8 best home insulation

When building houses, our ancestors paid little attention to thermal insulation. Because of this, a lot of energy had to be spent on keeping the rooms warm. And finding a suitable material with good thermal insulation properties was not easy before. Today, all homeowners understand the need to insulate their homes, since energy prices are constantly growing. Thanks to the development of the chemical industry, many affordable and effective heat insulators have appeared on the construction market. They differ in price, installation method, technical parameters. Therefore, the choice has become richer and more difficult. What properties should the consumer pay attention to first of all?

• To create a cozy microclimate inside the building, you can insulate the outside or inside of the building. For a private house, insulation from the outside looks optimal, and apartment owners are often forced to install thermal insulation inside the premises.
• The main criterion for a good insulation is low thermal conductivity. The lower the coefficient, the better the material retains heat inside the house. However, few people want to live in a warm but humid room. Therefore, the heat insulator is selected with good air permeability, but at the same time it should not let moisture inside.
• Do not forget about safety when choosing a material. Insulation must be fire-resistant, biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
• The price factor often plays a decisive role. Sometimes you have to sacrifice some qualities due to a limited budget.

Our review includes the best heaters for the home. When compiling the rating, the following criteria were taken into account:

• affordability;
• specifications;
• scope of application;
• expert opinion;
• user reviews.

The best insulation in the form of slabs and rolls

Traditional slabs and rolls are still the most popular insulation materials. They allow you to independently create a thermal insulation layer outside and inside the house, saving on the work of builders. In this case, one should remember about the joints and bridges of cold through which cold can penetrate into the house.

5 Foam glass

Foam glass is one of the most modern and efficient heat insulators. Solid cellular panels are suitable for insulating foundations, walls and roofs. In some western countries, foam glass blocks are becoming the main building material used for the construction of walls. In our country, panels are usually attached externally to brick or concrete substrates. Thanks to a set of useful properties, foam glass not only protects the house from cold, but also from noise. The noise absorption level reaches 56 dB. The material does not absorb moisture, is not susceptible to biological damage, and is resistant to large temperature extremes.

Builders note such positive properties of foam glass as excellent thermal insulation properties, environmental friendliness, strength, fire resistance, chemical and biological resistance, durability. However, due to the high price, the material is not often used in private housing construction.

4 Glass wool

Glass wool has been used in construction for a very long time. This insulating material is obtained by melting minerals such as sand, dolomite, soda, limestone and glass waste. Glass wool was especially popular in the construction of wooden houses. This is due to the reliable protection against rodents. And now wooden or frame buildings are insulated with glass wool. The material is sold in the form of slabs and rolls. When working with these heat insulators, it is important to observe safety precautions using goggles, a respirator and gloves.

Despite some archaism of glass wool, professional builders use it because of several advantages.It is fire resistant, excellent insulating ability, versatility, low cost and easy installation. The disadvantages of the material are fragility of sharp fibers, strong shrinkage and danger to the body.

3 Extruded polystyrene foam (sandwich panel)

A lot of heat loss in the house occurs through the window blocks. Therefore, when installing windows, builders insulate the slopes. A very effective heat insulator is a sandwich panel made of extruded polystyrene foam. It not only prevents heat loss, but also gives the window unit a finished look. The panel consists of two thin layers of PVC, between which is 10 mm thick expanded polystyrene. Slopes from such sandwich panels are not afraid of moisture, they do not appear fungus or mold. For builders, the use of sandwich panels is the best option in terms of the speed of installation of windows. Turnkey windows with slopes can be handed over within one day.

Extruded polystyrene foam in the form of sandwich panels has become a popular heat insulator. Installers note such advantages as the speed of window block design, moisture resistance, environmental friendliness and durability. The disadvantages include the high price.

2 Styrofoam

Styrofoam is very popular in private housing construction. This is explained by the availability of the material and good insulating qualities. White and lightweight panels are obtained by steam foaming of polystyrene. Experts consider waterproofing to be one of the important advantages of polystyrene. Therefore, over the years, mold or mildew will not appear in the insulator. In addition, thermal insulation does not shrink over time, it is convenient and simple to mount the panels, and in the future it is quite easy to finish. When choosing a foam, it is necessary to take into account the density of the proposed product. The material can be used to insulate wooden, brick, gas silicate walls, as well as lay it under siding.

Builders include moisture resistance, light weight, low thermal conductivity and ease of installation to the advantages of foam plastic. Flammability, fragility and poor sound insulation become obvious disadvantages.

1 Mineral wool

The most versatile thermal insulation material, according to professional builders, is mineral wool. Insulation can be used for both external and internal insulation. With the help of this heat insulator, walls, partitions, floors and roofs are finished. Mineral wool is made from metallurgical slag or basalt by pressing and heat treatment. Therefore, the material is often called stone or basalt wool. Thanks to the fibrous structure, which is filled with air, a reliable protection against the penetration of cold masses into the house is obtained. Mineral wool is available in rolls or slabs.

Over the long period of its existence, the mineral wool has found many adherents. They note such advantages of the material as affordable price, low thermal conductivity, durability, environmental friendliness and fire resistance. Among the disadvantages of insulation, it is worth highlighting hygroscopicity.

The best sprayed insulation

Continuous thermal insulation is gaining popularity. It can be created using sprayed materials. This type of insulation has no joints and cold bridges. Special equipment is required only for the application of the heat insulator.

3 Penoizol

Penoizol has become one of the most popular liquid heaters. It is a urea-formaldehyde foam that is commercially available in cylinders. When applied to building structures, it hardens at temperatures above + 15 ° C. Experts consider vapor permeability to be one of the most valuable qualities of penoizol. In addition, unlike polyurethane foam, this heat insulator does not expand when solidified. Therefore, the material is often poured into brick walls, frame structures or under siding.The fire safety of penoizol is highly appreciated by experts, it does not burn, but melts without emitting toxic substances.

Builders consider the main advantages of a liquid heat insulator to be a good coefficient of thermal conductivity, high vapor permeability, and fire safety. However, the porous structure must be protected from moisture penetration, the heat insulator shrinks over time, and a special apparatus is required for application.

2 Polyurethane foam

The two-component liquid compound is polyurethane foam. It is easy to apply and reliable in installation. The heat insulator is produced in two modifications. Closed-cell polyurethane foam has a lower coefficient of thermal conductivity and water absorption. And the open-celled variety has a high vapor permeability. Therefore, depending on the type of thermal insulation, the most suitable sprayed insulation should be chosen. The material can be applied both on a brick wall and on a wooden beam due to its excellent adhesion. It is important to consider the expansion coefficient, which is 1 in 30 for the closed type and 1 in 90 for the open-cell polyurethane foam.

Experts attribute good adhesion to different surfaces, low heat and sound conductivity, environmental friendliness and durability to the advantages of the material. But unlike penoizol, the cost of this insulation option is much higher.

1 Ecowool

Ecowool has become the most environmentally friendly and fashionable heat insulator. It can be used to insulate floors, walls and ceilings. Ecowool is produced from waste paper and paper waste, which makes the material absolutely harmless. Although it should be noted that some manufacturers add antiseptics and fungicides to protect against microorganisms. Therefore, the environmental friendliness of products may differ. When insulating the floor, ecowool can be simply scattered in an even layer, and special equipment is used to apply it to the walls. A paste is added to the paper base, and when sprayed onto a brick or wooden wall, the heat insulator adheres reliably.

Ecowool has a number of important advantages. These are environmental friendliness, air permeability, vapor permeability, the formation of a uniform coating without cold bridges. The disadvantages include caking, the need to use special equipment.