How to properly insulate a roof. Important nuances of roof insulation

A well-calculated and high-quality installed rafter system, a durable, reliable, non-leaking roofing covering – all this is wonderful. But we must not forget about one more thing - about effective thermal insulation of your home from the upper direction, that is, from the side of the roof and attic floor. Insufficient or improperly performed insulation of these building elements not only causes less comfortable living conditions in the house, but also, most importantly, sharply reduces the normal service life of many building materials and structures constructed from them.

Typically, issues of roof thermal insulation are thought through at the design stages of the rafter system or attic floors, and the insulation system itself is installed in parallel with construction. But if suddenly, due to certain circumstances, it turns out that the roof in a house purchased, for example, is not insulated at all, or the effectiveness of thermal insulation is clearly insufficient, the owners will have to seriously address this issue on their own. That’s when the information on how to insulate the roof of a house with your own hands, given in this publication, will come in handy.

Why is it necessary to insulate the roof?

First of all, you need to have a very precise idea of ​​how important it is to insulate the roof outside or inside.

  • The climatic conditions in most regions of Russia cannot be called “mild” - even in the southern regions there are often very harsh winters. Heating costs during the cold season usually become prevalent and “eat up” a considerable part of the family budget. But with poor-quality insulation, spending on energy literally turns into “money for air.”

Look at an approximate diagram of heat losses of an uninsulated or insufficiently insulated private house:

A roof with a roof that does not have effective thermal insulation simply “steals” almost a third of the energy costs spent on heating a home. Of course, we can’t even talk about any kind of efficiency. But even with such a completely unjustified expenditure of funds, it will be almost impossible to create a truly comfortable microclimate in the house.

  • With the arrival of the summer heat, the lack of thermal insulation also becomes a serious problem. A large roof area acts as a kind of “solar collector”, heating up in the sun and then transferring this flow of thermal energy down to the premises of the house. As a result, there is nothing to breathe in the rooms, or climate control equipment works with increased intensity, which, again, leads to completely unjustified costs.
  • The lack of thermal insulation has a very negative impact on the condition of building structures. Normal human activity is always accompanied by the release of large volumes of water vapor, which condenses at the boundary of heat and cold, at the so-called “dew point,” turning into water. Oversaturation of wooden parts of the roof structure with moisture leads to the activation of rotting processes, to the destructuring of wood due to freezing and thawing cycles with the appearance of deep cracks, to the appearance and development of colonies of pathogenic microflora - mold and mildew, and to the appearance of insect nests.

When building a private house, you should pay attention not only to the thermal protection of walls and floors, but also to the insulation of roof structures. The temperature and humidity conditions of the room, and even the service life of the structures, depend on the correctness of roof insulation measures. You can do the installation of thermal insulation material yourself.

The need for insulation

Everyone knows from school physics that heated air rises. If there is no thermal insulation, nothing prevents him from leaving the building. Because of this phenomenon, a large amount of heat loss occurs through the roof or attic floors. Lack of necessary protection from cold and loss of warm air can lead to the following problems:

  • lowering the room temperature;
  • increased heating costs in winter;
  • condensation on the inner surface of the roof;
  • the appearance of mold or mildew on roof elements;
  • destruction or damage to load-bearing structures, and bringing the house into disrepair.

The insulation of roof structures, as well as the insulation of walls and ceilings during the construction of multi-apartment residential buildings, is necessarily checked by state or private expertise at the design stage. Thermal insulation of a private cottage depends entirely on the future owner; no one checks its availability and wise choice, but this does not make it lose its importance.

Insulation methods

Do-it-yourself roof insulation largely depends on the roof structure. There are two types of roofs: flat and pitched. Most often, flat roofs are used for the construction of multi-story buildings, but they can also be used in the construction of a private cottage. Flat roofs can be constructed in two ways:

In inversion, the order of layers has been changed. This technology is used when arranging a serviceable roof. The following can be used as insulation material in both cases:

  • Styrofoam;
  • extruded polystyrene foam;
  • mineral wool (in slabs);
  • expanded clay

The latter is quite cheap, but has lower thermal protection characteristics. In most cases, roof insulation is applied from the outside. This allows you to simplify the installation process and make protection from the cold that is competent from a thermal engineering point of view.

Layout of insulation between rafters

It is necessary to remember the strength of the material; additional measures will also be required to protect the insulation from mechanical damage.

When building a private house, the option with a pitched roof is most often used. It allows you to equip an attic or attic and has a more attractive appearance. Insulation of the roof of a wooden house or any other can be done in several ways:

  • laying material between the rafters (the most common);
  • laying insulation on top of the rafters;
  • fastening from the bottom of the rafters.

Material selection

Insulation of the roof of a wooden house or building made of other materials is carried out using the following materials:

Rarely used materials include:

  • expanded clay;
  • sawdust.

Scheme of roof insulation with mineral wool

Bulk materials are used to protect against the cold outside. They have an attractive price, but are quite difficult to install, so they are not widely used. It is better to use more modern technologies.

In general, materials for thermal protection measures must meet the requirements:

  • safety, absence of harmful effects on humans;
  • environmental friendliness;
  • low weight to prevent excessive loads on the rafter system;
  • resistance to creasing and sagging, sufficient strength and rigidity;
  • sound insulation characteristics (especially important when using metal roofing);
  • fire resistance (especially important for wooden construction);
  • if possible, good vapor permeability, which will provide additional ventilation of the room;
  • good thermal protection characteristics.

One of the most important characteristics of a material is its thermal conductivity. This value must be indicated by the manufacturer. The lower the value, the smaller the thickness of the insulation will be needed. If you are not short on money, it is better to choose materials such as mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. The values ​​of their thermal conductivity depend on the manufacturer and are in the range of 0.03-0.04 W/(m2*ᵒC).

Thickness calculation

It is important not only to choose the right material for insulation, but also to correctly calculate its thickness. Insufficient will lead to condensation, and excessive indicates waste of money. You can select the value “by eye” based on general recommendations, for example, regardless of the type of roof (pitched or flat), for insulation with mineral wool or expanded polystyrene, a layer thickness of 150-200 mm will be required.

It is best to perform a full thermal calculation that takes into account modern comfort requirements and allows you to find the ideal balance of cost and quality. For a specialist, performing such a calculation will not be difficult. A person who is far from construction can use examples of calculations or the Teremok program, which is freely available and quite simple and understandable.

Competent calculations at the design stage are aimed at saving the budget and ensuring the reliability of thermal protection.

Their implementation will not take much time, but will allow you to avoid cost overruns during construction and additional costs for repairs during operation.

The process of insulating a flat roof

Depending on the type of roof, the insulation technology will be different. For flat roofs, the following layer order is usually followed:

  • load-bearing structure (most often reinforced concrete covering);
  • vapor barrier layer;
  • thermal insulation material;
  • cement-sand screed (reinforced for weak materials);
  • waterproofing carpet, which serves as a finishing coating.

If absolutely necessary, you can carry out work from inside the room, but this method has several disadvantages:

  • reducing the height of the room;
  • transfer of dew point inside the structure;
  • inconvenience of work.

Thermal protection of pitched roofs

Before properly insulating the roof of a house, you need to understand the procedure for carrying out the work. In the vast majority of cases, pitched roofs are insulated between the rafters. Insulating a roof from the inside with your own hands is a completely feasible task. It is important to follow the correct order of laying materials from bottom to top:

  • interior decoration;
  • bottom sheathing;
  • vapor barrier;
  • rafters with insulation between them;
  • waterproofing;
  • wind protection;
  • sheathing;
  • roofing material.

When the thickness of the insulation is greater than the height of the rafters, counter-battens are installed. It is better to use modern diffusion membranes as wind protection and waterproofing.

Proper insulation, regardless of the type of roof, requires a careful approach. To avoid problems during operation, it is necessary to select the correct insulation thickness, choose a reliable manufacturer and follow the installation technology. Fulfillment of these conditions will allow the roof to last a long time and help maintain normal temperature and humidity conditions in the building.

We insulate the roof correctly: how to avoid mistakes


Insulating the roof will create warmth in the house. We will describe in detail how and what is the best way to insulate the roof of a private house in this article.

Proper insulation of the roof of a house

Insulating the roof of a house is an important stage in the construction or major repair of a roof. The choice of technology for installing a heat-insulating layer depends on the configuration of the roof, the type of insulation and the requirements for the room located directly under the roof.

The need for roof insulation

How to insulate a roof to significantly reduce heat loss at home? First of all, you need to choose the right materials for insulation and strictly adhere to the installation technology. A high-quality insulated roof increases the thermal efficiency of the house by 15%, allowing you to turn the attic into a room suitable for year-round use.

The highest demands are placed on insulating the roof of a residential attic of houses located in areas with cold winters. The roofing pie of summer attics or exploited attics may include a thinner layer of thermal insulation. The roof, under which an unused attic is located, is usually not insulated - thermal insulation is mounted on the attic floor or the ceiling of the living premises. An uninsulated non-residential attic is well ventilated, which prevents rotting of the wooden elements of the roof frame.

When installing pitched and flat roofs, different methods of roof insulation are used.

Thermal insulation of flat roofs

How to make an insulated roof when installing a flat roof? It should be noted that a flat roof can be insulated both from the outside and from the inside.

The composition of the flat roof pie includes:

  • vapor barrier;
  • heat insulator;
  • waterproofing layer made of rolled material;
  • bulk layer (drainage + cement-sand mixture).

External insulation is most conveniently performed using mineral basalt wool. You can also use polystyrene foam and other rigid insulation materials. It should be taken into account that polymer insulation cannot be used when installing roofing coverings with high fire safety requirements.

Insulation of a pitched roof

The roofing pie of a pitched roof is made with insulation along the rafters. It is important to understand how to properly insulate the roof of a house in order to avoid mistakes that will ultimately lead to damage to wooden structures.

The most popular insulation in private housing construction is mineral wool. This is an easy-to-install, non-flammable material that can be purchased at a low price. But the structure of the wool itself promotes the accumulation of moisture, which causes a significant decrease in the thermal insulation properties of the material, and also, over time, provokes rotting of the elements of the rafter system. Thus, when creating insulation, it is important to provide for proper ventilation and vapor and waterproofing of the roofing pie.

Installation of a pitched roof heat insulator is carried out from the attic side during the construction or repair of the roof. If repair work is being carried out, before laying the insulation, it is necessary to check the condition of the rafters - rotting elements must be replaced with new ones. It is also worth treating all wooden structures with a fire-retardant compound.

The pitched roof pie includes:

  • finishing roofing covering;
  • hydrobarrier (layer of waterproofing material);
  • heat insulator;
  • vapor barrier;
  • interior decoration (optional).

Proper roof insulation requires high-quality air exchange, for which it is necessary to create air gaps between:

  • under-roof waterproofing and roofing;
  • insulation and water barrier;
  • vapor barrier and internal lining (if provided).

Air circulation (free inflow and removal) is ensured by special vents, one of which should be located in the roof overhang, and the second under the ridge.

Materials for thermal insulation of pitched roofs

Roof insulation technology involves the use of various materials. The most popular heat insulators include mineral wool and glass wool (in slabs or rolls), slab polymer materials - polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam. The principles of their installation are similar, but it is worth noting that installing slab material is much simpler and more convenient.

As waterproofing, roofing material or a waterproofing membrane is usually used, which is impermeable to water, but capable of removing moisture from the insulation. The vapor barrier layer can be made of:

  • roofing felt;
  • polyethylene film;
  • glassine;
  • foil materials laid with foil towards the attic.

To create a roofing pie with high functional characteristics, it is recommended to use a special vapor barrier membrane to create a vapor barrier: it removes condensation outside from the insulation and does not allow steam and moisture to pass into the roofing pie.

Stages of work on insulating a pitched roof

The roof insulation scheme is quite simple. First of all, you need to measure the distance between the rafters. The slabs of cotton wool insulation should be cut according to the results obtained, adding 1 centimeter. This will allow you to fasten the heat insulator between the rafters. This stage of work is greatly simplified if the roofing system is initially designed and installed based on the use of slab insulation boards of a certain width.

If there is no waterproofing between the rafters and the already installed roofing, you should first secure a water barrier. The membrane should envelop the rafters; it is most convenient to fasten it with a construction stapler to the rafters themselves and to the roof sheathing in the openings between them. The waterproofing must be installed under the eaves at the bottom of the roof to ensure moisture drainage. It should be taken into account that with this method of fastening the hydrobarrier, the insulation must be installed without the necessary air gap. For this reason, it is recommended to use a superdiffusion membrane as a waterproofing material.

If there is a waterproofing layer under the roofing, nails are placed on the rafters in increments of about 10 cm. The nails should be located at a distance of 3-5 cm from the waterproofing layer. It is necessary to stretch a polyethylene thread or cord between the nails, tamping them to the end. This will help create an air gap between the hydrobarrier and the insulation. If the heat insulator is planned to be fixed with a cord, and not with lathing for internal cladding, nails must also be driven along the outer edge of the rafters.

If, when deciding how to insulate the roof of a house, you chose cotton slab insulation, then the prepared elements must be slightly compressed and inserted between the rafters. When using stiffer foam boards and similar materials, it is important to accurately size them so that the boards fit snugly into the opening. It is recommended to carry out insulation in two layers. If you have to mount not solid sheets into the opening, but narrower fragments, joining them along the length or width, you need to make sure that the joints of the second layer do not coincide with the joints of the first. The heat insulator should not protrude beyond the plane of the rafter legs. If the rafters are not wide enough to install two layers of insulation, additional timber is nailed to them.

The heat insulator is fixed between the rafters using a stretched cord secured to pre-filled nails. Or, as a fastening, a lathing made of slats is used, intended for mounting the interior lining of the room. The slats are nailed to the rafters in increments of 30-40 cm. In this case, the vapor barrier is stapled to the rafters before installing the sheathing: the thickness of the slats allows you to create the necessary air gap between the vapor barrier and the sheathing.

When installing a vapor barrier, special attention is paid to the tightness of the layer. The panel is laid with an overlap of at least 10 cm, the joints should be taped with adhesive tape in two layers. It is necessary to install the vapor barrier around the chimney and at the junction with the walls as efficiently as possible. At the final stage, the sheathing is installed using wood-based or plasterboard boards.

How to insulate the roof of a house correctly: video, insulation diagram, methods


Find out how to properly insulate the roof of your house. Look at the video on how to insulate the roof of a house using various schemes, methods and types of insulation

Roof insulation: diagrams and materials

How and with what materials can the attic and roof be insulated? Is it possible to insulate the roof from the outside? We will try to answer these and many other questions within the framework of the article.

The thermal imager shows the comparative temperature of the surface of the walls and roof. Here the conclusions are obvious: insulate the roof!

Ceiling or roofing

Let's start with the main thing: first we need to decide what exactly needs to be insulated. Should I build a pie of waterproofing and insulation on the roof or should I insulate the ceiling?

The answer is ridiculously simple. If the attic room is planned to be used as a residential attic, the roof is insulated. If the attic is used only for storing rarely used items, the obvious choice is to insulate the floor between the living part of the house and the attic.

  • The insulation area in this case will be much smaller. If so, our costs will also decrease.
  • It is immeasurably easier to insulate a floor than a roof. The thermal insulation material can simply be laid on a horizontal surface: there will be no problems with its fixation.

Useful: the attic can be summer, used only in the warm season. And in this case, it makes more sense to insulate the ceiling.

The insulation of flat roofs is special. In this case, there is no particular choice: we not only have to insulate the roof, but also ensure reliable waterproofing with rainwater drainage.

Insulation schemes and materials used

Flat roof

This is where we will begin our review of possible schemes.

Polyurethane foam

Roof insulation with foam involves the use of an industrial installation for spraying components. The excellent adhesion of polyurethane foam allows you to insulate the roof with minimal preparation: you just need to thoroughly clean the surface of debris.

Thanks to the ability to apply a layer of variable thickness, an experienced operator can combine the insulation of a flat roof with leveling the recesses and creating the slope necessary for water drainage.

High-density foam is used for roofing - 60-80 kg/m3. This material is non-flammable and, as a pleasant addition, has excellent waterproofing qualities; however, additional protection from water will be required. As a rule, a reinforced screed is poured over the insulation, on which additional waterproofing is laid - liquid rubber or, which is much cheaper, roofing felt on bitumen mastic.

The material is very practical and durable; its main drawback is its high price.

Expanded polystyrene, foam plastic

Expanded polystyrene is not afraid of moisture.

The material bears a significant load; however, it is distributed evenly over its entire surface thanks to the screed lying on top. It is recommended to use extruded polystyrene foam or C-35 foam.

The material allows you to easily insulate the roof yourself. Insulation sheets are laid out on a surface cleared of debris with minimal gaps; To avoid the appearance of cold bridges, the seams are foamed. The screed laid on top ensures the slope of the roof (creating a slope for water drainage).

Using extruded polystyrene foam, it is possible to create a so-called inversion roof: the insulation is laid not under the waterproofing, but on top of it. There may be a layer of drainage or even soil on top. The inversion scheme is typical for a roof in use.

Mineral wool

Mineral wool can be purchased in rolls or in slabs.

The method of application is completely identical to the previous material (Read also the article How to insulate a roof with mineral wool: recommendations from professionals).

Floor insulation

Expanded clay, slag, sawdust

There are several nuances associated specifically with mineral wool:

  1. Exclusively glued insulation in the form of plates is used.
  2. The side of the slab with higher density should face up.
  3. The material is hygroscopic. Proper insulation using it includes a layer of waterproofing between the mineral wool and the screed. In addition, a layer of vapor barrier is laid under the slabs on a concrete base or corrugated sheet.

Floor insulation

Now let's look at ways to thermally insulate the floor between the residential part of the house and the unused attic.

Expanded clay, slag, sawdust

Expanded clay insulation over a concrete floor is one of the cheapest. However, it will be quite labor-intensive: dragging several cubic meters of material into the attic is not easy.

Actually, in the case of a monolithic or slab reinforced concrete floor, no additional measures for vapor barrier or insulation protection are required: expanded clay or slag is covered with a continuous layer. Thickness - at least 25 centimeters.

If the floor is wooden, a slightly more complex scheme is used.

  1. A board panel is hemmed underneath the beams.
  2. A vapor barrier film is laid on it.
  3. The insulation is poured over the entire thickness of the beams.

The ceiling is insulated with sawdust.

Mineral wool

In this case, the instructions are a little more complicated: mineral wool slabs fill the space between the beams and are separated from the surrounding air by two layers of vapor barrier - bottom and top.

Expanded polystyrene

Its use makes the most sense if you want to turn the attic into a summer attic.

One simple solution looks like this:

  1. Plates of extruded polystyrene foam 2-3 centimeters thick are laid out on a flat floor surface. Concrete does not require any gasket between it and the insulation; It is best to lay penofol on a wooden surface with the reflective layer facing down. The seams are taped.
  2. The flooring is laid on top - slabs of plywood, OSB or chipboard in two layers with overlapping seams. In this case, the floor will not play under your feet. The layers are fastened with short screws in increments of no more than 25 centimeters.
  3. Linoleum is spread over the flooring or laminate is laid on a backing.

Useful: the same method can be used to insulate a loggia or a cold floor on the first floor.

Pitched roof

Well, what does the insulation of the second floor under the roof look like? Obviously, in the case of an attic, we will have to use the space between the rafters for insulation.

In all cases, waterproofing must be present under the roof. The film is fastened with a stapler at the stage of roof installation: it is laid in horizontal stripes, starting from the bottom. It is necessary to ensure that the condensation that is inevitable on a roof made of metal tiles or corrugated sheets does not get into the insulation.

Then the actual roofing material is laid over the sheathing. For slate and metal tiles, it is recommended to use a lath with a cross-section of at least 25 mm; All types of soft roofing (bitumen shingles, roofing felt, etc.) require the assembly of a continuous panel.

Any insulation made from a hygroscopic material is protected from the inside by a vapor barrier film with mandatory gluing of the seams.

How can roof insulation be done?

  • Polyurethane foam is also used for roof insulation. The space between the rafters is foamed; In this case, there is no need for a vapor barrier.
  • Ecowool, a cellulose-based insulation material, can be sprayed in a similar way. When laid wet, it also forms a continuous layer of thermal insulation between the rafters.

ecowool - cellulose-based insulation. When laid wet, it also forms a continuous layer of thermal insulation between the rafters.

  • The technology of roof insulation using mineral wool slabs is simple and unpretentious: the slabs are inserted spaced between the rafters. For additional fixation, you can use a cord stretched between nails driven into the side surfaces of the rafters.

Attention: in this case, the vapor barrier should be insulated with special attention. Mineral wool is hygroscopic, and its thermal insulation qualities strongly depend on the moisture content of the material.

  • Foam boards are also inserted as spacers between the rafters; the seams are foaming. Calculation of the required thickness of this insulation for each climatic zone can be found in SNiP II-3-79 “Construction Heat Engineering”.
  • Finally, extruded polystyrene foam can also be used to insulate the roof from the outside. It is glued to a solid board - board or plywood; then it is protected by waterproofing - roofing felt with gluing the seams with bitumen mastic. Of course, using a burner in this case is unacceptable: the material is not heat-resistant.

As you can see, roof insulation with your own hands and using industrial equipment is possible at any stage of construction.

Roof insulation from the outside: flat and soft roofs, second floor, attic with expanded clay, foam, metal tiles, video instructions for do-it-yourself installation, SNIP, thickness, methods, technology, photo and price


Insulation of the roof from the outside: flat and soft roofs, second floor, attic with expanded clay, foam, metal tiles, video instructions for do-it-yourself installation, SNIP,

We begin to figure out how to properly insulate a ceiling under a cold roof and when is the best time to do it. Materials for insulation may be different. Everything will depend on the technical characteristics of the materials and the preferences of the home owner.

The time has come when the bulk of housing is heated using gas equipment or electric heat-generating components. Such heating appears even in country houses. But here, too, insulation material is provided. Rarely does the owner of a country house light a stove. This does not apply to fireplaces - such attributes will always be present in country houses!

In this article

Will we insulate ourselves?

Even before work begins, you should decide: who will carry out the insulation of the ceiling under a cold roof? If you have the slightest uncertainty, you should use the services of builders. If the property owner cannot complete the work themselves. Or has some doubts or uncertainty about his abilities. The companies have qualified personnel, they are familiar with the work first hand. They know how to properly insulate a ceiling under a cold roof.

Every property owner is interested in the cost of heating their building. Costs can be reduced. To do this, you need to insulate the roof. How to reduce heat losses to almost 15%. You still have to pay for heating. Those who do not want to do this invest in thermal insulation. These are the laws of heat conservation in a building; you cannot do without them.

The owner faces many questions, for example, how to properly insulate an attic roof, if there is one? Sometimes the owner uses a pitched roof. The design of the roof depends on the purpose of the house and its under-roof space. The choice of roof shape and material for it depends on the design of the rafter frame and the presence or absence of a thermal insulation layer. In the construction of private houses, two types of roofs are used: warm and cold structures.

Warm roof

A type of roofing structure that provides for complete insulation of slopes. A warm roof is installed when the space located under the slopes is used as living space. This is an excellent option when equipping a residential attic. Having an insulated attic in your home is the dream of many.

This type of roof is erected for houses that are heated. And they are used as residential buildings all year round. Here there are no heat losses through the slopes. The installation of such a roof requires considerable expenses, which will go towards the cost of materials and installation work.

Cold roof

It is erected for buildings in which the attic is not used as a living space and is not heated in winter. Such structures do not have the usual structure when the roof is formed by layering materials. Either waterproofing or thermal insulation. This is a type of rafter system on which waterproofing and roofing material are laid.

The weight of the structure is light. Its cost is lower, installation work on the device is not complicated. But this is a practical solution for a country house building. Some say that it is not customary to insulate a cold roof.

Insulation of a cold roof

The work of properly insulating the roof of a residential building is painstaking. But only they, properly executed, will create a comfortable microclimate in the building. Experts know how to properly insulate a ceiling under a cold roof. First, the attic is independently equipped into a living space.

They replace the old roofing with profiled decking or metal tiles. Condensation can form on a metal roof. This happens in autumn or spring with possible temperature changes.

There are a lot of materials on the market for thermal insulation, but not all of them are suitable for insulating a ceiling located under a cold roof. The thermal insulation layer must be resistant to moisture, have low thermal conductivity, and comply with safety standards. Do not negatively affect people's health. Yes, a lot still needs to be foreseen: what is needed for the work, how to properly insulate the roof of the house - the decision is up to the owner.

Materials

To prevent condensation, the roof of the house is insulated from the inside. This is done using suitable thermal insulation materials. The material chosen for the work must be vapor permeable. And preserve building structures and waterproofing from the outside. Moisture should not get on the thermal insulation layer. Water vapor must be removed from the attic or attic of the building.

It is best to use fibrous materials for thermal insulation. It can be mineral wool or basalt. These materials allow water vapor to pass through and reduce indoor humidity. These indicators distinguish the listed materials from polyurethane foam or polystyrene foam. But fiber insulation loses its properties in the presence of moisture. This causes them to become deformed over time.

Important: When performing installation work on insulating a structure, you must strictly follow the sequence of applying layers of the “pie” for insulation.

The complexity and duration of insulation depends on the characteristics of the insulation. Much depends on the cost of the insulation material. After all, cheap material must be laid in two layers. Working with two layers is more difficult and takes longer.

It’s easier to work with expensive analogues. They can be quickly secured, which is convenient. Working with polyurethane foam will not cause much trouble. This is important for sloping roofs. Only the cost of insulation in this case will be high.

Insulating the roof of a house from the inside

When equipped, the first layer on the inside will be a decorative finish. You can use plywood, drywall, and lining as it. It is necessary to provide a ventilation gap of two or three cm. It is designed for air circulation. And the next break will be the vapor-permeable membrane.

The thickness of the insulation must be sufficient for this purpose. Typically, for a roof, the thermal insulation layer should be at least ten cm. A vapor-permeable waterproofing film should be placed on the insulation.

Thermal insulation begins with laying a waterproofing film. Place it with a sag perpendicular to the rafters. It should be small. The joints on the material are taped. This is done so that there are no gaps. Then 50 mm thick bars are nailed onto the rafters and lathing made from wood boards is laid. If a finished roof is being insulated, then the waterproofing film is secured using a stapler. Place fastenings under the rafters and seal the joints of the film with tape.

Before work is carried out, the rafter system is treated with an antiseptic. Only after this can you work with thermal insulation. It is laid between the rafters at random. To perform rough filing, ordinary slats are used. Insulation mats must be placed in several layers. This is the only way to create the required thickness of insulation.
When laying, the joints of the top layer should completely overlap the bottom row of mats. That is, the bottom layer of insulation is laid with a shift or placed perpendicular to the first row of mats.

Then a vapor barrier film is placed. The smooth surface should be turned towards the insulation. The vapor barrier has a rough surface, so vapors are trapped here. For this reason, it is laid towards the room.

If the vapor barrier film is laid the other way around, it will not be able to remove moisture from the thermal insulation. In addition, an accumulation of condensation will appear on its surface. The film is also secured with a stapler, the joints are carefully taped.

Then wooden bars or a metal profile are secured to the rafters. The casing is placed on it. There are cases when finishing of this room is not provided. Then the hemming of the rafters should be made from boards treated with antiseptics. Installing thermal insulation is a responsible procedure. It will allow the owner to save up to 25% of heat. If you install it on metal roofs, then there will be no ice formation on them, and condensation will not appear!


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Insulating the roof from the inside is the best option for work for several reasons.


Roof insulation is done only for residential attic spaces; due to this, heat losses are significantly reduced and living comfort is increased. Today, companies produce a wide range of insulation materials, all of which have both positive and negative sides. When choosing a specific insulation, it is important to know its features and take into account the characteristics of the building’s rafter system.

There are many names of materials for insulation, but they are all divided into two large groups.

Table. Roof insulation groups.

Name of insulationOperational and physical characteristics

This group includes mineral wool from basalt, glass wool from recycled glass and ecowool from waste paper. Cotton wool insulation can be pressed in the form of mats of standard sizes or rolled. There are options for spraying liquid ecowool. In terms of thermal conductivity and weight, the listed types are almost the same from each other. Mineral wool is the most expensive.

Polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, etc. All these insulation materials are made on the basis of the same polymer and differ in production technology and some additives. Most often they take the form of slabs of various thicknesses and sizes; they can differ significantly in terms of physical strength. Thermal conductivity is almost the same; minor fluctuations in practice have no effect. The price range is wide. Can be used in liquid form (sprayed) or as slabs.

As an example, we will look at the two most common options for insulating a roof from the inside. The examples are not only budget-friendly, but also effective. The process is divided into several stages, and the final quality of the work depends on the correct execution of each of them.

Prices for foam plastic

Styrofoam

Inspection of the rafter system and roof covering

A very important stage of preparation for insulation. Inspect all elements of the roofing system, check the condition of the roof covering. If problems are discovered, they must be corrected immediately.

Measure the distance between the rafter legs, this will help you navigate the choice of insulation. The fact is that all insulation has standard width dimensions. This simplifies and speeds up installation work and reduces waste. The width of the insulation is 60 cm, but, unfortunately, some manufacturers allow fluctuations in one direction or another by several centimeters. The distance between the rafter legs should be within 56–57 cm. In practice, it is rare to find such correct roofs.

See if a wind barrier is installed between the roof and the attic, and if it has vents for natural ventilation. This is very important in cases where insulation is planned to be done with mineral wool.

Prices for vapor barrier materials

Vapor barrier material

Selection and purchase of materials

The most commonly used materials for roof insulation are mineral wool and polystyrene foam; we will dwell on them in detail. If you have a simple gable roof, then insulating it is not very difficult technologically. The situation is completely different with a sloping or hipped roof. These structures have many different stops, purlins, ties and other elements that strengthen the rafter system. During insulation, you have to cut the mineral wool or foam plastic, make various folds and bends. As a result, the complexity of the work increases and the amount of waste increases.

But this is not all the problems. Complex roofs will never be able to be hermetically sealed with a vapor barrier layer; there will always be places through which moist air gets into the insulation. For mineral wool this is a very unpleasant phenomenon. Experienced builders recommend insulating complex roofs with foam plastic rather than taking risks with mineral wool. Wet cotton wool not only almost completely loses its heat-saving abilities, but also accelerates the putrefactive processes of wooden structures of the rafter system.

Roof insulation work

The technology of work largely depends on the chosen material, but for all cases there are general tips.


If you have the opportunity to work with an assistant, great, the insulation process will go much faster. There is no such possibility - no problem, all the work can be done independently.