Thermal insulation of the floor with foam under the screed with your own hands

If your home is on the first floor, then you should be aware that even with a fully functioning heating system, the feeling of the ice floor does not go away.

Solution

The solution in this case will be warming, which, in addition to providing a sense of comfort, will eliminate heat loss. As you know, about 20% of heat loss falls on the floor, which was not properly equipped. If you only heat the surface of the floor, then you can not get rid of the problem. The area of heating at the same time will increase, and the heat will still volatilize.

Requirements for insulation

In order to achieve the desired effect, the heater is recommended to be chosen 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, the floor insulation is increasingly implemented foam, which is a reliable and simple way to conserve heat in a city apartment or on the first floor of a private house.

Laying foam under the screed

Thermal insulation of the floor with foam under the screed becomes more and more popular today. Such work can be done independently and in a short time. For carrying out manipulations it is necessary to prepare:

• building level;
• Rule;
• putty knife;
• Guides;
• Lighthouses;
• Hacksaw;
• Construction knife;
• solution;
• Waterproofing;
• Adhesive tape;
• Styrofoam;
• Reinforcing mesh.

To level the floor surface, a self-leveling mixture or a cement-sand mortar can be used. But waterproofing can make a mastic or a film.

Technology of work

If you perform floor insulation with foam under the screed, you need to go through several stages, among them - the preparation of the base, leveling the surface, laying the waterproofing, installing the foam, reinforcing the screed, and also pouring the finish layer. At the preparation stage, the rough surface must be filled 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, the ideal option for this - a vacuum cleaner. But in everyday life you can use a broom.

Alignment of surfaces and installation of waterproofing

Warming of the floor with foam under the screed is carried out after the surface is leveled. To do this, you can use leveling compounds or a 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 the differences in height. The composition after drying is well dried, only after it is possible to start further work.

The drying time will depend on the characteristics of the mixture used for leveling. Warming the floor with foam under the screed at the next stage provides for the installation of waterproofing. This is necessary, in spite of the fact that the foam is resistant to moisture. In the role of materials for this purpose, special films should be used, which are laid with overlapping sheets in the range from 5 to 10 cm. The obtained joints are glued with adhesive tape. It is important to provide a nuance, which is to enter the material on 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, this composition needs to treat the entire surface of the floor.

Installation of foam plastic

Warming of the floor in the foam bath foam under the screed is carried out using the same technology. At the next stage, you can start laying the insulation, but initially the plates are strengthened with special glue. Application of the composition to the canvas is carried out with a spatula, then the insulation is located on the prepared base. The glue should be on the edges and at several points along the central axis. The material should be placed as close as possible to each other, while the adjacent seams should not be continuation of each other. If there are crevices between them, they are filled with adhesive putty or mastic. This will eliminate cold bridges and reduce heat loss.

When the foam insulation of the floor under the screed with your own hands is carried out, the next step is to cut the plates of foam. For this, the masters use a hacksaw. Among other things, you can use a knife, it can even be a kitchen knife. In order to ensure accurate pruning, you need to measure the space to the wall, where the insulation is laid. The marks cut the material. When installing the foam and filling the screed, leave a gap between the wall and the floor. Free space is sealed with damper tape. This technique will save the base from deformation when shrinking the building. After heat insulation, the slabs are fixed to the base with poppet dowels. This will ensure the fixing of the heater and eliminate the displacement of the plates.

Reinforcement and pouring of screed

Warming the floor with foam under the screed in a private house at the next stage provides for 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. The reinforcing mesh is located on top . Thanks to this stage, the durability and strength of the screed will be improved. The finishing layer is poured in the next step. To do this, prepare the concrete mix, and the thickness of the layer varies from 5 to 6 cm. In order to obtain a level surface, beacons must be installed, which are pre-fixed to the solution. To properly position them, you must use the level. At the same time, one should be guided by the high position of the floor.

The solution is applied by slides in a straight line. The lighthouse is laid on them and presses well. Concrete mixture can be scattered over the surface and aligned with a rod or rule. Finally the surface should be leveled with a spatula. When the insulation of the floor with foam is applied to the screed, the instruction, as a rule, helps novice masters. From it you can find out that when working from time to time it is necessary to pierce the solution with a rod. This will remove the air, which will positively affect the strength of the screed. Subsequent work can only be carried out after the full drying of the finish coat. This stage will take approximately 28 days. In order to avoid cracking the surface for 10 days, it should be wetted with water.

Reviews

Warming of the floor with foam under the coupler, reviews of which are often quite positive, can be carried out in tandem with the system of the warm floor. It can be water or electric. In this case, the waterproofing is located not only under thermal insulation, but also on top of it. As an optimal option is the use of foam, which is supplemented with a foil layer. With this coating you can achieve heat reflection, which is good for the microclimate of the premises. According to the home-made craftsman, this option is sometimes replaced by the use of a foil substrate as the upper waterproofing.

Buyers are advised to take seriously the choice of foam thickness. When carrying out work in private and multi-storey buildings, this parameter will be different. The more the base is closer to the foundation, the thicker the insulation should be. Consumers are advised to purchase 10-centimeter slabs for warming the first floors, whereas a 5-centimeter canvas is suitable for work on the upper floors.

Conclusion

You can independently carry out the insulation of the floor with foam under the screed. The thickness of the screed must be observed, it is mentioned above. It is also important to remember that the foam can be placed between different layers. Most often, the thermal insulation is between the final screed and the waterproofing layer. At the next stage, decorative finishing material is laid on the concrete. Polyfoam can be stacked even between the finish, as well as waterproofing. This method is suitable if a ceramic tile is used as the finishing coat, which perfectly adheres to the cement mortar.