Foam, expanded clay or polystyrene: make a choice

A wide range of construction materials allows to carry out thermal insulation works quickly, easily and inexpensively. The most profitable and high-quality insulation materials are foam, polystyrene and expanded clay – so what material is best to choose for your home?

Foam

The demand for foam is due to its ease and attractive price and the easy installation and excellent sound absorption properties. When insulation foam is first necessary to clean and dry surfaces and then pave a mandatory proof film layer. The integrity of the resulting joints will provide a sizing tape. On top of the film superimposed layer of foam thickness of at least ten centimeters, and then another waterproofing layer.

Thanks to the film, in the insulation will not get wet, which significantly extend the service life of the foam.

After the insulation foam over it and waterproofing layers is placed a metal frame that is filled with insulation cement mortar. The thickness of the screed should not be more than five centimeters.

PENOPLEX

Polystyrene, often referred to as extruded polystyrene foam, has high strength, resistance to deformation and rot, resistant, environmentally friendly composition and the lack of toxic substances. The use of foam polystyrene as insulation can significantly reduce energy costs and save on purchasing additional heaters.

The qualitative laying polystyrene is capable of providing perfect thermal insulation performance.

For installation of PENOPLEX ground level with gravel, thoroughly tamped and covered with a layer of compacted sand. Then of reinforced concrete creates a rough basis, you leave for a week to dry, after which it is laid waterproofing layer, and it is PENOPLEX. Polystyrene cover with another layer of waterproofing and fill with concrete screed.

Expanded clay

Insulation in the form of heat-expanded clay is durable and economical choice that will perfectly retain heat in the room for years to come. To insulate them from the base, a layer of clay is placed on hardened concrete, which were also previously added expanded clay pellets. Then the finished clay layer carefully tamped and leveled, then the design is filled with liquid cement mortar incorporating thermal insulating layer to provide adhesion of the individual granules of expanded clay. Finally, from the back corner to the doorway all poured concrete screed.