Durability, warmth and reliability - foam insulation. Insulation of the facade with penoplex Insulation of the facade of a private house with penoplex

The procedure for exterior finishing of walls of a private house with insulation has de facto become a kind of standard in the arrangement of facades. Today, many different mineral and polymer materials are offered for thermal insulation of walls, but for a private house, facade insulation with penoplex proved to be more effective, even though the cost of finishing could be higher than when using conventional polystyrene foam blocks, mineral or basalt wool.

What is penoplex

In fact, this is the name of a trading and manufacturing enterprise that produces thermal insulation materials based on polystyrene foam. Today penoplex has become a household name, like aspirin or asphalt. Penoplex is understood as extruded slab polystyrene foam, manufactured using gas-free technology:

• Raw materials in the form of a mixture of primary polystyrene and gas-forming solid filler are forced through filters under high pressure and temperature to obtain a special porous structure;
• The extruded mass is crushed on roller rollers into strips of the desired thickness;
• The frozen mass of penoplex is cut into slabs of the required size.

Why is it so important to know and understand the structure of penoplex. Insulation of facades with Penoplex is often subject to all sorts of criticism, often simply groundless and far-fetched. Therefore, when choosing a material, you need to know its features and characteristics.

For your information! Thanks to the use of extrusion technology, penoplex gains increased strength against contact pressure and tensile strength of the slab, and the use of freon-free gasification makes it possible to obtain closed pores of the required size and configuration.

The main characteristics of penoplex are shown in the table.

Penoplex is a universal, chemically resistant and at the same time high-strength heat insulator. Penoplex is used to insulate foundations, basement floors and even road surfaces. Often, many experts consider penoplex too flammable for cladding facades above the first floor. But this limitation applies specifically to ordinary brands of extruded polystyrene foam, laid in the ground or under a layer of concrete screed.

For cladding and insulation of facade walls, the manufacturing company recommends using a specially modified version of EPS, known under the trade name “Penoplex Facade”. The production technology makes it possible, through special fire-retardant fillers, to obtain practically non-flammable expanded polystyrene foam with unchanged parameters of thermal conductivity, strength and water absorption.

Negative aspects of facade insulation technology with penoplex

Like any construction or finishing technology, the method of using foam sheets to insulate the facade of a building has its hidden disadvantages:

1. Firstly, like all polymers, extruded polystyrene foam is very sensitive to the effects of solar ultraviolet radiation. Penoplex laid on the walls of the facade, without external cladding with siding or cement-sand plaster, can turn into a crumbling mass in just a year;
2. Secondly, penoplex, like polystyrene foam, when heated strongly, releases a large amount of toxic gases, therefore, for any form of cladding of facades or interior spaces, it is necessary to use only special grades of insulation;
3. Thirdly, the synthesis of polystyrene is carried out using styrene or ethylbenzene. In the production of branded materials, highly purified raw materials from primary polymer are used. Cheap brands of expanded polystyrene foam made from recycled materials can reach the maximum permissible concentration for ethylbenzene, tens of times higher than the safe standard.

Advice! Use penoplex only for external cladding of plinths and facades of buildings; in this matter, EPPS has no equal.

To reduce heat loss through brick walls for central Russia, it is enough to use foam boards up to 50 mm thick. For concrete or frame-panel facades using insulation technology, slabs with a thickness of 60-70 mm will be required.

If the insulation technology is followed, the durability of the foam-based thermal insulation layer, according to the manufacturer, reaches 50 years. Such a high service life of the insulation can only be achieved if the heat-insulating coating is protected from external factors in the form of moisture, heat, ultraviolet radiation and air oxygen using a cement-sand screed. In all other cases, the service life of extruded polystyrene foam insulation is reduced to 30-35 years.

Technology for laying insulation on facade walls

To insulate the walls, a combined technology of attaching foam sheets to the facade of the building is used:

While the glue has not hardened, each row of penoplex is leveled horizontally to reduce gaps at the joints. At the final stage, no earlier than 72 hours after gluing, the insulation sheets are additionally attached to the walls using mushroom-shaped dowel plugs. After the adhesive base has set, the cracks and joints between the foam insulation boards are blown with mounting foam or a special Fastfix aerosol composition.

Features of laying foam sheets on the facade of a building

The practical application of installation technology does not present any particular difficulties, but to obtain maximum strength and durability of the insulation layer, several features will need to be taken into account.

The starting strip is attached to the lower edge of the wall, with a distance of 4-5 cm from the ground or blind area. The profile is sewn to the facade using dowels, the technology-recommended distance between the fastening points is 500-600 mm, for heavy sheets, 80-100 mm thick, the pitch can be reduced to 300 mm. The common starting strip is assembled from single sections 2-3 m long. A gap of 2-3 mm is left at the joints of the profiles to compensate for thermal expansion.

For your information! The strength and durability of the installed facade insulation largely depends on the correct assembly of the starting strip.

The second factor influencing the quality of facade insulation is the correct bandaging of rows of penoplex. According to technology, the minimum width of the corner sheet of material must be at least 200 mm. For edging windows or entrance doors located on the facade of a building, a universal rule applies - the horizontal and vertical lines of the window-door contour should not coincide with the joints between the slabs.

Each insulation board is additionally fixed with five “fungi”. One element presses the sheet in the center and four at the edges. In places where insulation sheets join, one fungus can be used to fix the penoplex for several slabs. The technology for attaching the “fungus” to the facade is extremely simple. Initially, a hole is drilled to a mounting depth of plus 20 mm, after which the plastic part of the fastener is installed and the rod or nail is driven in. Before fixing, you need to drown the fungus as much as possible into the foam sheet, without allowing the surface to rupture.

Finishing stages of insulation technology

Layed foam sheets must be protected from exposure to sunlight, moisture and low temperatures. Most often, plastering, clapboard or siding are used.

Plaster can be used if the foam insulation surface can be laid out in a relatively regular plane. The thickness of the plaster layer on an insulated facade, even when using reinforcing fiberglass mesh, rarely exceeds 8 mm, so flaws and unevenness in the masonry after plastering will be in full view.

According to the technology, before plastering the facade, corner elements with mesh are initially installed, then vertical mesh sheets are laid overlapping on the insulation layer. The installed corners are rubbed with plaster mixture so that the mesh is completely immersed in the plaster. After 3-4 hours, the applied layer can be leveled with a grater.

If you plan to cover the facade with plastic siding panels, then it is best to purchase special penoplex for the siding. As a rule, manufacturers of materials for insulation and siding sell curtain facade kits, which include foam sheets, a steel profile for sheathing and, in fact, the siding panels themselves. This penoplex has a special knurled surface that ensures normal ventilation of the air gap between the siding and the insulation. Thus, condensation formed in the autumn-spring period will be removed without the risk of flowing into the seams and joints between the sheets.

Fastening siding to the surface of insulated facade walls is no different from cladding brick or concrete walls. The only thing is that instead of standard dowels, standard fasteners are used, extended by the thickness of the insulation sheet.

Conclusion

Insulation with extruded polystyrene foam, subject to installation technology, will be much more durable than the use of mineral felts and fibers. The main reason why EPS is used for building cladding is its strength and tolerance to shrinkage and movement of building walls. In addition, penoplex retains its thermal insulation qualities even when 100% immersed in water, which is unacceptable for most fiber materials.

Penoplex slabs are a new generation of thermal insulation materials with excellent characteristics!
They are ideal for solving heat conservation problems.

The main advantages of penoplex slabs:

Low thermal conductivity,
- Minimal water absorption,
- High strength,
- Ecologically pure,
- Not subject to rotting

You can work with penoplex in any weather conditions without any means of protection against precipitation.

The slabs are easy to process (can be cut well using a regular knife) and are extremely easy to install.

Technology of wall insulation using foam boards

Preparatory stage:

1) Before installing penoplex slabs, it is necessary to clean the base from dust, oil and mastic contaminants, remnants of old mortar, and peeling parts of surfaces. It is necessary to remove only those layers that are not capable of bearing the load.

In this case, old paint and varnish coatings must be removed to a solid base mechanically or using special materials.
- If there are fungal and mold lesions, remove them using special compounds.
- If there are plant lesions and algae, remove them. Treat areas affected by plant plaque, fungi, mosses or algae with highly effective sanitizing agents with fungicidal and bactericidal properties for cleaning and primary preventive treatment.
- If there are salt deposits on the facade, remove them mechanically.

2) Inspect the facade using a plumb line and the 2.5 - 3 m rule for irregularities. If there are irregularities of more than 2 cm on the surface of a façade with an area of ​​3 m2, it is necessary to plaster the surface with cement-sand mortar.

3) All metal structures in contact and to be covered with foam boards must be protected from the development of corrosion with special anti-corrosion paints and varnishes, for example Surik, etc.

4) All chalking and highly absorbent substrates, for example, unplastered walls made of aerated concrete or silicate blocks, must be pre-treated with primer fixing compounds. The type of primer composition is selected by the supplier of the thermal insulation system according to the absorbency of the base.

5) Monolithic reinforced concrete bases cast in formwork structures must be cleaned of lubricant residues and primed with a primer containing quartz sand to increase the adhesion of mineral adhesives to them.

6) Before installing penoplex slabs, it is necessary to prepare brackets and fastening points for mounted or subsequently hung structures: air conditioners, drainage and drainage structures, grilles for protecting window openings, lighting boxes, signs,
house numbers, satellite dishes, etc.

Methods for leveling uneven facades

When installing a thermal insulation system on standard (uneven) façade surfaces, it is necessary to carry out preliminary sagging and surface markings, on the basis of which to draw up a map of unevenness and develop technological maps to eliminate existing errors.

The following methods for leveling base surfaces exist:
- Leveling using appropriate plaster solutions;
- Leveling by varying the thickness of the slab depending on the calculated thickness;
- Leveling using leveling pads.

1) Plastering the facade- the most reliable method that does not affect the durability and quality of penoplex slabs.
When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that further installation of heat-insulating boards on plastered surfaces may be carried out no earlier than after 28 days.
It should be taken into account that the plaster solution is selected in each specific case individually depending on the type of base.

2) Correcting façade unevenness by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the foam board- possible only after additional thermal calculations taking into account the removal of the condensation zone from the enclosing structure.

At the same time, at the calculation stage it is necessary to draw up an accurate map of irregularities and order thermal insulation boards taking into account the existing
errors. This method is classified as highly reliable. When used correctly, this method does not affect the quality and durability of the entire façade structure, but is labor-intensive at the stage of design and installation of penoplex slabs.

3) Leveling the base using leveling pads refers to technologically complex processes that are designed for competent, trained and experienced installers. When using this method by untrained specialists, it is possible to obtain a poor-quality result, which can seriously affect the operational characteristics of the entire system as a whole.

Therefore, in this article, I will not describe the last two methods, due to the peculiar complexity of the work.

Necessary tools for installing foam boards:

1) Tape measure - for measuring length, width, size, etc.;
2) Steel square - for checking the surface, marking corners;
3) Level from 2 meters - for checking the surface, creating horizontal and vertical surfaces;
4) Plumb line - to check vertical deviations;
5) Polyethylene film - to protect window and door openings from splashes;
6) Painting paper tape - for gluing protective film when protecting openings, marking the surface;
7) Multi-purpose steel wire brush - for surface preparation;
8) Hammer-pick - for surface preparation, installation of dowels;
9) A drill with a mixer attachment or a construction mixer - for preparing glue and mortar for the reinforcing layer;
10) Metal scissors Trimming the base profile;
11) Dust brush - for wetting, priming the surface, removing dust from insulation boards;
12) Knife with a blade length of 25 cm - for cutting thermal insulation boards;
13) Universal hacksaw with fine teeth - for cutting thermal insulation boards;
14) Stainless steel plaster spatula - for applying glue and reinforcing composition;
15) Stainless steel notched trowel with a tooth size of 8 or 10 mm - for applying a reinforcing layer to heat-insulating boards;
16) Stainless steel grater - for applying adhesive and reinforcing compounds;
17) Hammer - for making holes when installing dowels;
18) Drill-drill (length depending on the thickness of the thermal insulation system) with a diameter of 6-10 mm - for making holes when installing dowels;
19) Drill or screwdriver - for tightening dowel cores;
20) Attachments for a screwdriver, depending on the type of dowels used - for tightening the dowel cores;
21) Grinding block - for grinding the joints of insulation boards;
22) Hand scissors - for cutting plaster reinforcing mesh;
23) Aluminum rule - for leveling the reinforcing layer;
24) Trowel for external corners made of stainless steel - for leveling the reinforcing layer on external corners;
25) Trowel for internal corners made of stainless steel - for leveling the reinforcing layer on internal corners;
26) Wide facade spatula made of stainless steel - for leveling the reinforcing layer;
27) Brushes, roller - for applying primer and paint layers;
28) Plastic grater with a thickness of at least 3 mm - for leveling and structuring the decorative layer.

Installation of penoplex slabs on facade walls

Stage 1. Installation of the base profile.

Before installation of thermal insulation slabs, special plinth profiles are installed.

The profile is intended for supporting thermal insulation boards, as well as for gluing them evenly. Also, the base profile serves to protect the lower edge of the penoplex slab from external influences (for example: moisture, rodents, mechanical damage, open fire).

Fig.1., Fig.2. Installation diagram of the base profile.

Necessary tools for installing the base profile: hammer drill, drill, hammer, level, metal scissors, square.

When installing the base profile, the following points must be taken into account:

1) The base profile is fastened in increments of about 30 cm using special dowels or dowel nails.
The minimum length of the spacer part of the dowel included in the wall, when the base consists of heavy concrete or solid brick, is at least 40 mm.
- In foundations made of slotted bricks, the fixing depth must be at least 60 mm.
- In foundations made of foam or gas silicate blocks, it is required to make fastening with an embedment depth of more than 100 mm.

2) When choosing a base profile, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the thermal insulation slabs that will be installed on this section of the facade. It is prohibited to install heat-insulating boards on a base profile whose width does not correspond to the thickness of the boards used.

3) The base profile must not be deformed during its installation.

4) Where the base profile is attached, it is necessary to ensure its tight fit to the base. For this purpose, special washers are used.

5) The ends of the edges of the base profile are joined together using special connecting elements, while maintaining the required gap between adjacent profiles of 2-3 mm.
In this case, when installing a base profile without using connecting elements between adjacent profiles, it is necessary to leave a technological gap of 2-3 mm to compensate for temperature deformations.

8) When installing a thermal insulation system with a slab thickness of more than 80 mm, it is recommended that at the time of gluing the first rows of slabs, additional mounting supports are installed under the base profile while the adhesive composition dries.

9) To install a base profile at the corners of a building, it is possible to use several
options:

To support the slabs on the internal and external corners of the insulated building, it is recommended to use a special corner plinth profile.
- It is allowed to use a standard base profile with a technological cutout at an angle of 90°. In this case, the cut edges, after bending the base profile, are connected using a special connecting element.
- To process the external and internal corners of the building, it is allowed to use standard plinth profiles, at the edges of which, for subsequent joining, oblique cuts are made at an angle of 45°. Subsequently, the technological sections are connected with special connecting elements.

10) After installing the first row of thermal insulation boards, the gap that has arisen between the building base and the plinth profile must be filled with polyurethane foam.

Stage 2: Cutting the thermal insulation boards.

1) The cutting of thermal insulation boards is carried out using a steel ruler, a square, a knife with a wide blade and a saw with a fine tooth. In this case, it is necessary to cut large sections of thermal insulation boards using a saw, and it is more convenient to select individual fragments, for example on mounted boards, using a knife with a long blade.

2) To ensure high-quality and geometrically correct installation, before applying glue to the heat-insulating boards, it is necessary to try them on for each specific location.

3) The cutting of heat-insulating slabs and their installation on the plane must be carried out taking into account the nodes of window and door openings, taking into account the junctions with balconies, roofs, non-insulated structures, with the obligatory bandaging of the slabs on the plane and the formed corners.

4) ATTENTION! Thermal insulation at the tops of the corners of window and door openings should be made from solid slabs with fragments cut out in place. The cutting of thermal insulation boards must be carried out with a technological cutout, which must overlap the line of the opening angle by at least 200 mm. It is not allowed to place the joints of thermal insulation boards on the same line with the lines of the corners of the openings.
The technological cut must be made only along the cut line, without affecting the remaining solid part of the slab (see in the stage “Arranging connections around the perimeter of window and door openings”).

5) When cutting heat-insulating boards installed on a plane, it is necessary to offset the vertical joints (like brickwork) by at least 200 mm. It is unacceptable to place vertical joints of slabs on the same line.

6) When cutting thermal insulation slabs, it is necessary to ensure that the width of the cuttings of slabs installed at the corners of the building, in places adjacent to the base profile, window and door openings, is at least 200 mm.

7) The cutting of thermal insulation boards installed at the corners of the building must be carried out taking into account their installation with gearing.

8) If there are obtuse internal or external corners on the building, the cutting of thermal insulation boards must be carried out in such a way that the gearing of the plates is maximized.

Stage 3 Preparation of the adhesive composition.

The gluing and reinforcement of heat-insulating boards is carried out with one adhesive composition “Teplokley”. The type of adhesive composition is selected by the supplier of foam boards.
The composition of the adhesive material ensures good and durable adhesion of slabs with a mineral base and reliable reinforcement of insulation surfaces.
As a rule, to prepare glue from the dry mineral adhesive composition “Teplokley”, 6 liters of water are needed per 25 kg bag of the mixture.

Preparation of the composition.

The dry adhesive mixture is poured into a measured amount of clean cold water. The composition is mixed for 5 minutes with a low-speed drill-mixer until a homogeneous mass without lumps is obtained. Next, to mature the solution, it is kept for 10 minutes and mixed again for 5 minutes.
- The time of the working phase ("life") of the solution depends on weather conditions and ranges from 2 to 4 hours. In cold weather and high humidity, it should be taken into account that the drying time of the adhesive increases.

- ATTENTION! The use of adhesives at ambient and substrate temperatures below +5 degrees C is prohibited.
- ATTENTION! It is not allowed to add water again to the mixed and cured adhesive composition.
- ATTENTION! The mineral adhesive composition contains cement. When working, it is necessary to protect the skin and eyes from contact with the adhesive composition.

Stage 4: Applying adhesive to the boards.

1) To apply glue to the surface of the slab, it is convenient to use a stack of insulating boards as a table.

3) Before applying the adhesive composition to extruded polystyrene foam boards, they must be sanded using coarse sandpaper or a grinder. Slabs supplied with factory milling do not need to be sanded.

4) Applying an adhesive layer to the slab. For ordinary (uneven) bases, glue is applied along the entire perimeter of the slab in a strip of about 8-10 cm, and in the middle, depending on the size of the slab, in 1-3 puddles measuring 10 cm2.
The height of the adhesive composition is selected depending on the unevenness of the surface and is 1.5-2.5 cm. The amount of glue applied varies depending on the unevenness of the substrate so that at least 40% of the surface of the slab is covered with glue.

5) When applying an adhesive layer to thermal insulation slabs that will be installed at the corners of the building, you must pay attention to the fact that adjacent slabs will be joined to them, and in these places you need to leave part of the slab without an adhesive layer.

6) When applying the adhesive composition to heat-insulating boards that will be installed in the areas of corner zones, at the corners of window and door openings, it is necessary to take into account that the place where the glue is applied coincides with the place where the dowels are installed.

7) In the case of insulation of perfectly flat surfaces, glue is applied over the entire plane of the slab using a notched trowel with a tooth size of 10 mm.

8) ATTENTION! When installing thermal insulation boards, pay attention to the correct geometric dimensions of the boards, bends, deformation and damage.

Fig.3. Fig.4., Fig.5 Scheme of applying glue to penoplex boards.

Before installing the slabs, all identified defects must be eliminated.

Stage 5. Gluing thermal insulation boards.

1) The first row of thermal insulation boards is installed on the base profile.

2) When installing the first row of slabs on the base profile, make sure that the slabs fit snugly against the limiting edge of the profile, without protruding beyond it.

Insufficient adherence of the slabs to the limiting edge of the profile indicates a small amount of glue on the slab.

3) The slab is leveled by moving it in the vertical and horizontal directions with slight pressure towards the base.

4) After leveling the slab, to ensure high quality gluing, tap the slab using a polyurethane float.

5) It is necessary to pay attention to the exact, uniform fit of the plates. Control is carried out using a rack level at least 2 m long.

6) After gluing each slab, the protruding excess adhesive solution is removed from the surface of the facade and the ends of each heat-insulating slab.

7) ATTENTION! When installing heat-insulating boards, it is necessary to strictly ensure that glue does not get into the seams between the boards. It is unacceptable to leave glue on the ends of heat-insulating boards; this leads to the formation of cold bridges, heat loss and subsequent defects on the decorative protective layer of foam boards.

8) The gaps formed during the installation of thermal insulation slabs (more than 2 mm) should be filled with wedges cut from fragments of slabs. It is unacceptable to fill the gaps between thermal insulation boards with adhesive solution, polyurethane foam, sealant, etc. - this will lead in the future to the formation of cracks in these places, wetting, contamination and cracking of the decorative protective layer.

9) Gluing of thermal insulation slabs must be done in rows from bottom to top with ligation of the vertical joints of the slabs in each row (like brickwork). It is unacceptable to combine vertical joints of slabs on the same line.

11) To achieve the correct geometry of the corners, first the slabs are glued with a corresponding protrusion larger than the width of the slab. Then another thermal insulation board is docked to the protruding slab. After installing the entire corner, the protruding parts of the slabs are carefully cut off using a mounting ruler.

12) Joints of thermal insulation boards should not be located on continuous cracks or seams (panel building). In these cases, the slabs must overlap the seams or cracks by at least 200 mm. At the same time, when choosing the required thickness of the thermal insulation system on facades with cracks, it is necessary to select a minimum thickness of the thermal insulation board of at least 60 mm.

14) The thickness of the insulation on slopes is calculated by the design organization and must be at least 50 mm.

15) When installing slabs made of extruded polystyrene foam PENOPLEX, all irregularities that arise are sanded with coarse sandpaper or using a grinding machine. Dust that forms after sanding must be completely removed.

16) When installing a system of slabs made of extruded polystyrene foam PENOPLEX, before applying the reinforcing layer, it is necessary to completely sand the surface using coarse sandpaper or a grinding machine.

17) If, during construction work, thermal insulation slabs are forced to remain on the facade for a long time without finishing with reinforcing and decorative layers, then mineral wool and polystyrene foam slabs must be protected from exposure to humidity and wetting, and polystyrene foam slabs must be protected from exposure to ultraviolet radiation (during long-term storage, the slabs may turn yellow and start shallowing). If sanding cannot be avoided, such surfaces must be cleaned with a brush before finishing.

18) All elements that are not dismantled from the facade, but will end up underneath them when installing heat-insulating slabs (for example, electrical wiring), are marked on the mounted slabs to avoid damage during further doweling.

Stage 6: Arrangement of connections around the perimeter of window and door openings.

Thermal insulation at the tops of the corners of window and door openings should be made from solid slabs with fragments cut out in place.
The technological cutout in the thermal insulation slab must overlap the opening corner line by at least 200 mm. It is not allowed to place the joints of thermal insulation boards on the same line with the lines of the corners of the openings. The technological cut must be made only along the cut line, without affecting the remaining solid part of the slab.

In doing so, we pay attention to the following points:

1) The overlap of thermal insulation boards on the frame of window or door blocks must be at least 20 mm.

2) If window and door openings are recessed in relation to the plane of the facade, heat-insulating material is also mounted on the slopes. To do this, heat-insulating slabs are installed on the plane of the facade with the necessary overlap into the openings, and slabs prepared to size are attached to the slopes. The width and length of the slabs are selected depending on the size of the opening and the unevenness of the slopes. The thickness of the insulation on the slopes is selected according to calculations by the design organization. The slabs are mounted so that the remaining, constantly visible width of the frame is equal along the entire perimeter of the window.

3) First, a special abutment profile is glued to the window or door frame along its perimeter in such a way that the size from the installed abutment profile to the window opening remains uniform, and the required thickness of the block’s overlapping with a thermal insulation slab is maintained. Then the slabs are installed close to the inside of the profile.

4) Profiles are installed on the sides and top of the window or door frame. The profile is not installed on the lower part, since the ebb will be mounted there. At the corners of the openings, the abutment profiles are joined at an angle of 45 degrees.

5) When installing the profile, it is necessary to take into account that during the process of reinforcement and application of decorative finishing layers, a reinforcing mesh will be installed in the profile slot in the adhesive layer and subsequently decorative plaster.

6) The outer plastic element of the profile with an adhesive layer is used for gluing protective fabric, which at the time of work will protect the opening from splashes.

After installing the thermal insulation system and painting the facade, the protective plastic part is removed along the entire opening along with the protective fabric.

Fig.6, Fig.7. Scheme of connections along the perimeter of window and door blocks.

10) The abutment profile should be installed carefully in a precisely selected location. Tearing off the profile after installation and then changing its location can lead to the destruction of the adhesive layer and render it unusable.

11) An alternative device for connecting the thermal insulation system to window or door openings using a self-expanding sealing tape is allowed. The installation of the sealing tape must be carried out in accordance with the technology (see the section "Connections to building structures"). In this case, after installing the reinforcing layer, along all the joints, using a knife, cut inclined slots at an angle of 45°, approximately 3 mm wide, and fill them with polyurethane sealant. The sealants in the seams are smoothed with a spatula soaked in water.

Stage 7: Fastening the insulating boards with dowels.

Additional dowel fastening of thermal insulation slabs is carried out to ensure the necessary strength of penoplex slabs to the action of tearing loads in accordance with current regulatory requirements.

To ensure good thermal insulation ability, disc dowels made of synthetic materials with low thermal conductivity are used, which prevent the formation of cold bridges. As a spacer element for disc dowels, driven or screw-in spacers made of galvanized or stainless steel with a thermally insulating plastic head are used, which minimizes heat loss.

It must be taken into account that with different overall dimensions of the thermal insulation slabs used, as well as when trimming and cutting the slabs, the consumption of dowels per square meter changes. The exact consumption can be determined only after gluing the slabs and determining the location of the dowels.

Thermal insulation boards are secured with dowels only after the adhesive composition has dried, but not less than 72 hours after gluing the insulation boards.

The minimum length of the spacer part of the dowel entering the wall, when the base consists of heavy concrete, is 45 mm. The depth of fixing the dowel in masonry made from solid brick is 60-70 mm, from hollow brick - 80-90 mm. In bases made of foam or gas silicate blocks.

Fastening of dowels on a regular facade plane is usually carried out at the corners of the slabs and in their center (about 6 pieces per 1 sq.m.). The exact number of dowels and their location is determined by the U.P.S. supplier. and reflected in the Album of technical
decisions.

Fig.8, Fig.9, Fig.10, Fig.11. Schemes for fastening slabs with dowels.

In the area of ​​window and door openings, base rails and corner areas, fastening is carried out at horizontal and vertical (top) joints of slabs, at a distance of about 200 mm from the edge of the opening or corner.

At the corners of the building, in areas of high wind loads, additional dowel fastening is performed. The location of dowels in the edge zones depends on the height of the building and existing wind loads, the size of the thermal insulation slab and the permissible load on the dowel. The width of the edge zone for a building height of up to 8 m is selected as 1.0 m; for building heights from 8 to 12 m - 1.5 m; with a building height of more than 12 m - 2.0 m.

Fig.11.,Fig. 12, Fig. 13 Schemes for installing penoplex boards on various surfaces.

The hole for the dowel is drilled 10-15 mm deeper than the driven part of the dowel itself.

Using a hammer, install the plastic dowel into the hole, pressing the head flush with the surface of the insulation board.

Hammer the clogged core into the dowel hole using a hammer. When driving the core, do not damage its plastic head. At
If the plastic head of the core is damaged, it must be hammered in completely, and the hole in the dowel must be filled with polyurethane sealant for facade work.

Screw the screw core into the dowel hole using a low-speed drill-driver and appropriate attachments.

And most importantly, the correctness and strength of fastening the disc dowels is mandatory
check!

Examples of improper insulation with penoplex boards

The photographs clearly show , that the process of insulating the facade was carried out with a complete violation of the technological process. Namely, it is clearly visible:

1) Penoplex boards were attached only with dowels, while gluing with glue was apparently omitted for reasons of economy.

2) when installing the penoplex slabs, a grave mistake was made - the vertical and horizontal seams were combined. (The principle of brickwork is lost).

3) the base was not prepared properly; installation was carried out directly on bare brick walls, as evidenced by the visible difference between the joints of the slabs.

4) The gaps formed between the slabs are not sealed properly.

Alexander Borisov, Samara

No matter how beautiful and original the design of your home is, it cannot be cozy if it is regularly cold due to the thinness of the walls. Nowadays, this problem can be easily solved; insulating walls outside with penoplex, as well as inside the building, is becoming increasingly popular.

It doesn’t matter whether you decide to do such painstaking work yourself or want to hire workers for this, in any case, the information from this article will be useful to you. Let's figure out what penoplex is?

To begin with, it’s worth talking about what the material itself is. Penoplex is foamed polystyrene foam, which during the production process is treated at high temperatures and is subjected to pressure. As a result, a lightweight but at the same time very durable material is formed. The air inside the penoplex is in small balls that are glued together.

This material has many positive qualities such as:

• environmental friendliness;
• high density coefficient, due to which heat is well retained;
• has strength, can withstand repeated stretching and compression;
• ability to have low vapor permeability, penoplex will not allow the formation of moisture;
• flame retardants increase the fire resistance of the product; fire of this material will occur only at temperatures above 500 degrees;
• penoplex is wear-resistant and will serve you for a long time;
• prices for material are quite affordable

The disadvantages include the fact that the material does not absorb adhesives well. This happens due to its high density.

How to insulate a house with Penoplex from the outside

In order for everything to work out successfully for you and not suffer from the cold in winter, you need to think through some kind of action plan. Insulating external walls with penoplex requires not only high-quality materials, skillful hands, but also well-thought-out step-by-step actions.

Choice of materials: foam thickness

The optimal thickness of a penoplex sheet for insulating external walls is 12.4 cm. If you want to get a good result, you should not take thicker material. You should also pay attention to thermal conductivity, the standard indicator is 0.03 W/(m×K). Once you have chosen the materials, you can begin subsequent work.

Preparing walls for installation of foam boards

First of all, we remove the old paint or plaster that is peeling off. Clean the surface from dirt; further work with an uncleaned surface is impossible. If there is mold on the walls, treat them with a solution of copper sulfate or such universal antiseptics as: Dali, Alpa and Mavix-bio.

Level the surface of the walls. There should be no various pits and bulges, otherwise the slab may simply break during installation. Irregularities of no more than two centimeters can be easily corrected with plaster.

Installation: necessary materials, nuances of work

Special plinth profiles are installed; without them, it is impossible to glue the slabs in an even layer. This will also protect the material from negative influence factors. The profile should fit snugly to the base.

In order to secure the profile, it must be secured using dowel nails.

The profiles are attached to each other using joining plates.

Let's move on to installing penoplex. Glue is applied to the entire area of ​​the slab and attached to the base surface.

You cannot use glue that contains any organic solvents; extruded polystyrene quickly breaks down under their influence. Prohibited substances also include: kerosene, acetone, white spirit, gasoline and toluene. Use glue based on polyurethane, cement or acrylic.

Fastening to the walls is done in a checkerboard pattern, and the gaps that have formed between the plates are filled with polyurethane foam. It is very important to wait until the glue has completely dried and only then proceed with further actions.

On average, it takes about 3 days to dry. After this you can continue working. We attach the penoplex with a dowel so that it connects not only two sheets, but also the slabs that are located vertically. The dowels should be on four sides and in the middle.

We insulate the house with penoplex from the inside

Penoplex is a material that is suitable for everything. It can be used in flooring, roofing, and foundations. With its help you can quickly and efficiently insulate your home both externally and internally.

Choosing interior finishing material: why penoplex?

First of all, penoplex is valued due to its properties (very important for residents of multi-storey buildings), and it also allows you to create a pleasant indoor microclimate for your comfortable stay.

The main difference between the material for interior finishing is its thickness, which should be less than 20-30 mm.

Interior wall decoration

It is important to understand that penoplex is allowed when it is not possible to do it outside. Because due to the fact that the material is “poorly breathable”, condensation forms on the wall.

To reduce moisture accumulation, use a vapor barrier, foil film.

Preparing the walls

We clean the surface from all kinds of contaminants. We treat with antifungal agents and level the surface. Sand the base, then prime the surface.

Installation

Mark the areas where the base profile will be laid. Attach the profile as tightly as possible using dowels. We connect the profiles with joining plates.

Prepare glue, apply it to the surface of the sheet, lay it on the base layer. Remove excess glue. Do not use foam to fill gaps; pieces of material are best suited for this.

Wall mounts should be staggered. After installing all the slabs, the resulting gap can be filled with polyurethane foam. You can start decorating.

We insulate the ceiling

By insulating the ceiling, you thereby improve the sound insulation in the room, and also significantly reduce heat loss, and this cannot but improve living conditions.

One of the many advantages of penoplex is its small thickness, which plays an important role in insulating the ceiling. A structure that is too massive will significantly cut into the room and visually it will look much smaller than it actually is. With Penoplex you definitely don’t have to worry about such problems.

Another important nuance is that sheets of this material can be easily fixed with glue. This point is a plus, as it allows you to avoid additional costs for fastening systems, and it is also simply convenient.

Preparing the ceiling for installation

The base and surface must initially be cleaned of dirt and debris. If you do not want the slabs to be laid with crooked gaps, be sure to level the ceiling. This is easy to deal with, all imperfections: potholes, dents and cracks will be hidden.

Then a primer is applied to the ceiling and the final stage is the application of antifungal agents. After complete drying, you can proceed to further actions.

Installation of material

There are two ways to carry out thermal insulation for the ceiling.

Installation from the attic

As we already know, you can’t start work without completely cleaning the surface, and that’s where you should start. The next step is to apply an adhesive mixture to the surface of the slabs, and the elements are laid on the floor of the attic.

It is in your best interests to perform the procedure so that the distance between the sheets remains minimal. After the glue has completely dried, we seal the gaps with foam. After a day, the remaining foam is simply cut off; if desired, the attic can be laid with any materials of your choice.

If everything is done correctly, the result will definitely please you; a pleasant bonus will be the absence of insulation elements on the inside of the room, and there is no need to take away such an important volume.

Installation from the inside

If it happens that it is impossible for you to use the first option, you will have to use a spare one, although it is less convenient.

We clean the surface as standard. Then we treat it with a primer and antifungal agents. We attach the slabs treated with glue to the surface, drill holes for dowels, and hammer them in.

We treat the joints and gaps with polyurethane foam, subsequently cutting off the excess. Using a rough adhesive mixture, we attach the reinforcing mesh.

This option requires much more effort, time and money.

Thermal insulation of floors

Floors are practically the most important point in terms of thermal insulation. This is especially true for private and apartment buildings without a basement, as they especially suffer from heat loss.

It is believed that the less a material holds and, in principle, conducts moisture, the more efficiently it will retain heat, and here penoplex is the clear leader.

Preparation and installation

In this case, you won’t have to worry too much about preparation. Penoplex is placed under basic floor coverings, including various “warm floor” systems. It is also unpretentious in its base; you can use ordinary soil or interfloor slabs.

Let's take a closer look at the option of laying penoplex slabs under the floor screed:

• first of all, we level the surface using cement-sand screed or building mixtures until the unevenness disappears;
• Next comes the process of laying the slabs, this can be done either in one layer or in several;
• an additional layer is created on top of the slabs, which will distribute point loads. To do this, you can use two layers of gypsum fiber sheets or a cement-sand screed. If your choice falls on the second option, keep in mind that you will need to put a layer of plastic film on top;
• There must be a gap of 1-2 cm between the DSP and the wall, which will provide sound insulation.;
• with a distribution layer of gypsum fiber board, sizing of joints is not required; two layers of sheets are laid apart and connected with dowels;
• After this, you can lay a decorative layer of flooring.

Thermal insulation is an investment that will pay for itself in any case. Considering that penoplex is a fairly durable material, for a long period of time you can forget about worries about heat in the house. This issue is especially relevant in countries with cold and changeable climates.

The thermal insulation material penoplex has fairly high characteristics and has a number of advantages over many other thermal insulators, as a result of which it has recently become widespread. However, its use for external insulation of housing is associated with some difficulties and has a number of important nuances.

Therefore, in this article I decided to tell you in detail how to properly insulate the outside of a house with penoplex and avoid the mistakes that beginners often make.

A few words about extruded polystyrene foam

Before we begin the technology of external insulation of a house, let’s consider what penoplex is. I’ll say right away that it is more correct to call this material extruded polystyrene foam, since “Penoplex” is the name of the manufacturing company of this insulation.

Extruded polystyrene foam is made from ordinary polystyrene foam (foam plastic). As a result of special heat treatment, it acquires higher properties, and along with them, properties that affect the installation technology and the area of ​​application of the material.

These properties primarily include:

• low level of moisture absorption;
• smooth structure.

On the one hand, this allows the material to be used in unfavorable operating conditions; in particular, it can be used for façade insulation. But, on the other hand, penoplex has poor adhesion. Therefore, it is not even a material, much less intended for “wet” finishing.

The most common mistake made by beginners is that when insulating a facade, they work with penoplex in the same way as with ordinary polystyrene foam. Some construction resources “help” with this, for which would-be specialists write articles. The result of this approach is clearly visible in the photo below.

However, this does not mean that insulating the facade using the “wet” method using penoplex will have to be abandoned. The technology that I will discuss below will allow you to create a reliable and durable finish on top of this insulation.

Beginners probably have a question: why use penoplex if it can be replaced with polystyrene foam, which is cheaper and has good adhesion?

The fact is that extruded polystyrene foam has several important advantages over polystyrene foam:

• has higher strength, and accordingly, the façade finish is more durable;
• is a vapor-permeable material;
• thermal conductivity is lower than that of foam.

Therefore, it makes sense to use penoplex for “wet” finishing of the facade. As for the “dry” insulation, which is used for a suspended facade, this procedure practically does not contain any special features.

Below I will tell you in detail how to insulate external walls with penoplex using both methods.

Installation of a wet facade

First of all, let’s look at how to perform penoplex insulation using the “wet facade” technology, since it is this technology that raises the most questions and disputes. The advantage of this technology is that it can be used not only for thermal insulation of houses, but also apartments (for this you must obtain the appropriate permit).

In addition, this solution allows you to give the building a respectable appearance. The only thing I note is that for a number of reasons this technology should not be used for thermal insulation of wooden houses.

The insulation process consists of several stages:

Preparation of materials

First of all, you need to prepare the materials. At this stage, it is extremely important to choose the right glue for penoplex. I recommend using a special adhesive foam for these purposes, for example, FastFix from the same Penoplex.

In addition to glue, you also need to prepare some other materials:

• Ceresit CT83 glue, which will be used for plastering;
• fiberglass reinforcing mesh for exterior use;
• perforated corners;
• facade decorative plaster;
• facade paint;
• adhesive primer;
• deep penetration primer.

The thickness of the penoplex for insulating the facade should be at least 5 cm. But, it is advisable to lay the slabs in two layers so that the thickness of the insulation is 10 cm.

After preparing all these materials, you can begin to work.

Preparing the walls

So, before covering the walls with penoplex, you need to prepare them.

This work is carried out as follows:

1. remove from the walls all elements that may interfere with the finishing - canopies, antennas, etc.;
2. Next, it is necessary to provide a reliable foundation, i.e. if you notice, for example, peeling areas of old plaster, you need to get rid of them;
3. after this, wipe the facade with a damp cloth or vacuum so that there is no dust on the surface;
4. Now the surface of the walls needs to be primed with a deep penetration façade primer. The most convenient way to do this work is with a paint roller; you can also use a brush.

The primer must be applied in an even, thin layer. After the walls dry, be sure to repeat the procedure..

This completes the preparation process.

Gluing penoplex

Now you can start gluing the facade with penoplex.

Instructions for doing this work look like this:

1. First of all, it is advisable to attach a starting profile from below along the perimeter of the facade, which will allow you to level the bottom row of insulation. The profile is installed using dowel nails. Wherein It is extremely important to position the profile correctly, so use a level while working;

1. after this, the adhesive foam is applied to the penoplex around the perimeter and center of the slab, as shown in the photo above. Moreover, it is advisable to apply even a few strips of foam in the center;
2. Now you need to glue the plate to the wall. Work starts from the corner - insert the slab into the guide profile and lightly press it against the wall. Be sure to check the position of the insulation with a level;
3. then the entire first row is glued using this principle. Try to place the slabs as closely as possible to each other so that there are no gaps;
4. then the second row is glued on. It must be mounted offset, i.e. in a checkerboard pattern, and with bandaging of the corners;

1. After all the walls are covered with insulation from top to bottom, it is necessary to install penoplex on the slopes. To do this, cut the slabs into panels of the required width and paste them over the window openings and;
2. now it is necessary to additionally fix the slabs of extruded polystyrene foam with special dowels, which are popularly called “umbrellas” or “fungi”. To install the dowel, you need to drill a hole in the wall directly through the insulation. The hole must match the diameter of the dowel, the length should be 5-10 mm longer.

As for the location of the dowels, it is advisable to install them in the corners at the joints so that one head fixes several slabs at once; in addition, one or two dowels should be placed in the center. Keep in mind that the caps must be recessed.

As for the slopes, there is no need to fix them with dowels.

For complete external insulation of the house, it is advisable to insulate the foundation. The technology is quite simple - the foundation is dug up, cleared of dirt, then covered with penoplex (can be glued to the bridge), and then buried.

This completes the process of gluing the facade.

Surface preparation

Now it is extremely important to properly prepare the surface of extruded polystyrene foam with your own hands for further finishing.

This operation is performed as follows:

1. First of all, it is necessary to make the surface of the penoplex rough. To do this, rub it with a metal brush, a jointer with sandpaper or a special foam grater. You can also treat the surface with a needle roller;
2. after the surface of the insulation becomes rough, the facade should be treated with an adhesive primer, which is applied according to the scheme described above;

1. then you need to fill the gaps between the slabs with the same foam that was used to glue the penoplex to the wall;
2. Next, perforated aluminum corners must be glued to all external corners, including slopes, using Ceresit CT 83 glue or its equivalent. When installing the corners, be sure to use a level to ensure that the corners are strictly horizontal or vertical.

After such preparation, you can begin reinforcement.

Reinforcement

Exterior finishing of penoplex begins with reinforcement, which is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. start reinforcement from the slopes. To do this, first cut the mesh according to the dimensions of the slopes so that it is located with a turn at the corners;
2. dilute Ceresit ST 83 glue in water;
3. then apply glue 4-5 mm thick to the slope;
4. move over the glue-treated surface with a notched spatula;
5. then apply the mesh to the slope and run it over its surface with a spatula. As a result, the canvas should be completely immersed in the glue;
6. The façade walls are also reinforced using the same scheme. Do not forget that the canvases should overlap each other by 10 cm;
7. After the surface has dried, apply another layer of glue, trying to level the walls as much as possible.

This completes the surface reinforcement.

Decorative finishing

Now you can begin decorative finishing, which is carried out as follows:

1. treat the facade with a primer according to the scheme described above;
2. then the surface is covered with decorative plaster. The composition is diluted in water according to the instructions on the package and applied in an even thin layer;

1. after 5-7 minutes, when the decorative plaster begins to set, its surface is rubbed with plaster powder. To do this, you should make reciprocating or circular movements;
2. After the decorative plaster has dried, the facade must be painted using a paint roller. Let me remind you that the paint is applied in two layers. In order for the coating to look neat, each layer must be applied evenly and without drips.

Here, in fact, are all the nuances of installing a wet facade.

Curtain facade

An equally common technology for insulating houses with penoplex is a curtain wall façade.

It has some important advantages over the “wet facade”:

• There is no wet work during the installation process, so insulation can be done at any time of the year;
• there is a large selection of facade finishing materials;
• the finish is more durable and durable.

As mentioned above, a “wet facade” using penoplex is not suitable for wooden houses. This raises the question: is it possible to insulate a wooden house with penoplex? I’ll say right away that such finishing is allowed, however, it also has its own subtleties, which we will get acquainted with below.

The technology for arranging a curtain façade also consists of several stages:

Preparation of materials

To insulate a house using this method, you will need the following materials:

• wooden slats or metal profiles and brackets;
• vapor barrier film;
• glue foam;
• protective impregnation for wood;
• finishing material - lining, vinyl siding, etc.

Preparing the walls

If the walls of the house are made of bricks, blocks or other similar materials, preparation is carried out according to the scheme described above.

If the walls are wooden, built from timber or logs, preparation is carried out as follows:

1. the walls need to be wiped from dust and dirt, and then treated with protective impregnation;
2. then it is necessary to insulate the inter-crown cracks by filling them with any suitable thermal insulation material.

Now the walls are ready for insulation.

Frame installation and wall insulation

There are several ways to make a frame.

As an example, I will tell you how to make a structure on brackets:

1. First of all, you need to mark the location of the racks in the form of vertical lines. The optimal distance between them is 50 cm;
2. then, on the marked lines, brackets are attached to the wall, also in vertical increments of 50 cm. To fix them, you can use self-tapping screws or dowel nails;

1. After that, we cover the walls with penoplex, which is strung on brackets, as in the photo above. It must be said that it is not necessary to use glue in this case, the only thing is that it is advisable to secure each slab with at least one dowel;
2. If a wooden house is insulated with penoplex, there is no need to fill the cracks with foam, as this will improve the vapor permeability of the insulation, which is important for wooden walls. If the walls are brick or other material, the cracks should be filled with foam;
3. if the house is wooden, the surface of the insulation must be covered with a vapor barrier film so that moisture does not get through the cracks onto the walls. You can grab the vapor barrier with umbrella dowels;

1. Then metal racks or wooden beams are fixed in the brackets. During the installation process, it is necessary to ensure that they are all installed in the same vertical plane..

This completes the insulation and installation of the frame. It must be said that in the case of insulating a wooden house, you can first sheathe the walls with extruded polystyrene foam, and then attach the sheathing slats to them with self-tapping screws directly through the insulation.

Finishing

The final stage is finishing, which does not contain any special features, so let’s consider this procedure briefly using the example of installing vinyl siding:

1. a starting profile is installed around the perimeter of the house in a horizontal position;
2. Next, corner profiles are installed on the outer and inner corners;
3. then the first row of vinyl siding is installed, which is connected from below with a hook to the hook of the starting profile, and from above is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws;

1. the second row from below clings to the hook of the first row, and from above it is fixed in the same way with self-tapping screws. The entire frame is sheathed according to this principle;
2. before installing the last row, the finishing profile is installed, after which the top row is connected to the penultimate one and tucked into the profile;
3. At the end of the work, additional elements are installed - slopes, ebbs, etc.

The sheathing of the frame and lining will be done in approximately the same way, the only thing is that the boards are connected to each other using a tongue/groove locking connection. In addition, corner trims are installed after sheathing the frame, and not before, as is the case with vinyl siding and other similar materials.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that penoplex is not a façade heat-insulating material, it can be used to insulate walls with high quality, even using a “wet” method. However, for this it is necessary to observe all the subtleties of this work, which I described above. Otherwise, you will be wasting your time, money and your own energy.

I recommend watching the video in this article, which clearly shows how façade insulation is done with penoplex. If any of your questions remain unanswered, feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I will definitely answer you.

Covering walls with foam boards is the most effective and simple way to insulate a home. The whole process is divided into three stages - preparation of the walls, installation of insulation and finishing. The more diligently each stage is completed, the better the final result will be. The work does not require special equipment - you can do the insulation of walls with penoplex yourself using ordinary tools. External and internal thermal insulation have their differences, so you first need to study the installation technology and decide which type of insulation to choose.

If the walls are insulated on the outside of the house, this saves interior space, which is especially important for small buildings. Particular attention here needs to be paid to surface preparation, because the strength and durability of the heat-insulating layer depends on this.

For external wall insulation you will need the following materials:

• penoplex with a density of 32 kg/m 3;
• adhesive composition;
• primer mixture with antiseptic effect;
• base profile;
• disc dowels;
• cement-sand mortar.

The adhesive must match the type of insulation, so you need to purchase it together with penoplex from one manufacturer. Since this material has such a low absorbency level, using the wrong adhesive may cause the material to peel off from the wall surface.

It is impossible to carry out installation without tools, and therefore you should prepare:

• tape measure and level;
• metal brush;
• hammer-pick;
• construction mixer;
• metal scissors;
• a knife with a long blade or a fine-toothed hacksaw;
• 2 spatulas - regular and notched;
• stainless steel grater;
• perforator;
• screwdriver with attachments;
• sanding block;
• paint brushes.

Step 1: Cleaning and leveling the walls

It is necessary to remove the old coating only if there are peeling areas. The paint and plaster are removed to a solid base, the remaining mortar is knocked down with a hammer, and the walls are cleaned of mastic and oil stains. Areas overgrown with moss or mold are first cleaned mechanically and then treated with 1-2 layers of antiseptic primer.

A clean surface is checked for unevenness using a rule; deep recesses are sealed with mortar. Cracks in the walls and near window openings are blown out with foam, and then the protruding areas are cut off. If there are metal structures on the wall that will be hidden under insulation, their surface is coated with an anti-corrosion compound. In houses made of gas silicate or aerated concrete blocks with unplastered surfaces, the outer walls must be treated with a fixing primer. This will reduce the absorbent properties of the base and will strengthen the fit of the insulation.

The final stage of preparation is the installation of brackets for fastening suspended structures. Window grilles, satellite dishes, air conditioners and drainage devices must not be installed directly on the thermal insulation layer. Any holes, including fastening ones, reduce the tightness of the insulation and its effectiveness.

Step 2: Installing the base profile

The base profile serves as a support for the penoplex and ensures uniform gluing of the slabs. In addition, it protects the lower edge of the insulation from external factors. The width of the profile must correspond to the thickness of the foam boards.

The fastening comes from the corner:

• a horizontal line is drawn along the wall 20 cm above ground level;
• the base profile is applied to the markings and secured every 30 cm with special dowels;
• check the tightness of the surfaces and, if necessary, use washers;
• at the ends, the profiles are joined with connecting elements, leaving a gap of 2 mm between the edges;
• Corner profiles are installed at the corners of the building.

If there is no corner profile, make cuts in a standard one at an angle of 90 degrees, and then bend and fasten the cut edges with connecting elements. When installing the base profile, the elements must not be deformed and adjacent sections must be overlapped.

Step 3. Cutting foam boards

Before applying glue, each slab must be attached to the wall at the attachment point and, if necessary, mark cutting lines. At the corners of door and window openings, only whole slabs should be mounted, into which fragments of appropriate sizes are cut out. When cutting the material, you need to take into account that each next row should be staggered.

The seams between the slabs should not be allowed to coincide. For cutting whole pieces, a hacksaw with fine teeth is more suitable; for making small holes, it is more convenient to use a knife.

Step 4. Preparing the glue

After cutting the slabs, you should start preparing the adhesive composition. The ratio of water and dry matter must be indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer. Mixing components in arbitrary proportions is unacceptable. The water must be clean and cold; dry glue is poured into water and gently mixed with a construction mixer for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes homogeneous.

The finished mass is left for 10 minutes to swell and mixed again for 5 minutes with a mixer. The solution should be used within 2-4 hours; work can only be done at positive temperatures above 5 degrees. You cannot add water to the prepared glue or mix a new solution with a previously prepared one. The composition should be applied to foam boards in a certain order.

Step 5. Installation of slabs

Slabs that are not factory milled must be sanded with sandpaper. If the walls are not too even, glue is applied around the perimeter of the sheet in uniform strips of 10 cm. In the center of the slab, make 2-3 thick strokes so that the glue forms small puddles. The solution must cover at least 40% of the surface. If the walls are perfectly smooth, a notched trowel is used to apply the mortar. In this case, the slab is completely covered with glue.

The first sheet of insulation is placed on the base profile from the corner and aligned so that it does not protrude beyond the corner of the house and the edge of the profile. If the material does not adhere too tightly to the edge, this means there is a lack of glue on the surface. After gluing the second sheet, you need to check the uniform fit of the mounted area. A long, even strip or building level is applied to the insulation so that it overlaps both sheets. Leveling is done by pressing the material against the wall. Excess glue is immediately wiped off.

The boards need to be glued tightly enough, but the glue should not get on the joints. If gaps have formed at the seams, they are filled with wedges cut from pieces of insulation. The corner sheets are first attached with protrusions to facilitate joining, then all excess is cut off with a hacksaw. The second row of insulation is attached in a checkerboard pattern above the first.

When covering door and window openings, the slabs are glued with an overlap of about 2 cm on the frame. If the openings are located in a recess, the insulation is glued to the plane of the wall with a slight overlap, and then the slopes are covered with fragments of the slab cut to size. After joining the edges, excess material is cut off. The connection profile is screwed onto the door and window frames, after which the insulation is installed close to the openings. The profile is not attached to the lower part of the window frame, since the thermal insulation there will be covered by the ebb.

Step 6. Fixing the thermal insulation layer with dowels

72 hours after gluing the insulation, additional fixation is performed with dowels. The consumption of fasteners is approximately 6 pieces per 1 square meter. For concrete walls, the length of the spacer part of the dowel is 45 mm, for walls made of hollow bricks - at least 80 mm, for walls made of solid bricks - 70 mm. Each plate is fixed in the center and at the corners. Around the openings and in corner areas, dowels are driven along the vertical and horizontal seams between the slabs at a distance of 20 cm from the edge of the sheet.

Dowels "Termozit" - facade dowel for fastening thermal insulation

First, drill a hole, the depth of which is 10 mm greater than the spacer part of the dowel. Use a hammer to hammer the plastic fastener into the hole so that the cap is flush with the insulation. Next, hammer the core into the dowel hole, being careful not to damage the plastic head. If this does happen, the core is hammered in completely, and polyurethane sealant is applied on top. After fixing the penoplex, the space between the base profile and the ground is filled with polyurethane foam.

Step 7. Finishing the walls

After fixing the thermal insulation layer, you can begin the finishing coating. Glue is applied on top of the insulation and a reinforcing mesh is applied. Using a spatula, rub the mesh into the glue, trying to distribute the composition evenly. After 24 hours, the surface is sanded with sandpaper, removing irregularities. Next, a leveling layer is applied, then the wall is primed and covered with decorative plaster. If you plan to cover the insulation with siding, then a sheathing of beams is mounted on top of the insulation.

The process of insulating internal surfaces has slight differences. Preparation is carried out in the same way: paint, whitewash and plaster are cleaned, cracks are sealed, and the plane of the walls is leveled with cement-sand mortar. Then treat the surface with an antiseptic primer and dry it. There is no need to install the base profile indoors - the insulation sheets rest on the floor.

Due to the water-repellent properties of penoplex, the presence of a waterproofing layer is not necessary. There is also no need to attach a vapor barrier film over the insulation. After gluing and fixing with dowels, the surface of the insulation is covered with sheets of plasterboard or decorative plaster.

Video - Do-it-yourself insulation of walls with penoplex