Sometimes it is impossible to insulate the facade from the outside. Due to a number of reasons, it is possible to improve the thermal protection of walls in only one way: to perform thermal insulation of the walls from the inside of the house with foam. Such work has a lot of features, therefore, before proceeding with its implementation, it is necessary to study materials on this topic and familiarize yourself with the technology for the implementation of thermal insulation measures.
Insulation from the inside: advantages and disadvantages
Unfortunately, this method has more minuses than pluses and they are quite significant. The disadvantages include the fact that insulation from the inside, in fact, is a violation of the requirements of heat engineering, according to which the heat insulator must be mounted from the side of cold air. At the same time, the dew point (the place where condensate will accumulate) is shifted into the thickness of the walls, which can lead to their destruction. The disadvantages include the following points:
- the complexity of the interior decoration;
- decrease in the useful area of rooms;
- insecurity of supporting structures from exposure to cold air from the outside.
If you choose a way to insulate the walls from the inside with foam, then you need to be prepared for the negative consequences listed above. But there are cases when using other options is not possible. These situations include the following.
Application in multi-apartment buildings
Insulation of the external walls from the inside with foam may be required for residents of the upper floors. Unfortunately, in the past there were quite soft requirements for thermal protection of buildings. This has led to the fact that a huge amount of housing has formed in the country, which is not comfortable for living in the winter and requires enormous heating costs.
Among such houses, it is worth highlighting the panel, where the thickness of the concrete wall is 30-50 cm, although in order to comply with modern requirements of heating technology, it would be necessary to build a wall of concrete with a thickness of more than 4 meters. In this situation, only one option is possible - insulation from the inside.
Firstly, no one will give permission to make changes to the facade of the house in a small area, it will be too striking. Secondly, wall insulation on the upper floors cannot be performed independently; you will need to resort to the expensive services of industrial climbers.
Capital facade
If fairly expensive and durable materials were used in the facade decoration, dismantling them is irrational. It is better to perform wall insulation from the inside. Only careful adherence to technology will allow you to get a fairly good result for a long time.
Why it is worth insulating with penoplex
Thermal insulation from the inside imposes its own requirements, each of which we will consider in more detail.
Low vapor permeability
For outdoor work, a vapor-permeable layer can be provided for the vapor-permeable material, through which excess moisture will be removed. When thermal insulation is done from the inside, this is not possible. In addition, the heat insulator will be subjected to increased influence from the side of steam, since it is more in a warm room than outside.
High mechanical strength and safety
The material must be resistant to external influences. Most often, for interior decoration, plaster mortars are used, on which wallpaper can be glued. Such a fragile layer will not be able to protect a soft insulation, so it is worth giving preference to more durable materials.
The composition should not contain substances that are dangerous to humans.
Optimal option
According to the first of them, mineral wool is immediately dropped from the list of suitable heat insulators. Its ability to absorb water is extremely high. Insulation of the walls from the inside of the building with polystyrene is not possible according to the second requirement, it has low strength and is missed by mechanical stress. There is only one option left - foam insulation.
Work execution technology
Experts recommend performing actions in the following order:
- Surface preparation. At this stage, it is necessary to remove the old decorative coating (wallpaper or other facing materials) from the wall. After removal, the surface is cleaned of dust and dirt, checked for irregularities. If cavities or crevices are found, they must be repaired with putty. Surfaces that have condensed over time are often affected by fungus or mold. To eliminate the problem, the walls are treated with special antiseptic compounds. Next, a primer is applied to the wall. After it dries, you can proceed to the next step.
- A special waterproofing film is attached to the wall. Penoplex does not absorb moisture, so this step can be skipped. This is an optional condition, but it is better to play it safe.
- Plates are cut to the required size. For this you will need: a ruler, a square, a knife.
- An adhesive solution is prepared, which is selected in accordance with the recommendations of the heat insulator manufacturer. Mixing is performed according to the instructions on the packaging.
- Glue is applied to plates and to the wall. It is preliminary recommended that the insulation elements be attached to the wall to check the geometry, after which they are glued.
- Further provide additional fixing with plastic dowels. You can skip this step, but it will provide greater reliability.
- Check the abutment density in places of window and door openings. Fill the joints between the plates with sealant. If problem areas with long distances are found, then you can use the mounting foam to fill.
- Vapor barrier. As well as waterproofing, it is not necessary for a foam complex, but it will avoid unexpected troubles.
After that proceed to the interior decoration of the premises. There are several options. Plaster can be applied to the foam layer. As a more reliable protection, drywall is used. For wall fencing, a thickness of 12.5 mm in one layer will suffice. Further, using plasterboard, plastering or wallpapering can be done.
The method of insulation from the side of the room is somewhat similar to the technology of a wet facade. Competent thermal insulation with penoplex will ensure comfortable living conditions and reduce heat loss in the building.