Steam insulation for the walls of a wooden house inside and out

Traditional material for building houses is a tree. It began to be used in the distant past. In an effort to obtain eco-friendly housing, modern man increasingly pays attention to this material. But the installation process has become different. And it is because of this that today we have to use additional building materials. They include a vapor barrier for the walls of a wooden house. About what it is and what it is used for, let's talk about this article.

Why do I need a vapor barrier?

In the old days, the house of wood did not need additional insulation or finishing. Its thermal insulation properties were sufficient to ensure air circulation between the room and the street. The wood simply "breathed", and that was enough.

Today all work is carried out in accordance with certain requirements and calculations. Therefore, in addition to environmental friendliness, the wooden house must also comply with the energy saving standards. And this led to a change in the very concept of "house of wood." Currently, it is understood as the "pie" of several layers of building materials.

Naturally, the air is difficult to get through all these layers. Its free circulation is disturbed. Steam lingers inside this "pie". As a result, condensation is formed, accumulating inside. As a result, it turns out that the layer of insulation is wet.

The materials used for warming the house, under the influence of moisture, lose their properties, are deformed. In addition, condensation causes the appearance of mold and fungi on the tree. As a result, the structure of the material is disturbed. Wood begins to "get out", the joints of logs are violated.

Understanding the above process necessitated the use of a protective layer. For this, a vapor barrier is used for the walls of a wooden house.

What does a wall-type "pie" look like?

To fully understand why a vapor barrier is used for the walls of a wooden house, it is best to understand all the layers of the "pie". If the house is built of a frame type, then the "pie" looks like this:

• Finish of the room;

• Vapor barrier of the internal walls of the wooden house;

• Framework;

• Heater;

• Insulating layer (from wind, moisture);

• Exterior finishing of the house.

Steam insulation for the external walls of the wooden house is also carried out to protect the structure from wind and moisture.

Building a building of solid logs

The use of logs changes the order of fixation of building materials, characteristic for buildings of frame type. In these cases, the vapor barrier is laid for the walls of the wooden house from the outside, and not inside.

The insulation layer is lined up above the logs. Next, a skeleton for a heater is built. To do this, most often use a wooden beam. Then the waterproofing layer is fixed. Above all this, a layer of finish finishes. Any suitable building materials can be used as the latter. Their choice for today is very great. Everything depends on the preferences and financial possibilities of the owners of the building. For example, in this way a vapor barrier is attached to the walls of a wooden house under siding.

Types of vapor barrier

As a vapor barrier layer, several types of building materials can be used:

• The film is made of polyethylene, which has a thickness of only one millimeter. This is the simplest and cheapest option. But it has one significant drawback. The fact is that the film completely blocks the normal air circulation. As a result, walls can not "breathe". Use this kind of material must be very carefully. It easily tears. Do not pull it too hard. Otherwise, the inevitable seasonal expansion of the materials can lead to film damage.

• The vapor barrier mastic perfectly passes air and retains moisture, preventing it from penetrating inside. It is applied directly before the finish of the room.

• Membrane film - the best option. The insulation is reliably protected from moisture, while the air circulation is carried out in the prescribed volume.

The most common vapor barrier for the walls of a wooden house of the third type. It is a protective membrane. Therefore, we will dwell on its characteristics in more detail.

The best option

The vapor barrier membrane is an innovative material that appeared not so long ago. Its main advantages are:

• Excellent protection against moisture penetration.

• Air passes through the membrane, which prevents the appearance of the so-called greenhouse effect.

• Absolutely safe for people.

• Does not emit harmful and dangerous substances.

Even at the stage of choice of building materials, attention should be paid to the issue of membrane strength. To reduce the cost of some manufacturers reduce this figure. When used this membrane is easily broken. And who needs a damaged vapor barrier for the walls of a wooden house?

Which side to lay the membrane - one more important nuance. It should be strictly monitored that the vapor barrier lay exactly as required by the manufacturer. If you expand it with the other side, it will not bring the desired effect.

Methods of fastening the protective layer

For the construction of a dwelling can be used bar of various types. Depending on this, the vapor barrier for the walls of a wooden house from the outside can be fixed in two ways.

The first is used in those situations where the logs are round. The protective layer can be fastened directly to the log.

For logs with a rectangular or square cross-section, this option is not suitable. In such situations, a rake of about two and a half centimeters wide is stuffed onto the log itself. Between them, an interval of the order of one meter is observed. The vapor barrier is fixed to the installed rails.

Using a vapor barrier inside the room

Protection from moisture is provided not only outside the building. There is also a vapor barrier for the walls of the wooden house from the inside. The whole process will look like this:

• On the inside, the wall is fastened with a wooden crate. To do this, use bars measuring five centimeters wide.

• Then the layer of waterproofing is lined. A gap is formed between the wall and this film. It is necessary for the ventilation of the room.

• The metal profiles are attached to the boards of the crate through the waterproofing.

• In the cells formed between the profiles, the heater is laid.

• From above everything is closed with a vapor barrier membrane. She lays it out lapped. The joints are sealed.

• The outer casing closes the "cake", which is covered with the finish trim.

The vapor barrier thus laid for the walls of the wooden house indoors will prevent the condensate from appearing in the "pie".

What you need to remember during the installation process

It is very important to prepare the wooden wall properly before fixing the vapor barrier. For this, all joints and slots should be completely sealed.

On the outside of the building, the vapor barrier material should not be fixed tightly to the wooden wall. It is necessary to keep openings between the vapor barrier and the trim. They are necessary for air circulation. Thanks to them, the condensate from the film will escape naturally.

In the case of the frame house, the situation is exactly the opposite. For a heater it is not required a rigid wall. It is fastened between the beams, from which the frame is assembled. As a result, two-thirds of the entire wall is a heater. Therefore, it must be carefully protected from moisture. Otherwise, the material will lose all its thermal insulation properties and other features. Deformation of the insulation will lead to the appearance of cracks.

Rules for installing a vapor barrier layer

To achieve the maximum effect from the use of vapor barrier membrane will help compliance with some simple rules:

• The picture on the membrane should be facing you, not the wall.

• The individual parts of the insulation are lapped. They should be on each other not less than ten centimeters.

• Rolls the material only in the horizontal direction.

• All joints are sealed. For this, they are glued with a tape, the width of which should be more than ten centimeters.

• Tapes are also glued to complex elements of their design: corners, niches, ledges, openings of windows and doors, and so on. All adjacent surfaces are glued with adhesive tape. This will improve the tightness.

• Near the windows it is necessary to provide a reserve of the membrane, so that during the deformation the insulation is not damaged. The stock is made in the form of folds.

• The material must be completely protected from the sun's rays falling on it. This is especially true near window openings.

• The method of fixing the vapor barrier depends on the material selected. Polyethylene and polypropylene films are fixed with a conventional construction stapler or nails. That the material is not damaged, it is recommended to nail it using wooden laths. With their help, the vapor barrier is pressed against the crate. From above all this is fixed. The membrane is more stable and not easily torn. But it can be fixed in a similar way.

Most Common Errors

The vapor barrier will not perform its functions if the installation process was performed with irregularities. The most common mistakes are:

• Installation is sloppy. This means poorly conducted sealing of joints, the presence of a large number of folds, material damage by mechanical means.

• Material is picked up incorrectly. When choosing insulation, it is necessary to consider where it will be attached: inside or outside. For example, a diffuse membrane is only suitable for internal use.

• The effect of double vapor barrier. Occurs due to non-compliance with the installation technology. Some types of materials are attached tightly to the wall. For others it is necessary to collect a crate.

Manufacturers of vapor barrier materials

Many modern companies produce films for vapor barrier insulation. The most popular of them are the following:

• "Utah" with the trademarks "Yutafol" and "Yutavek" (Czech Republic).

• «Megaizol».

• "DuPont" and their films "Taiwec" (USA).

• Hausrep.

• Fakro (Poland).

• "Dorken", producing a vapor barrier under the brand "Delta" (Germany).

• "Clauber" (Germany).

The vapor barrier for the walls of the wooden house "Izospan" from the company Gexa is worth mentioning separately. This enterprise produces several types of vapor barrier materials. They can be used inside or outside the premises, for walls or ceiling, for "pie" with a heater or without.

The steam insulation of the wooden house will help to maintain comfortable conditions in the room and will significantly extend the life of the building itself.