install the counter-lattice. Use timber at least 3 cm thick.
Lay tongue and groove board (finish floor).

Insulation of floors on the first floor with polyurethane foam

This material gives a lot of scope for action. They can easily be insulated both from the inside (from the side of the living room) and from the outside (from the basement side, or to fill the space between the ground and the floor with material if the house is on stilts).

Typically, professionals are hired for such work. This is due to the fact that spraying polyurethane foam requires a special installation. However, progress does not stand still. Disposable installations have appeared on sale; they are not cheap, however, if you make a full calculation, there will still be a certain benefit.

If you decide to insulate the floor on the first floor with polyurethane foam yourself, choose the Foam Kit system. Attached to the equipment detailed instructions according to the sequence of actions, so no special skills are required. Such installations do not need to be connected to the electrical network, which is very convenient when insulating the floor in a country house if there is no electricity.

The second problem that will have to be solved is the polyurethane foam (PPU) itself. It must be of high quality, only in this case the insulation layer will be durable and will have excellent technical characteristics.

PPU spraying technology:

Prepare the base in the standard way - remove debris, prime with an antiseptic.
If the base is concrete, without joists, install a system of wooden beacons (they are similar to joists, their height is equal to the thickness of the thermal insulation layer). If there are logs, insulation is carried out directly along them.
Spray polyurethane foam in one cell. Apply the composition evenly. It expands in size when exposed to air, so take your time. If in any place the layer thickness is insufficient, add a little material.
Process the remaining cells in the same way.
After the polyurethane foam has hardened, cut off the excess flush with the joists and lay the finishing coating from tongue-and-groove boards.

Important! Do not work with polyurethane foam at low and negative temperatures. This will have a bad effect on the quality of the thermal insulation layer. Optimal temperature for working with polyurethane foam - +10+40°C.

How to make a heated floor on the first floor

The ideal and most expensive option is to install a “warm floor” system on the ground floor. This work is not labor-intensive, but you must have knowledge of electrical engineering. If you don’t want to understand this, but still want to save money, carry out preliminary combined floor insulation with penoplex (insulation plus foil thermal insulation), and invite professionals to lay the heated floor.

In this case, the installation of penoplex will be carried out not along the logs, but as under a concrete screed:

Swipe preparatory work for cleaning the base and leveling it.
Lay the penoplex in two layers, seal the joints with tape or a special sealant.
Cover the top of the insulation with thin foil thermal insulation, and cover the joints with metallized tape.

How to insulate the floor on the first floor - watch the video:

To properly insulate the floor on the first floor, you need to have an idea of thermal insulation materials, be able to select and calculate them correctly required thickness. All types of work can be done with your own hands; all you need is the desire to do everything efficiently and save the family budget.

Using reinforced concrete floor slabs, floor insulation in an apartment on the first floor can be done using dry or wet screed or lay thermal insulation between the wooden floor joists. After eliminating heat loss in the floors, you can significantly improve the quality of living by adding heated floor contours to the design.

When designing the insulation of a concrete floor on the first floor in an apartment or country house, you should take into account the features of existing thermal insulation materials:

Vapor barrier;
Thermal conductivity;
Density;
Price.

For the same conditions in construction, there are always several technical solutions. An option is selected with a rational combination of the construction budget, safety margin and operational life, taking into account the requirements of the developer and real conditions project.

Compatible with concrete and wood

Before insulating a concrete floor in an apartment on your own, you need to consider the following nuances:

the necessary increase in the level of the finishing floor covering;
the presence of underfloor heating circuits and its design (electric, water, film);
characteristics of the construction materials used.

To eliminate heat loss from the lower floor, foamed polymers are not considered in principle. The materials most in demand for these purposes are:

Important! Specific insulation materials should be considered only in conjunction with their installation technology. Since for some finishing floor coverings only screeds are suitable, for others - a wooden subfloor.

Layer thickness

Insulation materials have unequal thermal conductivity, which affects the thickness of the layer to eliminate the same heat loss. For the materials under consideration, this characteristic is:

The thermal conductivity of all of these insulation materials, with the exception of expanded clay, is approximately the same, operational properties are different. For example, ecowool is considered the only effective remedy against mice; in all other thermal insulators, these rodents either make passages or settle in families.

When choosing expanded clay, you will need a much larger layer to insulate the floor in your apartment with your own hands to the level of other materials. However, it is this bulk product that is used in dry screeds, which is why it is considered on an equal basis with the others.

Technology selection

Before insulating the floor on the first floor of an apartment, it is necessary to consider several technologies depending on factors:

room humidity - in bathrooms and kitchens there are hot water supply, cold water and sewage pipes, there is a high probability of leaks, so it is better not to use dry screeds and wooden floors on joists with your own hands, you should give preference to a concrete screed or self-leveling floor;
type of flooring - porcelain stoneware and tiles have a maximum service life exclusively on screeds; for parquet and tongue-and-groove boards, logs or a wooden subfloor are more convenient; for other coverings (laminate, carpet, linoleum, PVC tiles) there is not much difference.

However performance characteristics insulation materials limit their use in certain technologies:

it is impossible to lay ecowool in the screed;
expanded clay will mix with concrete and float to the surface, the thermal conductivity of the material will change and grinding or leveling with a self-leveling floor will be required;
foam glass and expanded polystyrene EPS will withstand any operational loads under a layer of concrete, will not get wet over time, and will retain their initial characteristics;
mineral wool will remove excess moisture from wooden logs, which penetrates inside the cake, despite the presence of vapor barrier membranes;
Ecowool is also hydrophobic and does not shrink, but it is more difficult to work with and it is almost impossible to install heated floor contours into the material.

Advice! Dry screed is chosen for residential premises to reduce repair time. In this technology, expanded clay is poured under the GVL slabs, finishing is possible on the same day.

Concrete screed

If there are slab reinforced concrete floors, the floor of the first floor is easiest to make using wet screed technology. Design features are:

minimum layer thickness – 3 cm;
construction material - sand concrete (proportion 1/3, cement, sand, respectively) or ready-mixed concrete with a fine filler fraction (crushed stone 5/20 mm);
waterproofing - applied on top of the floor slab, extending onto the walls by 15 - 20 cm, carried out using coating or pasting technology in a continuous layer;
insulation – foam glass or extruded polystyrene foam high density EPPS.

Wet screed with a layer of insulation.

The main advantage of a wet screed is the ability to add heated floor contours and acoustic material to the design.

Important! The thickness of the screed is calculated from the last (upper) layer located inside it, that is, from the insulation or water-heated floor pipes.

The technology has been thoroughly developed by generations of developers and does not have complex operations:

finding the top point - in all rooms at an arbitrary height, a laser plane builder creates marks of a single horizontal level, the distance from the line to the ceiling is measured, the smallest value will be in top point designs;
waterproofing - two layers of bitumen or polymer mastic or a waterproofing membrane;
laying insulation - a 5-10 cm thick layer of EPPS, filling the cracks with polyurethane foam;
installation of a damper - the walls at the junction points with the slab are covered with rubber tape or strips of insulation 2 cm thick are installed;
reinforcement - wire mesh is laid with an overlap of at least 5 cm on polymer spacers, ensuring protective layer concrete;
heated floor - used as needed, pipes are attached to the wire mesh with clamps or twisted wires;
– the profile is installed on a quick-hardening starting putty in a single horizontal level to ensure a screed thickness of at least 3 cm at the top point;
pouring - concrete is placed between the beacons, the excess is removed using a rule or a vibrating lath;
grinding - in order to reduce the thickness of the layer and level out possible unevenness of hardened concrete, the surface is processed with a grinder.

Instead of sanding, you can use a thin layer (5 - 10 mm), which can also serve as a finishing coat.

The main nuances in the production and implementation of the project are:

the thermal conductivity of the structure, even in a panel house, will be 0.25 - 0.35 W/m*K;
structural noise will decrease by 20 dBa, airborne noise by 3 dBa;
thermal insulation of the floor is ensured by a 2–8 cm layer of expanded clay sand, on top of which two layers of gypsum plasterboard are laid;
the compressive strength of the structure is 22 MPa, you can glue porcelain stoneware or install laminate.

You can walk on gypsum fiber boards during the installation process and cover them on the same day.

Advice! Despite the presence of moisture-resistant gypsum fiber board, it is better not to use this technology in kitchens, bathrooms, and other wet rooms. Even before laying the tiles, the surface of the gypsum fiber boards will have to be additionally treated with waterproofing, which will increase the repair budget.

Pay attention! In the video presented, the installation of a dry floor is carried out without a film underneath. If the apartment is located on the ground floor, then film is required.

Wooden floor with joists

In budget or, conversely, luxury interiors, wooden flooring is often used. Therefore, instead of a screed, you can immediately make a plank flooring or subfloor from wood-containing chipboard/OSB boards and plywood. Even though wood coverings have high thermal insulation properties, it may be necessary additional insulation, for example, if the 1st floor is located above the underground.

In this case, a leveling screed is not necessary; load-bearing structural elements - logs - are mounted level. The insulation is laid between them, it is protected from below by waterproofing, and from above by vapor barrier. There are no completely impermeable materials; a certain amount of moisture penetrates into the structure. Therefore, in this case, you should choose mineral or ecowool, which will partially absorb moisture and release it back when the microclimate in the room changes.

The best solution for this technology is an adjustable floor:

logs are placed on floor slabs on studs;
after adjusting the horizontal level, the protruding part of the studs is cut off by an angle grinder;
the space is filled with ecowool, basalt slabs or glass wool;
the insulation is sutured with a vapor barrier membrane;
a subfloor made of plywood, edged boards or chipboard is installed.

Important! If the lag pitch is within 40 cm, you can do without a subfloor if you choose a tongue and groove board as the floor covering.

Thus, the concrete floor of the lower floor in an apartment can be insulated in several ways. The main task of the developer is to select a thermal insulation material suitable for a specific technology and to comply minimum thickness layer of construction.

Advice! If you need repairmen, there is a very convenient service for selecting them. Just submit in the form below detailed description work that needs to be done and you will receive offers with prices from construction teams and companies by email. You can see reviews about each of them and photographs with examples of work. It's FREE and there's no obligation.

The apartment on the ground floor is practical for families with small children, the elderly and the disabled. Residents feel increased humidity in the rooms from the floor. For a comfortable condition in the winter season, the floors are insulated.

What options are used?

Waterproofing is done on the basement side.
They insulate the inside of the rooms.

Concrete slabs the bases serve as the ceiling in the basement, which has a complex communication system. They absorb moisture vapor from them. Having agreed on an action plan with the management company, the concrete is insulated and waterproofed. This will partially protect the first floor from fumes and drafts coming from below.

The process of work in the apartment begins with waterproofing concrete base. The list of further actions depends on the type of finishing floor covering.

Step-by-step insulation of the basement ceiling

Cleaning up ceiling base to reinforced concrete.
Rub the cracks with a solution of cement and sand in a 1:1 ratio. By adding to the composition liquid glass, enhance this effect.
Plaster with a solution of cement and sand in a ratio of 3:1. The amount of binder component (water) depends on their viscosity and temperature regime. The solution is mixed in small portions, avoiding rapid hardening. To enhance adhesion, apply the first layer with a trowel, adding mixture to it and leveling it.
Using liquid rubber, as waterproofing, they receive a reliable primer and plaster at the same time.
Provided that the room is cold, foam sheets are glued to the ceiling. The seams are filled with polyurethane foam.
Finish the work with film. It is attached to the walls.

Electric wire heaters.
Warm floors from hot water.
Mats and slabs made of environmentally friendly material.

Preparing the subfloor in an apartment

Floor insulation work is carried out directly on the cleaned reinforced concrete slab. Bulges and dust are removed from it.
Before screeding, the surface is moistened with a solution of cement and sand, in a ratio of 1:1. This will ensure rapid adhesion of the mixture to concrete.
Rub the cracks around the perimeter and cracks throughout the entire area. This is done before applying primers that ensure contact of the leveling mixtures with the floor.

Base primer

Polyurethane

The second name of the composition is epoxy primer, which has the ability to penetrate deeply into concrete. Apply the component to the screed with a roller. Work along the perimeter of the base with a brush. No spaces allowed. This type of primer effective for adhesion with self-leveling floors (self-leveling), prevent the formation of fungus and moisture penetration.

Concrete contact

This is a composition of acrylic with quartz sand. Apply with roller and brush. After priming, a rough surface is formed on the base, ensuring tight contact with the subsequent layer. Acrylic in the composition makes the film resistant, preventing moisture from entering the concrete. After 4 hours, from the moment the composition is applied, the next stage of insulation begins.

Sequence of filling and leveling

To carry out work efficiently and with less time, use ready-made compositions. The most practical are self-leveling self-leveling floors. Before applying them, the height of the beacons is determined by level, they are attached every 60 centimeters over the entire area and perimeter. The reinforced mesh is stretched along the established marks. A film is attached to the points of contact with the wall, protecting it from moisture from the filling composition.

They begin to level the floor from a blank wall, moving towards the door. The surface of the composition is compacted with a needle roller. In this way they achieve complete removal air bubbles. Having finished the work, cover the base with cellophane film until it hardens completely. In its absence, the floor is periodically sprayed with water. After 3 days, you can move on to the next stage.

Useful video on pouring floors in an apartment

Warm floors from hot water

Installation of water heating is a step-by-step observance of the entire cycle from the beginning to the launch of the system into operation. The length of the pipe is determined by calculation, depending on the area of the room.

Advantage

Provides uniform heating of the entire floor.
The pipes are hidden and do not change the aesthetic perception of the interior.
Closed cycle hot water from central heating, is not reflected in total utility costs.
Properly selected materials will not rust, which guarantees the system long term operation without leakage.

Equipment

Metal-polymer or polymer pipes (preferably corrugated, bendable).
Thermal insulation.
Fastening elements.
Manifold with fitting for connection to the battery.
Damper tape attached to the wall along the perimeter, within the height of the structure.
Reinforcement mesh.
Aluminum plates.

The number of pipes required is calculated on the basis that 5 meters are laid per square meter, in increments of 20 centimeters.

Sequence of work

Polyethylene is laid in two layers on the screed.
The foil insulation is laid out overlapping with the metal surface towards the room. It will create a reflective effect from the heat, increasing its power.
When placing materials without foil, such as penoplex, polystyrene, chipboard (chipboard), then aluminum plates with grooves for pipes are laid out over the entire area, keeping a distance between them of 20 to 40 centimeters.
A pipe evenly distributed over the entire area (the graphics are arbitrary) is attached to the base.
Its ends are connected to a water supply source.
The entire structure is filled with cement-sand screed, the layer thickness is from 5 to 15 centimeters.

Note:

Grooves are made in chipboard for metal plates and pipes. The entire structure is covered with a two-layer film, on which the flooring is formed.
Checking the tightness of the connection of the pipe to the central heating battery is done before pouring concrete. For this purpose they serve cold water under pressure exceeding the working pressure by one and a half or two times.

Useful video on installing a water floor

Infrared film electric floor

This type of heating is combined with such floor coverings as:

Parquet.
Laminate.
Tile.
Carpet.

Characteristic

IR – available in rolls. In polyester or polypropylene film there is carbon paste. Material divided into separate independent stripes, having a pronounced dividing line. Along the edge of each section is laid copper wire with silver coating. When current passes through it, it heats up and transmits thermal energy carbon filler. Reduce the width of the IR film along the edge between sections. Its thickness is up to 2 millimeters, with a width from 50 to 100 centimeters.

To connect to a power source, the following equipment and materials are required:

Thermostat that controls the specified heating level.
Thermostat that regulates the temperature.
The remote control with which the program is set.
Contact clamps and cable for connecting to a power source.
Bitumen insulation.
Pliers and screwdriver.
Construction tape.

Technical safety requirements

The film is protected by hydro- and vapor barrier on both sides, top and bottom.
Do not connect the cable to the power source using the plug/socket principle.
IR film does not overlap.

Stationary electrical connection provided (device protective shutdown power from 10 to 30 mA), this will protect against possible failure of the infrared heating elements.

The flooring should not fit tightly to the heating elements. The plinth is attached only to the base covering, allowing it to move due to heating.

Note:

Service life heating film 20 years or more.
IR is not filled with solution, it is covered with polyethylene when forming a hard floor covering. Before laying linoleum, plywood is laid on top.
Having an even covering of wood, it is used as a base for IR, having previously been covered with foil material.

Installation sequence

The infrared film is laid out in planned areas and attached to the floor using a stapler or tape along transparent edges that do not have a built-in wire.
Recesses are made in the wall. Place the cable going from the thermostat to the thermostat.
The places on the film in the connection area are thickened; for them it is necessary to create technological recesses artificially.
The starting point of installation is located on the opposite side from the power connection points. Leave a free space of 20 centimeters from the walls.
Connect the copper ends to the thermostat using the cable and contact clamps included in the kit. Secure with pliers and isolate.
The clamp is placed between the film and the wire. The IR strips are connected near the wall. When extending them, wires of the same color are connected to each other, followed by insulation, and additional fastening with tape.
The cable is routed inside the corrugation. It is sealed with a film, protecting it from moisture.
After completing the installation, check the functionality of the entire structure using a portable sensor.

Useful video on installing electric floors

Insulation with electric cable

30% of the area is heated, this is enough for an apartment with a centralized supply hot water. Composing cable layout, excludes places under the closet, wardrobe, bed and similar items. More often, this type of floor heating is done in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen, with a floor covering made of tiled material.

For dry rooms, energy consumption per square meter for an hour – 120 W/, at high humidity– 140 W. For example, for a room of 6 m2 you need 720 W/hour.

The thermostat is placed at a distance of 30 centimeters from the flooring. If it is electronic, then you need to install it higher.

The cable is distributed evenly on the foil thermal insulation material over the entire area of the site, observing a step of 20 to 40 centimeters. Withdrawn the ends are connected to the power source. Maximum length cable should not exceed 6 meters.

After checking the functionality of the entire system, it is flooded concrete mixture. Bubbles from the inside are removed using the rules for leveling the solution (needle roller).

Note: You can use an electric floor in mats, which will significantly reduce the installation time.

Useful installation video

Stone wool mats

This method is the simplest and most economical. It is used more often than others.

Installation sequence

A two-layer polyethylene film is placed on the screed. The joints overlap and are secured with construction tape. The film should extend onto the wall along the entire perimeter, with a height no less than the thickness of the mat.
A frame is laid out from beams, 50 cm high (equal to the width of the mineral wool layer).
Mats are laid in the formed cells. The seams are taped with construction tape.
The finished structure is closed reinforced mesh and filled with cement screed.

Expanded clay

Cover the concrete floor with two-layer polyethylene.
A frame is formed from beams.
The cells of the frame are filled with its crumbs, and filled with a solution of cement and sand, a layer thickness of at least 5 centimeters.

Polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam

The slabs are evenly distributed over the entire area onto a layer of waterproofing film.
The joints are taped with construction tape.
Close vapor barrier film. Using foil material, the metal surface is directed towards the room.
Cover the top with plywood 5 or 10 cm thick.

Izolon

Under hard flooring, it is recommended to lay foil material on the screed. It could be isolon. It's thin, but creates enough high level reflection of heat coming from the room.

Conclusion

All proposed types of floor insulation are recommended for residential premises. The proposed materials are environmentally friendly and do not harm health. Guided by the instructions for step-by-step work, and observing all the rules for hermetic seam connection c, the floor insulation on the first floor will be done correctly.