How to insulate the roof yourself?

Most questions arise during the installation of the roof. Now we will talk about how to make a roofing cake and how to insulate the roof of a house.

Almost always, it is necessary not only to change the roofing material, which began to let rainfall through, but also to replace the truss system, since the roof was not properly insulated, which led to the rotting of the truss system, which became unusable.

The reason is that as roof insulation now mineral wool is used, which is produced by almost all manufacturers.

In order to insulate the roof, it must be laid correctly. In the event that it is not laid correctly, then moisture will seep through it, which will cause a debate on wooden structures.

Such a roof will become unusable in five years, but it will no longer hold heat in three to four months, after moisture has accumulated.

It is necessary to do the insulation correctly even when the rafter system is being made. True, if it is planned to make a “cold” roof, then nothing complicated is foreseen.

You just need to fill the crate on the truss system, and then the roofing material. Waterproofing can be hemmed along the rafters. In the same case, if you want to make high-quality roof insulation, then you will need a special crate.

Let's consider everything in order:

1. After all the rafter legs are installed, it will be necessary to make an internal crate, the step of which should be from 15 to 30 cm. The crate will be the fastener for the insulation. After that, the insulation should be laid on the outside in one or two layers, while paying special attention to ensuring that the joints are pressed tightly against the rafters, you also need to check that there are no through holes. After the insulation is laid, it should be covered with waterproofing on the outside, which is unwound from a roll and nailed to the rafters with staples, while making a small sag.
2. Pay attention not to confuse the sides of the membranes, since the top layer is waterproof and does not let water through, while the bottom one allows moisture and vapor to pass through. Layers should be laid with an overlap of 2-5 cm. A small ventilation hole should be made at the ridge, which should be the entire length of the ridge. This will provide the air with additional traction, which will allow air to blow through the moisture that accumulates under the roof.
3. After the membrane is laid on the rafters, it will be necessary to make another cavity for ventilation; for this, a bar with a section of 50 by 50 mm or 25 by 50 mm should be filled along. You can make it from several pieces having a length of 1.5-2 meters. On top of the bars, a crate is stuffed, located across the rafters, having a pitch of 15 to 30 cm.
4. It does not hurt to treat the crate with a bar with an antiseptic. Having learned this, you will never have a question about how to insulate the roof.
5. Thanks to this gap, condensate and all moisture will dry out not only on the membrane, but also on the rafter system. Then roofing material is laid on the crate: corrugated sheet or metal tile.

To your attention! From the inside, a vapor barrier is attached to the crate, this is done in order to avoid the ingress of steam emanating from the room into the insulation. It is not necessary to make a crate from boards, you can use a nylon rope, which is nailed to the rafters from the inside, you can also pull a vapor barrier along the rafters, and then fill the crate.

After the vapor barrier is completed, it will be necessary to fill the rafters with a section of 20 by 30 mm along the rafters, and then fill the inner lining on them: blockhouse, plywood or lining. Thanks to this gap, the inner lining will dry out.

At the same time, the membrane should be positioned so that it hangs down at the bottom of the roof, while it should fit so that condensation and moisture can drain into the gutter, and not into the insulation. Here it is over attic roof insulation!

It is this method that is the answer to the question: how to properly insulate the roof, and by doing everything as described above, you do not have to worry about whether moisture is absorbed by the insulation, and the rafter system will not get wet and will not start to rot.

Now let's talk about how to insulate the roof of the house. By choosing the right material for insulation, you can reduce heating costs, as well as create coziness and comfort in the house.

Let's look at the materials that are most often used for insulation:

1. Stone or mineral wool

This material is a fiber obtained from silicate melts of metallurgical slags, rocks, or both. Cotton wool is presented in rolls and slabs.

As for the assortment, it is very wide, it has many different positions, which most often differ from each other in density and size.

2. glass wool

It is also a fibrous material, which is represented by mineral fiber, made using the same technologies as mineral wool.

To create it, the same raw materials are used as in order to make simple glass or waste for the glass industry. Its range is also represented by plates and rolls, and differs in density, slightly thermal conductivity and size.

It is worth noting that there is also glass wool with a density of 200 kg per m3, but it is usually delivered on order.

3. Styrofoam or Styrofoam

This roof insulation is a plastic that has a lot of air bubbles.

It is produced exclusively in slabs and refers to combustible materials that differ in density and flammability group.

4. Expanded polystyrene extruded

Such material is made by extrusion and incorporates a large number of cells that are closed, and therefore, they do not gain moisture. This material is produced in plates and is characterized by combustibility and density.

Surely you now want to ask: what is the best way to insulate the roof? It all depends on your preferences. But in order to help you choose how to insulate the roof, we noted the following:

• All types of cotton wool insulation have good sound insulation and are able to dampen airborne noise. Expanded polystyrenes are not able to dampen noise, however, they do not require additional sound insulation.
• Do not allow cotton pads to get wet. After absorbing 2%, their thermal insulation is reduced by 50%. In the event that there is a possibility of moisture penetration, then you need to take care not only about how to insulate the roof, but also about vapor and waterproofing.
• When storing such materials, special attention should be paid to ensure that they are not exposed to moisture. When purchasing them, special attention should be paid to the integrity of the packaging.
• Very often in the characteristics you can find such a term as "hydrophobicity", which implies that the material is able to "repel" water. If this term is found in cotton wool insulation, then this means that its fibers will not absorb moisture. And it is true. The fibers will not absorb moisture, while the air that is present between the fibers will. That is why it is better to pay attention to the water absorption coefficient.

Tip! Before deciding how to insulate the roof, you need to decide what material you need: combustible or not.

It should be noted that expanded polystyrenes are combustible materials, and belong to different combustibility groups depending on the type. When choosing such a material, it is best to purchase one that has a G1 flammability group (there are 4 in total).

This will mean that the material will stop burning immediately after the source of fire is removed from it, that is, it will not independently support combustion.

This, perhaps, is all, the only thing is, if something remains incomprehensible to you, you can see clearly how to insulate the roof - a video of this process is not difficult to find on the Internet.

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