How to properly insulate a brick house from the outside?

Before insulating a brick house, it is necessary to determine in advance the methods and materials for insulation. For convenience, you can make an approximate preliminary estimate. That being said, it’s best to take some time and consider a few options as carefully as possible. So it will turn out to choose the most profitable and effective project.

The house can be insulated both during construction and when the house has been in operation for a long time. The most effective and least expensive is the thermal insulation of a brick house at the stage of construction or overhaul, but, accordingly, it is not always acceptable. The choice of the optimal option depends on a number of factors.

Comparison of different ways

• Insulation during construction or major repairs. During the construction of the building, be sure to think about high-quality thermal insulation. Many works are conveniently carried out at this stage, some, later, will no longer be available or will become much more laborious. Most of the work requires special knowledge and skills and has many nuances, so if you do the work yourself, you must first study the technology and prepare.
• External thermal insulation. It has its advantages, but there are also a number of disadvantages. If you like the very appearance of brickwork, and neat masonry looks very stylish, then this method is not suitable, since the appearance of the facade will certainly change. In addition, outdoor work is seasonal. Outdoor work may be delayed due to bad weather. Also, due to the fact that materials and coatings are used in adverse conditions, the use of more resistant and, accordingly, expensive building materials is required. The main advantage is durability, subject to proper installation.

Thermal insulation of a brick house during construction

During construction, you can lay the insulation in the masonry. To do this, a kind of chamber is built between the halves of the wall fastened with pins. Then it is filled with heat-insulating components. It can be expanded clay, and synthetic foam, and mineral insulators, and others. In this case, you need to choose the most durable materials. Despite the fact that the effects of the environment on the in-wall filler are minimized, their replacement is practically impossible. Therefore, expanded clay is one of the best options for such needs. It is quite cheap, has excellent performance (low thermal conductivity, low weight, incombustibility) and has practically no restrictions on service life. This can also be done if you decide to brick an already erected building as part of a major overhaul.

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The choice of heat-insulating material

First, it’s worth figuring out how to insulate a brick house from the inside and outside will be most effective. To do this, we compare different types of insulating materials. Choosing a good and suitable thermal insulator is extremely important.

Materials used for thermal insulation:

• Mineral wool. Basalt fiber is laid in a special box, after which it is closed with an external finish. Pros: inexpensive, environmentally friendly, non-combustible, easy to transport, does not require wall alignment before installation, does not significantly increase the load on the foundation. Cons: not durable enough, with a slight violation of the vapor barrier, it significantly loses its properties and becomes unusable.
• Expanded polystyrene or foam panels. They can also be laid in boxes, or laid out on the wall on their own, after which they are covered with plaster and decorative coatings. Pros: the plates are light, do not give a high load on the foundation, are relatively easy to install, universal, high sound insulation. Cons: walls need to be leveled before installation, combustible, may emit harmful substances during combustion, not environmentally friendly, requires special disposal conditions, rather fragile, has low vapor permeability,
• Extruded polystyrene foam. Synthetic material, similar in properties to polystyrene, is less popular. Pros: high rates of heat and sound insulation, lightweight, not affected by fungi, corrosion and decay, durable. Cons: high flammability with the release of toxic substances, the creation of a greenhouse effect, quite expensive.
• Heat-insulating plaster. It can be applied both with hand tools and with special sprayers. It should be noted that the outer layer of the finishing material must have a sufficient degree of moisture protection. Pros: does not require thorough preparation of the walls (only primer treatment, application of beacons is needed), the result is an almost flat surface, incombustibility, non-toxicity, environmental friendliness. Cons: due to the high density, it significantly increases the load on the walls and foundation, if installed incorrectly, it can become unusable very quickly, the possibility of applying only a small layer at a time, the need for additional protection against moisture.

• Cork heaters. Unsuitable for outdoor work, it is better to insulate the walls of the house from the inside with them. Pros: environmental friendliness, naturalness, high sound insulation, no greenhouse effect. Cons: fire hazard, susceptibility to smoldering, can be damaged by pests, fragility.
• Inflatable heater. Suitable for insulation of walls, roofs and floors, when all structures have already been erected and their dismantling is impossible or undesirable. Most often used for floor insulation, since only a relatively small hole is required to fill the voids between the lags.

External wall insulation

To decide how best to insulate a brick house from the outside, it is worth considering several different materials. Each of them has its pros and cons, so for each individual case you need to make a choice based on the individual characteristics of the building. Also, when choosing, it is necessary to take into account climatic conditions, the thickness of the walls erected and the structure of the bricks used, the type of masonry, the heating system, and the budget. Do not howl about moisture and vapor barrier. The decision on how to properly insulate a brick house from the outside is made individually, since there is no uniquely universal way.

There are three main methods of external insulation: frame (ventilated facade), insulation with panel materials, application of heat-insulating plaster.

Internal thermal insulation

In order to insulate a brick wall from the inside, you need to choose the most environmentally friendly materials. In addition, they should be the least flammable, since wiring, network cables and other communications are often carried out inside the box for insulation. Sockets, in any case, are recessed inside the wall and the wires are in contact with the filling material. Therefore, the choice of highly combustible materials is undesirable. Such insulators are suitable for those cases when they are used absolutely isolated. You can combine several different materials, this can help achieve the desired effect.

This article will help you decide on the choice of how to insulate a brick house from the outside, choose the right materials and methods. Before starting work, look for the most detailed step-by-step instructions if you intend to do the work yourself.