Insulation of walls from the inside with penoplex

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:23

The reasons for wall insulation from the inside with penoplex, the pros and cons of this method of thermal insulation, advice on the choice of material, the technology of installation work. Insulation of walls from the inside with penoplex is the installation of an insulating layer on the partition from the side of the living area in order to preserve thermal energy. This option of thermal insulation is performed in exceptional cases when it is impossible to fix the material outside the building. We will talk about the rules for insulating internal walls in this article.

Features of work on wall insulation from the inside with penoplex

The best way to insulate a building is to attach a suitable material to the outside of the wall, which prevents heat loss and protects it from freezing. The main difficulty of internal insulation lies in the unpleasant consequences of poorly executed insulation. Moisture condensation points can move towards the room and end up on the surface of the partition, which causes it to get wet and increase dampness in the room.

Loggias and balconies are often protected from the inside with this material. In the main premises, the internal walls are insulated with penoplex in exceptional cases:

• If there are architectural features on the facades, due to which the insulation will be ineffective.
• If the building belongs to architectural monuments, where it is forbidden to change the facade.
• If there is an unheated room nearby in which it is impossible to install heaters.
• If it is necessary to insulate the wall only with an insulator made of a specific material.
• If the building project is planned for internal insulation with foam.
• If the room is located on the upper floors of high-rise buildings, which involves the use of special equipment and the work of climbers.
• If necessary, soundproof the room - an insulator outside the building is ineffective for these purposes.

Penoplex is produced in the form of plates of 0, 6x1, 2 m. It is sold packed in a protective film in 7 or 10 pieces. Each sample has grooves, due to which there are no gaps between the panels.

For internal insulation, buy material with a thickness of 20-30 mm and a density of 31 kg / m³, which will eliminate the formation of condensation in the wall. It is cheaper than penoplex, which is intended for facade work.

On construction markets, you can find a line of plates with letter designations. If possible, take a product with the "C" brand, for example, "Penoplex 31C", which is intended for such purposes.

It is recommended to fix the insulation on an adhesive solution with additional safety fixation with special dowels with wide heads. In contrast to the external version, a framework is not required for leveling the coating.

Advantages and disadvantages of wall insulation with foam from the inside

The advantages of wall insulation from the side of the room include the following points:

1. This protection option is much cheaper than external thermal insulation, because you do not need to hire industrial climbers. Installation work can be done independently.
2. Penoplex weighs a little, additional strength calculations for the building are not required.
3. It does not absorb moisture and does not allow it to pass to the plaster, where condensation can occur.
4. The material has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, which allows the use of thin sheets. Due to this, the usable area of the room is reduced slightly.
5. The product is made from chemically inert components that are not subject to decay. Wall repairs can be skipped for decades.
6. The density of the material is very high and can reach 35 kg / m³… It resists mechanical stress well.
7. It is highly environmentally friendly and does not affect human health indoors.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of drawbacks of wall insulation from the inside with penoplex, and they are all serious:

• If installed incorrectly, condensation may form on the plaster.
• Wet spots appear where the insulator contacts the surface. Humidity reduces the thermal conductivity of the partition and causes its destruction.
• The heat-accumulating properties of the wall decrease, the temperature in the room changes rapidly.
• The house is left unprotected from the cold wind.
• Losses of living space can be up to 5%. This is especially noticeable in small rooms.
• The insulation melts at high temperatures, but does not burn.
• Mice and other rodents like to settle in the panels.

Technology of wall insulation from the inside with penoplex

Installation of slabs is carried out in several stages. First, the walls are prepared for work (cleaned and leveled). Then a model laying of products is carried out, followed by gluing. The last step is the application of the topcoat. Let us consider in more detail the technology of insulation of internal walls with penoplex.

Preparatory work before insulation with penoplex

Reliability of adhesion of elements to the wall depends on the condition of the base surface. To prepare it, carry out a number of such works:

1. Clean the area to be insulated from dirt, old decor, grease stains. Remove dust with a vacuum cleaner.
2. Make sure the plaster does not flake off. If necessary, knock down unreliable plaster and other elements that may fall off. Scrape off paint or remove with solvent.
3. Checking the reliability of fixing the plaster to the wall is performed by tapping. If the knock is resonant, the coating layer holds well, if it is dull, it should be removed. Knock back loose coating with a chisel and hammer and cover the problem area with cement mortar. Remove all tabs.
4. Make sure the surface is free of mold and mildew. If necessary, treat it with special antiseptics and antibacterial agents.
5. If the walls are cast in formwork structures, clean them of oil stains and saturate them with a deep penetration primer, adding quartz sand to the composition to improve adhesion.
6. Paint all metal elements on the partition with an anti-corrosion compound.
7. Check the deviation of the surface from the vertical. Use a long rule to ensure that there are no irregularities larger than 2 cm in an area of 3 m².
8. If necessary, seal all cracks and crevices with construction putty. The material has good strength and withstands significant mechanical stress. However, on a "humped" surface, there is a danger that it will crack.
9. Impregnate walls that quickly absorb moisture with a primer fixing compound that matches the material of the partition. It is recommended to impregnate cement plaster with a solution of water glass. It will clog pores and microcracks and prevent moisture vapor from entering from the outside.

Often it is necessary to level the surfaces by applying an additional layer of plaster to the partition. It does not reduce the life of the insulator or deteriorate its properties, but it prolongs the installation work by a month until it dries.

You can create a flat surface using slabs of different thicknesses. This method is used if the thermal performance of the material does not deteriorate. It is necessary to draw a map of wall defects and order products of the appropriate thickness using it. After installation, the quality of the insulation will not change, but the operating time increases due to the adjustment of the plates.

Irregularities can be eliminated using leveling shims, but this option is considered difficult and can be used with construction experience.

Mark on the surface the location of the products that are supposed to be fastened after the wall is insulated, and fix rigid elements to them to support them.

Penoplex preparation for wall mounting

For work, purchase only samples in which the actual characteristics correspond to the declared ones. At home, a quality product is difficult to distinguish from a fake, so pay attention to the following points:

• Buy products only in stores where they are stored in their original packaging, which keeps the penoplex in a satisfactory condition for a long time. The protective film must be intact, without gaps.
• A quality product always has a barcode, a security label and a hologram of the manufacturing company.
• Choose a heat insulator from well-known manufacturers, because it is impossible to independently check its properties. The main characteristics of the material - control of thermal conductivity and liquid rejection - can only be confirmed on special equipment.
• Use sheets of rectangular or square shape, without deformations and defects. Check the penoplex for compression - after pressing with your fingers, the surface should be restored.

Insulation plates that will be installed near windows and doors must be trimmed in place. Small pieces are removed with a wide blade. Large areas are cut with a fine-toothed hacksaw. Before applying the adhesive, it is necessary to check the quality of the cut by attaching them to their places on the wall.

If the openings of windows and doors are recessed into the surface, the slopes should also be insulated. Sheets are cut with a margin for the opening.

Preparation of glue for attaching penoplex

When choosing a composition, it should be borne in mind that the insulator is made on the basis of expanded polystyrene and actively reacts with solvents based on aromatic compounds, with inclusions of formalin and its derivatives, with fuel and lubricating components. When installing, it is better to use means for gluing foam.

There are many adhesives on the construction market that are used in certain applications. For example, mineral ones are intended for gluing the insulator to any dry surface, waterproofing ones - for use in basements where the walls are covered with bitumen.

Usually, penoplex manufacturers indicate a specific type of adhesive solution in the product description. The correct choice ensures good adhesion to the partition and a long service life.

The working composition is kneaded immediately before being applied to the material, because its properties deteriorate after a few hours. It is not customary to dilute the frozen solution by adding water. It should also be borne in mind that the curing time of the glue increases if the room temperature is low and humidity is high. In winter, it is worth turning on the heaters so that the room is more than +5 degrees. At temperatures below 5 degrees, it is prohibited to glue the panels.

To prepare the solution, add dry matter to a bucket with the correct volume of cold water. Stir the contents thoroughly with a low speed drill. Check for seals in the fluid. Leave the glue to cure for 10 minutes and turn on the drill again for 5 minutes.

Instructions for installing foam on walls

To increase adhesion to the glue, the sheets are milled during manufacture. If there is no roughness, sand the surface of the insulator with a coarse sandpaper.

The product is installed in the following sequence:

1. Apply the mortar to the slab using a conventional trowel and then remove the excess with a 10 mm notched tool. The thickness of the layer depends on the unevenness of the wall and can be 1, 5-2, 5 cm. If there are steps, the mixture is applied along the perimeter of the sheets, the width of the layer is 10 cm. The middle is also lubricated with a solution. Areas with glue should be located in places where dowels are supposed to be hammered.
2. In corners, do not apply the product to areas where adjacent specimens will dock.
3. Installation starts from the bottom corner. Place the slab on the mortar, rotate it a few times, and press it down onto the surface.
4. Before gluing the next sheet, apply sealant to the end of the already mounted one.
5. Check the flatness of the bottom row with a long straight edge. To eliminate unevenness, use coarse sandpaper or a grinder, followed by dust removal.
6. Lay the upper rows in a staggered manner, taking into account the rules for installing sheet insulators.
7. Fill gaps of more than two millimeters between sheets with waste material. Do not use polyurethane foam and other compounds that can provoke cracks in these places.

For reliability, the panels are fixed to the wall with disc dowels. They become clogged after the glue hardens. Sheets are nailed to concrete structures with dowels "D6 mm" 60 mm long or "D8 mm" 80 mm long. They are plastic, have low thermal conductivity, thermal insulating heads. The number of fasteners depends on their length and the material from which the partition is made. The standard option for fixing sheets is at the corners and in the middle, but manufacturers can offer their own scheme.

The dowels are clogged after the adhesive has hardened. Prepare holes for dowels, their depth should be 15 mm more than the length of the fastener. Drills are performed in the corners and in the middle of the sheet. The dowels should go into the concrete wall by 45 mm, into the brick wall - by 60-70 mm. After making the holes, insert the fasteners into them, slide them flush with the surface of the panel and hammer in the core.

Decorative coating

Penoplex outside is covered with a decorative coating, which also protects it from accidental mechanical stress. For this purpose, a layer of Ceresit or Econmix plaster is applied to it. To keep it securely, use a reinforcing fiberglass mesh.

The work is carried out in the following sequence:

• Prepare a liquid solution.
• Cut a piece of mesh 1 m wide and up to the ceiling.
• Apply the solution to the partition and sink the mesh into it.
• Glue the next piece with an overlap over the already fixed piece.
• Stop work before the plaster has hardened.
• Apply a leveling layer of the mixture to the mesh.
• After complete drying, the surface can be decorated in any way - paint, wallpaper, etc.

How to insulate the internal walls with penoplex - watch the video:

It is not difficult to insulate the walls from the inside with penoplex with your own hands, the main thing is not to leave unprotected areas of the surface. However, it should be remembered that this option can only be used in cases where thermal insulation from the outside is not possible.