Expanded polystyrene: insulation of walls from the inside in order

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Insulation of walls from the inside with expanded polystyrene

Insulation of walls from the inside with polystyrene foam is quite common. This material is simply attached and the price is not high.

Today we will tell you how to insulate the walls with polystyrene foam inside with your own hands and what needs to be done for this. A step-by-step instruction will be offered that will not allow you to make mistakes.

The advantage of external insulation of the house with foam

Insulating the wall with polystyrene foam inside has a number of undeniable advantages, which is why many choose this material.

Let's look at why this insulation is attractive:

• Low cost attracts consumers. After all, you will not spend a lot of money and keep the heat in the room;
• The technology of warming with polystyrene foam inside the wall is not complicated and you can do everything yourself and this will be the key to the quality of the work;
• The material perfectly tolerates temperature changes and high humidity. Therefore, you can use it for decoration of unheated rooms;
• Also, with a small thickness, it has excellent heat capacity indicators and this will save the internal space. You can see this indicator in the photo.

Heat capacity of expanded polystyrene

Using foam is very simple and convenient. You can easily handle it if you wish.

Carrying out polystyrene foam insulation

Inside wall insulation technology expanded polystyrene is not at all complicated. Here, there is simply a sequence of its own and certain requirements and it is worth listening to them when carrying out work. Before starting work, you should study everything on the video in this article and photos and make a plan for the work.

Material selection

In order not to make a mistake with the amount of materials, it is necessary to determine the area of ​​work:

• First you need to multiply the height of the facade by its width, add a little for slopes. Then you need to subtract the area of ​​windows and doors.
• Also, foam can vary in degree of density and thickness. It is advisable to purchase foam sheets of medium density and a thickness of at least 8 centimeters.

Styrofoam Density Table

• It is worth remembering that the small errors made will not play a special role. It is enough to adhere to the averaged rules.
• It is better to get a glue basis special, for polyfoam. Its cost is much higher, but its quality is perfect. You are guaranteed to achieve the desired result - firmly glued insulation material. To reinforce it after gluing, more glue will be needed, in approximately the same amount.
• "Umbrellas" are a type of expansion bolt shields. They perform the function of additional fastening of the insulating material to the facade of the building. Their number is calculated on the basis of 5-6 pieces for each sheet of insulation material. The length of the "umbrellas" should correspond to the minimum thickness of your foam, multiplied by two. The process of reinforcing plaster is carried out using a simple metal mesh (seePlaster grid: types of material) Slopes and corners of the house are made using painting corners. Along with this you will need a primer.

Umbrellas for attaching polystyrene foam

The order of work

If this is the first time you have undertaken such a job, it is recommended to purchase a little more material than the calculations made show. Excess stock should be small so that it could not strike at your family budget, but also help if necessary.

This trick will help save your valuable time, saving you from repeated visits to the market in order to buy the missing material:

Wall preparation Cooking surface	Much will depend on the initial state of the walls of your home. The amount of glue and how firmly it will hold the insulation depends on how smooth the facade surface is before starting work. That is why it is extremely important that the wall is as even and clean as possible before starting work.
Adhesive insulation We fix the insulation on glue	Initially, the adhesive composition is applied to the foam sheet with a special spatula with a thick layer (at least 8 millimeters). Then glue the sheets smeared with glue in a checkerboard pattern, similar to the laying of bricks. The gaps between the sheets must be kept to a minimum.
Strengthening the insulation with "umbrellas" Mounting foam on a plastic umbrella	Work with dowels is easy and convenient. You need to attach them one at a time to each corner, the remaining 1-2 pieces can be placed in the center. This elementary trick can increase the life of your venture. You can glue the entire foam, and then reinforce everything with dowels, or you can do it right after you attach the first sheet. Do not forget to purchase a hammer drill in advance, as the dowels will have to be immersed in the wall to a considerable depth.
Mesh reinforcement Reinforcing	It should be borne in mind that when applying the adhesive solution to the grid, the layer must be made thicker than usual so that the grid literally drowns in it. When performing this phase of work, suitable weather conditions are necessary. In the hottest weather, the glue dries for a very long time, wind is an additional negative factor. If the weather still let you down, don’t be upset, you can fix everything, slightly sprinkle the surface with cool water. After high-quality mesh strengthening, it must be smoothed out properly. After spreading with glue, do not forget about strengthening the corners. They also stick and align in a similar way.
Stucco wall Reinforcing mesh plaster	Work on plastering foam is one of the longest and most difficult. Qualified specialists often focus on the fact that a single layer of plaster is not enough. Caution: For greater reliability, as a rule, it is recommended to apply another coat the next day.

Caution: It is imperative to use a second coat of plaster if you intend to paint the facade. The second, final layer should be distinguished by special smoothness and accuracy of application. It will act as the basis for applying the dye.

• The process of warming the house from the outside will take from three to 7 days. Do not rush, especially if you have absolutely no experience in this field. It’s better to do everything slowly, but efficiently, than manage in a couple of days and be disappointed in the result.
• It should be borne in mind that for the implementation of this work will need scaffolding. It’s better to take care of this in advance. You can restrict yourself to ordinary aluminum stairs. Do not take old wooden stairs, they are very heavy and uncomfortable.

The modern market is filled with excellent modern scaffolding made of light materials, if you are lucky enough to get such, the work will be greatly simplified.

Typical mistakes made with the "wet" method of wall insulation

The most significant errors leading to disastrous results are the following omissions:

• Use of materials from different manufacturers. They, due to their different composition, may not be compatible.Therefore, it is recommended that all materials be purchased from the same manufacturer;
• The work is carried out at inappropriate temperature conditions. Acceptable is a temperature of 12 to 28 degrees above zero;
• Poorly prepared base. The surface is not cleaned properly (traces of dirt, paint);
• There are conditions for the manifestation of cold flows (with poor-quality design of joints between the insulation tiles);
• Saving glue when performing the reinforcement process.

Warming the internal walls with extruded polystyrene foam is not a complicated business, but a responsible one. Here you need to do the work according to technology. Otherwise, you won’t have to wait for a good result.

Insulation of walls from the inside will be of high quality only with the use of proven materials, do not pay attention to cheap Chinese brands, give preference to domestic or European.