Today, many of us dream of living in our own beautiful house. It’s just that the pastime in it was as comfortable as possible, it needs to be well equipped. The comfort of living in any home depends on the quality of thermal insulation. This is especially true for buildings made of wooden beams. However, in order to make the insulation of the log house outside, done by oneself, quality, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the tree. If this is not done, then the insulation and walls will not last long. In addition, during the work it is necessary to adhere to certain instructions and observe safety precautions.
General information about insulation
To achieve good thermal insulation of a wooden house, it is necessary to take into account two features of wood as a building material. Firstly, the tree has high vapor permeability, and secondly, it is susceptible to the development of fungi and mold. In simple terms, the tree absorbs moisture very well, which increases heat loss. Thus, arranging the insulation of a log house outside with your own hands, you should choose materials that will protect the wood well from moisture so that it does not rot. Another important nuance is the ventilation gap, which should be between the insulation layer and the wall. And to prevent the development of fungus and mold, the tree is impregnated with special antiseptics.
Types of insulation
Warming a log home from the outside, the technology of which requires compliance with certain instructions, is a rather laborious process. When warming inside, the insulation material is placed in the room, after which it is sheathed with any finishing material. With external insulation, everything happens the other way around.
Insulation inside the house is used in cases where it is necessary to preserve the natural appearance of the building, for example, if the house was built from a log house.
However, this technology has several disadvantages:
- reduction of free space inside rooms;
- constant dampness in the room;
- a strong temperature difference inside the house and outside leads to the fact that the tree deteriorates very quickly.
Therefore, in most cases, insulation of a log house is used outside for siding.
External insulation device
To minimize the loss of heat through the walls and eliminate the likelihood of the appearance of fungus, when warming the facade of the house, it is very important that the wall not only prevents the release of heat, but also breathes.
For this, warming is carried out according to the principle of “puff pie”, which consists of the following components:
- bearing wall;
- frame;
- insulation layer;
- membrane film that protects the wall from the wind;
- lathing for finishing materials;
- siding.
With such insulation of the house, the walls breathe, condensate is removed from them thanks to the wooden frame, which not only is responsible for fixing the finishing materials, but also creates an air cushion. In addition, the condensate cannot disappear on its own, therefore, a vapor barrier layer must be provided between the insulation and the wall, which will protect the insulation from moisture and prevent its damage.
Varieties of insulation materials
Today, warming a log house from the outside, from the inside, is carried out according to a similar principle, can be performed using the following materials:
- mineral wool;
- polystyrene foam;
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- ecowool.
Each of the materials has certain advantages and disadvantages, so when buying it, you should take into account all the features of each type of insulation. You can buy everything you need for home insulation in specialized stores.
External insulation of a wooden house: which material is better to choose?
Before you start arranging thermal insulation at home, you need to purchase the right material. Very common is the insulation of a log house outside ecowool. It consists of a set of fibers that are produced by melting rocks. The excellent thermal insulation qualities of ecowool are due to the fact that there is air between the fibers, which contributes to better heat conservation.
In addition, the insulation also has the following advantages:
- ease of installation;
- low cost;
- high resistance to ignition;
- good vapor permeability;
- excellent sound and heat insulation characteristics.
If you decide to make external thermal insulation using this material, then you should take into account the fact that warming a log house outside with mineral wool under siding should include the arrangement of wind protection, since this insulation absorbs moisture very well, which significantly reduces the performance of ecowool.
Other types of insulation, which can be used to create thermal insulation of a house from a wooden beam, are polystyrene and extruded polystyrene foam. Both materials belong to the category of polymers, consisting of numerous cells glued together, between which there are pores. It is thanks to the voids that excellent thermal insulation is achieved. It is worth noting that both materials are very similar and are manufactured using reliable technology, but expanded polystyrene has a higher strength.
Nevertheless, most professionals recommend using insulation of a log house outside with mineral wool, since polystyrene and its analogues have very poor vapor permeability. Consequently, condensation builds up between the insulation and the wall, which creates ideal conditions for the development of fungus, mold and harmful microorganisms.
External thermal insulation with mineral wool
Mineral wool, due to its availability and fairly good characteristics, is most often used for external insulation of houses made of wooden beams or log houses. However, it is very important to understand how much material is required for this. To do this, calculate the total area that needs to be insulated.
In order not to make mistakes in the calculations, you can adhere to the following algorithm:
- It measures the height of the ceiling in each room.
- The total perimeter of all rooms is measured.
- The measurements obtained are multiplied for each individual room, after which the area of the openings is subtracted from the received number, and then the area of the gables is added, which can be calculated using the mathematical formula for determining the area of the triangle.
- Determine the material from which manufacturer you will use. Divide the total minvata area by the area of each slab. At the same time, it is very important to provide a small margin, which will be necessary to eliminate the error in the section of the mineral. The resulting figure will also denote the amount of mineral wool that each slab consists of for warming a log house from the outside.
In this case, the amount of material depends on how thick the insulation layer will be. For regions with a warm climate, the insulation can be laid with a layer thickness of 50 millimeters, and for areas with very cold winters - 150 mm. If for some reason mineral wool cannot be laid in one layer, then in this case two layers can be made.
What tools will be required?
In order to make thermal insulation of a wooden house, in addition to the insulation material itself, a certain set of tools will be required. To build a frame, you need an electric jigsaw or grinder to cut a wooden beam. It is important to understand that work with a grinder will go much faster, however, this tool will damage the anti-corrosion coating, which will negatively affect the durability of the material, and the insulation of the walls of a log house outside will not last so long. If the frame is made of a metal profile, then in this case you will need scissors for metal.
In addition, it is necessary to twist the screws with something. A screwdriver with a set of nozzles will perfectly cope with this task. It’s best to choose a tool with an autonomous power source, as you won’t be tied to a wall outlet and you can do work anywhere in the house. Since warming a log home from the outside is a very time-consuming and long process, it will be useful to get an additional battery. So you can work with the tool and at the same time charge the battery.
When creating a wooden frame, it is necessary to customize its individual elements. This is done with a rubber or wooden hammer. A sharp knife for cutting mineral wool will also be needed.
As mentioned earlier, the insulation of a log house from the outside should include a windproof layer. It is created using a special film, which is attached to a wooden frame with metal brackets. This will require a construction stapler.
In order for the wall to be perfectly even after completion of all work, the arrangement of thermal insulation must be performed using a level, tape measure and plumb. Without these tools, it is simply impossible to do everything qualitatively.
Laying insulation on a wooden frame
Most often, when installing thermal insulation at home, the insulation is laid on a wooden frame. In this case, the insulation of the log house outside is carried out in a certain sequence.
- Wall preparation is in progress. All protruding elements are removed from it, after which the tree is treated with special antiseptic agents. Particular attention should be paid to inaccessible places, since it is in them that fungus and microorganisms most often develop.
- A wooden frame is created. For it is better to use bars measuring 30x30 millimeters. Horizontal and vertical elements are fastened together using galvanized self-tapping screws, which are highly resistant to corrosion. It should be noted that the distance between the boards should be 5 mm less than the size of each plate of insulation material. This is very important because after laying mineral wool there should be no gaps or gaps. Otherwise, the insulation will be of poor quality, heat loss will occur. To fix the material, dish-shaped dowels are used.
- The laying of the second layer of insulation is in progress. All work is performed in the same manner as described previously.
- When the heat-insulating layer is completely completed, you can begin to lay the windproof membrane. Each subsequent strip of film should be laid with an overlap of 10 centimeters on the previous strip. The membrane is attached to the frame using a construction stapler and metal staples. In order for the protection to be high-quality and reliable, the joints of the membrane must be glued with a special construction adhesive tape.
- On top of the windshield, rails are attached to the wooden frame, on which siding elements will be attached.
- At the final stage, facing work is performed.
On this, the insulation of the log house outside can be considered completely completed.
Laying insulation on brackets
The insulation can be laid not only on a wooden frame, but also on brackets. The process of performing work in this case should take place in a certain sequence.
- The outside of the walls is treated with an antiseptic.
- Metal brackets are attached to the facade of the building, at a distance that will be between the individual elements of the crate.
- Mineral wool laying is in progress. To do this, the insulation is simply mounted on the brackets and secured with a plate dowels.
- A windproof film is laid and fixed over the mineral wool.
- A metal crate is created on which vinyl panels are installed.
If you strictly adhere to the instructions described above, you will get high-quality and durable thermal insulation.
Conclusion
Regardless of how the log house was insulated from the outside with clay, sawdust, shavings or mineral wool, when working with any material it is very important to adhere to the rules for working with it, as well as to observe the installation technology. Nevertheless, mineral wool is the best option as a heater, since it has excellent performance and low price.
Regardless of the insulation chosen, it is recommended that the insulation be installed in the warm season so that the tree dries properly. In addition, before laying the insulation material, the walls should be treated with an antiseptic that will protect them from damage and prevent the formation of fungus, mold, rot and the appearance of various microorganisms and rodents. Only in this way can you create thermal insulation for centuries, which does not have to be changed after only a few years.