Which insulation is best to insulate a wooden house: choose. Insulating a house from the outside: selection of materials, main standards and installation methods Which material is better for wall insulation

When most of the housing stock was built, no one thought about keeping warm, much less saving. So it turns out that our “Stalin”, “Brezhnev”, “Czech” and all other housing is far from energy-saving technologies. For a long time, corner apartments, apartments on the first and last floors were generally considered cold. Moisture, cold, and dust enter through cracks, interpanel seams and even walls. To avoid all this and provide yourself with comfortable living conditions, you need to think about insulating your home sooner or later. Let's review the insulation materials offered by the construction market.

The modern building materials market offers different types of thermal insulation for walls. The right choice will ensure warmth in winter and coolness in summer. This is achieved by reducing heat loss and eliminating drafts. Also, in a properly insulated room there will be no dampness and mold, and the microclimate will be healthy. Remember the following properties that thermal insulation must meet:

• low thermal conductivity;
• soundproofing;
• fire resistance;
• environmental Safety;
• durability;
• waterproof;
• breathability;
• biostability.

When choosing, you should consider what material the house is built from, how many floors it has, and what climate zone you live in.

So, insulation for the walls of a frame house and a wooden house (mezhventsovy) is not the same thing. In the first case, polystyrene foam, mineral wool boards, glass wool, penoizol are suitable, in the second case - ordinary tow, jute, linen felt.

Materials can be organic or inorganic. The first group includes cellulose fiber, wood, rubber, cork, felt, moss, jute or tow. Fibrous (glass wool, mineral wool) or cellular (expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam, penoizol, etc.) insulation materials, liquid ceramics are inorganic materials. Organic ones are more environmentally friendly, but they are not as functional or durable as mildew-resistant polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam. Development and testing in this industry continues and new types of wall insulation are emerging. Thus, liquid insulation for walls is gaining increasing popularity. Let's look at how different types differ, their advantages and disadvantages.

Mineral wool: pros and cons

Construction of a frame from metal profiles

Mineral wool is one of the most common fibrous thermal insulation materials. Mineral wool is produced by heat treatment and pressing of metallurgical slag or basalt. The fibrous structure traps air, thereby forming a barrier to cold penetration and heat loss. Mineral wool comes in the form of slabs and continuous sheets in rolls. It is used for both inside and outside.

Properties are ensured due to low thermal conductivity. The advantage of this material is its breathability, durability, soundproofing properties, fire resistance, and environmental friendliness.

Installation is a rather troublesome process. On the one hand, the slabs tolerate deformation well, on the other hand, it is necessary to use separate protective equipment to ensure safety precautions.

The thickness, when used indoors, narrows the existing space, which is undoubtedly a disadvantage. The water permeability of mineral wool can lead to the fact that over time it will become wet from condensation and fungus will appear in it. To prevent this from happening, the material must be additionally waterproofed.

Technical properties of glass wool

Morally obsolete glass wool is now used extremely rarely

Glass wool is also a fibrous insulation material, the most proven of all, as it has been used for a very long time. It is formed by melting sand, soda, dolomites, limestones, borax or glass production waste. It is produced in slabs and rolls, and compressed for transportation.

Thin, sharp and brittle glass wool fibers are dangerous both through direct contact and through inhalation of air with glass wool fragments. Therefore, when using it, it is important to provide yourself with goggles, a respirator, and gloves. Manufacturers claim that modern types of glass wool are safe for humans.

It does not burn, has good heat and sound insulation properties. It can be used to insulate all types of roofs, internal partitions and external walls. It is cheaper than most analogues, but is more susceptible to shrinkage and crumbling.

Characteristics of cellulose insulation

Application of cellulose

This is one of the newest materials, it is environmentally friendly and functional. This type of insulation is produced from cellulose production residues. It is used for both external and internal insulation - it is blown under drywall and magnesite boards.

It is breathable, which is a plus. What’s worse is that it is permeable to water, susceptible to mold, and fire hazards. To get rid of such shortcomings, antiseptics are added to the cellulose base to increase biostability and fire retardants to reduce flammability.

Advantages of expanded polystyrene (foam)

A wall covered with foam plastic will provide a significant reduction in heat loss

Expanded polystyrene is produced by foaming polystyrene at high temperatures. This is a white rustling material, which is characterized by water and air tightness, noise and heat insulation properties, light weight, and ease of installation. He is not afraid of bacteria, fungi and mold, and he is not afraid of bad weather conditions. Just 8 cm of expanded polystyrene can replace 1.7 m of a brick wall, 25 cm of a wooden wall or 9 cm of mineral wool.

It is produced in slabs, which... used for interior walls, balconies, attics and house facades. Expanded polystyrene, due to its strength, does not tend to sag. This is one of the cheapest insulation materials.

Extruded polystyrene foam

In order to obtain such a material, polystyrene granules are melted at high temperatures, then squeezed out of an extruder and foamed. It turns out even more durable, durable, air- and waterproof than foam plastic. It has good contact with different wall coverings (plaster, concrete, brick). At the same time, it is completely incompatible with resins and organic solvents.

Fibrolite

The walls are insulated from the inside with fiberboard; installation of the slabs will require laying a waterproofing layer and plaster.

Fiberboard is obtained after wood shavings are dried and compressed, mixing them with a binder. It can be Portland cement or magnesium salts. The slabs obtained in this way are made of natural material, and the protective layer prevents biological effects (fungus, mold, insects) and water resistance. In order for it to retain its properties longer, additional waterproofing will be required. If the humidity exceeds 35%, then sooner or later it will begin to deteriorate. Additional plastering will increase durability. Fiberboard is easy to process and install.

Eco-friendly cork materials

Cork insulation for walls is not cheap, but the most long-term option

Cork panels are one of the most environmentally friendly materials. It consists of the smallest cells (40 million per 1 cubic cm), has strength, breathability, and the necessary (low) thermal conductivity.

Produced by granulating raw materials, heating them to 400°C and pressing them into blocks. Their thickness can be 10-320 mm.

Such panels are lightweight, resistant to mechanical pressure, and do not shrink. The material is very durable and functional. It also soundproofs the room. And its appearance allows it to be used even for interior decoration.

Liquid insulation is becoming relevant. This is already a new generation tool. Even in the most inaccessible places, liquid ceramics will help get rid of drafts and heat loss. The paste-like suspension consists of closed spheres and is applied to a previously cleaned brick, concrete, wood, metal, cardboard or plastic surface. The color of the material is gray or white.

At the same time, ceramic insulation is easy to apply, it is safe, does not burn, and does not lead to a reduction in the size of the room. Such insulation is also air and waterproof. After it dries, an elastic coating forms on the wall. Thin brick walls need to be processed at least 5-6 times. Ceramic insulator is not cheap (its consumption per 1 layer is 1 ln 4 sq.), but it will last a very long time. You will have to forget about insulation for a quarter of a century. That's what the manufacturers promise.

Insulation with liquid foam plastic

Another option for liquid heat insulation is cast foam, called penoizol. It is poured from hoses between walls, into cracks, and formwork during the construction process. And this option is almost 2 times cheaper than all the others. It is resistant to biological organisms, breathable, does not burn well, and is durable. Its properties are 8% better than those of foam plastic, and 12% better than those of glass wool. But its service life is up to 50 years.

Knowing the beneficial properties of all materials, you can use them by skillfully combining them. Insulate the walls with foam plastic or mineral wool, pour penoizol into hard-to-reach places, and treat a small area under the window sill with liquid ceramics.

In recent years, frame construction is increasingly being chosen for the construction of houses, which is significantly cheaper in cost compared to the construction of brick, block, or log walls. In addition, the process of installing the frame takes much less time than raising main walls. However, without proper insulation it will be impossible to live in such a house. Therefore, the question of which insulation is best for a frame house becomes relevant for all potential owners of such housing.

Thermal insulation in frame buildings should not only ensure a comfortable temperature in the rooms, but also make the house quiet at the same time. Thus, insulation materials must also have good soundproofing qualities. In addition, there are a number of important criteria that must be taken into account when choosing materials for insulating the “frame”. All this will be discussed in this publication.

Basic criteria for choosing insulation for a frame house

The first step is to understand what properties the insulation must have in order for it to be effective for heat and sound insulation of the frame walls of a house and as safe as possible for the people living in the building.

So, it is necessary that the material meets the following requirements:

• It should go well with the frame material, that is, with a wooden beam.
• Optimal material – as clean as possible from an environmental point of view
• Insulation should be selected for the longest service life, which should be no less than the service life of the wood chosen for the construction of the frame.
• Moisture resistance, that is, the ability to resist the absorption of moisture (as a percentage of volume or mass), which can have a destructive effect on the material and sharply reduce its insulating qualities.
• Thermal conductivity coefficient - the lower it is, the better the insulation, since the main function of thermal insulation is to minimize heat loss.
• Vapor permeability. Ideally, the material should be “breathable”, that is, not prevent the escape of water vapor. Only in this case, moisture will not accumulate in its structure and at the border between it and the wall surface, which becomes a favorable environment for various microflora - fungus, mold, etc., which can cause serious harm to the structure.
• The insulation should not attract rodents, otherwise they will settle in it for permanent residence, making passages and arranging nests.
• For frame houses, fire safety is of particular importance. Ideally, the material should be non-flammable, or at least as resistant to fire as possible.

Thermal insulation materials can be divided into three types according to the method of application - these are backfill, sprayed and slab (roll), installed between frame racks.

• Loose-fill insulation materials include expanded clay, foam glass, ecowool and sawdust.
• Sprayed heat insulators - polyurethane foam and ecowool, applied using “wet” technology.
• Plate or roll insulation - various types of polystyrene foam, mineral wool, foam glass, linen, wood-fiber and cork boards.

Each of these materials has its own characteristics and differs in technical and operational characteristics. To make a choice, it is necessary to consider each of them in more detail, both in terms of its main qualities and from the standpoint of ease of use.

For thermal insulation of frame buildings, modern materials and traditional ones, familiar to builders for decades, are used. Since all insulation materials were classified above into three groups according to the method of their application, their characteristics will be discussed further in accordance with this division.

Loose-type insulation

This type of material is used in construction for thermal insulation of walls, ceilings and floors along joists. These include expanded clay, granulated foam glass, ecowool and sawdust.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay is a natural material that has been used to insulate various areas of a building for a very long time, and has fully justified its purpose. It is produced in the form of gravel (granules) of different fractions, sand and crushed stone.

Expanded clay is used in construction not only as fill-in insulation, but also in combination with concrete mortar. The latter option is called expanded clay concrete and is most often used as an insulating layer under the concrete screed of the first floor floors on the ground.

Expanded clay is produced from refractory clays, which undergo special heat treatment at high temperatures, bringing the material to melting, swelling and sintering. As a result of these processes, expanded clay granules acquire a porous structure, which provides the material with low thermal conductivity. Expanded clay has the following characteristics:

• High level of thermal insulation. Expanded clay is made from clay, which is one of the “warm” natural materials, and the airy structure of the granules helps reduce the thermal conductivity of the clay.
• It has a low weight, which is ten times lower than the weight of concrete. Therefore, it is suitable for insulating light buildings, since it does not put a large load on the foundation and wooden formwork into which it is backfilled.
• The material is absolutely environmentally friendly - it does not contain any synthetic or toxic substances.
• Expanded clay is inert to chemical and biological influences.
• The material is vapor-permeable, that is, it is “breathable” and prevents the walls from becoming waterlogged.
• The moisture resistance of the material is important - it does not absorb or retain water.
• Expanded clay will not create any problems for people prone to allergic reactions.
• The material can easily withstand very low winter and high summer temperatures without losing its insulating properties.
• The insulation is not flammable. It does not support combustion and does not emit smoke, even if it gets into an open fire, so it can be called a fireproof material.
• Rodents and insects do not live in expanded clay, which makes this material indispensable for insulating a private home. Fine-grained expanded clay is even often used to make an embankment under a house, as it helps protect the structure from mice.
• Long service life. It is difficult to talk about any specific time periods, but the frame house itself will definitely survive such insulation.

Expanded clay has its own letter and number marking from M300 to M700, but unlike other building materials, it does not indicate strength, but the bulk density of the insulation, which depends on its fraction.

• Expanded clay sand has a grain fraction of 0.13÷5.0 mm; it is used for backfilling as insulation into walls of relatively small thickness, up to 50 mm.
• Expanded clay gravel has a fraction of 5÷50 mm, and it is excellent for the production of expanded clay concrete.
• Expanded clay crushed stone differs from gravel in that it has an angular shape. It is obtained by crushing or rejecting gravel mass. The crushed stone fraction size can vary from 5 to 40 mm.

The use of expanded clay for insulating frame walls can be considered a completely justified option, since this material combines excellent performance characteristics and ease of installation - it can be used to insulate structures of any shape. It should be noted that this material is suitable not only for backfilling wooden wall frames, but also three-layer brick or reinforced concrete enclosing structures.

The disadvantage is that the thermal insulation performance is not very outstanding compared to other materials. If expanded clay is chosen as insulation, then in order to achieve the desired effect, the thickness of its layer must be at least 200÷300 mm, or it can be used in combination with other heat-insulating materials.

Foam glass in granules

In addition to the well-known expanded clay, foam glass produced in granules is used in approximately the same way.

Foam glass is not used as widely as expanded clay, although it has higher thermal insulation properties. Apparently, this is due to the lack of information about this material. This material has been produced at Russian enterprises since the 30s of the 20th century, and it is intended specifically for insulating buildings. Foam glass can be purchased in bulk or in the form of slabs. The loose material is used to insulate sections of the building structure - it is poured into the space of floors along joists, attic floors, and also into the cavities of frame walls.

In addition, granulated foam glass is mixed with concrete to provide insulation under the screed.

The material is an environmentally friendly product, as sand and broken glass are used for its production. The raw material is ground to a powder, then mixed with carbon. The last component promotes foaming of the mixture and gas formation - this process makes the material porous, air-filled and light. Granules are made in special ovens with rotating chambers, into which blanks - pellets - are poured in advance. The fraction of granules can be different - large, having a size of 8÷20 mm, medium - 5÷7 mm and small - 1.5÷5 mm. The main characteristics of this material are presented in the comparative table at the end of the publication.

Prices for expanded clay

expanded clay

Foam glass is a chemical- and biological-resistant, moisture-resistant, hard material. In addition, it does not collect or emit dust, and does not contain substances to which allergy sufferers are sensitive. The hardness of the material and the absence of any nutrients protects it from rodents.

The only disadvantage of bulk foam glass is its high cost. True, if you carefully calculate the “accounting” of insulation and compare it with cheaper expanded clay, then it’s still worth looking at which material will be more profitable.

Loose foam glass is laid in the same way as expanded clay.

Ecowool (dry installation)

This material can be considered a relative novelty in the field of insulation, but it is gradually gaining popularity due to its advantages. To insulate frame structures, ecowool is used in two versions - in dry form, backfilled in a cavity, or using “wet” technology - sprayed on the surface. The second method requires the use of special equipment, while the first can be done on your own.

Ecowool is a mixture of paper production waste and cellulose fibers, which occupy about 80% of the total mass of the insulation. In addition, the material contains a natural antiseptic - boric acid, which occupies up to 12%, as well as a fire retardant - sodium tetraborate - 8%. These substances increase the resistance of the insulation to external influences.

Ecowool goes on sale in hermetically sealed plastic bags, in loose form, so if you choose a dry method of wall insulation, it can be used immediately.

Ecowool has the following characteristic features:

• Low thermal conductivity coefficient. The cellulose from which this insulation is mainly composed has all the qualities of wood, which has been used for hundreds of years to build residential buildings precisely because of the natural warmth of the material.
• The lightness of the material, even when moistened, allows it to be used for thermal insulation of frame structures.
• This is an environmentally friendly insulation material that does not emit harmful fumes throughout the entire period of operation.
• Pronounced vapor permeability. Ecowool does not retain moisture in its structure, therefore it does not require vapor barrier, which allows you to save some money when building a house.
• Ecowool is resistant to biological influences, as it contains an antiseptic additive, as well as to chemicals.
• This insulation can absorb moisture even up to 20% of the total mass, but does not lose its heat-insulating qualities. Here it must be said that moisture is not retained in the structure, since the material is “breathable”.
• Resistance to low temperatures, that is, frost resistance of cotton wool.
• Despite the fire retardant included in the insulation, the material belongs to the G2 flammability group, that is, low-flammable and self-extinguishing. That is, the smoldering of the material cannot be ruled out, but it will not become a flame spreader.
• Ecowool does not harbor mice and insects, as it contains boric acid.
• What is attractive about it is its long service life and the possibility of recycling.

When dry laying ecowool into a wall, its consumption is 45÷70 kg/m³. Before carrying out work, the material is fluffed using an electric drill. It should be taken into account that over time, dry cotton wool will sag by approximately 15%, so the insulation must be compacted well. It is also important to know that when fluffing this material in the room there will be a large amount of dust and debris, so it is best to carry out the work outdoors or in outbuildings, and the respiratory tract must be protected by wearing a respirator.

Insulation of walls with dry ecowool is done in two ways - backfilling and blowing.

Backfilling is done manually, into a gradually erected formwork, and blowing is done into a space completely covered by sheathing fixed to the frame posts. In order to carry out blowing, you need special equipment into which ecowool is poured, fluffed, and then fed under pressure into the empty space of the frame sheathed on both sides through drilled holes.

The stages of work on backfilling ecowool will be discussed below.

Sawdust as backfill insulation for frame walls

Sawdust cannot be called a popular insulation material, although it has been used for this purpose for centuries. We can say that this natural material has been replaced by modern synthetic insulation. However, there are craftsmen who to this day do not refuse sawdust and shavings, successfully insulating the walls of frame houses with them.

It is believed that sawdust was first used for insulating frame buildings in Finland, where the climate is more severe than in most regions of Russia, and it should be noted that the material fully justified its purpose. But we must not forget that sawdust has not only advantages, but also its disadvantages, which you also need to know about.

To achieve the desired thermal insulation effect, it is necessary to choose hardwood sawdust - beech, maple, hornbeam, oak, alder and maybe pine, the moisture content of which should be no more than 20% of the total mass.

The disadvantages of sawdust used for insulation in its pure form, without treating it with special compounds, include the following features:

• Flammability. Dry sawdust quickly ignites and burns, spreading the fire to nearby combustible materials.
• Various insects and rodents feel good in the sawdust layer.
• With high humidity, sawdust may begin to rot, and mold may also form on it.
• When moistened, sawdust can shrink significantly; in addition, its thermal conductivity increases, which reduces the thermal insulation effect.

Taking into account all the features of this natural insulation material, master builders have developed mixtures that contain additives that neutralize all the shortcomings of sawdust.

To make such an insulating mixture, in addition to sawdust, you will need the following materials:

• Cement, clay, lime or cement are the binding components of the mass.
• Boric acid or copper sulfate are antiseptic substances.

Clay or cement is used in the sawdust mass if it is prepared for insulating the attic floor; for floors, sawdust is mixed with lime, and for walls, a sawdust-gypsum mixture is usually used.

The process of making a mixture for insulating frame walls can be considered in the following proportions, based on mixing it in a construction wheelbarrow with a volume of 150 liters:

• Sawdust is poured into the container, approximately ⅔ of the total volume, that is, about 100 liters. (0.1 m³).
• Gypsum is added to the sawdust; you will need two liter jars of it. If the attic floor is insulated, clay is used instead of gypsum, and lime is used for floors.
• Next, 100 ml of boric acid or copper sulfate is diluted in a 10 liter bucket of water.
• Then the prepared, well-mixed aqueous solution is poured into a wheelbarrow with sawdust and one of the selected binding additives, after which all components must be mixed well. Here you need to remember that when using gypsum as a binding additive, the mixture must be poured into the formwork immediately after mixing, since gypsum, when mixed with water, remains in working order for a matter of minutes. Therefore, large amounts of sawdust-gypsum mass cannot be mixed. The thickness of the insulating layer of this material must be at least 150÷180 mm. After filling the mixture, it needs to be compacted only lightly, since after the binder hardens, it should have an air-filled structure.

How the formwork is built will be discussed below, in the section on installation work.

This table presents a more precise composition of the sawdust-gypsum mixture laid 150 mm thick to insulate a house with a certain wall surface area.

Laying loose type insulation

The method of insulating walls with any backfill insulation material is almost identical, however, for each of them there are some nuances. It should be noted that there is nothing complicated about insulating a frame structure, and the work can easily be done independently:

• The first step is to cover the frame with plywood (OSB) or other material on the outside or inside. It is best to cover the structure from the street, especially in cases where it is planned to use wooden lining for cladding the house. Having secured the boards to the front side of the house, you can calmly, slowly, work from inside the room, without fear of rain.
• The next stage of the insulation process is to secure strips of plywood or boards from the inside of the room from the floor, first to a height of 500÷800 mm. The result will be a kind of formwork into which the insulation will be poured and then compacted.

• When the cavity is filled with ecowool, the lining from the inside is increased higher. The newly formed space is again filled with ecowool and this continues until the wall is completely insulated. Experts advise leaving the formwork fixed for two to three days. During this time, the cotton wool fibers will bind together well and shrink slightly, freeing up some of the space that must also be filled with cotton wool.

• If sawdust is used for insulation, then the lower part of the formwork is left in place, and its next elements are fixed on top of it - plywood or boards, after which the space is also filled with insulation.
• When insulating walls with ecowool, after filling all the free space with it, the plywood formwork is often removed, and from the inside of the house the frame can be sheathed with plasterboard or other facing material.
• If another backfill material is used, then drywall or finishing sheathing will have to be fixed on top of the formwork material.
• If additional wall insulation is necessary, it is recommended to install heat-insulating material on the outside of the building, before the decorative cladding.
• On the facade side, the insulation material must be tightened with a waterproof and windproof membrane.
• When using sawdust or ecowool to fill the wall frame, it is recommended to use kraft paper as a waterproofing material. It is laid inside the formwork, spread on the bottom and walls. After filling the insulation to a height of approximately 200÷300 mm, the next sheet of waterproofing is laid on it, then the insulation - and so on.

Insulation applied by spraying

If you plan to use sprayed materials for insulation, then you must immediately prepare for the extra costs of their installation, since special equipment is used for it. Moreover, installations for spraying polyurethane foam differ from those intended for working with ecowool.

Ecowool (spraying)

Application of ecowool, in addition to backfilling in the cavity, is also carried out using the “wet” or adhesive method. The fact is that cellulose contains a natural adhesive substance - lignin, and when the raw material is moistened, ecowool fibers acquire adhesive ability.

Prices for ecowool

This quality of the material allows it to be used for insulating vertical surfaces. Wall insulation is done in two ways:

• Spraying the material between the racks of the frame after covering it on the outside or inside with plywood (OSB) or boards, and then leveling the wool along the racks using a special roller;

• The frame is sheathed on both sides with plywood (OSB), and then the empty space is filled with ecowool through holes drilled in the cladding, measuring 55÷60 mm.

Both spraying and blowing of ecowool into the space between the frame posts is carried out under pressure, which is created using special equipment.

In the container of the apparatus there are special mechanical “stirrers” for fluffing, whipping ecowool and moistening it throughout the entire volume

Dry ecowool is poured into the bunker, where it is moistened and mixed, and then enters a corrugated sleeve, through which it is sprayed onto the surface under pressure or blown into a sheathed frame.

If the wall will be filled through a hole, it is first drilled into the plywood sheathing. Then, a rubber seal and a pipe are installed into the resulting hole, through which fluffed and moistened ecowool is supplied.

When cotton wool is sprayed onto the surface and after it is leveled, the insulation is covered with windproof material, after which you can proceed to the outer cladding of the frame.

Today you can find simpler sets of equipment for blowing and spraying ecowool for independent use. However, when using such a device, the ecowool will have to be fluffed manually before filling it, which means additional time and a large amount of dust, which in a professional device is collected in a special dust bag.

The modern trend of external wall insulation for private and apartment buildings requires homeowners to make a decision about choosing the type of insulation for this process. In most cases, this choice is based on the proposals of the contractor who will perform the work or the advice of neighbors and friends who have already passed this stage. Unfortunately, most companies performing insulation work do not offer the option that will be better for the customer, but the one on which they can earn more. And the recommendations of neighbors or friends are based only on their personal experience, which is often not optimal from the point of view of choosing the right insulation system, since in the decision-making process many factors must be taken into account, which will depend, for example, on the material and thickness of the wall, wall unevenness , wind load, etc.

All types of insulation materials that are used today for building envelopes can be divided into the following groups:

Spray insulation

The share of the use of different thermal insulation depending on the type of building in the CIS countries has significant differences. So for new residential and administrative buildings the share of mineral wool is up to 80%, second place is taken by extruded polystyrene foam 15%, the remaining 5% comes from other types. For old apartment buildings, as well as private households, this share is significantly different. Up to 60% is occupied by extruded polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam, 30% by mineral basalt wool and 10% by other insulation. This redistribution is explained primarily by the desire of private homeowners to save on this process by choosing a cheaper option.

Let's compare the following insulation materials according to the main indicator - thermal conductivity:

Mineral wool – 0.045 W/m*K

Extruded polystyrene foam – 0.028 W/m*K

Foam plastic – 0.034 W/m*K

Foam glass – 0.052 W/m*K

Sprayed thermal insulation – 0.025 W/m*K

Effective highly porous thermal insulation – 0.017 W/m*K

A comparison of insulation in terms of thermal conductivity shows that the most effective in terms of this indicator is highly porous thermal insulation based on aerogels, which is 2 times more effective than foam plastic and 2.5 times more effective than mineral wool.

Now let’s compare thermal insulation by price:

Mineral wool for ventilated façade (density 80 kg/m3) thickness 100mm – $6 per sq.m.

Mineral wool for a plaster facade (density 130 kg/m3) thickness 100 mm – $6 per sq.m.

Extruded polystyrene foam thickness 50 mm – $4.5 sq.m.

Foam plastic 50 mm thick – $2.5 sq.m.

Foam glass 120 mm thick – $13 sq.m.

Sprayed insulation 30 mm thick – $5 sq.m.

Effective highly porous insulation 10 mm thick – $70 sq.m.

A cost comparison shows that insulation with the lowest thermal conductivity is much more expensive than other types, so the feasibility of its use is limited only to areas where the use of other thermal insulation is impossible.

Let's compare insulation materials according to the complexity and price of installation, based on a 10-point scale, where 10 is the greatest complexity and installation price and 1 is the least installation complexity and price:

Mineral wool – 7 points

Extruded polystyrene foam – 5 points

Foam plastic – 5 points

Foam glass – 10 points

Sprayed thermal insulation – 8 points

Effective highly porous thermal insulation – 1 point.

The roll type of highly porous insulation, its small thickness, and weight allow it to be installed quickly and inexpensively; in addition, it does not require additional materials (for example, windproof film) or a special fastening scheme.

Let's compare thermal insulation by service life:

Mineral wool – 20-30 years

Extruded polystyrene foam –15-20

Foam plastic – 10-15 years

Foam glass – 100 years

Sprayed thermal insulation – 20-25 years

Effective highly porous thermal insulation – 20-25 years.

The most durable insulation is foam glass, which is resistant to environmental influences, does not contain organic compounds and is solid in structure, which prevents its weathering or mechanical destruction.

Let's compare insulation materials in terms of environmental friendliness:

Mineral wool - environmentally friendly, made on the basis of basalt

Extruded polystyrene foam - made on the basis of chemical compounds, relatively environmentally friendly when used for external insulation

Polystyrene foam – contains volatile chemical compounds and is not recommended for indoor insulation and prolonged contact with people

Foam glass - environmentally friendly based on glass chips

Sprayed thermal insulation – contains volatile chemical compounds, is especially dangerous during the application process, requires special precautions and ventilation of the room for a long time, recommended for external insulation

Effective, highly porous thermal insulation is relatively environmentally friendly, made from foamed polyethylene, which is chemically neutral.

The safest from the point of view of isolating various chemicals. substances are mineral wool and foam glass, although all of these types of insulation are suitable for outdoor use.

Let's compare insulation materials in terms of flammability:

Mineral wool is not flammable

Extruded polystyrene foam - flammability class G3-G4

Polystyrene foam is highly flammable and is prohibited for insulation above the 2nd floor.

Foam glass is not flammable

Sprayed thermal insulation – flammability class G3-G4

Effective highly porous thermal insulation – flammability class G1-G2

From the point of view of fire safety, the safest are mineral wool and foam glass, which have a flammability class of NG; other types of insulation are flammable or even highly flammable, as is the case with polystyrene foam.

Often during the process of new construction or renovation, the question of comprehensive thermal insulation arises, which includes not only walls, but also roofing, floors, and communications. In addition, the type of exterior finishing (plaster, ventilation façade, etc.) is also taken into account.

Let's compare thermal insulation in terms of versatility of application:

Mineral wool – external and internal walls, floors, roofing, pipelines. Under plaster and ventilated façade.

Extruded polystyrene foam – external and internal walls, floors, roofing. Under plaster and ventilated façade.

Polystyrene foam – external walls, ready for plaster.

Foam glass – plinth, external walls, used roof, basements.

Sprayed thermal insulation – external walls, slopes, roofing, floors, basement, pipelines.

Effective highly porous thermal insulation – slopes, pipelines, internal walls.

The most universal in use is mineral wool, which, due to the variety of types in thickness and density, is used for various insulation options.

In addition to the listed characteristics, when comparing insulation materials, it is also necessary to take into account the ability to allow moisture to pass through and “breathe”. For example, extruded polystyrene foam, which is often used to insulate houses, has practically zero water absorption, which leads to the appearance of a dew point in the thickness of the building wall and its gradual destruction. In this case, the use of mineral basalt wool is more preferable.

Analyzing the comparative characteristics of insulation for external wall insulation, we can conclude that the most optimal in terms of quality and efficiency is mineral basalt wool, which is perfect for finishing with plaster and ventilated facades, is non-flammable, has a long service life, allows moisture to pass through, and is relatively inexpensive.

The use of other types of insulation also makes sense, but it is necessary to focus on specific conditions. If you need to insulate and waterproof the base, then the choice is definitely foam glass, budget insulation - extruded polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam, insulation of pipelines - polyethylene foam or sprayed liquid thermal insulation.

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