Underfloor heating on the 1st floor. How to properly insulate the floor in an apartment on the ground floor? GVL flooring sheets

The cold floor in the apartment is the number one problem. The inhabitants of the first floors suffer from a constant breath from below. Even by insulating the ceiling and walls, you will not correct the situation, since the main contact area is the flooring. Exit one. High-quality floor insulation will not only create comfort in the rooms, but also reduce material costs for paying for heating.

Types of insulation, which is better to choose

The types of existing heaters allow you to make a choice that is most suitable for each individual case. Bulk materials, slabs, a roll version, as well as a liquid composition, each is suitable for floor insulation on the ground floor.

Bulk materials
Varieties of bulk insulation materials include expanded clay, foam plastic chips, slag and some others. Their advantage is the ability to fill the space between the existing crate as much as possible. Expanded clay also has low thermal conductivity, high strength and durability.

Plate materials
This type of insulation is also subdivided depending on their main component. These are mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, basalt fiber, vermiculite and others. They are lightweight and have low thermal conductivity. To increase thermal insulation, they are used complete with rolled heaters.

Styrofoam is an environmentally friendly finishing material, affordable, but it is fragile and melts when heated. A more successful option is polystyrene foam, which has a higher density, and besides, it is not combustible.

Vermiculite is also an environmentally friendly material, but expensive in slab design. An alternative would be its granular form, which is considerably less expensive.

Roll materials
In this form, mineral wool, cork mats, foil insulation with a different number of layers are produced.

Some species from this category have a small thickness, therefore, to keep the heat of the floor, it is better to combine them with thick varieties. As for mineral wool, which is an excellent thermal insulator, it copes with the task as an independent option. Add in its low cost and you get a great solution to the problem.

Liquid insulation materials
This insulation is a mixture of cement mortar with expanded clay, foam plastic chips or wood shavings.

A popular liquid insulation is penoizol. It is a polymer having a foamed structure. They fill the entire space with the help of specialized equipment.

There is also an environmentally friendly, but rejected by many material. Plant fiber from straw pressed into mats is an excellent alternative to modern materials. The only negative point is that after time it decomposes, like any organic matter.

One of the factors influencing the choice of insulation is the type of floor base - concrete or wood. Also, the design features of the insulation process are affected by the presence of a basement or its absence.

On the one hand, the concrete base is durable, which is why it is the main material for flooring in apartment buildings. But it holds the cold well. This is especially noticeable on the first floor, regardless of whether there is a basement or whether the floors are close to the ground. In any case, a thermal insulation device is required.

If there is a basement, waterproofing must also be provided, since the dampness that forms below will be deposited on the walls in the form of mold.

  1. It is necessary to start warming the floor with preparatory work. Remove the clean coating, check the concrete base for cracks, crevices and other deformations. Eliminate existing defects by pouring cement mortar, leave to dry completely. Then treat the surface with an impregnation specially designed to strengthen cement and concrete.
  2. Next, a waterproofing layer is laid, which is successfully used as a polyethylene film. Its edges should be brought to the walls by 15 cm.
  3. Frame arrangement for insulating material. Logs are placed on pre-laid bars, and the structure itself is attached to a concrete base.
  4. The next step is the installation of insulation. The first layer may be loose. On top of it, the space between the structural elements is filled with any other type of insulating product.
  5. For moisture resistance, the structure is covered with a waterproofing film, fixing it to the logs with brackets.

On this, the warming process can be completed. But if the height of the room and the family budget allow, you can enhance the thermal insulation properties of the floor base. Plywood or boards are suitable as a subfloor, it depends on the type of clean coating.

A wooden floor is distinguished by practicality, aesthetic appearance, environmental friendliness, it is warmer than concrete. But even this type of coating on the ground floor needs to be insulated. The technological process takes place in compliance with a certain sequence.

  1. Remove the existing coating, checking its integrity.
  2. Fill the space between the lags with sheets of mineral wool or foam. If expanded clay is used as a heater, choose fine granulation. Pour loose and compact so that the backfill is uniform and dense. But before you deal with expanded clay, lay the waterproofing in the form of a plastic film.
  3. The next layer is gypsum fiber sheets, which differ from drywall in increased strength. Putty the seams and you can lay the finishing floor.

Expanded clay insulation is the most reliable option for keeping warm. It can also be laid on a concrete base. Differs in the minimum heat conductivity, low density, very easy.

External insulation options

A huge role in the insulation of the floor on the ground floor will be played by external insulation, that is, a number of activities carried out in the basement. This is not always realistic, and not every material is suitable for these purposes, but when conditions allow, this opportunity should be used.

It is impossible not to take into account the presence of existing communications that interfere with the work. The use of mineral wool is unacceptable with high humidity in the basement. Observing fire safety standards, foam insulation also has a certain risk, but in some cases it is possible. Glue sheets of insulation to the ceiling of the basement with a ready-made composition sold in specialized stores. Fill the joints with mounting foam.

The most optimal solution is to insulate the door to the basement. Let it be a little, but heat can be saved in this way. The access of cold air will stop if the ventilation hole in the basement is closed for the winter period.

Insulated floors of a new type, in addition to maintaining the thermal regime of the floor covering, also increase the air temperature. Their varieties differ in the principle of operation and cost, both during installation and during operation.

  1. Infrared floors are a special purpose film. Fits directly under the finish coat.
  2. Electric are mounted in a coupler or on top of a draft flooring. Installation of such a floor is quite simple, but the negative point is its high power consumption.
  3. Water is a tube with circulating water. They sink into the screed. This is the most economical option for installation and operation. First, one of the classic heaters is laid on the floor to reduce heat loss. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top, designed to fasten pipes with clamps. The tubes themselves are arranged in a spiral, water is poured into them. And only after special testing is carried out screed. When it dries, you can proceed to the device of a clean floor. The effect obtained from warming in this way will meet all expectations.

Each person is characterized by the desire for economy and comfortable conditions. To get both at the same time, it is enough to use one of the methods of floor insulation in an apartment on the ground floor. You will feel comfort instantly, but the economic effect will be your companion throughout the entire time of your stay in a warm room.

Video: floor insulation above a cold basement

Often, residents on the first floors of apartment buildings are faced with the problem of an icy floor surface in winter. Therefore, the question of how to carry out thermal insulation correctly, what methods exist and what is better to use in a given situation is relevant. Practical recommendations on how to choose the optimal insulation of the floor of the first floor, as well as instructions for doing the work yourself, are designed to help solve this problem.

Materials to choose from

In apartment buildings, there are two types of coating: wooden and concrete. Depending on this, the appropriate type of insulation is selected.

Bases for warm coating on the floor are liquid, loose, as well as in the form of blocks and in rolls. They can be used together with each other or separately.

Liquid

The insulation can be a cement mixture filled with expanded clay, foam or other materials.
Currently, polymer penoizol is widely used.


However, in order to work with it, you need special equipment.

Bulk

Expanded clay, foam plastic chips, sawdust stand out from the heaters of this group. They are suitable for insulating floors in apartments where there is an unheated basement.


Expanded clay - strong and durable, has low thermal conductivity. But, choosing it as a heater, you need to take care of high-quality waterproofing, since its granules absorb moisture well.

Block

They come in the form of plates and mats of mineral wool, polystyrene, basalt fiber.

Styrofoam has low thermal conductivity, low cost and environmentally friendly. But it is fragile, and with strong heating it melts, releasing harmful fumes.


A more modern version of polystyrene is expanded polystyrene. It has the best density, does not burn. Sheets of such insulation are convenient in that they can be used to mount a warm floor, install a plank floor, pour a screed, and so on.


The most environmentally friendly material among the blocks is vermiculite, which is obtained by processing mineral products.

However, it is by no means cheap, and in order to save money, you can use its analogue, granular vermiculite.

Rolled

In the form of rolls, heaters are made from polystyrene, cork, mineral wool and foil bases. When the thickness of the roll-type insulation is not enough, they are placed in two layers or used in conjunction with blocks.


Mineral wool, being a cheap insulation, guarantees low heat transfer. But, it must be borne in mind that over time it can condense, due to which its properties will decrease. In addition, during installation, mineral wool crumbles and forms dust that is harmful to health, therefore, it involves the use of a respirator and overalls when working with it.

Concrete floor

Concrete is durable and therefore very often used as a floor. However, this material is very cold. Therefore, in those houses where it is used, thorough thermal insulation is necessary on the first floors. Otherwise, any heating will not be able to warm up properly.


On the first floor, apartment owners should do waterproofing, as dampness often forms in the basement, as a result of which, without appropriate work, mold will appear on the walls.

Work instructions

Begin the process by preparing the foundation. To do this, it is necessary to remove all the coating and check the plates for cracks, chips and cracks. If there are defects, they are eliminated with a special solution based on concrete or cement. After the surface hardens, it is treated with a special impregnation that strengthens the layer.


The next step is to waterproof. This is where plastic wrap comes in handy. It should go on the walls by about fifteen to twenty centimeters. Cope with the task and a special primer deep penetration.

For the installation of insulation, a frame is made. To do this, lay the bars, and under them - pieces of roofing material. Logs are placed on the bars, and the whole structure is attached to concrete.


After that, you can install loose insulation alone or as part of a liquid version. On top of it, mineral wool is laid in the cavity of the structure. You can also use foam or other material.

Then a steam insulating film is laid, which is fastened with staples to the logs.


The process ends with the installation of the subfloor. Depending on the type of finish, it can be made of boards or thick plywood.

In modern high-rise buildings, wooden floors are no longer installed. But they can often be found in old-style houses.


Wood is a warm and environmentally friendly material, but over time it tends to dry out, causing gaps in the floor to form. And they cause drafts. Therefore, it will be correct to further process such coatings.

Isolation technology

To make insulation on the first floor, you need to perform the following steps:


  • dismantle the old coating, check and, if necessary, replace it, and in normal condition it can be laid in place;
  • treat the surface with antifungal antiseptics and allow to dry;
  • install insulation and cover it with a vapor barrier film;
  • a board is laid on top of the surface.

Basement work

The apartment on the first floor can be insulated from the basement side. For this purpose, heat-insulating material is attached to the ceiling in the technical room. It can be foam or foam plastic, which are simply glued. Suitable in this capacity and mineral wool. But attaching it will be more difficult. For this you need:


  • fix the bars with a thickness of a couple of centimeters more than the insulation layer;
  • lay mineral wool between the elements of the installed structure;
  • using a stapler, install a vapor barrier membrane on the surface
  • sheathe the structure with plywood or fiberboard.

This type of insulation is becoming increasingly popular. Thanks to him, the floor surface on the ground floor will always be warm, the humidity in the apartment will decrease, and its microclimate will improve. The system happens:

  • electric, mounted in a screed or over a rough coating;
  • infrared, from a special film installed under the finish coat;
  • water, when the liquid is constantly heated and injected into the heating system.


It is best to lay such structures in a leveling screed. The water floor can also be used for wood flooring. But this will be more difficult to implement, since polymer pipes must be laid in the grooves made for them and covered with foil. Finishing is installed on top of the system.

Such a coating is used not only as a decorative, but also as a floor insulation, especially on the ground floor. Special mixtures guarantee thermal insulation and waterproofing, as well as fire safety.

They are made of environmentally friendly materials that can be installed independently.

Installation instructions

Before starting installation, it is important to properly prepare the base.


  • whatever the rough surface is - concrete, wood, ceramic tiles or cement screed, it must be carefully checked;
  • close cracks, cracks, chips, loose elements, dismantle and replace;
  • clean all coating;
  • sand wood and concrete;
  • generously prime the floor so that all pores are completely closed;
  • a day after that, you can start laying.

The prepared mixture is simply poured out of the bucket and leveled with a spatula. The whole room is covered at once to get a flat surface. At the end, in order to avoid the appearance of bubbles, you need to walk with a roller with needles over the entire coating. A polyurethane varnish is applied to the dried floor.

In order for the work on the apartment to be successful, you need to take into account some points:


  • the walls of the basement are examined to detect cracks, holes and chips there, which must be repaired;
  • ventilation holes in the basement for the winter can be covered, but not completely;
  • installation of a vapor barrier is required.

Almost all owners of apartments located on the ground floor are faced with such a problem as cold floors. This is due to cold and unheated, and often damp basements. In such cases, it is necessary to insulate the floor of the first floor with modern materials.

For this, a fairly large number of different heaters and methods of their installation are used. In this article, we will get acquainted with the most effective methods of how to correctly and reliably insulate a concrete floor.

Basement insulation

The most correct solution is the thermal insulation of the floor slab from the basement side. In other words, it is necessary to insulate the ceiling in the basement, thus moving the cold and dew point away from the floor in the apartment.

To carry out such work, it is better to coordinate with the Housing Office. There are usually no problems with this. Having received such permission, you can start thermal insulation work. The following methods are available for this:

  • The simplest, inexpensive, but at the same time quite effective method is to produce foam insulation. Foam sheets are glued to the concrete base with liquid nails. At the end of the work, all the gaps remaining between the sheets should be filled with mounting foam. Since the basement is quite often damp, and the foam has the property of being saturated with moisture over time, it is necessary to make waterproofing. To do this, with the same glue, a thick plastic film is glued onto the sheets of insulation. The edges of such waterproofing must be overlapped by at least 10–15 cm.
  • You can spray polyurethane foam - one of the most reliable and durable insulation known today. After hardening, this material has high strength, excellent thermal insulation properties. Also, polyurethane foam does not burn and absolutely does not absorb moisture. The only disadvantage of this option is its rather high cost: spraying is carried out using special equipment and requires professional operator skills.

Advice! If you have insulated the concrete floor from the basement side, this does not mean that the floors in your apartment will automatically become warm. This technique only allows you to "push back" the cold. In any case, it is necessary to insulate the floor from the side of the apartment.

Floor insulation from inside the apartment

This method has a large number of materials used. Let's look at the main materials and the technology for their installation in more detail.

Mineral wool

This option works best with wood floors, but can also be used if you want to lay wood over a concrete base. By choosing this option, you need to follow the following technology and the sequence of work:

  • First of all, you need to dismantle the old floor covering. The boards are carefully removed and numbered, the concrete screed is beaten off with a perforator.
  • If you had wooden floors, you need to examine the condition of the installed logs. If necessary, damaged or sagging rafters must be replaced. If the base is concrete, then a complete installation of new rafters is necessary.

Advice! It is possible to insulate the floor of the first floor in this way with the use of other heat insulators. For example, foam can be used instead of mineral wool. This material has slightly worse thermal insulation properties, but is cheaper.

Expanded clay insulation

This method of warming a concrete base in an apartment on the ground floor is perhaps the most popular. This is due to the ease of installation, durability and high performance of the materials used. To insulate the concrete floor in an apartment located on the ground floor with the help of expanded clay, the following technology for carrying out thermal insulation work should be observed:

  • Old flooring, including cement screed, must be removed.
  • Having carefully removed all the debris, it is necessary to examine the floor slab and repair the detected cracks, crevices and other defects with mounting foam or cement mortar.
  • The next step is to lay a thick polyethylene film as a waterproofing layer. Its installation is carried out with an overlap, while the seams must be glued on both sides with adhesive tape.
  • Now the entire surface of the floor can be covered with expanded clay. The thickness of the layer depends on the height of the ceilings. Here, the thicker the layer, the better its thermal insulation properties will be, but the minimum allowable expanded clay layer is 10 cm.
  • After backfilling, expanded clay must be compacted. It is strictly forbidden to moisten the insulation!
  • A reinforcing mesh is mounted on top of the expanded clay and a cement screed is poured with a layer of 5 cm.
  • The screed is carefully leveled and covered with polyethylene for proper drying.
  • After the cement mortar has dried, you can proceed with the installation of the floor covering: laminate, linoleum or other material.

Advice! To increase the thermal insulation properties of the floor, foam granules can be added to the cement mortar at the stage of its preparation. This will greatly insulate the floor in the apartment.

This thermal insulation can be used in both methods of floor insulation: with wooden logs and under a cement screed. Expanded polystyrene has almost ideal properties:

  • low thermal conductivity
  • high density and mechanical strength,
  • does not burn,
  • practically does not absorb moisture,
  • long service life.


When insulating a wooden floor, extruded polystyrene foam boards are placed between the joists, like any other material. The use of a waterproofing layer, despite the high performance of the insulation, is mandatory.

After laying and filling the cracks with mounting foam, the heat insulator is covered with another layer of waterproofing. For these purposes, it is better to use penofol. Then the flooring is installed: plywood, chipboard or boards. Insulation with polystyrene foam under a cement screed is carried out as follows:


Advice! Electric heating cables can be laid over the thermal insulation material. After the completion of all installation work, you will be the owner of really warm floors that consume very little electricity.

Having studied all the options for insulating the floor on the ground floor given in this material, you need to choose the most suitable one in your case. Having some skills, you can do all the work yourself, without involving expensive specialists.

The cold floor is the weak point of all apartments located on the first floors. Residents of these premises every day are forced to face not only the cold coming from below, but also the spread of dampness, mold and fungus. The question of how to insulate the floor on the ground floor is relevant both for apartment owners in multi-storey buildings and for residents of private houses, under the ground floor of which there is an unheated basement. Work on warming the floor structure helps to solve the problem of cold and constant dampness: if this is done with the highest quality, the temperature in the rooms during the winter period will be comfortable, and the mold will disappear forever.

Concrete floor insulation work

Cold penetrates into the apartments of the lower floors of high-rise buildings due to the location of the room above the basement, as well as due to the poor thermal insulation characteristics of the floor slabs themselves. Warming of the concrete floor of the first floor is carried out using a cement-sand screed and heaters, which are characterized by a high density of the material.

What is the order in which the flooring works are carried out? The old coating is dismantled and removed, the remaining base is leveled and covered with sand or expanded clay. This backfill is used for three purposes at once: it not only makes the surface even, but also partially plays the role of thermal insulation, and also raises the level of future flooring. Many experts advise using a bulk pillow when insulating floors on the ground floor, since it eliminates deformation of the heat-insulating layer layer under heavy loads.

A damper tape must be glued along the perimeter of the floor of the first floor. If there is no adhesive layer on the tape, then it can be attached to the walls with self-tapping screws. The tape is needed for two purposes. It serves as an additional way to heat and, and also protects the walls of the room from the expansion of the cement screed, which will be poured from above.

On top of the expanded clay backfill, a layer of waterproofing is spread on the working surface - a dense polyethylene film, its joints are firmly fastened with construction tape. Then you can proceed to the installation of insulation. It is best to lay polystyrene foam on the ceiling of the cold floor of the first floor, since its high density provides the best thermal insulation qualities. As a replacement for expanded polystyrene, you can consider options with floor insulation with mineral wool or polystyrene foam.

The material for the heat-insulating layer must be chosen carefully, the desire to save money can lead to the fact that all repairs will not provide a good result, and the temperature in the apartment during the cold periods of the year will remain uncomfortable.


Styrofoam boards.

Expanded polystyrene tiles should be placed tightly on the surface, it is not necessary to fasten them to the ceiling. When the installation of the heat-insulating layer is completed, the insulation of the floor of the first floor proceeds to the next stage of work: preparations for pouring the screed begin. In order for a decorative floor covering to be laid on the surface of the screed without any problems, it must turn out to be very even. for these purposes, before pouring the cement mortar, experts advise installing beacon profiles.


This is how the profiles for the future pouring of the screed look like.

Profiles must be set strictly according to the level and fixed. For fixing, you can use both self-tapping screws and the cement mortar itself. When mixing cement mortar, fiber and plasticizer can be added to it. These special additives are of great importance for increasing the strength of the future concrete screed. The finished solution is poured onto the work surface in the direction from the walls to the door and leveled with the rule. After the screed has completely dried, you can lay the selected floor covering on it. On this, the insulation of the concrete floor of the first floor can be considered complete.

Concrete or cement-sand mortar can be replaced with a dry screed. Dry mixes fit quickly and quite simply. The drying of the cement screed lasts about four weeks, if you do not have such a long period of time, then a dry screed remains the only possible option. It is not required to wait for it to dry, it is almost immediately ready for installation of the top layer of the floor.

Floor insulation in a wooden house

How to insulate a wooden floor? Floors on the ground floor often require thermal insulation work. Cold and damp enter the premises from the cold underground, making it uncomfortable to be in the rooms on the lower floor of the house. To insulate the floor structure, the insulation is placed between the rough and finish coatings.

Before starting work, it is necessary to choose a heater, since the distance between the lags will depend on the type of material. The sequence of work in the arrangement of the floors of the first floor is such that first a lag frame is mounted, and then heat-insulating material is placed between them. So that you have to cut and fit pieces of insulation as little as possible, the step between the lags should be equal to the width of the material.

Experts recommend installing double logs across, as this will greatly raise the floor, and nail the bars under the insulation flooring onto the floor beams. Using this method will save the height of the ceilings, which is most important in small rooms where it is impossible to sacrifice extra centimeters.

After installing the lag, the surface should be covered with a dense plastic film.

It is impossible to neglect the arrangement of the waterproofing layer, since the effect of all other works in its absence will be minimal. If the thermal insulation layer is exposed to moisture and gets wet, then almost all of its characteristics that ensure heat retention will be lost.

After the bars on the logs and the thermal insulation are installed, the first level of the raised floor is attached to them using self-tapping screws. It can be made both from boards or plywood, and from OSB sheets. If you are making a warm floor in an apartment on the ground floor, then you do not need to install an additional rough coating; a concrete floor slab will serve as the basis for the entire structure.

Insulation of the floor of the first floor can be done using polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. The material should be laid between the lags in a checkerboard pattern tightly to each other. Most often, for the purposes of insulation, mineral wool is used, which is produced in rolls or tiles. As a replacement for the listed heat-insulating materials, an embankment of expanded clay or sawdust can be considered. They can also be used as thermal insulation, but in exceptional cases, since the falling asleep of expanded clay and sawdust is accompanied by a large amount of dust. Backfill made of expanded clay or sawdust is afraid of moisture and loses its properties when wet.


Mineral wool.

On top of the laid insulation, another layer of waterproofing is laid, which can be firmly attached using a construction stapler. If the waterproofing material cannot be laid with a single sheet, then at the joints, parts of the polyethylene are overlapped at least 10 cm wide. Then it is necessary to fill small bars on the logs in order to leave a gap between the insulation and the board finish to ensure ventilation of the entire floor structure.

After thermal insulation work, the floors of the first floor can be sheathed with any material you like. The flooring can be made of both floorboards and plywood or chipboard. When installing a finishing coating, it is necessary to remember about the gaps near the walls: a space of 1.5 - 2 cm wide should be left between the flooring and the wall of the room.

One of the alternative options for warming wooden floors is the use of penoizol, which many call liquid foam. Insulation of the floor of the first floor when using penoizol differs in that it does not require removal of the casing. This saves you a lot of time for repairs. The cost of the floor insulation method using penoizol depends on how much material you need to fill the space between the lags.

The sequence of work is quite simple. Holes are drilled in several places in the wooden floor, or you can simply remove one or two boards from the flooring. Penoizol is supplied under pressure through these holes into the structure. The material fills the entire space between the lags, no matter what form it needs to take.

The advantage of this method of warming the floors of the first floor is not only the simplicity of its implementation, but also the protection of the entire floor. Penoizol in the process of polymerization increases in volume and exits through the slots of the boardwalk. As a result, it fills absolutely all voids and cracks that can contribute to heat loss.

When choosing a material for thermal insulation of the floor, one should be guided by financial possibilities and adhere to a rational approach. If you have enough time to dismantle the old floor and lay a new flooring from the boards, then you can choose mineral wool or expanded polystyrene as a heater. Both materials can be mounted with your own hands, without using the services of specialists.

The use of rolled mineral wool is one of the most common ways to insulate the floor, which is used by many. Thermal insulation of the floor in the premises of the first floor with the help of expanded clay is undesirable, since the result of the work carried out will not be highly efficient. If there is no opportunity to spend a serious amount of money on the purchase of thermal insulation material, then you should pay attention to insulation with foam. Using penoizol requires serious costs, but it will save you time.

How to insulate the floor on the ground?

In some private houses, the floor is mounted directly on the ground, therefore it also requires serious insulation. Thermal insulation of such structures should be considered at the stage of building a house.

When building a house, the top layer of soil is removed and removed, crushed stone and sand are poured in its place. Each layer is poured to a height of about 10 cm and well compacted. Insulation of the floor of the first floor in this case can be carried out on sand or on a concrete screed. In the first method, the heat-insulating material is laid directly on the compacted sand, in the second, a concrete slab up to 12 cm thick is first poured.

As a heater, it is best to use expanded polystyrene, which is not afraid of moisture. The perimeter of the room is treated with a damper tape, and waterproofing is laid on the insulation in the form of a polyethylene film or a vapor barrier membrane. Then, a cement screed with a reinforcing mesh is poured over this entire structure. After the solution has dried, the floors of the first floor can be covered with a decorative coating.

Insulation of the floor of the 1st floor in an apartment is similar to work in a private house. After all, the owners do not have a warm room below. This means that the problem needs to be solved radically.

And each owner is concerned about the question, but how to properly insulate the floor of the house with your own hands, which is located above the cold basement or underground.

In this article, we will look at how to independently make the floor insulation of the first floor with a different base.

Scheme floor insulation on the 1st floor made of wood is made by laying insulation between the rough and finish flooring.


Scheme of floor insulation on the first floor of a wooden house

We note right away that for ease of installation and reduction of waste, pre-calculate the distance between the lags (bars that are designed to lay roofing sheets or floorboards on them). It should be a multiple of the width of the insulation.

  1. Install floor beams.
  1. From below, on these beams, nail the bars to fasten the base for laying the heat-insulating material.
  1. Cut boards, OSB sheets or plywood into strips of the required width so that they can fit between the beams.
  1. Lay these sheets and screw them with self-tapping screws to the bars. This will be the first level of the raised floor.

When insulating private houses, mineral wool is often used.
  1. Lay waterproofing layer from polyethylene film. If this is not done, then when the insulation gets wet, it will be useless (see article).
  1. Lay the insulation itself (base layer) tightly between the bars in a checkerboard pattern, i.e. with moving joints.

Important! For thermal insulation, it is better to use mineral wool in the form of a roll of suitable width or slabs. As well as polystyrene foam or polystyrene.

In addition, there is a whiter economical option - expanded clay or sawdust. Although they are several times inferior to the above in terms of thermal conductivity and are unstable to moisture. More information about all types of thermal insulation materials can be found in the article on our website.


Floor insulation of the 1st floor with expanded clay is the most affordable and effective option
  1. Lay the waterproofing in a monolithic piece over the heat-insulating material on the bars.
  1. Fasten the waterproofing layer quickly with a construction stapler.
  1. Lay the sheets of vapor barrier one after another without gaps - 10-20 cm, and glue the joints with adhesive tape.
  1. Before you start cladding with boards, do not forget to leave a gap for ventilation. To do this: Screw the bars (40x100 mm) onto the logs over the waterproofing layer.
  1. Now you can sheathe the logs by any method, i.e. even plywood, chipboard, floorboard. And lay down the finish coat. Important! Do not forget to leave an expansion joint - about 1-2 cm at the walls.

If you have any questions, how to do it right (on the first floor) floor insulation in the house, video

Floor insulation of the 1st floor with liquid foam


It looks like Penoizol

The essence of floor insulation with this material is as follows:

  1. Remove one board or drill small diameter holes.
  1. Fill the space tightly with Penoizol between the joists, which can take any shape.
  1. In the process of polymerization, this insulation increases in volume, and its remains go out through the gaps between the floorboards and around the entire perimeter of the floor covering. So, the whole space under the boards is insulated, even the smallest gaps.

First floor - floor insulation with a concrete base

Remains very relevant to this day. 1st floor floor insulation panel house or house with a concrete floor. The thermal insulation scheme in this case will differ significantly from the previous options.

Here, instead of a log made of wood, it is necessary to apply, as well as denser heat-insulating materials.


Warming with mineral wool

So let's get started:

  1. Fill with fine sand the bumps on the concrete base. Otherwise, during the load, the thermal insulation material may change shape. In addition, expanded clay can be used for this, which simultaneously performs several functions: it levels, raises to the desired height and insulates the base.

Expanded clay not only insulates, but levels and raises the base of the floor
  1. Attach a damper tape around the perimeter of the room to self-tapping screws or self-adhesive tape. It is necessary to increase sound insulation and maintain an expansion joint.
  1. Lay a waterproofing film on the floor, overlapping each other and on the walls.
  1. Seal the seams with tape.

Important! To insulate the floor of the first floor with a concrete base, it is better to use penoplex (extruded polystyrene foam), because. it is highly durable and has excellent thermal insulation parameters. However, you can also use dense varieties of foam and mineral wool.


Floor insulation with polystyrene
  1. Lay the sheets of insulation tightly to each other. It is not necessary to attach them to the base of the floor!
  1. Install beacon profiles to get a flat surface. For this:
  • Mix the leveling solution by adding plasticizer and fiber to it.
  • Scatter this solution along the perimeter of the floor with a margin and level it with the help of beacon profiles, which you will level and fix on self-tapping screws. More about floor insulation on the 1st floor, base - concrete can be read in the article on our website.

Underfloor heating

If you have, but you want to make the room even warmer, then you can install a "warm floor" from the boiler. This is if you live in a private house.


Underfloor heating on the ground floor

If you live in a city apartment, then for floor insulation on the first floor install electric floor heating. Install heating under the screed or in the tile adhesive during its installation.


Installation of metal-plastic pipes in the screed

Insulation of the frame floor - on the ground

Most people living in private houses during their construction make floors on the ground. This option is appropriate for buildings without basements, while it attracts attention due to simple technology. do-it-yourself floor insulation at home and low building costs.


The scheme of the floor of the first floor on the ground

Important! On the first floor, floor insulation on the ground must be carried out even at the construction stage, and the thickness of the heat-insulating material, the need for heating, etc. must be preliminarily calculated. By the way, the required thickness of the sealant is determined by calculation according to SNiP 23-02-2003. However, it is not recommended to make it less than 5 cm.

Instruction frame floor insulation on the ground on the ground floor looks like this:

  1. Remove soft and fertile layers of soil.
  1. Make a "cushion" of coarse gravel and sand, while carefully pressing it in layers. Important! Do not forget that there should be a layer of sand on top of the rubble - about 10 cm.
  1. To prepare the base, you can first pour a reinforced concrete slab - about 8-12 cm. Although this is not necessary.
  1. Lay the penoplex on the sand, because. does not absorb moisture and is always highly effective, even in wet conditions.

Important! The density of the heat-insulating material used must be greater than 35 kg/m 3 . And when using heaters that have a high moisture absorption capacity, be sure to protect them on both sides with a waterproofing layer.


Frame floor insulation
  1. Lay damper tape around the perimeter of the walls. Important! The base of the floor should not be connected with the structure of the house. That is, it should act as a separate element. This will allow the base of the floor to change its position with the inevitable shrinkage of the building.
  1. With an overlap on the walls and a hermetically sealed vapor barrier or polyethylene foam.

More details on how to do in a frame house do-it-yourself floor insulation, video- instructions can be found here:

Insulation of the floor of the first floor with an unheated basement

How to insulate the floor on the 1st floor if there is a cold basement under it? In this case, the layers of thermal insulation material must be laid as follows:


Dry screed attached to expanded clay sand in 2 layers
  1. Smooth out any unevenness on the concrete slab with fine sand.
  1. Lay foam boards.
  1. Cover the top with plastic wrap.
  1. Make any stitch. Concrete, dry or cement-sand (see article).
  1. The tie is ready. Lay any fork of the finish coat.

Finally, we note that there are times when it is impossible to do in an apartment on ground floor e floor insulation. For example, if not so long ago there was a repair. Then, in order to insulate the floor on the 1st floor, you need access to the ceiling in the basement and, of course, the consent of the neighbors.


Sheathing with heat-insulating material of the ceiling in the basement
  1. First, glue polystyrene foam, mineral wool or polystyrene foam onto a special glue.
  1. Fix the insulation on 4 or 5 umbrella dowels. Their top can be covered with nothing. However, if your basement has high humidity, then waterproof it.

How to do with different bases floor insulation video- instructions can be found here: