If your home is on the ground floor, then you should be aware that even with a heating system operating at full strength, the feeling of an ice floor does not go away.
Solution
The solution in this case will be insulation, which, in addition to providing a feeling of comfort, will eliminate heat loss. As you know, about 20% of heat loss occurs precisely on the floor, which was improperly equipped. If only the floor surface is heated, then it will not be possible to get rid of the problem. The heating area will increase, while the heat will still evaporate.
Insulation requirements
In order to achieve the desired effect, it is recommended to choose a heater in such a way that among its characteristics there is low thermal conductivity and hygroscopicity. Among other things, the material must be able to undergo high loads and have an acceptable cost. Currently, floor insulation is increasingly being carried out with polystyrene foam, which is a reliable and easy way to save heat in a city apartment or on the ground floor of a private house.
Screed foam
Floor insulation with foam under the screed is becoming more and more popular today. Such work can be done independently and in a short time. To carry out the manipulations, you need to prepare:
- building level;
- rule
- putty knife;
- guides;
- lighthouses;
- hacksaw;
- construction knife;
- solution;
- waterproofing;
- duct tape;
- Styrofoam;
- reinforcing mesh.
A self-leveling mixture or cement-sand mortar can be used to level the floor surface. But the waterproofing can be mastic or film.
Technology of work
If you will be warming the floor with foam plastic under the screed, then it is necessary to go through several stages, among them - preparing the base, leveling the surface, installing waterproofing, installing foam, reinforcing the screed, and also filling the finish layer. At the preparation stage, the rough surface needs to be poured with a screed, this is true if there are deep chips and cracks on the floor surface. They are covered with cement mortar. Weak areas and delaminations must be cleaned of the destroyed material. The surface is cleaned of dust and dirt, an ideal option for this is a vacuum cleaner. But in everyday life you can use a broom.
Leveling and installation of waterproofing
Floor insulation with foam under the screed is carried out after leveling the surface. To do this, you can use leveling mixtures or concrete mortar. As an alternative solution, a cement-sand mixture is used. The thickness of this layer can vary within 5 cm, which will depend on differences in height. The composition after installation is well dried, only after you can begin further work.
The drying time will depend on the characteristics used to level the mixture. The insulation of the floor with foam plastic under the screed at the next stage involves the installation of waterproofing. This is necessary, despite the fact that the foam is resistant to moisture. In the role of materials for this purpose, special films should be used, which are stacked with overlapping sheets in the range from 5 to 10 cm. The joints obtained are glued with adhesive tape. It is important to provide a nuance, which consists in the material entering the wall, it should be about 10 cm. The minimum value is 7 cm. In some cases, the film is replaced with a special mastic. The mixture should be applied with a spatula or brush, with this composition you need to process the entire surface of the floor.
Polyfoam Installation
Insulation of the floor in the bath with foam plastic under the screed is carried out according to the same technology. At the next stage, you can start laying thermal insulation, but initially the plates are fixed with special glue. The composition is applied to the canvas with a spatula, then the insulation is located on the prepared base. The glue should be at the edges and at several points along the central axis. The material should be located as tightly as possible to each other, while adjacent seams should not be an extension of each other. If cracks have formed between them during installation, they are filled with adhesive putty or mastic. This will eliminate bridges of cold and reduce heat loss.
When the floor is insulated with polystyrene foam under the screed with your own hands, the next step is to cut the foam plates. For this, masters use a hacksaw. Among other things, you can use a knife, it can even be a kitchen. In order to ensure accurate trimming, you need to measure the space to the wall where the insulation is laid. By marks, material is trimmed. When installing the foam and pouring the screed, leave a gap between the wall and the floor. The free space is sealed with a damper tape. This technique will save the base from deformation during shrinkage of the building. After thermal insulation, the surface of the plate is fixed to the base with plate-shaped dowels. This will ensure the fastening of the insulation and eliminate the displacement of the plates.
Reinforcement and pouring screeds
The insulation of the floor with foam plastic under the screed in a private house at the next stage involves the reinforcement. For this, a cement-sand mixture is poured onto the thermal insulation, the thickness of which can be from 1 to 1.5 cm. A reinforcing mesh is located on top . Through this step, the durability and strength of the screed will be improved. The final layer is poured in the next step. To do this, prepare the concrete mixture, and the thickness of the layer varies from 5 to 6 cm. In order to get a flat surface, beacons should be installed, which are previously fixed on the solution. For their correct location you need to use a level. In this case, you should focus on a high floor space.
The solution is applied in slides in a straight line. A lighthouse is laid on them and snuggles well. The concrete mix can be scattered over the surface and leveled with a rail or rule. Finally, the surface should be leveled with a spatula. When floor insulation is made with foam plastic under the screed, the instruction, as a rule, helps beginners. From it you can find out that when working from time to time it is necessary to pierce the solution with a bar. This will remove air, which will positively affect the strength of the screed. Subsequent work is allowed to be carried out only after complete drying of the finish layer. This stage will take approximately 28 days. In order to avoid cracking the surface for 10 days, it should be moistened with water.
Reviews
Insulation of the floor with foam plastic under the screed, reviews about which are often quite positive, can be carried out in tandem with a warm floor system. It can be water or electric. In this case, the waterproofing is located not only under the thermal insulation, but also on top of it. The use of foam, which is supplemented by a foil layer, is the best option. With this coating, you can achieve heat reflection, which is good for the indoor climate. According to home masters, this option is sometimes replaced by the use of a foil substrate as a top waterproofing.
Buyers are advised to take the choice of foam thickness seriously. When carrying out work in private and multi-storey buildings, this parameter will be different. The closer the base is to the foundation, the thicker the insulation should be. Consumers are advised to purchase 10-centimeter slabs to warm the first floors, while a 5-centimeter cloth is suitable for work on the upper floors.
Conclusion
You can independently carry out floor insulation with foam plastic under the screed. The thickness of the screed must be observed, it is mentioned above. It is important to remember also that the foam can be located between different layers. Most often, thermal insulation is between the finish screed and the waterproofing layer. At the next stage, decorative finishing material is laid on concrete. Polyfoam can also fit between the finish, as well as waterproofing. This method is suitable if a ceramic tile is used as a topcoat, which adheres well to the cement mortar.