The technology of laying linen insulation, the features of its use, the advantages and disadvantages of insulation, the choice of material. Installation of linen insulation is one of the methods of high-quality thermal insulation of a house, which is primarily used to ensure a safe microclimate in its premises, as well as when erecting walls of wooden buildings. Our today's material is about laying linen insulation.
Varieties of linen insulation
Flax is one of the most affordable plants used to make natural insulation. From its long fibers, tow is produced, and from short fibers, roll material, mats and plates, which can have different thicknesses and differ in the density of the structure.
For thermal insulation of houses with linen insulation, several types of it are used:
- Linen ribbon … It is a compressed belt made from fiber cleared on a carding machine from impurities and stems. The material is very convenient to work with: it is easily unwound in the right place, its need is easy to calculate. After laying, linen tape practically does not accumulate moisture, is not pulled apart by birds for building nests and is suitable for installation in any weather conditions. It is gray, 10 mm thick and 150 mm wide.
- Linen felt … This insulation is made by stitching a layer of linen fibers with cotton or nylon thread. The material has a low density. For this reason, it is laid in 2 layers. Linen felt is not very suitable for insulating floors, but it is indispensable in the construction of wooden houses from a bar.
- Linen slabs … In their composition, they contain up to 15% polyester fibers. During the production process, the raw materials are heat treated, while the polyester fibers are melted and give the finished products the necessary shape and elasticity. During installation, linen insulation in slabs, adjoining to the base surfaces, occupies the optimal volume in accordance with the loads of the structures. Such products have a high density, so they are used to insulate roofs, walls, partitions, floors and ceilings. The material is indispensable for thermal insulation of frame houses, as its presence allows the walls to "breathe".
- Linseed tow … It fits in the process of erecting the walls of a wooden house and serves as a linen inter-crown insulation. In addition, tow is often used for sealing and insulating window and door openings, as well as sealing gaps between sheets of insulation of other types.
Flax as a heater has excellent thermal insulation parameters, which are due to the optimal combination of material porosity and density. They are in the range of 0.034-0.043 W / m * K. Such material during the entire service life, which can be 75 years, does not rot, does not tolerate shrinkage and is resistant to mold.
For the convenience, quality and achievement of high productivity in the construction of walls from profiled timber, it is recommended to use a strip of linen inter-crown insulation, and for external caulking of finished log cabins, it is advisable to use linen tow - this is the most inexpensive natural heat insulator.
Pros and cons of linen insulation
The advantages of warming with a linen heat insulator are due to the properties of the material, the main of which is its ability to absorb moisture and quickly release it without condensation. In addition, such insulation is air permeable and has a lower thermal conductivity than wood.
The material is resistant to sunlight, temperature fluctuations and decay. It does not build up static electricity and is environmentally friendly.
The disadvantages of linen insulation can be called its high cost compared to other thermal insulation products. In addition, roll and tile material needs preliminary processing to protect it from fire and moisture, and when insulating steam rooms, it needs a vapor barrier.
Rules for choosing linen insulation
The main criterion for choosing linen insulation is its quality, which in turn is determined by the following parameters:
- Raw materials … The best option is to use a material that is made from short fibers and linen fleece obtained by combing long flax fibers. Such processing of raw materials helps to remove excess impurities. Their large number degrades the appearance of the products and creates obstacles to achieving the optimal density of the material. In addition, the presence of impurities leads to the destruction of thermal insulation over time.
- Density and thickness of insulation … Their ratio must be taken into account depending on the field of application of linen thermal insulation. For a log house made of a profiled bar, in which the mating of the crowns is performed with high accuracy, a material with a density of 250-300 g / m is suitable2 and 2-3 mm thick. If rounded logs are used for walls, these indicators increase accordingly to 500 g / m2 and 4-5 mm. To insulate houses, an insulation with a density of 700-800 g / m is taken from a regular bar2 with a thickness of 8-10 mm
- Uniformity of material density … It should not be more than 10%. Otherwise, the sealing of the gaps between the beams or logs in the log house will be non-uniform.
The most popular manufacturers of linen insulation are two companies:
- Ecoterm (Belarus) … The universal linen insulation Ecoterm is suitable for almost all structures, except for its use as thermal insulation for a cement screed. The material is produced in slabs that are resilient enough. Adhering tightly to the base, they provide excellent insulation. The size of the slabs is 1200x600x50 mm, 12 pieces in the package, which corresponds to 8, 64 m2 cover. Price per pack - 1700 rubles.
- TermoLEN (Russia) … Linen insulation in the form of slabs and rolls is produced under this brand. The package contains 9 pcs. slabs. Rolled mezhventsovy insulation TermoLEN does not contain toxic impurities, it is environmentally friendly and can be used to insulate frame houses.
Linen insulation technology
Linen insulation in the form of tapes, felt, slabs or tow is ideal for thermal insulation from the inside and outside of walls, ceilings, floors and partitions. Let's consider in detail the options for its use.
Preparation for thermal insulation with linen insulation
Before starting the insulation of an already built house, it is necessary to perform a simple preparation of the surfaces subject to this procedure. This will help increase the effectiveness of the insulation and the life of the building.
First of all, dirt and dust should be removed from surfaces, special attention should be paid to grooves, crevices and narrow places. If dirt has eaten into the material of the wall, it must be wetted with water, and after thorough cleaning, let it dry for the required time.
Wood surfaces should be inspected for areas affected by fungus or insects. If necessary, clean them thoroughly. If large cracks or crevices are found, they need to be caulked with a cord or tow.
It is recommended to finish the preparation of the walls of the log house by impregnating them with an antiseptic or an antifungal agent capable of penetrating deep enough into the wood.
To prepare the linen material for work, you will need a knife and fastening brackets made of galvanized metal. In order to save time, the insulation can be cut through the packaging using a disc. In addition, cutting is convenient to carry out with special knives with a wave-like sharpening, especially double-edged. Also for this purpose, a hand saw, a small band saw with fine teeth, and even an ordinary bread knife, if it does not bend, may be suitable. Insulation, which has a thickness of up to 50 mm, is well cut with tailor's scissors.
Linen insulation, due to its elastic structure, does not crumble during processing and retains even edges. To obtain an even cut of the material using a hacksaw, the plate needs to be slightly pressed down with a board and a longitudinal cut is made.
Laying slabs of linen insulation
Before installing linen insulation in the form of slabs, the necessary measurements should be made. In order for the elements of thermal insulation to reliably dock, it is necessary that the distances between the profiles are 10-20 mm less than the width of the plates. Based on this calculation, it is recommended to adjust them.
In this case, the insulation will completely fill the space intended for it and will be securely fixed in the enclosing structure, eliminating the need for additional fixation in any way. Correct calculation will prevent the formation of gaps between the elements of the coating and the violation of thermal and sound insulation in the places of their conjugation. It is also necessary to ensure that the insulation layer is not disturbed at the points of its abutment to the walls.
The standard slab width of 625 mm is ideal for installing piece products in frames with a distance between rails, rafters or posts of 600 mm. In all other cases, the linen insulation must be trimmed. Its thickness is selected based on the width of the profile. So, for an interior partition when laying thermal insulation, i.e. 50 mm, the width of the profile of the lathing should also be 50 mm.
If the areas of insulation have an intricate configuration, allowances of 10-20 mm in the shape of the cells should be made in the material in order for the thermal insulation to fit tightly into the prepared places.
It is very convenient to work with linen stoves. Natural fibers and adhesive give the material elasticity, and it retains its shape perfectly. Installation of insulation should be carried out between rafters or logs, without fear of fixing it. Convenient dimensions and low weight of linen slabs allow you to install them yourself.
For the installation of linen thermal insulation on inclined surfaces, it is necessary to install an additional crate. It will provide a ventilation gap for quick removal of condensation when the moisture level in the building envelope increases. This contributes to better heat retention.
Plates should be laid tightly to each other. At the same time, at the junctions, the fibers of the linen insulation intertwine, take the optimal position and create reliable sound and heat insulation. It is important to carry out the installation so that the material does not block the ventilation ducts and does not come into contact with heating devices.
If you need to make holes through the insulation in the structure, it is recommended to drill at high drill speeds so that the fibers do not wind up on the rotating drill.
When insulating a dry room, a vapor barrier is not required. But if a room with medium or high humidity is insulated, the material must be protected from moisture with building cardboard or a vapor-permeable membrane. This is especially true for bathrooms, baths or laundries. Installation of such insulation should be carried out with canvases with an overlap of 100 mm, and the seams between them should be glued with tape.
Installation of inter-crown linen insulation
Tape linen insulation should be laid after preliminary adjustment of the lumber along the length of each crown of the log house. The tape is fastened with staples using a construction stapler. The staples on the insulation should be installed in a checkerboard pattern. You can use ordinary scissors to cut it.
The material can be mounted with and without a bend, which in turn can be one- or two-sided. Most often, before laying, the tape linen insulation for the walls is folded in half with a fold inside the frame.
Before its installation, holes for pins should be prepared in logs or a bar, then the same holes must be made in the mezhduntsovy tape.
In order for the seams to be neat, the linen tape must be laid 5 mm into the depth of the groove in the wooden wall element. The decorative appearance of the log house and its additional protection can be provided using a special rope made of jute or flax.
Watch a video about linen insulation:
Linen thermal insulation materials of any kind are practically devoid of disadvantages. They can serve for a very long time, maintaining a comfortable microclimate in your home and guaranteeing the health of its inhabitants. Good luck!
