Walls, ceilings, window openings and the foundation are the most important elements of the design, but there are nuances that can reduce all the efforts of the owners to zero, turning their beautiful home into a damp and uncomfortable building. Many miss the importance of such stages of construction as hydro and steam insulation in a wooden house, which are especially important for the warming of the floor. Dampness greatly impairs the properties of insulating materials, destroying their structure. Therefore, this note should bring a lot of benefit to those who are planning to start building a small private dacha or a full-fledged housing.
What is the essence of the vapor barrier in a wooden house?
Wooden structures have a lot of advantages, but the permanent effect of high humidity with time completely destroys them. Cooking, washing the floors, washing clothes - these necessary in life activities can not do without water, part of which spills to the floor or turns into steam. The beam from which the walls or the ceiling is erected is covered with protective materials, but the floorboards are always less protected and the vapor insulation of the ground floor in your wooden house will never be superfluous. This thin layer perfectly protects the boards from harmful fumes.
Materials for vapor barrier
- Polyethylene film . This type of vapor barrier is inexpensive, being the most accessible material for construction. But during the installation you should not allow even the slightest break, otherwise all the work will be in vain. It is believed that the waterproofing is better done with a perforated film, but for a vapor barrier is more suitable for a normal cloth. An indispensable condition in working with this material is the arrangement of a gap for the evaporation of excess moisture. Due to the fact that the film is smooth, a part of the droplets of water can flow down and soak into the heat-insulating layer, which is why polyethylene is now used less and less, yielding the market to other perfect materials. You can buy an improved reinforced polyethylene film or foil-coated film. It is worth more, but the quality of the vapor barrier in you will greatly increase.
- Polypropylene film . In appearance, this material is very similar to conventional polyethylene, but it has higher characteristics. For vapor barrier insulation, polypropylene with cellulose fibers is better suited, the presence of this additional layer allows to retain moisture on the surface, preventing its accumulation with the subsequent formation of droplets. Normal market value, ease of installation and durability have made this type of film the market leader.
- Different types of diffusion membranes . Most often they are used to protect roof slabs, but for a floor in a wooden house this kind of vapor barrier also fits perfectly. The only drawback of this almost perfect material is the high price. There are single-layer membranes that need to be installed by the diffusion layer to the thermal insulation, and universal multi-layer membranes. The ability of such a vapor barrier to "breathe" makes it possible to penetrate the air into the ventilated gap, which greatly reduces the likelihood of condensation.
Scheme of steam insulation of the floor in a wooden house
Correctly assembled insulated floor is a complex pie from a variety of properties of materials.
The erection of large and high-quality private housing is a responsible and rather troublesome occupation, which requires accurate calculations. You can not miss a single important nuance when installing the roof, walls and floor, saving on the purchase of materials. Ignoring the vapor barrier will lead to rotting of wooden structures, the appearance of dampness, mold, deterioration of the microclimate in the construction.