Insulate a cinder block house from the outside under the siding. Insulation of a cinder block house. Why and how to insulate a cinder block house

Most often, the developer thinks about thermal insulation of a house made of cinder blocks with his own hands after the object is erected. This is largely due to the fact that cinder blocks vary greatly in their thermal conductivity.

This indicator can be in the range of 0.35-0.6 W/(m K). Thus, it is very difficult to determine in advance how well cinder blocks can insulate inner space.

Why cinder block house needs insulation

Based on the building codes reflected in SNiP 02/23/2003, only 1.5-2 m can be considered the normal thickness of walls made of cinder blocks. But such thick walls are extremely expensive. Suffice it to say that for such a structure it will be necessary to build a massive and expensive foundation.

In order for the walls of a house made of cinder blocks to retain heat in the home, the best option would be to perform thermal insulation. Then you will be able to save money, provide conditions for a pleasant microclimate, and also make the house more aesthetically pleasing.

From which side should a cinder block house be insulated?

There are two fundamentally different options thermal insulation of the walls of a cinder block house. If you place insulation with inside, there will be a great danger of condensation on the walls. This is due to the fact that the dew point will be between the insulation and the wall. As a result, the risk of condensation will increase significantly.

When placing insulation with outside cinder block house You will be able to notice several benefits at once. There are savings with this method usable space, reducing the risk of condensation, improving appearance the buildings. Usually the insulation is covered with a finishing cladding, which also protects the walls of the building. It follows from this that external insulation is more suitable.

How to insulate a cinder block house

There is a wide range of thermal insulation materials suitable for protecting a cinder block house from the cold. External thermal insulation can be made with mineral wool, glass wool, expanded polystyrene or penoplex. Each of these materials deserves some attention.

1. Mineral wool and glass wool

Both of these thermal insulation materials are available in sheets or rolls. Glass wool and mineral wool are similar in their qualities, so they can be considered together. The most serious advantage of these insulation materials is considered to be low thermal conductivity, which is at the level of 0.041 W/(m K). High noise insulation is also a plus. The increased fire resistance of mineral and glass wool also benefits them.

But such insulation also has disadvantages. The most significant is low moisture resistance. The thermal insulation capabilities of materials deteriorate if they get wet. The process of laying mineral and glass wool is associated with great difficulties. And due to the fact that insulation materials can clump into clumps, their density over a large working area turns out to be different.

2. Expanded polystyrene and penoplex

There are differences between these insulation materials, although they are not too fundamental. Expanded polystyrene is called ordinary foam. It is produced in thick slabs. Penoplex is more durable and thinner with similar thermal insulation capabilities. The materials are not afraid of moisture and remain in excellent condition for a long time. But penoplex is more expensive than polystyrene foam.

The main advantages of penoplex are considered to be low thermal conductivity, amounting to 0.039 W/(m K), the ability to easily resist moisture, and ease of installation. There are options for expanded polystyrene or penoplex, which are fire resistant.

However, there are types of insulation on the market that easily catch fire. Another disadvantage is the low sound insulation of materials. The cheapest polystyrene foam can quickly disintegrate into granules, deteriorate from exposure to chemicals, and can be eaten by rodents and insects.

How to install insulation on cinder block walls?

Depending on which thermal insulation material is chosen, the operating technology will vary. The specifics of handling each of the above-mentioned thermal insulation materials should be looked at separately.

How to work with mineral wool

Preparatory measures when using mineral wool consist of covering cinder block walls with a primer and plastering. Gaps and cracks must be completely sealed with plaster. There are several options for laying mineral wool. The simplest is the so-called “wet” method. It's worth taking it apart.

1. When the surface is completely prepared, a support for the first row is installed on the base thermal insulation material. Thanks to it, you can protect the thermal insulation from rodents.

2. Preparation of the adhesive solution. It is better to use moisture-resistant mastic, which, after preparation, is applied to mineral wool slabs. Next, the insulation is applied to the surface cinder block wall. It is necessary to try to make the gaps between adjacent slabs minimal. If they are noticeable, an adhesive solution should be placed in them.

3. The fixed thermal insulation layer is covered with glue. A reinforced mesh is placed on it, which is additionally treated with an adhesive compound and left for a day to dry completely.

Having completed such work, the owner can begin decorative finishing. It uses plaster or putty, which is then painted in the desired color.

How to work with polystyrene foam

There are no fundamental differences when working with mineral wool and expanded polystyrene. The sequence of events here is approximately the same as in the previous case. The wet method of fixing polystyrene foam to the surface of cinder blocks looks like this.

1. Preparatory work. Cinder block walls must be thoroughly cleaned, and any cracks present in them must be plastered. Next, the working base is primed and left to dry.

2. As in the previous case, prepared glue solution applied to foam. Expanded polystyrene sheets should be placed on the surface of foam block walls with bandaging. Any gaps are filled polyurethane foam or adhesive composition.

3. When the foam is secured over the entire area, it can be additionally secured with dowels. Then the insulation layer is primed and covered reinforced mesh. To secure it you need to use a large number of glue.

After completing such work, the owner can proceed to plastering the facade. Plaster gives cinder block walls better thermal insulation and makes them aesthetically pleasing.

By responsibly carrying out the described measures, the owner will receive an excellent result. A cinder block house will be well protected from the cold. You don’t need to spend a lot of effort and money for this.

Video. How to insulate a cinder block house

Hello!

The following options are suitable for your wall: external insulation:

wall from inside to outside: cinder block, polystyrene foam, plaster on mesh. The required foam thickness (according to calculations) is 83mm, rounded to commercially available thicknesses - 50mm+40mm, or 100mm. The foam is attached to glue mixture+ dowels (5-6pcs per m2).
wall from inside to outside: cinder block, EPS, plaster on mesh. The required thickness of EPS (according to calculations) is 70mm, rounded up to commercially available thicknesses - 50mm+20mm, or 40+30mm. EPPS is attached to an adhesive mixture (special, for extrusion) + dowels (5-6 pcs per m2).
wall from inside to outside: cinder block, mineral wool (special position for plaster), plaster on mesh. The required thickness of such mineral wool (according to calculations) is 96 mm, rounded up to the commercially available thickness - 100 mm. Mineral wool is attached only with dowels (5-6 pieces per m2).
wall from inside to outside: cinder block, mineral wool or fiberglass wool, windproof membrane, finishing (siding, for example). In this case, soft positions of mineral wool or fiberglass wool are used. For mineral wool - density 25-40 kg/m3, for fiberglass wool - 14 kg/m3. The required thickness for both mineral wool and fiberglass wool (according to calculations) is 85 mm, rounded up to commercially available thicknesses - 100 mm. With this insulation scheme, it is nailed to the wall wooden frame, cotton wool is inserted into it, wind protection is on top, and then cladding can be done (siding, facade panels, clapboard, etc.).

Now let's look at various important points:

Options 1, 2 and 3, as a rule, are not carried out independently (by workers), as they require certain construction skills (read). Option 4 can be done independently, it is simpler.
In the state in which your wall is now (when it consists only of clay and cinder block), the wall is vapor-permeable (it breathes), that is, the walls participate in air exchange in the room. When insulated with options 3 and 4, the frame retains its properties and remains vapor-permeable (breathable). When insulated with options 1 and 2, the wall becomes vapor-impermeable (stops breathing), and no longer participates in air exchange in the room. This means that you need forced ventilation premises. Otherwise (especially when plastic windows) the rooms can be stuffy, maybe high humidity. If your home is already equipped with forced ventilation, then all options are suitable for you.

Conclusion: if you have working forced ventilation in your house 9 or you are going to do it), then you can insulate it with polystyrene foam (or EPS), or with cotton wool - all 4 options are suitable. If there is no ventilation, and you did not intend to arrange it, then it is better to insulate with cotton wool according to options 3 and 4.

Ask questions!

Cinder blocks are a very popular material in private housing construction. The reason for this is its low cost and ease of use. The ability to quickly and inexpensively build a house yourself are the main reasons for choosing cinder blocks for building a house. But cinder block houses have a number of disadvantages, the main one of which is their fragility. A cinder block house must be protected from temperature changes and moisture. Therefore, the task of insulating a cinder block house comes to the fore. What materials to choose to protect your home, how to carry out the installation process - these are the main questions, the answers to which we will cover.

Note that all the information in this article also applies to houses made of gas silicate blocks.

In addition to reliability and good thermal insulation, another important factor in the construction of a house is its final appearance. Agree, the appearance of a house made of cinder blocks without subsequent finishing is a rather sad sight. The facade of a cinder block house can be finished with siding or other cladding panels, under wet plaster with painting, or three-layer masonry (decorative brick). Each of these types of facade has its pros and cons, different technologies insulation and thermal insulation materials. Let's look at each of them in detail.

Insulation of a cinder block house with siding

We have already considered insulating the facade of the house and then finishing it with siding. Note that in the case of a house made of cinder blocks, the technology and materials are completely identical. Read more about choosing insulation and the installation process in the article: "" (there is also a video in the article). Schematic diagram insulation in this case is as follows:

construction of the frame;
installation of insulation into the frame;
protection of insulation with wind-moisture-proof film;
finishing decorative panels(siding).

The frame is built from wooden beam or metal profile. For high-quality finishing With siding panels, care must be taken to align the walls with the frame. Rigid insulation boards made of basalt mineral wool are installed in the frame. Suitable materials with a density of 40 - 50 kg/m³ (,). Insulation materials with a lower density may shrink over time. vertical structures, so their use is less preferable. We also strongly recommend against using polystyrene foam, unless you are building a house for your enemy. The cost of insulation is a very small part of the total cost of building a house. Therefore, you can save quite a bit on it. Polystyrene foam is very short-lived, susceptible to destruction, and also emits harmful substances.

Next, a film is attached with a construction stapler and tape, which protects the insulation from street moisture. The final stage of construction will be the installation of the cladding itself. This method of finishing a cinder block house is quite simple and inexpensive, and therefore very common.

Insulation of a cinder block house followed by plastering

This type of construction of the external walls of a house is called a facade under wet plaster. Read more about this type of facade in our other article: "", which is also valid for insulating cinder block houses. Here we will consider this topic briefly.

In this facade design, it is recommended to use dense basalt insulation with high tensile strength of layers (,). Basalt insulation allows air to pass through, which will make your home comfortable to live in. Sometimes extruded polystyrene foam (,) is used to finish the facade under plaster. These materials are not afraid of moisture, but they also do not allow air to pass through, which prevents the walls from “breathing.” Most often, extruded polystyrene foam is used for thermal insulation of the foundation. Use is acceptable, but not recommended by us for the reasons stated above.

Dense insulation boards are glued to a cinder block wall pre-treated with a primer using special glue. For basalt insulation and for expanded polystyrene they will be different: , . Next, the insulation must be mechanically attached to the cinder block wall using special “mushroom” or “umbrella” type tools, but only after the glue has “set.”

After attaching the insulation to the cinder block wall, plaster with a reinforcing fiberglass mesh is applied to it, after which the surface is finally leveled and painted. This method of insulating a cinder block house is also easy to do yourself. Its disadvantage is the presence of “dirty” work and the impossibility of performing it at subzero temperatures.

Three-layer masonry with cinder blocks, insulation and decorative bricks

The diagram of this design is as follows: bearing wall made of cinder blocks, insulation, air gap, external cladding. All this is fastened together with special ones. The same material is used in three-layer masonry as in finishing the facade with siding:,.

Three-layer masonry is very expensive, and its construction requires honed skills, which entails additional costs for work construction crew. We have included it here for your reference. The first two methods of insulating a cinder block house are more common and accessible. Choose based on your aesthetic preferences. Remember - you can easily repaint a house a different color if you have a plaster facade, but siding will make the design of your house unchanged for many years.

It is also necessary to remember that you only need to insulate your home from the outside! Insulating walls from the inside leads to their rapid destruction and the constant growth of mold and mildew in your home.

Houses built from cinder blocks, unlike their wooden and brick counterparts, need additional insulation from the outside. The thermal conductivity of a cinder block varies between 0.35-0.6 W/(m 0C), which means that to ensure normal temperature in the house in our harsh climate, it would be necessary to erect a building from cinder block slabs with a thickness of about 1.5- 2 meters, which is extremely unprofitable. That is why buildings made of cinder block slabs of standard thickness are additionally insulated from the outside.

Should you choose external or internal insulation? Professional builders It is recommended to insulate a cinder block house from the outside, since after laying the heat-insulating layer inside the room, the dew point located between the coolant and the wall shifts. As a result, moisture will accumulate on the walls, facilitating the spread of moldy fungi.

Another disadvantage internal insulation is that the thermal insulation material “steals” centimeters of room area. That is why it is rational to insulate a cinder block house from the outside.

Materials

The most common materials for insulating cinder block buildings are:

fiberglass and mineral wool;
extruded polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene.

Pros and cons of mineral wool and fiberglass

Both types of these materials are available in slabs and rolls. The performance and practical characteristics of mineral wool and fiberglass are almost identical. That is why both of these materials will be considered together.

The main advantage of these materials is their excellent thermal conductivity (about 0.041 W/(m 0C)) and sound insulation. Another indicator worth noting is fire resistance. Mineral wool and fiberglass practically do not burn and spontaneously extinguish in the absence of open fire.

The structure of fiberglass and mineral wool allows these materials to be laid even on uneven surfaces.

Perhaps the only drawback of these materials is that after getting wet they almost completely lose their thermal insulation and sound insulation properties.

Extruded polystyrene foam

What is the difference between expanded polystyrene foam and extruded polystyrene foam? The popular name for extruded polystyrene foam is polystyrene foam. It has a rather denser structure than expanded polystyrene. It also practically does not absorb moisture. However, the cost of polystyrene foam is higher.

The materials are produced in the form of slabs (expanded polystyrene in rolls is much less common).

Main advantages:

good thermal conductivity - 0.039 W/(m 0C);
ease of installation;
fire resistance - some types do not support the combustion process at all.

A significant disadvantage of polystyrene foam boards is the low level of sound insulation.

Mineral wool insulation scheme

Mineral wool or fiberglass should only be laid on a previously primed surface. The best option in terms of speed is the so-called “wet” installation method.

First you need to prepare the surface - remove existing defects (cracks, chips) and prime it. You also need to build a base that will serve as a support for the first base row.

The next step is preparing the glue. In this case, it is important to follow the instructions on the package. After the glue is prepared, you can begin installing the insulation.

Please note: the glue must be applied in an even layer to the insulation using a spatula, and not to the wall! During the installation process, you also need to ensure that there are no gaps between the plates.

Thermal insulation is glued in a checkerboard pattern, like brickwork. Using a building level, we check the evenness of the masonry. Thermal insulation sheets are additionally secured to the wall using umbrella dowels. After the mineral wool has covered the entire wall, you need to lay a layer of glue, drowning the reinforcing mesh into it.

Wall insulation with polystyrene foam

Laying foam plastic is carried out in almost the same way as installing mineral wool.

The first stage is surface preparation. Elimination of defects and application of primer. Next, after preparing the adhesive solution, we proceed to installing the insulation sheets.

Important: there should be no gaps or cracks between the plates!

After laying the insulation boards on top of them, you need to fix the reinforcing mesh. Next, this entire cake is carefully primed and puttied, after which you can proceed to the final stage - applying a decorative coating.

When a house is insulated from the inside, the interior space of the room is significantly reduced. However, this fact is not critical for completely abandoning insulation and suffering from low temperatures outside the window or throwing funds for heating the house down the chimney.

Before answering the question of how to properly insulate a cinder block house from the inside, you need to understand the materials that are offered construction stores. Today the market offers insulation based on foam plastic and mineral wool. Installation of both one and the other does not require any specific skills from the performer.

We insulate a cinder block house with polystyrene foam

The difficulty of installing this material lies in the preliminary alignment of the walls on which they will be glued. In the case of a brick wall, plastering and puttying will be required. IN mandatory Wallpaper should be removed from the walls and paint residues should be removed.

Every owner of an apartment or house undoubtedly has a dominant desire to preserve final result for as long as possible. That is why the use of a waterproofing underlay, even inside the house, should be indispensable. For what? In order to thus prevent the accumulation of condensate that destroys the foam.

To work you will need:

five-centimeter foam;
comb or notched spatula;
glue (usually Ceresit).

Installation work is extremely simple. Insulation plates purchased from a building materials store are attached to the prepared wall using diluted glue. Then they are tapped thoroughly to remove any possible air bubbles from under them. In this matter, an important point is to apply the adhesive mixture directly to the wall and in no case to the foam sheets themselves. They should always be dry.

Next, for optimal insulation at home, all cracks and loose joints of the material should be treated with polyurethane foam. This must be done in order to isolate the glued layer from changes in humidity in the room.

In the process of fastening foam boards, you can also use special fastening dowels. However, an adhesive solution will be sufficient. The final step will be the front finishing of the walls and their possible painting.

Quite fast and practical way. Its most important advantage is the elimination of the stage of preliminary leveling of walls. The whole point is that in a specially created metal structure mineral wool slabs are installed. Then, step by step, the entire frame is sutured plasterboard boards, which will give your wall a perfectly flat surface.

So, from metal or wooden profiles a special structure is assembled - lathing. Plasterboard slabs are installed on it. Next, the joints are puttied and the wall is either painted or wallpaper is applied to it.

VIDEO: Insulation of internal walls. Installation of insulation on the wall.

You might also be interested in:

This indicator can be in the range of 0.35-0.6 W/(m K). Thus, it is very difficult to determine in advance how well cinder blocks can insulate the interior space.

Why does a cinder block house need insulation?

From which side should a cinder block house be insulated?

There are two fundamentally different options for thermal insulation of the walls of a cinder block house. If you place the insulation on the inside, there will be a greater risk of condensation on the walls. This is due to the fact that the dew point will be between the insulation and the wall. As a result, the risk of condensation will increase significantly.

When placing insulation on the outside of a cinder block house, you will notice several advantages at once. With this method, there is a saving of usable space, a reduction in the risk of condensation, and an improvement in the appearance of the building. Usually the insulation is covered with a finishing cladding, which also protects the walls of the building. It follows from this that external insulation is more suitable.

How to insulate a cinder block house

1. Mineral wool and glass wool

2. Expanded polystyrene and penoplex

How to install insulation on cinder block walls?

How to work with mineral wool

1. When the surface is completely prepared, a support for the first row of thermal insulation material is installed on the base. Thanks to it, you can protect the thermal insulation from rodents.

2. Preparation of the adhesive solution. It is better to use moisture-resistant mastic, which, after preparation, is applied to mineral wool slabs. Next, the insulation is applied to the surface of the cinder block wall. It is necessary to try to make the gaps between adjacent slabs minimal. If they are noticeable, an adhesive solution should be placed in them.

3. The fixed thermal insulation layer is covered with glue. A reinforced mesh is placed on it, which is additionally treated with an adhesive compound and left for a day to dry completely.

Having completed such work, the owner can begin decorative finishing. It uses plaster or putty, which is then painted in the desired color.

How to work with polystyrene foam

1. Preparatory work. Cinder block walls must be thoroughly cleaned, and any cracks present in them must be plastered. Next, the working base is primed and left to dry.

2. As in the previous case, the prepared adhesive solution is applied to the foam. Expanded polystyrene sheets should be placed on the surface of foam block walls with bandaging. Any gaps are filled with polyurethane foam or adhesive.

3. When the foam is secured over the entire area, it can be additionally secured with dowels. Then the insulation layer is primed and covered with reinforced mesh. To secure it you need to use a large amount of glue.

After completing such work, the owner can proceed to plastering the facade. Plaster gives cinder block walls better thermal insulation and makes them aesthetically pleasing.

Video. How to insulate a cinder block house

Regardless of what material the house is made of, it always requires insulation. Therefore, taking into account the material of construction, one or another insulation material should be selected. To insulate a cinder block house, you must first decide on possible options, their installation technique and, of course, cost.

Here it should be taken into account that when coming from the inside, the dew point will move and stop between the wall and the coolant. As a result, moisture will appear on the surface, which will inevitably lead to fungus. And this, in turn, has a detrimental effect on the quality of thermal insulation of the house, not to mention the loss usable area inside.

Therefore, by insulating the house from the outside, all these negative aspects are avoided. In many cases, experts note that this method is even better compared to work related to interior walls.

Main types of insulation

Today there are two optimal options: mineral wool (or glass wool) and polystyrene foam. Each of these materials has its own positive and negative qualities.

Mineral wool is produced either in rolls or sheets. The material has the following positive aspects:

the thermal conductivity indicator has a value of 0.041 W/(m°C), this characteristic may vary depending on the density of the material itself, but such a change will be insignificant;
good sound insulation, here the density is of significant importance;
fire resistance: if a fire occurs, then in the absence of open fire the material will quickly extinguish;
ease of fixation: the structure of mineral wool allows you to easily cope with uneven surfaces, and it is also easy to eliminate voids.

But this material also has disadvantages:

poor moisture insulation: if such cotton wool gets wet, the thermal insulation will deteriorate by 2 times;
the installation technology itself has more complex features;
rolls tend to roll, this factor is influenced by the dishonesty of contractors or improper self-insulation cinder block walls.

Polystyrene foam (extruded polystyrene foam), unlike the first option, is more dense in structure, which makes it more durable. The level of moisture absorption is approximately 10 times lower than that of mineral wool. But all qualities are significantly reflected in the price of the material.

Polystyrene foam can be presented in the form of slabs, less often in rolls. From positive points Such material can be noted as follows:

good resistance to moisture: even if water gets on the surface, the walls will not lose their thermal insulation properties;
applicable on flat areas and covers them well;
depending on the use of certain brands, it may have good fire resistance, therefore, like mineral wool, if there is no open fire near the source, this material will fade quickly.

Among the negative aspects, the following characteristics should be highlighted:

low level of sound insulation;
some types of foam plastic absolutely do not tolerate fire, therefore, when insulating the walls of a house, you should carefully select the brand, otherwise during a fire it can emit acrid smoke and support the fire itself;
This material of the usual type has a rather fragile structure, this, in turn, leads to certain installation problems.

There is an opinion that rodents like this material. But it is not so. Rodents do not eat polystyrene foam, but they make their home in it, since it is warm enough.

Return to contents

How to insulate a cinder block house from the outside with mineral wool

Before you start insulating the walls, you should prepare them.

To do this, they are coated with a primer. If a cinder block house is already completely ready, and all that remains is to insulate the walls, then a method called wet laying is suitable.

In order to insulate a house, you need to follow these steps:

Prepare the surface of the cinder block wall. It is cleaned of dirt, after which the cracks are removed by plastering and primed. At the same stage, you should take care of the base, which will serve as a support for the first row.
Next, an adhesive solution is prepared onto which the insulation will be attached to the walls of the house. This process can be found on the product label. After the glue is ready, it is applied to the surface of the material, and then it is pressed against the wall. At this stage there is very important point: It is best to overlap the masonry to avoid the formation of gaps between the slabs. Otherwise, you will have to take care to fill the cracks tightly.
After the cinder block house is covered with material, you should take care of the reinforcing mesh. It is made from fiberglass. To attach it to the wall, it must be coated with glue and allowed time to dry completely (24 hours).
The final stage of such work is the application of primer paint to the walls or plaster. In the latter case, both ordinary and decorative putty are used.

In general, there is nothing complicated about insulation. Everything is elementary and simple.

Questions about how to insulate a cinder block house from the outside and why from the outside and not from the inside may arise after the house has been built. The fact is that the heat retention indicators of cinder block structures are significantly inferior to buildings made of brick or wood. Therefore, houses made of this material require additional insulation.

The answer to the second question is obvious. Internal thermal insulation walls will reduce the area of the living space, which will not happen with the outside. And, in addition, with this method of insulation, water condensation will settle on the walls during the cold season. And this is fraught with the appearance of mold fungi, which are very difficult to fight. For these reasons, insulating a cinder block house from the outside is much more correct and cost-effective than insulating walls from the inside.

Insulation materials

How to insulate the outside walls of a cinder block house? It is clear that any owner wants to spend the optimal amount on thermal insulation Money and finish the job as soon as possible. You can buy on the construction market various materials with good thermal insulation properties and suitable for facade work.

What materials are suitable for external insulation of a cinder block wall? Currently, the following types of materials are mainly used for these purposes:

polystyrene foam (extruded polystyrene foam), expanded polystyrene, penoplex;
glass wool (fiberglass and mineral wool).

Each of these materials has both advantages and disadvantages. These materials have low thermal conductivity, so they provide good heat retention. What is important is that they do not support combustion, therefore they are not a fire hazard. However, some types of polystyrene foam emit toxic chemicals when burned, so if they ignite, poisoning can occur.

Polystyrene foam is the most popular thermal insulator. The low cost of the material and ease of installation have allowed it to be used in the construction of houses for more than 80 years. Polystyrene foam has weaker sound insulation properties compared to fiberglass. But he is not afraid of dampness. Even in conditions of significant humidity physical properties of this material are practically unchanged. Foam boards are convenient to attach to smooth surfaces, so the work takes little time. However, the plates themselves are quite fragile, so care must be taken when working with them. Small rodents are able to chew through polystyrene foam; they happily make their home inside such a heat-insulating layer.

Penoplex boards are more durable and resistant to mechanical damage. Rodents and insects will never live in them. But the cost of the material itself is significantly higher.

Mineral wool consists of inorganic fibers, which are made from molten rocks, slags and mixtures of sedimentary rocks. Glass wool is made from waste from glass production. It consists of limestone, soda, sand, borax and dolomite. These materials are completely non-flammable. The advantages of thermal insulation made of glass wool include high noise insulation. In addition, this material is convenient for filling cracks and voids. The structure of glass wool allows it to be applied even to uneven surfaces. But the technique for installing glass wool insulation is more complicated. The disadvantage of this material is that it gets wet. When moisture gets on the fiberglass, the heat retention and sound insulation indicators are significantly reduced.

How to insulate exterior walls with fiberglass?

Before installing thermal insulation, it is necessary to prepare the walls of the house. If there are large cracks or voids in the walls, they are filled with polyurethane foam. It will take about a day for the foam to dry. Then the surface of the walls is leveled with plaster using a plumb line and level. At the same time, all microcracks will close. A primer is applied to plastered walls.

Then a starting profile or base is constructed, on which the first row of glass wool will subsequently lie. To do this, first use a level to mark all the outer corners of the building and connect them with one line. The width of the starting profile or base should be slightly wider than the thickness of the insulation boards. After this, vertical guides are attached to the entire height of the walls. The distance between them is made slightly less than the width of the roll or slab. This is done so that the insulation fits tightly between the guides.

The next step is to prepare the glue according to the instructions on the package. When using fiberglass, it is more convenient to apply the adhesive to the wall. It is better to do home insulation in stages. First, one wall is covered with insulation, then the sheathing is mounted or secured reinforcement mesh, putty is applied on top of it. Then the other wall is insulated.

How to insulate walls using polystyrene foam?

Preparing the wall for foam sheets is carried out in the same way as for glass wool. All cracks are closed and the wall surface is leveled with plaster. Then a primer is applied to the dry plaster and an adhesive solution is prepared. When working with foam plastic or penoplex boards, it is better to apply glue to the boards themselves. In this case, the coating area must be at least 80% of the slab area. Glue the insulation sheets in a checkerboard pattern, making sure that there are no gaps between them. If cracks are found after installation, they are sealed with polyurethane foam or glue. A layer of glue is applied evenly to the fixed sheets of foam plastic and a reinforcing mesh is glued. After the glue has completely dried, regular or decorative putty is applied to the mesh.

Despite the need additional insulation, building a house from cinder blocks has its advantages. The cost of a cinder block house is much lower than building the same area from brick, and even more so from wood. It takes much less time to build a house from cinder block, due to the fact that cinder block is much larger than brick. The material itself has relatively good soundproofing properties. If you use high-quality cinder blocks, you don’t have to spend money on cladding the house.

However, cinder block houses also have their downsides. Because it's quite heavy construction material, the foundation for it must be made stronger than for a brick or wooden house. Fresh cinder blocks, according to some experts, are capable of releasing harmful substances. Therefore, before starting construction, it is recommended to keep the cinder block for fresh air at least six months. Cheap varieties of cinder block have a gloomy grey colour, therefore, a house made of such material must be plastered both inside and outside. If cinder blocks get damp, they can crumble, so, among other things, buildings made from this material need good waterproofing. Despite all the shortcomings, cinder blocks are widely used, especially in the construction of country or country houses.