Some are wondering, is it necessary to insulate a house from a bar? Buildings made of wood retain heat well, even if they are old. However, if the walls of a log house are well insulated, this will significantly save on energy costs. Therefore, over time, this procedure will more than pay off. Next, consider how and what is better to insulate a wooden house.

How to properly insulate a house from a bar - this question is asked by many ordinary people. Conventionally, two methods can be distinguished - internal and external. We strongly recommend using the second one (that is, fastening the heat insulator directly to the walls of the facade).

This method has many advantages:

• Absolute protection against condensation. When the walls inside the building are insulated, moisture begins to appear due to the temperature difference, which contributes to the formation of mold and mildew. External thermal insulation eliminates this, which greatly increases the operational period of materials.
• Improving efficiency. If the walls are insulated from the inside, they will not be part of the heat-insulating layer. By hiding them from direct contact with outdoor air, you can increase the efficiency of the structure as a whole. This is especially true for timber 150 × 150 and less.
• The useful volume of the dwelling is not reduced. When finishing the walls from the inside, the area will be reduced by 5-10%. This is especially important for owners of already small houses.
• Excellent protection of walls from all kinds of atmospheric phenomena (temperature changes, humidity, UV rays, etc.). This increases their operational period several times.
• The ability to kill two birds with one stone. In addition to organizing protection from the cold, you will restore the walls of the facade.

Three methods of external thermal insulation

How to insulate a log house? There are three options for external wall insulation. Let's take a brief look at the features of each of them.

"Well"

This is a very time-consuming, expensive, but very effective technique. Used mainly for brick buildings. It consists in the following: the heat insulator is attached to the facade (in any way), and a wall is built close to it (for example, from a brick).

The technique is somewhat outlandish, but it carries the maximum thermal protection. Therefore, it is used mainly in areas of the far north, where in winter the temperature drops below minus 60 degrees. However, with the advent of more advanced materials, it is gradually forgotten.

"Wet" technology with gluing

It consists in the following: the insulator is glued to the walls, after which it is additionally fixed with special dowels. Then the surface is covered with a reinforcing mesh, which is subsequently finished with "warm plaster" for outdoor use.

Also a rather outlandish method that allows you to turn a wooden house into a brick one. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. The efficiency of this method is very high, but it carries a significant disadvantage - the complexity of the work. Only a specialist can handle it.

This is the most common technology today - 9 out of 10 new homes get off this way. It implies the creation of a frame on the facade, into which a heat insulator is subsequently laid. At the end, the structure is closed with any finishing material to exclude exposure to UV rays.

How to insulate a log house is up to you. The simplest and most accessible technique is a ventilated facade (we will talk about it in more detail later), and the most effective is the “well”.

Basic requirements for thermal insulation material

How to choose a heater for a log house? To make the only right decision, you need to know the basic criteria. In particular, this group of materials should have the following properties:

• Environmental Safety.

Obviously, if you opt for toxic models, then one of the main advantages of wood (natural origin) will disappear. Therefore, it is necessary to use natural analogues, such as ecowool, penoplex, basalt wool, etc.

• Thermal conductivity coefficient (the ability of a substance to pass warm air through itself).

This is a key characteristic of a heat-insulating material, on which its effectiveness directly depends (the lower it is, the better). However, all modern models meet the established requirements.

Tip: for a log house 150 × 150, it is desirable to create two layers of insulation.

• Fire resistance.

Unfortunately, most modern insulators are more or less susceptible to combustion. So, penoplex, which is gaining high popularity, can smolder for several hours (along with the walls). The clear leader in this aspect is foam glass - this is a porous material sold in the form of plates. However, it has two serious drawbacks - a lot of weight and an impressive cost. There are other solutions: before insulating a wooden house, treat all floors with protective compounds (they will prevent the wood from catching fire).

• resistance to organic attack.

If the house is old, then the walls will eventually begin to become covered with fungus or mold. Therefore, it is necessary to opt for insulators that are resistant to such consequences.

There is no ideal insulation that would more than meet all the requirements. For example, penoplex has better efficiency and less weight, but at the same time it burns well and releases toxic substances. Its counterparts, which are environmentally friendly and incombustible, are less efficient. Therefore, you will have to choose the “lesser of two evils” (safety or efficiency).

Consider the stages of work

As we have already said, the most accessible technology is a ventilated facade, so we will focus on it. Regardless of the chosen insulation, the method of work will be approximately the same. Next, we will analyze the main points.

Preparation of the initial surface

Before insulating a log house, you will need to perform some preliminary manipulations, namely:

• Completely dismantle the facade cladding (siding, boards, etc.). If it is in good condition, then do it carefully, because it can be reused later.

Important! Some people believe that it is effective to lay the heat insulator directly on the lined surface, then making a new finish. The thicker the wall, the better it is protected from the cold - ordinary people come to this conclusion. This is a fundamentally erroneous opinion, since in the presence of cavities, cold bridges form in the ceilings, and this leads to the appearance of condensate and mold, which significantly reduces the “life” of all materials.

• Having reached the bar, we evaluate its condition. If cracks or cracks form as a result of shrinkage, we close them (for this you can use professional mounting foam). As a result, the walls should turn out to be airtight - this will prevent condensation from appearing inside.
• Next, you need to treat all the wood with various impregnations (antiseptic, protective compounds, etc.). This will increase the life expectancy of the walls many times over. To do everything quickly, you can use a special sprayer. Don't forget to wear a respirator.

Vapor barrier and frame construction

Before insulating a house from a bar, it is necessary to protect the materials from moisture, which will appear due to the temperature difference. On the prepared walls, it is necessary to glue some kind of vapor barrier material. It can be a special membrane, film or even roofing material (we recommend choosing the first option). Even the smallest cracks should not be allowed.

After that, we build a frame from boards (for example, "magpies"). We put them vertically on the stiffeners. In this case, the distance between them should be chosen such that it is 1-2 less than the width of the selected insulation. Then add some horizontal rows.

Insulation installation and final operations

It remains to perform a few simple manipulations:

• We put heat-insulating material in the niches between the guides. We fix it with screws or glue. If the house is made of timber of size 150 × 150, then it is better to make 2 layers.
• Then, on the frame created earlier, we attach a moisture-proof film over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building. As a result, our insulation will be closed from all sides (sandwich technology) and it will not be afraid of weather conditions at all.
• At the end, we cover the surface with some kind of facing material.

That's all. Now you know how to insulate a house from a bar.