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Interior and outdoor insulation of frame houses of foam. Warming of a frame house with foam: technology. Selection of insulation and tools. Exterior finish facade how to insulate a frame house with foam

Frame house building is quite promising direction in the construction of private houses. They do not require powerful foundations, easy to install. When erecting a skeleton house, it will take much less financial investments than when building a brick building. In order for the savings not over the construction stage, it is necessary to think about the ways to preserve heat inside the premises in advance. One of the options can be the insulation of a private frame house with polystyrene foam.

What is polystyrene foaming

Polystyrene foam is a foamed material of artificial origin. There are two types of polystyrene foam for insulation of walls and other building designs with their own hands:

  1. styrofoam;
  2. extruded polystyrene foam.

The most affordable option for thermal insulation can be used polyfoam. It consists of small balls having inside the cavity filled with air. The air is one of the most effective insulation, it is better to prevent heat losses only inert gases. The insulation of polystyrene foam with its own hands allows you to achieve excellent results due to the following characteristics of the material:

  • availability and low cost;
  • high thermal insulation characteristics;
  • biodiversity resistance (mold, fungus);
  • easy work with material and installation with your own hands;
  • the material does not give a shrinkage over time;
  • security for man.
  • low strength (additional foam protection is necessary from mechanical impacts);
  • the instability of the material to high humidity at low temperatures can easily crumble on separate balls;
  • instability to the effects of fire.

All these shortcomings are compensated by low price of the material, but it is possible to take into account and reduce negative manifestations to zero.

Wall insulation


Insulation scheme with hinged facade: 1 - interior decoration; 2 - vaporizolation; 3 - frame rack; 4 - polystyrene foam; 5 - siding; 6 - vapor-permeable moisture protection membrane.

The insulation of the frame house with foam in this case is performed between the frame racks. After that, the trim is performed on both sides. Work is underway in the following order:

  1. frame processing: cleaning from dirt and dust, elimination of irregularities, removal of extra acute items;
  2. laying the waterproofing layer from the outside of the walls;
  3. laying insulation;
  4. laying a vapor insulating layer;
  5. wall sheath.

When using foam, there is no need to arrange a ventilated facade, in contrast to no less popular mineral wool.

Option using OSB as hydro and windproof

Waterproofing is placed to protect the material of the walls from moisture penetration outside. When building a house with their own hands, you can use as a waterproofing layer:

  • polyethylene film;
  • modern moisture protection of vapor-permeable membranes;
  • OSB-3.

The waterproofing material is laid with an overlap at 10 cm, the joints are stuck with a special ribbon. Manufacturers represent a foam as a material that has a small degree of water absorption, but it must be remembered that in winter it can be collapsed in the winter.

To prevent this unpleasant phenomenon, it is necessary to provide waterproofing walls.


Additional insulation foam outside

It is important to remember that the waterproofing is always located on the cold air side (when the walls are insulated outside), and vaporizolation from the heat. Polyethylene film can be used as vaporizolation of the walls.

Warming of overlaps

There are several options for using foam:

  • insulation overlap over a cold basement or technical underground;
  • insulation of the attic ceilings in the presence of a cold attic;
  • increasing the sound insulation characteristics of intergenerational floors.



In the case of a frame home, the material stacked between lags. When using extruded polystyrene foaming, insulation is insulation under the reinforced cement-sand tie.

With thermal insulation of floors with their own hands, polystyrene is important to properly observe the order of the layers. In the framework of the floor of the first floor, the waterproofing is first stacked, after it, the foam, and from above - vaporizolation. For intermediate and attic floors, vapor insulating and waterproofing layers must be changed in places.


The scheme of insulation of the attic overlap

As a compromise version of the price and quality, it is possible to use insulation of polystyrene foam in the following form: the main layer of foam is laid inside the floor cake, and the layer of extruded polystyrene foam is laid out from the outside. This will increase the strength of the layer of insulation without large financial costs.

Harry roofing


The order of the layers when mansard insulation

When erecting a private house, an option is becoming more and more popular with the use of a subcoase space as an attic. In this case, it is necessary to provide comfortable conditions for staying and securely protect the room from the cold. The main thermal losses occur through the roof, so its insulation needs to pay sufficient attention.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, expanded polystyrene lays between the rafter. The mount is carried out with the help of adhesive compositions and special nails to the rafter feet. As an additional consolidation, the bottomroom protrudes.

The thickness of the insulation on the main territory of the country will be within 150-200 mm. It is important to remember that the height of the rafter feet cannot be taken less than the thickness of the insulation layer. In the case of foam, the device of the air ventilated layer is not necessary. To protect structures and foams from negative internal and external influences, the following materials are used:

  • vaporizoation;
  • waterproofing;
  • windproof.

As the second and third layer, modern moisture-windproof membranes can be applied, which are mounted outside relative to heat shielding material.

Montaja technology


The main difficulty in working with foam is to comply with the exact gaps between the plates of the material. Polystyrene foam exposed to the temperature expansion, it is for its compensation that small gaps must be provided. The joints of the slabs are sampled by a special adhesive tape, it can also be foil tape.

The mounting to the surface is outside and from the inside can be carried out with the help of adhesive compositions or on a dowel. The latter provides a reliable compound, but disrupts the integrity of the layer. When using polystyrene foaming to glue composition, several requirements apply, but one of them is most important: the glue should not contain chemically aggressive components. The taboo applies to:

  • acetone and other solvents;
  • petrol;
  • kerosene;
  • formaldehyde;
  • formalin;
  • toluene;
  • benzene;
  • aggressive resins.

The insulation of the frame house with the help of foam - simple, but an effective event that does not require large financial costs. With it, without special training, it is possible to insulate the walls and other structures. Long service life allows for a long time to forget about the problem of heat losses and significantly save on the heating of a private house.

How to warm the frame house with foam

Foam insulation is one of the simplest and well-known methods of training both for temporary and for permanent residence in a country house. Let's try to figure out how to warm the frame house with this inexpensive popular material. And at the same time we will discuss some prejudices against its use, which currently exist in many developers and specialists.

The main characteristics of foam

Frame-panel house - optimal design for the highest quality insulation. The thermal insulation material, which is laid between the racks of the frame unit, provides maximum protection against freezing the inner surface of the walls and protects them from destruction. When using foam, except low prices, such important advantages are provided as convenient processing, resistance to moisture, simplicity of installation and no shrinkage.

Along with this, you can often meet negative opinions regarding this insulation, which are mainly reduced to the following statements:

  • It is eaten mice. In fact, no rodents feed on the foam, they arrange their nests and moves to them. In this sense, the foam is not worse (and not better) other materials;
  • He is a fuel. For a skeleton house made of wood, this is not critical. In addition, the production technology of modern foam places implies the addition of special fireproof additives;
  • It highlights harmful substances. This serious error can be attributed to the mineral wool, the foam from this point of view is absolutely harmless;
  • To insulate the foam, the frame-panel house is impossible, since he misses the cold on the joints. With imperative handling it is really so. However, the correct location of the plates inside the walls and their processing in places of compounds will provide a minimum heat loss.

Thus, the effect that can be obtained from the insulation of the walls and other driving parts of the houses, to a large extent depends on the compliance with the rules of treatment of this material and protect it from harmful effects during the entire service life. We will talk about this in the next section. In the meantime, look at the properties of foam, which in industry is often called polystyrene foam, and its peculiarities:

Wall insulation

Most often, the foam in the frame house insulate the surface of the walls between the racks and the trim on both sides. This is done as follows.

Preliminary cleaning and sealing

The insulation of the foam of the frame house always begins with the processing of the carcass itself. If this is not done, even the most thorough laying of the thermal insulation material will not help avoid the thermopotor through the remaining junction of the aircraft.

Despite the fact that the technology of insulation of the foam assumes the high speed of processing even large areas as one of its main advantages, preliminary actions must be performed very carefully.

All irregularities, nails and other sticking sharp items need to be removed. Available gaps and cracks are necessarily poured by mounting foam. If at the construction stage, wood was exposed to moisture, raw places are processed by a construction hairdryer.

As a result, the frame must be a dry, smooth and hermetic design, ready to bookmark the insulation.

Waterproofing

The waterproofing layer is placed on the outside of the walls and protects them from moisture and wind. Many experts argue that the foam does not absorb moisture at all, so it is possible to insulate the house and without external isolation. However, dampness and humidity that penetrates the skeleton at negative temperatures, can freeze and destroy the material of the insulation and walls.

Usually as waterproofing is used:

  • pergamine;
  • polyethylene film;
  • modern membrane coatings.

The waterproofing material is necessarily laid with a nasal in one row to another (about 10 cm) and are sampled by a special tape.

Laying foaming

The insulation sheets are stacked in the opening between the frame racks and are fixed in it:

  • If the inner or outer surface of the walls is already ready, the foam is attached to it by the impregnation-processed adhesive composition. This is done in order to avoid air gaps. For additional fasteners of the insulation, you can use plastic dowels.

Fastening of polystyrene foam on a dowel

  • If the walls of the frame house will be mounted after insulation, then the foam is fixed on the self-tapping screw through the inner part of the racks and additionally fixes the twine attached to the frame.
  • To insulate a frame-shield house with maximum quality, it is better to use three layers of foam-thickness with a thickness of 5 cm each, laying them on each other and overlapping the following joints in the previous one. Places of compounding plates inside one layer are necessarily labeled by professional frost-resistant mounting foam.

    One of the most important parameters that must be ensured in the insulation of the walls of the foam is the size of the gaps between the plates. The fact is that the insulation of the frame house is expanded and compressed when the temperature is changed from the outside. The correct location of the slab will not allow them to brew when expanding and affect the external trim.

    For more information about laying insulation during heat treatment of walls, you can look at:

    Parosolation and walls

    From the inside of the walls, a vapor barrier film is laid. It protects the insulation layer from excessive moisture due to condensate formation. Most often for these purposes, foil materials (foamphol) or special membrane films are used.

    Please note - all seams must be swamped

    External trim can be mounted directly by waterproofing. The ventilated facade in the case of insulation foam is not required. The interior decoration is made in the same way, if necessary, the pre-plastering of the surface use the reinforcing grid.

    Floor insulation

    In a frame house, it is necessary to warm the floor well. The technology of building a "cake" here is the same: from the bottom of the waterproofing, then the substrate from bars nailed to the edge of the lag, foam and vapor barrier film. As the latter, it is also possible to use a foofol laid in foil. In this position, he will protect the gender board from dampness and will not give to leave warmth from the room.

    Insulation of the underpants space

    The frame-shield house most often has a scope roof, under which there is a cold attic. The ceiling and roof is the easiest to insulate, placing the sheets of foam between the beams in the same order as for the insulation of the walls. No less important here is the correct propagation of all joints - warm air always rises up and seeks to leave out through all sorts of slits.

    The methods of working with foams described by us are irreversible indicate that the insulation of the frame house with their own hands is quite affordable and interesting. We hope that the advice given and help you make your home warm and cozy and calmly survive the strongest frosts in it.

    http://all-for-remont.ru.

    The frame houses are built one by one, and this is understandable: they are cheap, quickly erected, suitable for summer accommodation, and for year-round. However, simple wooden structures are initially very weakly insulated, so so that the skeleton house is comfortable even in the strongest frosts, this question should be thought out. Prepare the structure to cold weather using foam. This lightweight material, the installation of which is very simple.

    Benefits and disadvantages of material

    The insulation of the frame house is a comprehensive task, but the foam is quite suitable for solving it. Among its positive properties can be called:

    1. High thermal insulation characteristics. As a small layer of this material (12 cm) can be replaced with meter brickwork.
    2. Performs the functions of an additional noise insulating layer.
    3. It is moisture-resistant material. It absorbs the minimum amount of water, as a result, does not swell when used in raw rooms.
    4. Not blocked by the wind.
    5. Low thermal conductivity. In other words, the house will quickly heat up, while slowly cool.
    6. Does not change its dimensions under the influence of external conditions as well as from time to time. Plates are not compressed and do not sit down.
    7. Does not highlight harmful substances into the atmosphere.
    8. This is a lightweight material that will give the minimum additional load on the foundation and carrying structures of the frame house.
    9. Durability.
    10. Easy and speed mounting.
    11. Affordable price.
    12. There may be no other additional insulation activities, for example, if you do not have to think about windshield. He himself copes with this feature.

    The disadvantages of this material are a bit. However, it should be listed:

    1. Gulf. In case of fire, he will not become a serious obstacle to fire.
    2. When combustion, there is an unpleasant smell and poisonous substances can be separated.
    3. Polyfoam, like any other material, can spoil rodents. They are completely able to spray the tunnel in the insulation.
    4. With poor installation, it can produce heat through the slots between the plates, so it is worth paying special attention to the sealing of the joints.

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    Necessary materials and tools

    Tools for insulation of a frame house: insulation, diffusion membrane, bar, nails, stapler, mesh, glue, carpentry tools.

    Before insulationing a frame house, you need to prepare all the tools:

    • foam plates;
    • frost-resistant mounting foam;
    • building glue;
    • pelvis or bucket;
    • pencil;
    • roulette;
    • primer;
    • putty knife;
    • plastic dowels;
    • a knife for cutting foam;
    • cords and plumbers;
    • insulating materials.

    The modern market presents a wide selection of building materials. For the best use of plates with high density and a thickness of at least 50 mm. For areas with a cold winter, a layer of 150 mm is optimated. You can buy one stove or take 3 to 50 mm or 100 mm and 50 mm and lay layers.

    Typically, the material is laid on both sides of the frame home: from the inside and outside. This will give the structure of optimal thermal insulation qualities. Heat the frame house with foam is easy.

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    Wall insulation by foam outside: what material to choose

    At the preparatory stage of insulation, the preparation of the walls themselves, the framework. If you do not conduct preliminary measures, significant heat loss is inevitable, since air canals will be formed on an uneven surface.

    Important! Wall insulation begins with their cleaning.

    The surface must be controlled, remove all sticking items, remove sticking nails and wire. Then remove dirt and dust, clean from other materials. You should dry the surface. All slots and gaps must be pouring the mounting foam and remove the surplus. Then handle the primer and let dry. Walls must be even, dry and sealed in front of the floor trim. There should be no cracks between the surface and insulation.

    The next step is to lay the waterproofing layer on the outer side of the wall. It is needed not so much for foam, since the latter does not absorb moisture, how much for the frame walls of the house itself. The fact is that moisture, penetrating the inside of the design, will dry for a long time, which is detrimental to the tree. The dampness can freeze and disappear and to have a destructive effect on the walls and insulation.

    For waterproofing, you can use a polyethylene film, pergamin or any of the modern membrane coatings. They will protect the frame house from dampness. Materials are stacked by strips, with a pounding of 10 cm.

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    Preparation and installation of foam

    Place the walls with cords and beacons. This will avoid inaccuracies and distortions when installing plates. Lists are placed and trimmed. It is convenient to make a sharp knife, you can warm it up.

    Polyfoam is attached with glue. To do this, a solution is applied around the perimeter of the continuous line. A few more pellets (3-5, depending on the size of the sheet) are made in the central part. Then the plate is raised and fixed not the wall. All unevenness at the joints, adolescence, etc. It is necessary to remove with a knife. It is necessary to ensure that the insulation lay down exactly, did not curate, did not hurt, and tightly entered the openings.

    When kneading the solution, it is necessary to remember the period of viability. Therefore, it makes no sense to make large volumes: it is optimal that the mixture is enough for 40-60 minutes of work.

    At the junctions between the plates there may be small gaps that need to be eliminated. For these purposes, you can use the mounting foam or a mixture of finely accounted foam with glue.
    Fastening will be more reliable if used for additional fixation of a plastic dowel. Metal will not fit, since this material has a large thermal conductivity and the so-called cold bridges can be formed in the places of fasteners. One sheet is enough 4-5 dowels.

    Important! Additional fasteners will need to be primed up with a solution of glue.

    You can lay foam in several layers, for example, 3 sheets with a thickness of 50 mm. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the plates of the upper row overlap the joints of the bottom. It will make thermal insulation more reliable. However, the gaps between the edges of the sheets should always be chopped or foaming the mounting foam.

    Houses built on framework technology are often used as a summer cottage or place of permanent residence. Such structures are distinguished by a special design, high strength and durability. The insulation of the skeleton house with foam will make life in it more comfortable. The correct installation of this heat insulator can be carried out without the help of professional masters.

    Specifications

    Polyfoam (polystyrene foam) is a heat insulating material that is characterized by excellent physicochemical properties. Available in white plates consisting of polystyrene balls filled with a pure hydrocarbon (pentane).

    For the manufacture of such a material, only 2% of polystyrene are used, the remaining 98% - air. In the process of creating foam plastic, Pentan goes into a volatile state and expands. Balls, filling with air, increase in volume. Under the influence of steam, they become elastic and glued together. This is the lightweight material, the scope of which is not only the construction.

    Depending on the brand, the density of foam is from 15 to 50 kg / m3. With bending, the border of strength is up to 0.42 MPa. In a dry state at a temperature of +20 ° C to +30 ° C, the thermal conductivity of the foam is not greater than 0.029-0.033 W. Humidity no more than 2%.

    Benefits

    Polystyrene foam as insulation for walls, floor, roofing is very popular among the owners of frame houses. This is due to a number of its advantages compared to the rest of the heat insulating materials:


    • moisture resistance (can be used for the insulation of the foundation and base, where there is direct contact with water);
    • fire safety (modern foam does not support the combustion process);
    • not subject to rotting;
    • low cost;
    • low weight;
    • low thermal conductivity;
    • environmental friendliness (in the process of installation and operation does not highlight toxins);
    • convenience of mounting.


    This thermal insulating material is not afraid of temperature differences. The insulation of foam creates an additional noise insulating layer. Over time, its slabs do not give shrinkage and do not change their geometric parameters.

    Thanks to its numerous advantages, this material has been used in the field of construction for more than 40 years. More than 60% of the total polystyrene produced in Europe goes to the insulation of houses.

    disadvantages

    The foam cannot be contacted with organic solvents (acetone, turpentine), saturated hydrocarbons (alcohol) and petroleum products (kerosene, gasoline and others): under their effect it is damaged or dissolved.


    With a long exposure to ultraviolet, the material may begin to collapse, so when stored it is always covered.

    Montaja technology

    The frame house can be insulated with polystyrene foaming both outside and inside. In any case, the plates are located between the racks and the trim on both sides of the walls. To avoid the formation of cold bridges between foam plates, it is necessary to correctly produce them.

    Preparation

    At this stage, the framework is carried out. Clean the irregularities of walls sticking nails, wire.


    The surface is cleaned of dust and garbage. Clauses and gaps are poured by mounting foam to avoid air from entering them. Wet wood dried with a construction hairdryer. The entire frame area is ground and give it to dry.

    Waterproofing layer

    The waterproofing layer is mounted from the outside of the walls: it will protect them from moisture and wind. Of course, the foam - moisture-resistant material, but at minus temperatures, dampness and moisture penetrating the inside of the frame can freeze and destroy the insulation.


    Waterproofing material (pergamine, polyethylene film or membrane coating) must be put on the walls, fix it with nails, smoke the joints with scotch. The bands impose a mustache (10 cm in-cm).

    Installation of vertical checks and beacons are carried out with cords. Thus, it will be possible to accurately position the plates of polystyrene foam, do not give them to twist.

    The insulation is fixed between frame racks with glue. It is mixed in the amount required for 1 hour of work. The adhesive composition is applied point in five places of the plate and carefully handle the edges of the insulation. If the pieces of polyfoam do not coincide, they are cut by a heated knife.


    Additionally, the heat insulating material is fixed with plastic dowels (5 pieces). You should not use metal fasteners: they will create cold bridges in the insulation. Fastening sites must be primed by adhesive composition.

    All the cracks must be sealed with liquid foam or frost-resistant mounting foam.

    So that the insulation of the surfaces of the frame house was as efficient as possible, it is necessary to lay the heat insulator in three layers, each 5 cm thick. In this case, the installation of the slabs is carried out in such a way that the subsequent layer overlap the joints of the previous one.

    Reinforcement

    The reinforcing mesh, fixed on top of the heat insulating material, will help reliably connect the subsequent layer of final finishing with foam. Wall corners need to be strengthened with special angular profiles.


    For reinforcement, the grid is selected with the size of the cells of 3 * 6 cm. It is placed on the pectorist (ink in 10 cm), is densely pressed into the insulation plate and fixed the glue layer.

    The protection of walls from negative atmospheric effects can be carried out with a putty. It is treated with the surface twice, before applying the second layer, the first must completely dry.

    After shtchev, you can start staining the surface of the facade paint. This type of work is carried out using a roller. The coloring composition is applied from top to bottom in 2-3 layers. Each subsequent layer is performed after drying the previous one. Paint for facade works will quickly dry and easily applied.


    The outer walls of the frame house can be decorated with stone or siding. In the latter case, installation of the crate is required. In the case of a frame home of its function, the framework of the framework.

    Inner heat insulation

    The insulation of the inner walls with expanded polystyrene is carried out in a similar way, only after the installation of the heat insulator is necessary to lay the vapor barrier layer.

    After that, reinforcement. Then the surface is plastering or plasterboard. In the future, they can be painted, caught with wallpaper, bold tiles.

    Compliance with accuracy and accurate work - the guarantor of high-quality insulation of the skeleton house with the help of polystyrene foam.

    Polyfoam, or polystyrene foam, is one of the best materials for thermal insulation of the frame house with their own hands. It is produced in the form of sheets with dimensions from 0.5x0.5 m to 2x1 m and a thickness of from 10 to 100 mm. Polyfoam is very lung, it is convenient for work and harmless to humans. But the main thing is that this material has a record low thermal conductivity coefficient. In this article we will give reviews of those who worked with polystyrene foam, with their own hands insulating a frame house, and also leave your comments on controversial moments. So,

    Anton, Donetsk:

    "Normal technology of insulation of foam foam for skewers simply does not exist, because the foam is strongly subject to change in the amount of temperature fluctuations. When the temperature drops, the foam is compressed in size, and in the summer it rises again. There is a technology when something like expanded polystyrene is poured into the finished frame. I have seen such an advertisement. Here, the foam plastic is fixed throughout its area to the trim and it is not afraid of temperatures. The best of this will be replaced by the usual mineral wool with all the necessary pair layers, wind, waterproofing. It is clear that it will be in a penny, but everything else will not give effect. "

    Our comment: Naturally, the foam, like any other insulating material, has a specific linear expansion coefficient. Accordingly, it is compressed in the cold and expands when heated. In severe frosts, the slots can form between the end of the foam sheet and the wooden stand. However, this problem is solved very simply. Before installing a sheet into an interstoy space, it must be squeezed by about 5 mm for every 500 mm of length. This preliminary tension compensates for the decrease in the size of the foam insulation even in extreme frosts.

    "Something like expanded polystyrene," this is mentioned by the author, it seems that two-component polyurethane foam. Its initial liquid components are mixed and poured into the finished frame. And already there is a polymerization process with the formation of a porous heating mass. So such insulation will fly into a penny to the developer much stronger than competently installed thermal insulation from the foam.

    Vladimir, Voronezh:

    "Polyfoam is hygroscopic. Therefore, it should be isolated from the housing by a steamproof film. Condensate will accumulate without vaporizolation with severe frosts inside the foam. It is not so terrible, like mineral wool, but the insulating properties of the foam will be very falling. "

    Our comment: Gigroscopicity is the property of the material to absorb moisture. This property is based on the capillary effect. Accordingly, in order for any material to absorb water, the capillaries must be present in it. And the foam is the foamed polystyrene. That is, a dense polymeric material, inside of which air or a different gas is in closed. And no capillaries in the foam simply exist. Therefore, the hygroscopicity of the foam is close to zero.

    At the same time, it isolates the heat of that air (or gas), which is in the pores inside the volume of foam. Therefore, the presence or absence of condensate does not affect the heat insulating properties of foam.

    Gregory, Novosibirsk:

    "Built the frame house with his own hands, insulated with foam. And then you slept him. "


    Our comment:
    Yes, unfortunately, the mouse is gnawing the foam. However, they are more or less gnawing and all types of mineral wat, eco-art, polyurethane foam insulation, etc. Note: It is "gnawing" and not "eaten." For mice materials that are insulated by frame houses, inedible. And they spoil the insulation for two reasons. First, mice need to get inside the house in search of food. Secondly, in the insulation, they arrange nests. Therefore, it is bad to say that the foam is bad, as the mouse is gnawing it, it seems incorrect. Just to protect the insulation of your home with your own hands, should not forget about special design techniques. For example, a protective fine mesh or ultrasonic rodent repellers.

    Danil, Kaliningrad:

    "DIY built a frame house and close to it by a bath. 10 cm insulated PBS foam, and from the inside added a layer of basalt wool with a thickness of 5 cm. I'm afraid, when it is hot, every nasty will fly out of the foam.

    Our comment: Many people have serious concerns about the ecology of foam. The view is widespread that all materials that have a polystyrene, under the influence of sunlight, oxygen and ozone in the air, as well as water and especially heat allocate a very dangerous substance - free styrene. It causes serious illnesses even if its concentration does not reach the maximum permissible. Indeed, it is impossible to disagree with the fact that free styrene is a very strong nucleus of general toxic action.

    If the respiratory tract is inserted to the mucous membrane, styrene has an irritant effect, and dealing with blood in the body, it causes changes in the genetic level and provokes oncological diseases. But this is if we talk about styrene in free form. And the foam is a polymerized styrene, which has nothing to do with his poisonous progenitor. In order for any harmful substances from polystyrene, it should decompose to monomers. And this happens in the only case - when it is heated to the state of softening, that is, to a temperature of 100 - 120ºС. Neither sunlight, no water, no oxygen or ozone in the air contributes to the decomposition of foam. And at a higher temperature, it lights up, highlighting soot, monoxide and carbon dioxide.

    Thus, the insulation of the foam can be toxic only in the case of its heating to 100 - 120ºС. It is unlikely that somewhere in a frame house can be found such a temperature, except for the heating devices and the kitchen stove. But in the bath, and even more so the sauna walls can warm up to a dangerous temperature. Therefore, such premises are really not recommended to insulate foam.

    Semyon, Leningrad region:

    "The main minus of foam - he does not breathe. It is terrible - to live in the house where the walls do not breathe. With her own hands did herself a studio with foam. I live and curse modern materials. Nearby house - 70 cm walls from a brick, which is 200 years old. In the house is always gut. "

    Our comment: This is another widespread construction legend, with inspiration that tells us about the magnificent atmosphere in houses with "breathable" bricks, slag blocks, etc. Walls. The fact is that from all the diversity of building materials do not miss water vapor only glass, metal and glaze on ceramic tiles. All other materials are more or less passing pairs. There is a natural question: how good is? According to international standards, all materials have the coefficient of resistance to steam movement. This coefficient shows how much steam passes worse through this material compared to air. The coefficient of resistance to the movement of steam at the air is adopted per unit.

    So, if you compare, for example, foam and brick, it turns out that the coefficient of the resistance of the first is 60, and the last - 16. It seems that the difference is essential, almost 4 times. But let's look at the OSB-4 stove widespread as a widespread house. So, its coefficient of resistance to the movement of the steam will already be 300. And this is already 5 times more than that of the foam. Consequently, the reason for the possible increase in humidity in the frame house is not a foam insulation at all.

    Of course, no one argues that the atmosphere in some brick houses can be very comfortable. But it is also unlikely to argue that in other brick houses, damp and stood. And the same can be said about skew houses. If the buildings are designed and erected in compliance with all the requirements of construction standards and rules, including ventilation, the climate inside any home will be comfortable.

    Semyon, Bykovo, Moscow region:

    "My wife and I built a frame house with your own hands. The neighbor built the same house and for insulation outside the house with a leaf foam. I first doubted, but I was attracted by good reviews of my friend and the main price. At first I was worried that there would be not very good sound insulation. But since I live not in the apartment, then I do not feel the noise of the city and so. Everything suits me, a good economical way to insulate the house. "

    Our comment: Agree with the opinion of Semyon. Polyfoam is really good and inexpensive insulation. Of course, like everything in this world, he has its drawbacks. But by the amount of indicators, the foam can be safely recommended to those who want to build and insulate the frame house with their own hands.