How to fill the walls of a brick house. Frame wooden walls

Expanded clay is obtained by firing a mixture consisting of intumescent clay, sawdust, solar oil, sulfate-alcohol stillage and peat bog. Preliminary fusible raw materials are foamed, and then rolled in special drums, giving its particles a shape. As a result of their subsequent heat treatment are light and durable granules that have fractions of 2-40 mm.

On this basis, expanded clay is divided into three types: sand, gravel and crushed stone. Sand has the smallest fraction of 2-5 mm, gravel - 5-40 mm, and crushed stone is obtained by crushing gravel, its most used fraction is 10 mm. Slight deviations in dimensions within 5% are possible. The structure of the finished granules contains a large volume of air, which serves as an excellent barrier to the transfer of heat from the walls.

In addition to differences in fraction, the granular material is divided into 10 grades, the calculation of which starts with 250 and ends with 800. The grade indicates specific gravity 1 m 3 loose insulation and its density. For example, expanded clay M400 has a density of 400 kg / m 3. With its decrease, its thermal insulation qualities increase.

The heaviest bulk insulation must be stronger in order not to collapse under its own weight. In terms of strength, expanded clay has grades P15 - P400. The minimum strength of M400 granules should be P50, for expanded clay M450 - P75, etc.

A ten-centimeter layer of expanded clay in a wall is equivalent in terms of insulating properties to brickwork 1000 mm thick or wooden sheathing, having a corresponding size of 250 mm. Therefore, at a fairly low air temperature outside, the material is an excellent frost-resistant insulation, and in summer heat keeps the house cool due to its low thermal conductivity.

Compared to other types of insulation, wall insulation with expanded clay is much cheaper and more effective. She three times more effective than protection wood, and its cost is an order of magnitude lower than the price of brickwork. Usage this material allows you to reduce heat loss in the house up to 75%.

Advantages and disadvantages of expanded clay wall insulation

A lot of requirements are imposed on the insulation of the walls of the house, the main of which is the environmental friendliness of the material used. This is expanded clay. It is made from natural raw materials and is absolutely safe for health.

In addition, the thermal insulation of walls with expanded clay has many more advantages:

Loose insulation due to granules small sizes able to easily fill a cavity of any size.
Expanded clay is quite affordable.
Thermal insulation and sound absorption of this material has the best performance due to its porous structure, which makes it possible to successfully use granular backfill for insulating walls, floors, roofs and foundations.
Due to the light weight of expanded clay, wall insulation gives a high-quality result with little effort.
Thermal insulation of walls with this material can be performed in any climate zone, as it perfectly withstands temperature changes and humidity.
The insulation is durable and fire-safe.
Expanded clay does not rot, insects and rodents are indifferent to it, the material is resistant to chemical compounds.
Installation of bulk thermal insulation does not require the use of construction equipment and can be done independently with simple tools.

The disadvantages of expanded clay include its long drying in case of moisture. The material is rather reluctant to part with absorbed moisture, so this must be taken into account when insulating walls. Another disadvantage is the tendency of the granules to form dust. It is especially pronounced during production. internal works. In this case, you have to wear a respirator to protect your respiratory organs from dust particles.

Expanded clay wall insulation technology

To obtain maximum benefit from the use of expanded clay as a heater, you need to know how to lay it. Most often, granular ceramic heat insulator is used in a three-layer rigid wall structure or in the form of an insulating backfill made in a brickwork cavity. To work using any of these methods of insulating the walls of the house with expanded clay, you will need the following materials and tools: cement, brick or blocks, expanded clay, concrete mixer, containers and shovels, trowel, plumb line and rammer, jointing, tape measure and square, building level, cord.

Three-layer wall insulation system with expanded clay

This is one of the most best options thermal insulation using expanded clay. The first insulating layer of this design is considered bearing wall, erected from expanded clay concrete blocks, which in themselves are a good and durable insulator. In addition, such products are environmentally friendly and correspond to modern concepts of building construction. The thickness of the blocks used must be at least 400 mm.

The second layer of thermal insulation is made from a mixture of cement and expanded clay in a ratio of 1:10. The hardened mixture forms a rigid structure that transfers its load to the foundation of the house. The third layer serves as protection for the heat-insulating material and is made of wood or decorative bricks.

Installation methods for insulating expanded clay layer

There are three technologies for wall insulation with expanded clay using interlayers:

well masonry. In order to perform lightweight well masonry, it is necessary to lay out two longitudinal walls of brick at a distance of 15-35 cm from each other, and then, along their height, through a row, make a ligation of brick longitudinal rows using transverse jumpers in increments of 70-110 cm. Obtained in this way way wells-cavities need to be covered with expanded clay. Every 200-400 mm of the wall height, the backfill should be compacted and poured with cement "milk" for impregnation.
Masonry with horizontal three-row diaphragms. Using the laying method with horizontal diaphragms, it is also necessary to make two longitudinal walls, of which the inner one should be brick-thick, and the outer one -? bricks. The distance between them should be 15-25 cm. Expanded clay is backfilled after every fifth row is laid, then the insulation must be rammed and filled with cement "milk". After that, three three-row overlaps (diaphragms) should be laid out with a brick. The corners of the walls in the process of maintaining brickwork should be performed without cavities. This will increase the strength of the surface. For the outer layer of masonry, you can use facing, silicate brick or concrete blocks, which then should be plastered.
Masonry with embedded parts. This method for warming brick wall expanded clay provides for backfilling of granules between two longitudinal walls, and the entire structure is connected by embedded parts - staples made of reinforcement, or fiberglass ties.

In addition to the above methods of wall insulation associated with the manufacture of wells and filling them with insulation, expanded clay can be used in combination with enclosing structures made of other materials. If it is required to insulate a house with it, the walls of which are lined with aerated concrete blocks, it is necessary to retreat 100 mm from the main wall and erect the front part of the structure from facade material, and fill the cavities with expanded clay. After raising the masonry for every 50 cm inside the wall, you need to load loose insulation, compact it and soak it with cement "milk". To protect the surface from moisture during the construction of the house, ventilation gaps should be left.

Some restrictions are present when insulating expanded clay frame walls. The main problem here is that, over time, bulk materials become caked and can settle, leaving the area of the previously insulated surface unprotected. This circumstance reduces the quality of the insulation of the entire structure. Therefore, when laying expanded clay in a frame wall, it must be carefully tamped, which exposes the sheathing to significant loads.

As for wooden walls, their insulation with expanded clay causes certain difficulties. For comparison: the thickness of the outer coating using mineral wool is 10-15 cm, and for backfilling expanded clay, it will be necessary to prepare cavities 20-40 cm wide, since its thermal insulation properties are noticeably worse than those of mineral wool. To support the weight of expanded clay, the load-bearing wall must have sufficient strength. It is problematic to hang such a mass on a log house, besides, a backfill thickness of more than 40 cm will not allow this to be done. Therefore, to insulate a wooden wall with expanded clay, an additional foundation will have to be made outside. If we take into account its cost and the amount of insulation, which will need 4 times more than mineral wool, we can understand that thermal insulation wooden house expanded clay will be much more expensive. Therefore, it would be better to choose another option for insulation that does not require strengthening structures and widening the foundation.

How to insulate walls with expanded clay - look at the video:

The main advantage of stud walls over log walls is that they require less wood to produce. frame houses always warm, with good sound insulation, and most importantly - they are easy to build.

The main elements of frame walls

The frame includes:

top harness;
bottom harness;
walls;
braces (struts) of rigidity;
additional components, such as intermediate crossbars and posts.

Between the racks design door and window openings.

During construction two-storey houses There are two main types of frames that can be used:

With floor racks (when one house, as it were, stands on another). This type of frame is easier to build as it allows the use of smaller material.
With through racks on two floors. This type of frame is more stable. It uses long material.

The supporting racks of the frame are mounted in the range of 0.5-1.5 m, focusing on the desired size of doors and windows. Ordinary racks of the frame are made of boards measuring 5x10 cm or 6x12 cm. Corner posts the frame is made from composite boards or from bars.

The base of the frame is the lower trim. It is made up of logs, boards or beams. The corners of the lower strapping are performed using the "direct lock in half a tree" technique. If floor beams are cut into the strapping, then it is made of two crowns. If the floor beams simply rest on the pillars, then the strapping is made from one crown. Usually frame elements are fixed with nails, sometimes spikes are used.

To make the frame more stable, wooden struts are attached on both sides between the racks. They are cut flush using a frying pan or a semi-frying pan. From above, on the racks, the upper harness is fixed and the ceiling beams are cut into it. The top harness is best mounted on straight spikes. Next, rafters are placed on the beams. Sometimes log (blocked) beams are replaced with boards (planks) with a section of 5x18 cm or 5x20 cm and put on edge. Outside, the assembled frame is sealed with wooden planks and nailed to the racks with nails measuring 7-7.5 cm. The thickness of the boards is 2-2.5 cm. They can be replaced with asbestos-cement slabs or any other materials that are durable and resistant to precipitation.

Insulation of frame walls with backfills

Very often, in order to insulate a building, frame walls are constructed from boards. It is desirable that the walls are made of two boards. The gap between the walls is filled with various slab, bulk or roll materials. Roll and slab materials are fixed to the frame with nails. The seams are hidden with a solution of gypsum or sealed with tow. If the plates are laid in two layers, then make sure that the seams between the plates of the first and second layers overlap. When laying in one layer, reed slabs must be placed vertically. With two-layer laying, the boards can be laid horizontally and vertically. To protect the slabs from rotting and corroding by rodents, straw slabs should be soaked for 2 hours in a 10% solution iron sulphate and dry well. To make the plates less blown, put cardboard or thick construction paper between them.

When the cold season comes, the air from the room can moisten the backfill, which is undesirable. Therefore, to protect the backfill, with inside walls under the sheathing put an insulating layer of roofing felt, roofing material, glassine, or another insulating material. Before falling asleep, the materials are mixed with fluffy lime. For the mixture, take 10% of the volume of the mixture for backfilling or more (for example, 90% sawdust and 10% fluff lime) and mix everything well to a homogeneous consistency. Fluffy lime is used so that rodents do not breed in the backfill. These materials are used in dry form.

All materials are poured in layers on a dry surface or wooden shield and mix with a shovel to evenly mix the organic materials with fluff lime. The empty space is filled with ready-made backfill, pouring layers of 20-30 cm and compacting well.

Used as backfill:

pumice;
slag;
peat;
sawdust;
campfire;
sunflower husk;
chopped reed;
tows;
straw.

The weight of the material will determine its thermal conductivity. The lighter it is, the worse it conducts heat. Here is the mass of some bulk substances:

dry moss - 135 kg in 1 m 3;
granulated blast-furnace slag - 700 kg in 1 m 3;
wood chips - 300 kg in 1 m 3;
tripoli - 600 kg in 1 m 3;
straw chopped (cutting) - 120 kg in 1 m 3;
pumice - 500 kg in 1 m 3;
sawdust wood - 250 kg in 1 m 3;
boiler slag - 1000 kg in 1 m 3;
dry peat - 150 kg in 1 m 3.

Usually, organic materials such as peat, sawdust, moss, straw chaff, fire are dried and disinfected.

Settling of dry backfills

The main disadvantage of dry backfills is that they settle and form voids. Therefore, if they are used, then the walls are erected 20-30 cm above the level ceiling beams, completely filling with backfill. As the backfill settles, it will fill the empty space. Under the windows, it is better to replace the backfill with fibrous or tiled materials. If there are none, retractable window sills are mounted in order to fill the backfill through them.

In order for the insulating backfill to become less loose, materials should be added to it that will turn it into a solid filler. For example, we take 85% sawdust and mix it with 10% fluff lime and 5% gypsum. In this case, the sawdust will harden and turn into a so-called thermolite. For such a mixture, wet, not specially dried, organic materials or sawdust are used. Sawdust is mixed with fluff, then this mixture is added to gypsum and immediately laid out in place, leveling and compacting well. The moisture present in the filler will slightly moisten the gypsum and it will set. The aggregate will turn into a loose mass, thicken, and due to this it will not settle.

Moistened backfills and slabs

Moistened backfills are often used in construction. The main thing is to correctly observe the proportions of the materials used. Materials are taken by volume or by weight:

for 1 part of organic aggregate take 0.4 parts of gypsum and 2 parts of water;
for 1 part of organic aggregate, take 0.3 parts of fluffy lime or quicklime and 2 parts of water.

Fluffy lime can be replaced with ground lime or lime paste. In this case, you need to take it 2 times more and reduce the amount of water.

Method for preparing moistened fillings

A binder and organic fillers are poured into the gap in layers. Then everything is mixed well and water is added. After 3-5 weeks, the backfill in the structures dries up with a slight compaction and sedimentation. Drying time varies depending on the air temperature. Such backfills should not be used in frame wooden buildings in conjunction with vapor barrier materials (roofing material, roofing felt, glassine, etc.). They dry out for a long time, and sometimes are the cause of the formation of fungus. As you know, the fungus is very harmful to wood.

Slabs made from organic materials are considered more quality insulation. Their size should be 50x50 or 70x70 cm, and the thickness should be from 5 to 10 cm. The ratio of components for their preparation:

1.5 parts of quicklime + 0.3 parts of cement + 2-2.5 parts of water;
or 4 parts of clay dough + 0.3 parts of cement + 2-2.5 parts of water are taken for 1 weight part of organic aggregate;
or 1-2 parts of tripoli clay + at least 0.7 parts of quicklime (you can fluff) + 2-3 parts of water;
or 1.5-2 parts of gypsum + 2-2.5 parts of water.

If lime dough is used, then its amount is doubled, and the amount of water is reduced.

Dry materials are first mixed, then moistened with water and mixed again until a homogeneous consistency. After that, the mixture is put into molds, leveled, the molds are removed and dried under a canopy or in a closed room. Drying time will depend on temperature conditions and the binder used. Slabs made of gypsum, lime, tripoli dry for 2-3 weeks, clay products - an average of about 4-5 weeks.

Frame, frame-panel, panel and those walls that are assembled from factory-made elements are considered more economical.

A wooden frame is a kind of structure consisting of bottom straps that are laid on the foundation. The elements of such a frame are connected with nails and bolts. If the frame is paving, then staples are used. The racks of the frame are sheathed with boards. The distance between the outer and inner cladding is filled with a special insulating backfill, straw or reed mats or other plate heaters. In prefabricated frame buildings, the plank sheathing on the outside is often covered with sheathing made of asbestos-cement sheets.

tanya (expert Builderclub)

See what happens. By sanitary standards the air exchange required for your home is 180 m 3 /h.

Hood. One exhaust duct with a cross section of 100 mm removes about 100 m 3 / hour of air from the room, and this is only with a constantly running fan. The air extraction with periodic switching on of the fan is considered natural, since it is almost always turned off and the air moves through it in a natural way (due to the pressure difference). For natural ventilation a 100 mm duct is not used, they have too much resistance to air movement, and without a constantly running forced fan, such ducts are considered inefficient. The following options for arranging the hood are suitable for your home:

2 ventilation ducts with a diameter of 100 mm with permanently operating forced fans, the power of which will be sufficient to remove at least 80 m 3 / hour of air. In the bathroom, in any case, the hood must be done, since without it, all smells from the bathroom will move to the only ventilation duct in the house, i.e. to the kitchen, which is contrary to sanitary standards and is simply not comfortable. So that constantly running fans do not interfere with their noise (fans) are often installed at the entrance to the ventilation duct, but in the attic.

1 ventilation duct with natural air movement (with a periodically operating fan or without it at all) with a section of 250x400 mm or a diameter of 350 mm. Such a ventilation duct removes up to 320 m 3 / hour of air. This is with a decent margin, but with natural ventilation (without a constantly running fan), as I wrote above, channels of a smaller cross section are simply not used. Anything less is just forced.

But it seems to me that the most comfortable and at the same time simple in execution will be the following option. In the bathroom, nevertheless, make an exhaust hood (why, I tried to explain above), but make it not mechanical, but natural, i.e. section 250x400 mm or diameter 350 mm. And leave the existing hood in the kitchen. With this option, the main air exhaust will be carried out through the bathroom, and during cooking, odors from the kitchen will be removed through the kitchen ventilation duct forcibly (by a fan).

inflow. Ventilation is considered to be working only if the amount of air removed by the exhaust is equal to the amount of air entering the room (inflow), and will be 180 m 3 / kg. In our case, the amount of incoming air through the building envelope is:

1.3 m 3 / hour through leaks in plastic windows(this is the maximum, without reference to the manufacturer)

18 m 3 / hour through leaks in external doors (also maximum)

31 m 3 / hour through walls

Total: 50.3 m 3 / hour. Which is 2 times less than the amount of air that your kitchen hood. As a result, the room will high humidity and lack of oxygen. And if you make a proper exhaust in the house, then the inflow will be no longer 2, but almost 4 times less quantity exhausted air.

Therefore, in addition to arranging the hood, you need to take care of the proper inflow.

In order to increase the amount of supply air, it is necessary either to ventilate frequently (more in the article), or to install wall supply valves that compensate for the missing inflow, namely 180-50 = 130 m 3 / hour. Basically one valve delivers 50 or 100 m 3 /h of fresh air. Those. You need to install, for example, 3 valves with a flow rate of 50 m 3 /h each. It is better to install them near the window opening in rooms such as the bedroom and living room.

All the recommendations that I wrote above apply specifically to your (vapor-permeable) walls. If, for example, they are insulated with foam, then the air flow will decrease by another 31 m 3 / hour. Accordingly, it will need to be compensated by installing another supply valve with a supply of 50 m 3 / hour.

to answer

More often old house is not just real estate and land, it is a legacy from previous generations, with which memories and warm feelings are associated. This is an opportunity to have your own living space and arrange it to your liking. And the first problem that confronts the heirs is the most beneficial use of the inheritance received. Restoration, sale or demolition and rebuilding? And how to solve this problem competently and most effectively?

When we inherit a land plot outside the city, we are faced with the question of its further use. Of course, there are several options, and one of them, the easiest physically and financially, is a sale, but the situation on the real estate market does not allow you to do this quickly and painlessly. Not to mention the sentimental side, because in many cases the heirs grew up here or at least spent their summers here. Plus nature, landscape, communications, and so on. In addition, today for the sale of an old house you will get not so much money so that you can invest it in the construction of new housing.

Zhanna Aleksandrovna, broker:“Demand forms supply, and since today there are more people who want to buy an empty plot to build their own residential building than those who want to buy already finished house, then the cost of land per square meter of an empty plot is higher than with an old house. As a result, for the developer, the purchase finished house can be much cheaper than building your own. But in this case, it is necessary to take into account the condition of the house and what you are going to change in the future in order to avoid problems with the BTI and documents”

As you can see, inheritance is a jackpot for those who are financially constrained, but eager to become a homeowner. And if you decide to demolish the old house and build a new one or restore what you have, then you need to take into account the following market factors:

Financial opportunities (demolition of an old house and construction of a new one will cost more);
Desired time of putting the house into operation;
Purpose of the house (for permanent residence or during the warm season);
Condition of the house (from the foundation to the ridge of the roof).

The last point is one of the most important, because it defines the previous ones, so when assessing the condition of the building, it is imperative to involve a professional. There are, of course, things that you can determine for yourself: the materials from which the walls are made, the foundation, if any, the roof as a whole, and the general condition of the components. But a competent foreman must find out how reliable the supporting structures of the house are, the organization of the drain and the condition of the roof and rafters, the electrical wiring and the heating system, again, if any, and other points. When you have figured out the questions mentioned above, it will be much easier to make a decision.

If your verdict that the house cannot be demolished is pardon, then we will help you breathe into it new life. Where to start anyway?

As already mentioned, the first thing to do is to assess the condition of the house, what are its weak areas, and which ones will still serve. To do this, we define for ourselves approximately what an “old house” is, because there are many options. Most often, this is a log house or a house with walls made of wooden lining for the construction of which they use wooden frame. We will not talk about very ancient “hut houses”, because it makes absolutely no sense to insulate such a structure: neither from a technical nor from an aesthetic point of view. We will also go around brick buildings, because about thirty or forty years ago, concrete and brick were unusually expensive materials and little used. So our old wooden house needs to be insulated to feel comfortable. The building can be divided into zones and, depending on what is damaged, work can begin. We will focus on a few important points insulation of our wooden house: foundation, floors and, of course, walls.

Let's start from the bottom: the foundation

The foundation is one of the main problems of old houses, because in connection with the high cost of materials described above, the foundations of houses were made as economically as possible, or even not made at all. Therefore, rotting of the lower crowns of log cabins or strapping frame houses- this is a natural process, which is influenced by the composition of the soil on which the house stands and climatic conditions terrain. If this happens, then the first thing to do - is to raise the house above ground level and refurbish.

To do this, you need to know to what depth the lower part of the structure is affected, in what condition the base is, is there any foundation or is the base laid directly on the ground. If the last statement is correct, then, accordingly, there is no waterproofing in the house and it not only pulls cold from the floor, but the floor itself is subject to decay and exposure to climatic conditions. Raise frame house much more difficult than from a bar, this process is expensive and laborious. As for the log house, you need to start by dismantling the floor, awnings, porch and cladding external walls and plinth, if any.

Useful advice

Relate to performance dismantling works as pedantically as possible, because the materials can be further used in the work. Therefore, you need to immediately identify suitable ones, clean them up and put them aside.

Before starting work on lifting the house, it must be properly fixed, because when lifting several corners of the house, they take on a large load and the structure may not withstand it. To do this, the house is strengthened according to a certain technology with cables, channels, special corner plates, you can also use boards. Next, you need to dig the walls from the outside and from the inside to lower crown log house and align the walls on the horizon. A line is applied to the walls, approximately at a height of 1 m, according to preliminary marking by a level or a level, a second line is drawn nearby - the desired horizon after lifting and leveling. It is worth carefully examining the rotted places of the log house: if they are not severely affected (no more than 30%), you can clean them with metal brushes, but if the damage is severe, the damaged crowns will have to be replaced. Lifting the house is done with the help of two jacks, this is a very meticulous procedure that must be approached with great care, because the rush is fraught with damage. After that, instead of jacks, wooden linings or poles are installed. The final step will be to pour the foundation into specially prepared trenches, their depth varies depending on the design and size of the house, but in any case it should be more than 50 cm. wooden poles are knocked out.

We warm the floor

As we have already found out, the floor in the house is a very vulnerable structure, especially if the building was erected directly on the ground. Therefore, even if the floor boards are in a more or less satisfactory condition, they do not guarantee the preservation of heat, rather the opposite. There are several options for how to proceed, depending on the condition of the board and the floor log: completely remove the floor and put it again, or repair what is and insulate.

Like any renovation process, floor replacement begins with disassembly. It is necessary to completely remove the old wood flooring(naturally, if you performed the previous operation with the foundation, then the floor has already been dismantled). At the same time, if the boards are not rotten, but, like the crowns of the log house, are affected by less than 30%, they need to be cleaned with a metal brush and you will have an excellent economical option for subfloor material if you stop at the so-called double system when the floor consists of rough and finish, and between them is thermal insulation. This option, although economical, is more laborious and slightly outdated in technology. It would be more ergonomic to make a new wooden floor or "warm floor".

Wooden floor

Several technologies can be used for wood flooring. One of the most common and effective is the floor on bases with a ventilated underground. The foundations can be brick columns located every 0.5-1 m. Brick supports are a simpler option, but if you want to approach the issue more fundamentally, you can make a “pillow” of crushed stone and sand and cast these structures from concrete . The level of the columns is calculated from the desired floor height, we lay the support beams on them.
Next, we determine the state of the lag: they should be replaced if they have become unusable, or cleaned and treated with a special solution that slows down decay and gives the tree refractory properties. Most often, logs sawn in two serve as new beams - this solution will be the most economical. Before laying the log, you should consider what material to choose for waterproofing. Tape-type waterproofing film can be used - comfortable material, attached with a stapler between the beams so as to envelop the insulation from below.
We lay a layer of thermal insulation on the waterproofing film: suitable basalt wool in sheets. Rockwool products have proven themselves well in the market, they are non-combustible, moisture resistant, and also easy to cut, so they are ideal for thermal insulation of the floor. It is impossible not to mention fiberglass, which is somewhat inferior in properties, as it is more susceptible to moisture, but with the correct design of the “pie” and the selected vapor barrier, the floor will become great solution. It is sold in rolls and plates, it is easy to mount in any structure, and if you choose the right manufacturer whose products have passed eco-control, then it is also safe for health, such as Isover. Having completed this process, we cover the logs with a vapor barrier film between the beams.
Upstairs lay a board with a thickness of 26 to 60 mm. With this design, a board of about 28 mm will be optimal, if your floor load is large, then you should use a thickness of 36 mm or more.

Cement strainer

The best option would also be a cement screed with expanded clay or backfill with a gravel-sand mixture - the cost will be approximately the same, and the process may even be less laborious. Although both masonry equally require professionalism to avoid problems in the future.
The floor is covered with expanded clay already known to us. This material is quite economical, while it is environmentally friendly and easy to use.
Before filling expanded clay with an overlap, waterproofing is laid and fixed on the walls, and with the help of beacons the floor level is leveled. Guides are usually installed at a distance of 60-80 cm from each other.

Useful advice

It is better to use expanded clay of several sizes to avoid the appearance of cracks and make its structure more dense.

To ensure better thermal insulation, the layer of material must be at least 10 cm. Before pouring concrete, expanded clay is poured with so-called cement "milk" or lean concrete. Next, the prepared surface is reinforced metal mesh. In this case, it is better to use underfloor heating. This technology allows you to save on thermal insulation materials, but you need to take into account the method and cost of energy supply in the house, since not everyone has it, especially if we are talking about the cottage, there is the possibility of spending on electricity or water, in the case of a water floor heating system. After all the preparatory work, a cement floor screed is made directly.

Ivan Ivanovich, owner of a private house after insulation and reconstruction:

“My house served our family only in the warm season, later we decided to move here from the city. Therefore, it was necessary to carry out a series construction works. For the floor I chose concrete screed and warm floor. In my opinion, this is an ideal option for year-round living.

If you use a sand-gravel mixture for backfilling, then the waterproofing is not laid under the material, but on a layer of lean concrete, followed by a layer of insulation. In this case, extruded polystyrene foam is perfect. This material is created in the extrusion process and has a mass useful properties. For example, the Europlex brand, due to its completely closed cell structure with a diameter of 0.1-0.2 mm, provides low water absorption, high compressive strength with a minimum thermal conductivity. It is worth saying that you should not confuse ordinary and extruded polystyrene foam, because the former has a service life of no more than 15 years, and the latter has about 50. In addition, XPS does not change its properties under the influence of moisture and temperature changes, withstands large point loads. The last item will be the final floor screed.

We warm the walls of the old house

In order to choose the right thermal insulation of the walls, you need to individually approach the issue. Often there is a dispute about how best to insulate: inside or outside. But thinking logically, we will come to the conclusion that it is not rational to deprive ourselves of centimeters indoors, unless this is the only option. Naturally, if you have a log house, and you want to leave it in its original form, then all that remains for you is to insulate it from the inside. This method is not recommended. But if there is no other possibility, it should be noted that the thermal insulation must be protected by a layer of vapor barrier with mandatory gluing with construction tape.

The most ergonomic will be the external insulation of the walls, followed by the installation of the facing material for both the frame and the wooden house. Much depends on the purpose of the house and what facing material you want to use, as well as what condition the thermal insulation is in, and whether there is any at all. If there is thermal insulation, then it can be old fiberglass, shavings and other obsolete materials that are subject to all sorts of influences. Therefore, it is most often easier to disassemble the skin of the house and insulate it according to the ventilated facade system.

The question will inevitably arise as to which thermal insulation material suitable for your walls. When choosing it, it is necessary to take into account not only the density, vapor permeability, but also thermal conductivity. We will not talk about materials such as polystyrene and cellulose insulation, because today they lose to new ones in all respects, including combustibility and rodent love for them. The main types of thermal insulation for a ventilated facade today are mineral wool based on fiberglass and basalt. Due to the fact that the structure of the material is fibrous, the vapor permeability of the entire structure is ensured. These materials are non-combustible, that is, they protect the entire structure from the spread of flame. This is very important for the safe operation of the house. Experts recommend using thermal insulation with a thickness of 100 mm or more to achieve the optimal effect..

The design of the façade looks like this:

1. Exterior wall of the house

2. Thermal insulation layer

3. Wind and moisture insulation (a material that combines these properties is suitable, for example, a Wind barrier membrane)

4. Ventilation gap

5. External facing layer

Windproof waterproofing membrane - provides protection of thermal insulation from weathering, wetting, reduces the heat loss of the building up to 20%, prevents the accumulation of steam in the insulation. The ventilation gap allows the steam formed in the room to calmly go outside without causing damage to the insulation.

Do not forget that before you start work, you need to carefully prepare the walls of the house. Clean and treat them with a special solution, repair damaged areas, if any. Also, one should not forget about the device before the start of work of the correct drainage system both in the basement and on the roof, since if their condition is not satisfactory, all measures to protect thermal insulation will go down the drain.

conclusions

The main thing I want to draw your attention to is that despite the apparent simplicity of the processes, you should not rely only on own forces with no experience in this kind of work. After all, only professionals can accurately calculate all the necessary parameters and the amount of materials, as well as choose the most optimal way to insulate your home, taking into account all its features and climatic conditions of the area, as well as your building requirements. But always exercise personal control and ask questions. Also in construction, as nowhere else, the saying is appropriate that “the miser pays twice” - it is better to choose a more expensive, certified material than to save money and then have consequences. By the way, given the current situation with environment, a very important factor is environmental friendliness in construction, especially if you have children or grandchildren. In addition, we have described only a few possible stages of home insulation, but there is also a roof, ceilings, water supply and heating systems. Therefore, be careful and scrupulous, but do not be afraid of change and experimentation. Good luck to you!

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Choosing insulation for the walls of the house is not easy: manufacturers offer a wide range of materials of different origin and cost. Expanded clay can be called the most environmentally friendly and cheapest - granules of foamed clay with a porous structure. They perfectly retain heat, do not require complex installation. Insulation of the walls of the house with this material in our time is not as popular as the application board materials(polystyrene, mineral wool), however, this option cannot be ruled out, some developers of private houses still use this method of thermal insulation of structures with loose balls.

Varieties and quality of expanded clay: which one to choose

Granules of foamed low-melting clay are obtained by firing the finished raw material. The solution is placed in furnaces with high temperatures, where at +13000 clay foaming occurs, as a result of the heating-cooling process, expanded clay balls are formed. They may be different size, depending on this they are sorted into fractions:

"Sand" - grain size up to 10 mm;
"Crushed stone" - 10 ... 20 mm;
"Gravel" - large acute-angled granules up to 40 mm.

High-quality material is obtained only with the correct observance of the technology from the preparation of the solution to its firing. At the slightest deviation, the granules either do not form a sufficient number of voids to provide thermal insulation, or their shape and size, structure deviate from the norm, which is also unacceptable.

For wall insulation, preference should be given to an expanded clay fraction of 10 ... 40 mm, i.e. rubble or gravel. It is more convenient to work with them, they shrink less than sand. The same is chosen for organizing a dry floor screed.

When buying a batch of bulk material for wall insulation, you should request a copy of the test report for samples of this batch or a product quality certificate in order to be sure of the purchased product and not run into unexpected troubles due to poor quality or marriage.

Advantages of using expanded clay for thermal insulation of walls

Backfilling loose clay insulation into the wall has a number of advantages:

Absolute ecological and biological safety in terms of application natural materials for production;
High performance heat and sound insulation. For comparison: a layer of 10 cm of expanded clay is equivalent in characteristics to a brick wall 1 meter thick;
The low weight of the insulation does not require a powerful base;
Fire resistance due to the production firing of the pellets will prevent the spread of fire between floors;
Fired clay is not subject to decay, the spread of fungi and rodent attacks;
IN favorable conditions insulation is durable;
The material is resistant to temperature extremes due to the preservation of warm air in the pores;
The minimum thickness of the expanded clay layer for effective thermal protection is 200 mm, a more accurate calculation must be made with the help of specialists or online programs.

Disadvantages of wall insulation with expanded clay

An extensive list of pros is not without cons:

Moisture - main enemy granules. Despite the fired shell, expanded clay easily absorbs moisture, while losing its properties before drying, which occurs very slowly depending on conditions.
Like all bulk materials, clay granules require compaction when laying. Otherwise, over time, the insulation will shrink, exposing the upper sections of the wall or backfilled section.
The granules are very fragile. With careless tamping, they are easy to damage, which will lead to some decrease in thermal insulation properties layer.

Technology of brick wall insulation with expanded clay

Since expanded clay is a bulk material, for its use it is necessary to organize a frame into which it will be filled. Therefore, this method of insulation is usually used in three-layer wall structures.

It must be understood: the introduction of expanded clay must be carried out gradually as the masonry grows, and not to fill it up from the attic when the wall has already been erected.

Method 1: lightweight well masonry

The essence of the method lies in laying out 2 layers of a wall structure made of bricks or bricks with blocks in order, the distance between them should be 15 ... 30 cm. colder region, the wider the gap between the rows. Every 1-2 rows, the masonry is tied with brick lintels through the entire thickness of the wall in increments of 50-70 cm. As the structure grows, for every 30-50 cm, insulation is poured into the wells formed, carefully compacting it. To bind the granules, they are watered with a liquid solution of cement (milk). This will prevent the expanded clay from settling in the closed wall.

Method 2: well masonry with stiffening diaphragms

This method is optimal for brickwork. Lay out the tapes of the inner and outer wall 1 and ½ bricks thick, respectively. outer row can be laid out from facing brick, ceramic blocks (it is necessary to ensure that when strengthening the masonry, the levels of opposite rows coincide), concrete blocks for plastering, silicate brick. The distance between the tapes is left the same 10 ... 30 cm. The corners are made solid to create structural rigidity.

Expanded clay is poured after every fifth row of masonry, compacted and poured with cement milk. After that, a brick stiffness diaphragm is laid out for the entire thickness of the wall. This avoids the use of dressing anchors and creates structural rigidity in height. The only drawback of the method that may arise is that if the expanded clay is not compacted enough, after it slightly settles, it will be impossible to get inside the wall to fill the empty space.

Method 3: masonry with embedded parts

This method is similar to conducting lightweight masonry, only instead of brick lintels, metal or fiberglass anchors are laid out in the structure in increments of 40-60 cm. Thus, less brick consumption is obtained, no need to calculate the steps for masonry, and strength remains at high level. Expanded clay is also covered for every 30-50 cm of the wall, in such a volume it is easier to compact it and soak it with cement milk.

Insulation of walls from different materials

Expanded clay can protect not only a brick wall from heat loss, but also a wall made of blocks, a monolith. In all cases, one condition must be met - the structure must be three-layer, so that clay balls can be poured between the inner and front rows.

For aerated concrete blocks, you should choose a distance to the facing layer of at least 10 cm. The principle of laying the material is the same - the balls are poured as the masonry grows, carefully compacted and watered with cement milk;
Expanded clay can be used to insulate a frame wall. True, in this case, the thickness of the side surfaces of the sandwich should be chosen correctly, since with careful tamping, the load on them increases markedly.

Not suitable for insulation bulk material wooden house. To provide a sufficient layer of thermal insulation (from 20 to 40 cm), you will have to make special canopies for backfilling, which is very problematic, because it is easier to use other heaters.

To choose or not to choose

The low popularity of expanded clay is due to the lack of awareness of people about this material, some choose other heat insulators in view of their easier use. In any case, the insulation of the walls of the house with expanded clay gives results no worse than modern heaters. The main thing to consider when choosing is high-quality material and good tamping.