The strength of the supporting structures can ensure the reliability of the house, but for comfort it is necessary to supplement them with a layer of insulation. It is very important to take care not only of the external walls, but also of the floors. One of the modern types of insulation can be called Penoplex. Insulation of the floor with penoplex for a cement screed allows you to ensure an excellent balance of price and quality with your own hands.
The competent name of the material is extruded polystyrene foam, but the Penoplex company, its most famous manufacturer. The situation can be compared with the company “Xerox”, the name of which has become a household name for many. Now the concepts of extruded polystyrene foam and Penoplex can be called synonyms.
What is Penoplex
Penoplex is in many ways similar to the familiar styrofoam, but differs in its manufacturing method and operational characteristics. It is easy to distinguish visually in most cases these two types of polystyrene foam: the foam is made white, and the extruded material can be colored.
The material has all the advantages of polystyrene foam, but is devoid of its shortcomings, therefore, in the absence of constraint in finances, it is recommended that the floor is insulated with extruded polystyrene foam.
Pros and Cons of Penoplex
The positive aspects of warming with foam can include:
- good thermal insulation performance;
- high strength compared to polystyrene;
- penoplex, unlike mineral wool, does not sag over time or when moistened;
- resistance to moisture;
- simplicity and ease of installation, there is no need for additional protective equipment for workers;
- long service life;
- resistance to biological effects;
- incombustibility of some brands.
One of the important advantages that follows from the first in the list is the small layer thickness, which allows to reduce material consumption.
The disadvantages include only a rather high cost and non-natural origin of raw materials. But with an impressive list of benefits, this type of insulation in the house leaves far behind many competitors.
Application area
With your own hands, you can conduct insulation with extruded polystyrene foam both floors and floors, and walls. When protecting floor structures, a cement screed is poured over the foam layer, which protects the material from damage. Insulation is suitable both for protecting floors in a stone or concrete house, and in a wooden one. Use cases may be as follows:
- overlap over a cold basement; the layer thickness is 50-150 mm, depending on the climatic region;
- overlapping the upper floor in the presence of a cold attic; the layer is the same as in the previous case;
- floor floors in the house as heat and sound insulation; in this case, a smaller thickness of the insulation is taken, about 20-50 mm.
Installation of a heat-protective layer with your own hands can be carried out under the screed or between the lags when installing a wooden floor.
Necessary tools and materials
Do-it-yourself insulation of the floor in the house with extruded polystyrene does not require a large number of devices. To work with the material you may need:
- tape measure and ruler;
- construction pencil;
- building level;
- stationery knife;
- chisel;
- construction gun;
- sealant to fill the distances between the plates of material;
- if additional protection is needed, vapor barrier and waterproofing are used.
Penoplex is quite resistant to moisture, so in most cases there is no need to prevent its ingress.
But when arranging the floor with your own hands in wet rooms, it is recommended to protect the material with vapor barrier from the side of warm air and waterproofing from the side of cold.
Cement screed mounting technology
Floor insulation “Penoplex” for cement screed is mainly used for the installation of concrete floors. In this case, two options are possible.
Laying a regular floor cake
Details about the nuances of technology can be found in the article floor insulation with expanded polystyrene under the screed.
If the house has a radiator heating system, the floor cake is performed according to the usual technology. First you need to clean the base of dirt and dust to eliminate bumps. Next, lay insulation plates with a small distance between them. This is necessary to maintain the evenness of the base during expansion of the material during operation. Slots are filled with sealant.
Having finished laying the insulation, they begin to pour in a cement screed, which, if possible, is subjected to serious loads with rods or wire of small diameters. It is important to remember that it will take 4 weeks for the cement mortar to solidify completely.
Screed laying master class:
Laying with underfloor heating
When used in the house, instead of the classic heating system, underfloor heating will also need to prevent excessive heat loss. Work is carried out as in the previous case. The difference lies in the fact that pipes for the coolant are additionally laid in the screed.
To prevent the heating of the foam, a damper tape is placed on top of it, this will prevent thermal expansion of the material. A damper tape is a strip of foamed polyethylene that traps excess heat from a pipe system.
Warming of a wooden floor with foam
This type of insulation is similar to warming a wooden house with expanded polystyrene. This technology is discussed in detail in the article floor insulation with expanded polystyrene.
Thermal insulation with penoplex floors in a wooden house has the following advantages:
- preventing the formation of mold, fungus and other harmful microorganisms;
- the existence of non-combustible grades of extruded polystyrene foam.
In a wooden house, they are laid in logs.
DIY styling technology is as simple as possible:
- cleaning and foundation preparation;
- laying plates between the logs with gaps between the wall and insulation about 1 cm;
- filling the joints between the foam, if any, with mineral wool or foam.
It is important to remember that when working with mineral insulation in the house you need to wear gloves and, if possible, a protective mask.
The process of warming wooden floors:
High-quality laid foam can provide excellent thermal insulation and last as long as possible. Work with the material does not require specific skills and equipment. It is important that the extruded polystyrene foam is not able to penetrate the human lungs and cause irritation, as is the case with mineral wool.