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Roofing pie for a cold attic. Insulation of the attic floor with an unheated attic. Roofing pie for a cold attic What is a cold attic

There are two types attic spacecold attic and a combined attic or attic. In a cold attic, insulation is laid horizontally across the attic floor, and the temperature inside the cold attic is about the same as outside.

The temperature inside a cold attic should not exceed 4 °C outside air temperature (rules and regulations technical operation housing stock, resolution of September 27, 2003 No. 170, clause 3.3.2), i.e. if the temperature outside is -15 °C, then in the attic it should be no more than -11 °C. If this difference is greater, then, for example, at an outside air temperature of -5 ° C, the slope will heat up, the snow on the roof will melt and flow onto the eaves. The cornice will not heat up, because... there is no warm room underneath, and the water on it will turn into ice, forming icicles. How more ice will form on the eaves, the greater the chance of leakage, the higher the load on the roof and the higher the risk of ice breaking, which can lead to tragic consequences. All this reduces the service life, as roofing, and roofs in general.

Rice. 1 Ventilation of a cold attic.

To ensure normal temperature conditions in a cold attic, it is necessary, first of all, to insulate the floor between the attic and the living space. The thickness of the insulation is calculated based on several parameters, the main one of which is the location of the house. The second most important criterion for maintaining the temperature regime of the attic space is under-roof ventilation.

In addition to insulation and ventilation on temperature regime the attic space is affected by: non-insulated hatch covers for access to the attic, ventilation pipes for rooms (kitchen, bathroom) leading into the attic space, uninsulated hot water supply located in the attic, etc.

The roofing pie for a cold attic can be divided into two parts. The first part is along the floor between the attic and the living space. The second part is along the slope.

The first part of the roofing pie, depending on the type of ceiling, looks like this:

Rice. 2 Pie on the concrete floor.



Rice. 3 Pie on a wooden floor.

The vapor barrier serves to prevent moisture from entering the room into the insulation. By concrete base It is best to use bitumen roll material, with fused overlaps. Applies according to lags film vapor barrier with obligatory gluing of overlaps with sealing tapes. As a vapor barrier, it is necessary to use vapor barrier films D-Folie B, D-Folie B 90 or D-Folie BR.

The insulation is laid in several layers with joints spaced apart to eliminate cold bridges.

The hydro-windproof membrane protects against heat loss and moisture ingress. Moisture can form due to condensation, snow blown into the attic space, and also due to possible leaks. Superdiffusion membranes D-Folie A 150 or D-Folie A 100 must be used as hydrowind protection.

In any case, regardless of the type of ceiling, it is not recommended to cover the insulation on top entirely with plywood or boards. If you occasionally need to walk through the attic space, it is better to provide paths from boards without covering all the insulation.

The second part of the roofing pie using flexible tiles in a cold attic looks like this:



Rice. 4 Roofing pie for a cold attic.

dockpiepie.ru

How to arrange a roofing pie under a soft roof: general principles and analysis of construction options

To an uninitiated person in the intricacies of construction, the roof appears in the form of an accessible coating that protects his household from weather adversity. In fact, this is a complex structure, each element of which must flawlessly perform the work assigned to it. The ingredients are stacked in layers like a culinary product that shares its name with roofing system. Layers are laid with a certain order, violation of which threatens a noticeable decrease in consumer characteristics. How correctly the roofing pie is constructed under soft roof, the service life of the roof and the heating equipment of the house as a whole depend.

Types of soft roofing structures

Roofing pie is a generalized technical term that combines a number of structures with a similar “layered” structure. The combination of layers should protect the home owners from atmospheric attacks and protect internal filling pie from premature spoilage.

The standard structure of a roofing pie includes the following required components:

  • Vapor barrier. Prevents the penetration of vapors from internal space houses and moisture condensation on the building materials used in the construction of the roof;
  • Thermal insulation. Helps retain heat, protects against noise, winds, and cold temperatures coming from outside;
  • Waterproofing. Prevents the penetration of rainwater and melted winter precipitation into both the roof structure and the building;
  • Decorative coating, which simultaneously performs the work of wind protection.

The category of soft roofs includes materials with excellent waterproofing qualities. These include bitumen roll representatives, piece analogues, mastics and a new generation of membranes. A couple of decades ago they served only as a barrier against water, but now they also successfully play the role of decorative coatings. The reason for this is the ennobled outer surface and developing installation methods that allow super-thin materials to be secured to any type of substrate.



Combination of insulating and decorative properties made it possible to reduce the number of main layers in the roofing pie to 3, if one of the types of rolled materials is used for arranging the roof.

When laying bitumen shingles, waterproofing is not completely abandoned. However, it is laid as an additional waterproof layer and covers the roof either completely, if the slope of the slopes does not exceed 18º, or partially in strips along the overhangs, along the ridge and valleys, around pipes and at junctions on roofs with slopes steeper than 18º.

The following list of main roofing layers has the character general recommendations. In fact, it is modified by reducing or adding functional elements, because the scheme for forming an ideal roofing structure is influenced by a number of significant circumstances, such as:

  • type and purpose of the object being equipped, i.e. is it a residential building or a domestic structure;
  • temporary or permanent use, determining the use or rejection of thermal insulation;
  • the shape of the roof and the steepness of its slopes, directly related to the choice of materials for the roofing;
  • type of base for installing a pie and laying a soft roof;
  • the presence of an exploited or unexploited attic;
  • regional climatic features, according to which the thickness of thermal insulation is determined;
  • compatibility of construction layers, because in case of incompatibility, separation or migration layers will be required.

A well-designed soft roof pie is constructed taking into account the entire range of the listed conditions. Without information about the specifics of the project, no one will give exact recommendations, but it is worth familiarizing yourself with the principle of construction, regardless of whether you will build the cake yourself or hired roofers will do its installation.

Principles of constructing a roofing pie

Let's look at the most common pie designs for soft roofing used in private construction. Flat and low-slope roof structures are rarely built over low-rise buildings. However, there are adherents of the strict cubic forms of the techno or high-tech style, and their numbers are steadily growing. Most often, flat roofs are erected over bay windows, attached terraces, utility compartments of the building, garages, etc. They are covered with bitumen-polymer materials or a membrane, laid on reinforced concrete floors or a base made of galvanized profiled sheet.

The most popular in private construction is bitumen shingles, used in the construction of pitched roofs with a slope of 12º or more. It is used mainly to cover truss systems erected over dachas and country houses. Let's start with it.


Roofing pie for flexible tiles

Soft tiles are used to cover buildings with cold attics and houses with insulated attics, the designs of which, of course, have radical differences. In the first case, there is no need to use insulation, in the second, thermal insulation is a mandatory component. Both options require a continuous sheathing made of antiseptic-treated boards, sheets of moisture-resistant plywood or OSB-3 oriented strand boards.

The simplest non-insulated option

The scheme for laying a soft roof over an uninsulated attic is extremely simple:

  • a counter beam installed across the rafters is nailed to the rafter legs. The recommended size of the beam is 50x50; it is attached with two rough nails to each rafter beam. The installation pitch of the counter beam depends on the pitch between the rafters. If the standard distance is 0.7-0.9 m, the block is nailed after 30 cm;
  • slabs of continuous sheathing are laid on the counterbeam in a staggered manner so that there are no cross-shaped connections between them. The edges of the slabs should rest on the counter-lattice elements. Fasten the slabs every 15 cm with rough nails to the block;
  • A self-adhesive waterproofing carpet is laid, the installation of which is carried out depending on the steepness of the slopes. When the slope is 18º or more, only the slopes, ridge, valleys, junction areas and pipe passages through the roof are covered with waterproofing. Less steep roofs are completely covered with an insulating carpet;
  • Soft tiles are installed on top of the waterproofing barrier.

If a continuous sheathing is constructed from boards, then the need for a counter-lattice is automatically eliminated. The boards are fastened directly to the rafter legs and laid with a gap of 3 mm between the elements.

Installation of an insulated roof

The pie for an insulated roof is much more complicated. Its design is complemented by thermal insulation. And if it exists, then you will need a vapor barrier material that protects the insulation from moisture accumulation. The result of moistening is a decrease in insulating characteristics and the accompanying processes of rotting with subsequent destruction. Ventilation is also needed to remove condensation from under the roofing, which is unable to pass drops dangerous to wood on its own.

Scheme for laying layers of roofing pie for insulated pitched roof, which involves the operation of the attic, is as follows:

  • With inside rafter system, a vapor barrier membrane is attached directly to the rafters with a stapler. It is laid parallel to the overhangs in strips from bottom to top. The strips are connected into a single web with double-sided tape;
  • according to the vapor barrier installed, again on the inside, a counter-lattice is constructed from a bar, the installation step of which depends on the material of the planned interior lining attics. For example, under plasterboard sheathing, it is advisable to place the sheathing bars at a distance of 40 or 60 cm;

  • from the outside of the roof between rafter beams auxiliary spacers are installed. They are required to hold the insulation boards. Place the spacers in increments 2-3cm smaller than the height thermal insulation board. So it is necessary that the thermal insulation is firmly fixed in the compartments created for it, “straightening out” after slight compression during the installation process;
  • The resulting semblance of a honeycomb is filled with heat-insulating material, the thickness of which should be 3-5 cm less than the thickness rafter legs. This necessary condition For proper ventilation roofing pie;
  • the counter-lattice is constructed again. Nailed to the rafters along their direction to form ventilation ducts– roofing vents;
  • a continuous sheathing is attached to the outer counter-lattice, on top of which an additional waterproofing carpet is laid;
  • soft tiles are laid.

For device warm roof with soft tiles in the northern regions sometimes the thickness is not enough mineral wool insulation 15 cm - the generally accepted standard for the middle zone. Then, on the outside, first a tier of counter beams is installed transverse to the rafters for laying the second layer of insulation, then a beam is installed along the rafters for installation of a continuous counter batten.


If you lay it down bitumen shingles they are planned on top of low slopes constructed from reinforced concrete slabs or arranged by means of a slope with cement-sand screed poured on top; the vapor barrier is laid on a concrete or cement-sand surface. A board is installed on top of the vapor barrier on the edge in increments of up to 90 cm, and then required amount tiers of counter-lattice.

Roofing pie with wooden elements cannot be closely adjacent to chimney pipes. The required distance from the pipe walls can be found in SNiP 41-01-2003. The empty space is filled with non-flammable mineral wool material, and an apron made of galvanized or laminated metal is installed outside around the pipes.

Stages and principles of constructing a roofing pie under soft tiles will present the video:

Roofing pie for rolled materials

For the construction of roofs with a slight angle of slope, with a spread from 1º to 12º, bitumen-polymer materials or roofing membranes are used. It just doesn't make much sense to install custom shingles on them. And the patterned aesthetics of flexible tiles on flat and almost flat roofs will please only birds.

There are no significant differences in the set of layers for piece and roll material. The sequence is similar: vapor barrier → insulation → hydrobarrier - also a decorative coating and wind protection. However, the installation of a roofing pie has its own specifics. Continuous sheathing and counter beams are not used. The layers are laid without auxiliary wooden elements on concrete floors, cement-sand screeds, corrugated sheets, prefabricated leveling structures. Therefore, we do not focus on consistency installation actions, but on the styling features.

Principles of vapor barrier design

The following materials serve as a vapor barrier layer for laying roll materials:

  • bitumen and bitumen-polymer vapor barrier, fused to concrete or cement-sand base, including cement-sand insulation with vermiculite, expanded clay, perlite in the form of filler in case of a slope slope of more than 6º. If the slope is less, bitumen vapor barrier can be laid without gluing or fusing to the base.;
  • polyethylene reinforced or non-reinforced vapor barrier, laid loosely along the corrugations of the profiled sheet or glued to it if the slopes are inclined more than 6º.

In the construction of a soft roof using prefabricated screeds made of plywood or OSB boards, any type can be used vapor barrier material, but the recommended option is a bitumen-polymer vapor barrier with a polyester fabric base. However, it is also not forbidden to place polyethylene on a concrete surface, but before this you should create a separating layer of glassine.

The vapor barrier layer is laid in the form of a kind of pallet with an entrance to vertical planes adjacent walls and parapets. The height of the sides of the pallet is calculated as follows: the thickness of the thermal insulation layer plus 3-5 cm. Similar sides are installed around the intersection of the roof with chimney pipes and other communications.

Both vapor barrier options must be combined into a continuous sheet. Strips of bitumen and bitumen-polymer material are laid with an overlap of 8-10 cm on the sides and 15 cm in the end joints and welded gas burner. The connection of polyethylene strips is made using adhesive tape.

Rules for laying thermal insulation

You can insulate a soft roof with a roll covering using literally any material, but mineral wool boards and foam polystyrene are considered priority. On concrete bases and cement-sand screeds, the insulation system is laid in one tier, on corrugated sheeting in two so that the joints of the elements of the upper row are not located above the joints of the lower layer.

Rigidity mineral wool for single-layer insulation 40 kPa at a compressibility of 10%. To construct two-tier thermal insulation, it is not necessary to use slabs with equal rigidity. The bottom row can be folded with material with a strength rating of 30 kPa, the top row 60 kPa.

If a polymer membrane is used as a waterproofing and decorative roofing covering, a separating layer of fiberglass or geotextile must be laid between it and the polystyrene thermal insulation. Otherwise, the membrane will lose its consumer qualities before the time guaranteed by the manufacturer due to the gradual migration of plasticizers into the adjacent material. A separating layer is also required when installing an inverted ballast roof if polymer coating spreads over the bitumen vapor barrier layer.

Laying mineral wool slabs on corrugated sheets without preliminary construction of a prefabricated screed from plywood or OSB sheets can be done if the thickness of the thermal insulation is twice as large as the distance between adjacent corrugations. If reality doesn't match this condition, before laying the insulation, a prefabricated screed is constructed.

The installation of thermal insulation under a roll covering requires compliance with the following rules:

  • the thermal insulation material is attached separately from the covering laid on top;
  • at mechanically fastening, each thermal insulation board and its individual part is fixed at two points. The insulation is fastened to the corrugated sheet using steel self-tapping screws with a plastic sleeve in the shape of a fungus. Plastic bushings are not used if the slope of the slopes is more than 10º. In any case, they are attached to the concrete base with self-tapping screws, dowels and metal plates;
  • The insulation boards are glued to bitumen-polymer mastic. Gluing is possible if the area of ​​the surface “planted” on the adhesive composition is at least 30% of the area of ​​the insulating board;
  • Insulation boards are laid with mandatory seam spacing so that weak areas are distributed evenly. Elements of the second tier, if there is one, are shifted relative to the first by at least 20 cm, both along the side and end lines;
  • seams in insulating carpets wider than 5mm must be filled with heat-insulating material.

The use of rigid insulation is justified economically and technologically. It allows you not to install a screed on top of the insulation, which mandatory Requires backfill insulation.

If it is necessary to construct a roof slope to completely free the surface from atmospheric water and dirt, the thermal insulation is supplemented with slope-forming devices. Most often they are made from wedge-shaped slabs of mineral wool or similar polystyrene foam parts, less often from backfill insulation followed by filling cement screed. A slope on a concrete base can also be done by pouring cement and sand, which is unacceptable for forming a slope on a base made of a profiled sheet.

Additional layers roofing material

An additional barrier from atmospheric water is installed in areas increased load. It is laid in strips along the ridge, overhangs and junctions with fillets constructed in advance, in valleys, around penetrations and points internal drainage. It is constructed either from strips of bitumen-polymer roofing coating, or from a special self-adhesive hydrobarrier.

The construction of the roofing pie is completed by laying the rolled covering and fixing it by fusing, gluing or fastening with self-tapping screws with bushings or plates.

The presented schemes for constructing a roofing pie do not contain precise recommendations. We brought general rules, taking into account which will ensure flawless operation and long service life of the roof in middle lane. In the case of construction in northern latitudes, the proposed options require modification.

krovlyaikrysha.ru

What is an attic

The attic space is limited by the roof slopes and the ceiling of the residential floor. This place is often used to create additional living space.

There are two types of attics in private households:

  1. Residential. It's called an attic. It can be equipped with a living room, study, bedroom, library, etc. Room height in in this case must be at least 220 centimeters. In addition, it must be provided with ventilation, daylight, perform insulation of the slopes.
  2. Non-residential. Such attic space is usually used to house technical equipment and store old or unnecessary things. In this case, a 2-meter height will be sufficient, and there is no need to provide natural lighting. Instead of insulating the slopes, they insulate the attic floor.

When making a decision to repair or rebuild a house, you need to decide in advance for what purpose the attic will be used in order to make calculations and a design for the ceiling. The list depends on this necessary materials and the gap between the beams. They must provide the required strength and load-bearing capacity.

Functional purpose of floors

The design of the attic floor depends on the parameters of the structure and the purposes for which it is planned to use the under-roof space. The attic functions as a kind of air gap that separates cold roof from heated floors.

The floor in the attic performs a number of tasks:

  • carrier. The floor, located between the upper residential floor and the attic space, is assigned a load-bearing function, so it is made reliable and durable, since people will move on it, they plan to place equipment on it and arrange storage areas;
  • insulating. In the cold attic the temperature differs little from that outside the house. In this case, the floors in the attic have a thermal insulating function, thereby preventing the air from cooling on the residential floors. To retain heat, the attic floor needs to be insulated. It is advisable to entrust such work to professionals.

Features of the device and design of floors

Since attic floors perform two functions - load-bearing and insulating, they have a multi-layer structure. Each of the elements of the “pie” complements each other, which ensures the created structure has a long service life, strength and the ability to withstand heavy loads.

The construction of the floor in the attic requires the presence of the following layers:

  1. Finish floor. This name is given to the floor covering, which is laid on a rough base. If it is an attic, then when installing the finished floor, linoleum, laminate, parquet, etc. are laid. IN non-residential premises the finishing floor covering may be missing.
  2. Rough base. Represents boardwalk, which is mounted on logs. The subfloor is lined with edged boards 4–5 centimeters thick or for the purpose of saving from unedged.
  3. Lags. These are durable, smooth wooden elements, laid perpendicular to the floor beams to create flooring. When the attic floor is being installed according to wooden beams, insulation is placed between the joists, which is protected from below with a layer of vapor barrier, and covered with waterproofing material on top. If you do not use insulating layers, then repairs will be required in a few years.
  4. Beams. The frame of the floors is built from thick and strong beams, which are either mounted on the projections of the walls or built into them. They must support the entire weight of the structure.
  5. Headlining. From the side of the rooms, the ceilings are decorated finishing material, for example, natural wood or plasterboard.

Types of attic floors

To construct the ceiling of a cold attic, materials differing in weight, durability, cost and load-bearing capacity are used.

There are several types of floors depending on what they are made of:

  1. Wooden elements. For their manufacture, you can use beams with a cross-section of 150x150 or 200x200 millimeters. The advantage of this option is that wood is quite durable and at the same time relatively light material, so wooden elements do not put additional load on the foundation of the house. In addition, their big advantage is their low price and availability. But such an attic floor is used when the size of the building does not exceed 6 -10 meters, since it maximum length lumber.
  2. Metal products. Metal I-beams are distinguished by their strength and ability to withstand heavy weight without deformation. But they weigh quite a bit, so wooden houses they are used extremely rarely, but for brick and aerated concrete buildings they are the best option.
  3. Reinforced concrete products. Molded floor beams made from reinforced heavy-duty concrete, are used for multi-storey buildings, since they are heavier and the same length.

Of all the above types of floors in private low-rise housing construction in most cases, preference is given to wooden beams. They have the optimal balance between price and quality. If the calculations are carried out correctly and the technology is followed, repairs to the ceiling will not be required in the coming years.

Requirements for the device of the pie

Since the safety of staying in the house depends on the quality of installation and repair of attic floors, a number of requirements are imposed on their arrangement.

To know the maximum value permissible load that the structure can withstand, it is necessary to perform the appropriate calculations, and then, based on their results, they begin to develop a project from which it will be clear how to properly insulate the attic floor in the house.

The requirements relate to:

  1. Load capacity. It directly depends on the material used to make the beams and the gap between them.
  2. Distances between load-bearing elements. The maximum permissible value for this parameter in accordance with building codes is 4 meters.
  3. Resistance to temperature changes. It is necessary that the beams can withstand such changes without problems. The fact is that the difference between the air temperature in the residential floors and in the attic always exceeds 4 degrees.
  4. Isolation. The attic floor covering of a cold attic should protect the premises of the household from the penetration of cold and moisture from the under-roof space.

During the design process, you should take into account the requirements for the beams used to arrange the floor in the attic so that the result is reliable and durable. The distance between them must be calculated based on the loads exerted on them.

Technology for creating an attic floor using wooden beams

If you have experience construction work You can install the ceiling of a cold attic using wooden beams yourself. This process is performed at the final stage of roofing work.

The sequence of actions will be as follows:

  1. Installation of load-bearing beams. Suitable for a small private house wooden floors, made from timber with a cross-section of 150x150 or 200x200 millimeters. They are laid on concrete or brickwork walls
  2. Installation of lag. They are placed on the edge perpendicular to the beams in increments of 60 centimeters. The logs are made from boards with a cross section of 150x50 millimeters.
  3. Laying thermal insulation. The insulation is placed between the joists - it will protect against the penetration of cold from the attic.
  4. Installation of rough and finished floors.
  5. Covering load-bearing beams on the side of the room to decorate the ceiling surface.

When insulating the attic floor, you should not forget about installing hydro- and vapor barriers.

kryshadoma.com

Cold attic design

When building the roof of a house, many people think about making a cold attic or attic underneath it? The easiest way to organize a roof is with a cold attic space. Construction of an attic will cost several times more and require more labor.. Although, it is undeniable that the attic will significantly expand the living space.

Cold attic roofs have the following main components in their pie::

  1. roofing;
  2. attic external walls (applicable for gable roofs with pediments);
  3. insulated ceiling between the living space and the attic.

Ventilation is provided by eaves and ridge vents. The air passing through the eaves openings is called supply air, and the air leaving through the ridge is called exhaust air. Additionally, ventilation can be done through dormer windows on gables or roof slopes. The windows are equipped with louvered grilles to allow the ventilation intensity to be adjusted.

Dormer windows are located on opposite slopes of the roof so that there are no unventilated areas.

Dormer windows can be rectangular, triangular and semicircular in shape. Their lower part should be at a height of no more than 0.8-1.0 m from the floor of the attic, and top part no lower than 1.75 m from the floor in the attic. They can also serve as an exit to the roof of the house to inspect the roof, ventilation and chimney elements.

Steam and thermal insulation of a cold attic

For a roof with a cold attic, it is most important to minimize heat loss through the attic floor. For both wooden and reinforced concrete floors Vapor barrier is mandatory. It is laid on the ceiling itself and protects the insulation from vapors that can condense in the heat insulator after passing through the ceiling of the living room. Slabs and slabs can be used as insulation bulk materials. The ceiling pie consists of a vapor barrier, floor beams and insulation.

The following types of heat insulators are often used in ceiling coverings::

  • expanded polystyrene and foam boards;
  • mineral wool slabs or mats;
  • expanded clay granules;
  • fuel or granulated slag;
  • sawdust with lime or clay;
  • pumice.

The thickness of the required insulation layer is selected depending on the calculated winter temperature using the table below.

Winter temperatures are calculated according to SNiP 2.01.01-82 (building climatology and geophysics) or selected by regions of the Russian Federation from the corresponding climate maps.

The insulation is laid between the joists or ceiling beams, and a boardwalk is made on top for the attic passages. Joists are usually 50 mm thick, and decking boards are 25-35 mm thick.

For ventilated attic spaces, soft or semi-solid heat-insulating materials are considered the most optimal.

Attic waterproofing device

Waterproofing roofs with a cold attic, according to many experts, controversial issue. Some say that waterproofing must be present under the roofing material, while others categorically recommend that it be abandoned. Here, a lot depends on the type of roofing material and the angle of inclination of the roof slopes.

Metal roofs are most susceptible to corrosion, which occurs due to possible small leaks or condensation. Therefore, we once again draw your attention to the fact that ventilation plays one of the main roles in the fight against condensation formed.

For gently sloping metal roofs Experts recommend installing superdiffusion membranes. It will prevent moisture from entering the outside of the roof when snow or rain blows in. No matter how well the roof is laid, there is always the possibility of minimal leaks. That is why, by overpaying a little, you will receive additional protection from moisture getting on the insulation in the ceiling of a cold attic.

Possible leaks or condensation entering hydrophobic insulation materials significantly reduce their thermal insulation properties.

If, for example, slate is used as a roofing material, then waterproofing can be abandoned. There is also corrugated sheeting with an anti-condensation coating on the market, which can hold up to 1 liter of water per 1 m2. For our part, we recommend always using waterproofing membranes, because this is the cheapest and easiest additional way to protect your roof from possible leaks.

When installing waterproofing membranes use a counter-lattice. It performs the function of a fixing rail and, due to its height, provides required clearance for ventilation of the under-roof space. The installation of lathing in a cold attic is no different from insulated roofs. The dimensions of the sheathing and its pitch determine the type of roofing being installed.

Cold attic temperature

To prevent ice and icicles from forming on the roof, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature and humidity conditions in the attic. If the thickness is insufficient thermal insulation material significant heat losses through the ceiling. Warm air, heating the roof covering, causes snow to melt and ice dams to form. By choosing the right insulation layer, this can be avoided.

The effectiveness of a heat insulator can be assessed by measuring the temperature of the top layer of insulation. Digital Thermometer immersed in insulation by 10-20 mm. Readings taken temperatures should correspond to the values ​​in the table below.

As you can see, the design of a cold attic pie is not particularly complex in design. the main task– ensure the required ventilation intensity and thickness of the thermal insulation layer in the ceiling.

When insulating a house, you must definitely pay attention to the laws of physics. According to them, the air heated in the rooms will rise to the ceiling. If the attic is not insulated enough, the heat will escape outside, and this whole process can be called heat loss.

In order not to heat the street and retain more heat in the house, it is necessary to insulate the ceiling. If you still don’t know whether it’s worth doing this work, then you should take into account that 25 to 40% goes through the roof. This data is especially relevant for houses with cold roofs.

Thermal insulation of the ceiling will perform three functions at once, which are necessary to create a comfortable microclimate. The material will soundproof, which will keep the house quiet during wind and rain. IN winter period insulation will eliminate heat loss and through which heated air can freely escape outside. Thermal insulation is also needed in the summer heat, because with its help you can create a barrier against heated air. Even in the hottest weather, the inside of the house will remain cool.

Material selection

If you are planning to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic, then you need to understand the variety of materials. The insulation option you choose should be able to withstand a wide range of temperatures ranging from -30 to +30 °C. It should not freeze at low temperatures and release harmful substances when heated. It is important to purchase fire-resistant thermal insulation. This is true for electrical wiring.

It is better if the insulation is moisture resistant so that it does not lose its properties when wet. It should not cake quickly in order to fulfill its purpose for as long as possible. Insulation of the ceiling of a cold attic can be carried out using rolls, slabs or this is true for a floor made of wooden beams. Whereas if you have to work with concrete slabs, then you should purchase bulk or slab materials.

Today the following are produced as mats and slabs:

  • Styrofoam;
  • seaweed;
  • mineral wool;
  • extruded polystyrene foam;
  • straw.

Concerning roll insulation, then they are offered for sale in the following varieties:

  • stone wool;
  • mineral wool;
  • glass wool;
  • algae ladders.

When choosing bulk materials for insulating the ceiling of a cold attic, you may prefer:

  • expanded clay;
  • reed;
  • straw;
  • buckwheat tyrsa;
  • ecowool;
  • sawdust;
  • slag;
  • foam granules.

Features of insulation with mineral wool

Using basalt wool

Basalt insulation is made from gabbro-basalt rocks and acts as optimal option for thermal insulation of the ceiling from the attic. The fibers of this material are more flexible and therefore not so brittle. They are well compressed into mats that have sufficient strength.

When deciding to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic with basalt wool, you have at your disposal a material that copes well with the impact external factors, so can be laid from the side unheated room. Insulation is sold in slabs or rolls, which can have different densities. Sometimes there is a foil layer on one side, which can enhance the insulating effect, because the heat will be reflected into the room.

About the dangers of mineral wool

All mineral wools have one common drawback, which is expressed in a binder consisting of phenol-formaldehyde resins. During operation, they are constantly released into the air, which can be hazardous to human health. Therefore, this thermal insulation cannot be considered completely environmentally safe. Stacked basalt wool on the same principle as mineral.

Use of extruded polystyrene foam

Expanded polystyrene, also called polystyrene foam, is not a very dense material. It can be used when the floor is made of beams and joists. Extruded polystyrene foam is stronger and denser than regular foam. Before laying it, the surface is leveled.

There is no need to lay a vapor barrier on the warm side of the floor, because concrete plates have almost no vapor permeability. Insulation concrete floor a cold attic involves laying a vapor barrier film. The next layer is insulation boards, which are located in checkerboard pattern. The joints are filled polyurethane foam. As soon as it dries and hardens, the canvases are poured concrete mortar thickness within 6 cm. After the screed has dried, it can be used as a floor. Flooring can be laid on the surface.

Using penoplex

If you insulate the attic, this will not only increase the service life of the rafter system, but also the roofing, and will also increase the level of thermal protection of living spaces under the attic. Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic with penoplex has replaced other technologies that were used quite widely in construction. In this case we are talking about the use of glass wool, expanded clay and sea grass.

Modern choice - “Penoplex panel”

In conditions rural areas the floor of the unheated attic is still insulated with clay and wood shavings. Today we offer for sale the Penoplex panel, which is specially designed for cold attics. If you neglect the work on thermal insulation of the room above the living space, this may cause the insulation to get wet, which occurs due to condensation. Sometimes, under appropriate conditions, the roof structure begins to collapse altogether, which is especially important when there is constant dampness.

Should I use metal fasteners?

When the attic floor is not insulated, icicles and frost constantly form. Large heat losses were mentioned above; they are caused by a weak level of thermal protection. When developing a scheme for insulating the ceiling of a cold attic using penoplex, you must take into account the features of how the ceiling units will be connected to the thermal insulation. The manufacturer does not recommend the use of metal fasteners, because they contribute to the formation of cold bridges, which reduces the level of thermal protection.

To create a heat-insulating cake, a leveling screed is laid on the floors. Next, a vapor barrier in the form of polyethylene is laid. The next layer will be penoplex. We should not forget about the presence of a separating layer in the form of polyethylene. On last stage a cement-sand screed is poured.

Insulating the ceiling of a cold attic may involve working with sheet material in the form of plywood or OSB. In this case, a vapor barrier, wooden beams and penoplex insulation are laid on the surface. You can cover it with sheet material in the form of gypsum fiber board or fiber board.

Finally

Insulating a cold attic allows you to create a boundary between cold and heat. Due to the formation of condensation in the attic floor area, appropriate conditions arise that can contribute to significant heat loss. Proper insulation overlap allows you to create a barrier with a low degree of thermal conductivity.

There are two types of attic space - a cold attic and a combined attic or attic. In a cold attic, insulation is laid horizontally across the attic floor, and the temperature inside the cold attic is about the same as outside.

The temperature inside a cold attic should not exceed 4 °C outside air temperature (rules and standards for the technical operation of housing stock, decree No. 170 of September 27, 2003, clause 3.3.2), i.e. if the temperature outside is -15 °C, then in the attic it should be no more than -11 °C. If this difference is greater, then, for example, at an outside air temperature of -5 ° C, the slope will heat up, the snow on the roof will melt and flow onto the eaves. The cornice will not heat up, because... there is no warm room underneath, and the water on it will turn into ice, forming icicles. The more ice that forms on the eaves, the greater the chance of leaks, the higher the load on the roof and the higher the risk of ice breaking, which can lead to tragic consequences. All this reduces the service life of both the roofing covering and the roof as a whole.

Rice. 1 Ventilation of a cold attic.

To ensure normal temperature conditions in a cold attic, it is necessary, first of all, to insulate the floor between the attic and the living space. The thickness of the insulation is calculated based on several parameters, the main one of which is the location of the house. The second most important criterion for maintaining the temperature regime of the attic space is under-roof ventilation.

In addition to insulation and ventilation, the temperature regime of the attic space is affected by: uninsulated hatch covers for access to the attic, ventilation pipes for rooms (kitchen, bathroom) leading into the attic space, uninsulated hot water supply located in the attic, etc.

The roofing pie for a cold attic can be divided into two parts. The first part is along the floor between the attic and the living space. The second part is along the slope.

The first part of the roofing pie, depending on the type of ceiling, looks like this:

Rice. 2 Pie on the concrete floor.

Rice. 3 Pie on a wooden floor.

The vapor barrier serves to prevent moisture from entering the room into the insulation. On a concrete base, it is best to use bitumen roll material with fused overlaps. A film vapor barrier is used along the joists with the obligatory gluing of the overlaps with sealing tapes. As a vapor barrier, it is necessary to use vapor barrier films D-Folie B, D-Folie B 90 or D-Folie BR.

The insulation is laid in several layers with joints spaced apart to eliminate cold bridges.

The hydro-windproof membrane protects against heat loss and moisture ingress. Moisture can form due to condensation, snow blown into the attic space, and also due to possible leaks. Superdiffusion membranes D-Folie A 150 or D-Folie A 100 must be used as hydrowind protection.

In any case, regardless of the type of ceiling, it is not recommended to cover the insulation on top entirely with plywood or boards. If you occasionally need to walk through the attic space, it is better to provide paths from boards without covering all the insulation.

The second part of the roofing pie using flexible tiles in a cold attic looks like this:

Rice. 4 Roofing pie for a cold attic.

A room in the attic of a private household is used for various purposes: storing temporarily unnecessary things, installing equipment or furnishing living rooms. Depending on what it is used for free space under the roof, choose the method of installing the attic floor.

What is an attic

The attic space is limited by the roof slopes and the ceiling of the residential floor. This place is often used to create additional living space.

There are two types of attics in private households:

  1. Residential. It's called an attic. It can be equipped with a living room, study, bedroom, library, etc. The height of the room in this case should be at least 220 centimeters. In addition, it is necessary to provide ventilation, natural lighting, and insulate the slopes.
  2. Non-residential. Such attic space is usually used to house technical equipment and store old or unnecessary things. In this case, a 2-meter height will be sufficient, and there is no need to provide natural lighting. Instead of insulating the slopes, they insulate the attic floor.


When making a decision to repair or rebuild a house, you need to decide in advance for what purpose the attic will be used in order to make calculations and a design for the ceiling. The list of necessary materials and the gap between the beams depend on this. They must provide the required strength and load-bearing capacity.

Functional purpose of floors

The design of the attic floor depends on the parameters of the structure and the purposes for which it is planned to use the under-roof space. The attic functions as a kind of air gap that separates the cold roof from the heated floors.


The floor in the attic performs a number of tasks:

  • carrier. The floor, located between the upper residential floor and the attic space, is assigned a load-bearing function, so it is made reliable and durable, since people will move on it, they plan to place equipment on it and arrange storage areas;
  • insulating. In a cold attic, the temperature differs little from that outside the house. In this case, the floors in the attic have a thermal insulating function, thereby preventing the air from cooling on the residential floors. To retain heat, the attic floor needs to be insulated. It is advisable to entrust such work to professionals.

Features of the device and design of floors

Since attic floors perform two functions - load-bearing and insulating, they have a multi-layer structure. Each of the elements of the “pie” complements each other, which ensures the created structure has a long service life, strength and the ability to withstand heavy loads.


The construction of the floor in the attic requires the presence of the following layers:

  1. Finish floor. This name is given to the floor covering, which is laid on a rough base. If it is an attic, then when installing the finished floor, linoleum, laminate, parquet, etc. are laid. In non-residential premises there may be no finishing floor covering.
  2. Rough base. It is a boardwalk that is mounted on logs. The subfloor is lined with edged boards 4–5 centimeters thick or, to save money, with unedged boards.
  3. Lags. These are strong, level pieces of wood that are laid perpendicular to the floor joists to create a floor covering. When installing an attic floor on wooden beams, insulation is placed between the joists, which is protected from below with a layer of vapor barrier, and covered with waterproofing material on top. If you do not use insulating layers, then repairs will be required in a few years.
  4. Beams. The frame of the floors is built from thick and strong beams, which are either mounted on the projections of the walls or built into them. They must support the entire weight of the structure. A flat roof can also be made using wooden beams, which is quite practical.
  5. Headlining. On the side of the rooms, the floors are decorated with finishing materials, for example, natural wood or plasterboard.

Types of attic floors

To construct the ceiling of a cold attic, materials differing in weight, durability, cost and load-bearing capacity are used.

There are several types of floors depending on what they are made of:

  1. Wooden elements. For their manufacture, you can use beams with a cross-section of 150x150 or 200x200 millimeters. The advantage of this option is that wood is quite durable and at the same time relatively light material, so wooden elements do not put additional load on the foundation of the house. In addition, their big advantage is their low price and availability. But such an attic floor is used when the size of the building does not exceed 6-10 meters, since this is the maximum length of lumber.
  2. Metal products. Metal I-beams are distinguished by their strength and ability to withstand heavy weight without deformation. But they weigh a fair amount, so they are rarely used in wooden houses, but for brick and aerated concrete buildings they are the best option.
  3. Reinforced concrete products. Molded floor beams, made from reinforced heavy-duty concrete, are used for multi-story buildings, since they are heavier and the same length.

Of all the above types of floors, in private low-rise housing construction, in most cases, preference is given to wooden beams. They have the optimal balance between price and quality. If the calculations are carried out correctly and the technology is followed, repairs to the ceiling will not be required in the coming years. Ventilation is also necessary in the attic of a private house, the arrangement of which will require additional knowledge.

Requirements for the device of the pie

Since the safety of staying in the house depends on the quality of installation and repair of attic floors, a number of requirements are imposed on their arrangement.

In order to know the maximum permissible load that the structure can withstand, it is necessary to perform the appropriate calculations, and then, based on their results, they begin to develop a project from which it will be clear how to properly insulate the attic floor in the house.


The requirements relate to:

  1. Load capacity. It directly depends on the material used to make the beams and the gap between them.
  2. Distances between load-bearing elements. The maximum permissible value for this parameter in accordance with building codes is 4 meters.
  3. Resistance to temperature changes. It is necessary that the beams can withstand such changes without problems. The fact is that the difference between the air temperature in the residential floors and in the attic always exceeds 4 degrees.
  4. Isolation. The attic floor covering of a cold attic should protect the premises of the household from the penetration of cold and moisture from the under-roof space.

During the design process, you should take into account the requirements for the beams used to arrange the floor in the attic so that the result is reliable and durable. The distance between them must be calculated based on the loads exerted on them.

Technology for creating an attic floor using wooden beams

If you have experience in construction work, you can install the ceiling of a cold attic using wooden beams yourself. This process is performed at the final stage of roofing work.

The sequence of actions will be as follows:

  1. Installation of load-bearing beams. For a small private house, wooden floors made from timber with a cross-section of 150x150 or 200x200 millimeters are suitable. They are laid on concrete or brick walls.
  2. Installation of lag. They are placed on the edge perpendicular to the beams in increments of 60 centimeters. The logs are made from boards with a cross section of 150x50 millimeters.
  3. Laying thermal insulation. The insulation is placed between the joists - it will protect against the penetration of cold from the attic.
  4. Installation of rough and finished floors.
  5. Covering load-bearing beams on the side of the room to decorate the ceiling surface.

When insulating the attic floor, you should not forget about installing hydro- and vapor barriers.

Vapor barrier of the attic floor of a cold attic protects wooden structures ceilings and insulation to prevent steam from entering them from the premises of the house. Steam condensing on beams can contribute to wood damage by fungi and mold, thereby reducing the service life of the structure. Condensing in the thickness of the insulation increases heat loss in the house, because Water itself is a good conductor of heat. In addition, water, freezing in the thickness of the insulation during the cold season, destroys the polymer bonds of the fibers and reduces the service life of the material.

Vapor barrier for a cold attic, when using foil materials, in addition to its main function, it allows you to reduce heat loss and, accordingly, heating costs due to the creation of a heat-reflecting screen.

Attic vapor barrier materials There are 2 main types on the market:

  1. Film vapor barrier- does not allow steam to pass through (only vapor barrier).
  2. Foil vapor barrier— does not allow steam to pass through and reflects thermal radiation (steam and heat insulation). This vapor barrier is installed with the foil side facing the premises.

Vapor barrier of attic floors with foil materials due to its characteristics, it is most preferable when building a reliable and heat-efficient house made of aerated concrete, brick or monolith.

Vapor barrier for the attic “pie”:

  1. Attic floor (ladders) - necessary for maintenance, repair of the roof and attic space. In order to get into the attic, provide attic staircase with insulated hatch (Thermo). To exit from the attic to the roof, we recommend installing blind or glazed exit hatches (Velux, Vilpe, etc.) on the roof.
  2. Para- or super-diffusion moisture-proof membrane - for effective removal a pair of insulation.
  3. Insulation - mineral wool slabs. Recommended thickness for the Moscow and Leningrad region is 300mm. 200 mm are laid in the space between the beams, the remaining 100 mm are laid perpendicular to the laid layers - counter-insulation. For comparison, building codes in Finland determine the thickness of insulation from 400 to 500 mm. It is recommended to delay the installation of insulation as much as possible - no earlier than 6 months after the completion of the construction of the house frame. Because For the construction of floors, timber is mainly used natural humidity. The timber must dry thoroughly, otherwise there is a high probability of wood being damaged by fungi and mold, which entails additional costs for dismantling/installation work and treating the wood with bleaches and antiseptics.
  4. Counter grille and ventilated gap. For effective ventilation and removal of steam from the surface of the moisture-proof membrane.
  5. Floor beams. As a rule, in private housing construction a 50x200mm board or 100x200mm natural moisture timber is used.
  6. Lathing is the basis for laying insulation. It is recommended to use a 100x20 (25) mm board as lathing and lay it in increments of 70-80 mm. The resulting cracks will form an additional air thermal layer under the insulation. That. insulation slabs (mats) will not lie on vapor barrier film, but on a rigid base, under which there will be a vapor barrier. This solution eliminates the possibility of accidental damage to the vapor barrier or its pushing through when laying insulation, during maintenance and repair work roof and attic. With this, you can start interior decoration premises, and postpone installation of insulation as much as possible (see above).
  7. Vapor barrier of attic floor on wooden beams- secured with construction stapler from below to rough ceiling(lathing), which allows you to cut off vapors from the entire floor structure. It is necessary to overlap the vapor barrier rolls by at least 15-20 cm and carefully glue them with aluminum adhesive tape. It is necessary to form overlaps on the walls of 15-20 cm and carefully glue them (place them under plaster and other wall finishing). Carefully seal the passages of chimneys, ventilation pipes and other pipes through the attic engineering communications using special sleeves. The best material as a vapor barrier - this polyethylene film high density from 200g/m² and above.
  8. Closing attic - the finished ceiling is attached to the vapor barrier. The finished ceiling (OSB, gypsum board, etc.) is installed along the sheathing and guides. For the best fire protection, it is recommended to “sew up” the ceiling with 2 layers of plasterboard sheets.

Vapor barrier for cold attic floors (diagram):

Professional opinion: most effective attic floor insulation vapor barrier for Moscow and Leningrad regions- this is insulation of the attic with 300mm thick mineral slabs with foil vapor barrier.

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