Floor insulation with expanded clay

When it comes to how best to perform floor insulation, it is worth knowing that there are several ways to accomplish this task, but one of the most common is floor insulation with expanded clay, as it is well known for its heat-saving properties.

Expanded clay is a material obtained by firing clay, it looks like a bunch of small pebbles, each of which has many pores. It is thanks to these pores, claydite perfectly retains heat and is successfully used not only for floor insulation, but for insulation of walls and roofs of houses.

Note! You should not be afraid to apply expanded clay at the floor device. This is an absolutely environmentally friendly material, and in its composition there are no radiation or toxic substances.

How long can the temperature be maintained in the floor, the insulation for which served as expanded clay? Quite a long time, so if the premises have high-quality heating, working without interruption, the floors will not be cooled.

How to get claydite

For the production of expanded clay used fusible clay rock. It is expanded in special kilns, creating a rather high temperature in them, while the treated clay layer constantly rotates. The result is claydite, consisting of fairly large fractions of the material. Subsequently, it is crushed into smaller elements.

The resulting material has a number of properties characteristic of insulation:

• does not freeze through;
• does not absorb water and moisture;
• does not ignite;
• practically has no impurities that can spoil the cement.

Fractions the size of crushed stone are obtained by crushing large fractions of expanded clay into smaller ones. Its form then reaches a range of 5–40 mm, however, its shape is somewhat angular. A material of this size is successfully used to fill structures made of lightweight concrete, from which a floor is made.

Expanded clay in the form of sand is usually used for thicker backfilling. It is obtained as a result of crushing large fractions, when rubble is collected, and very small particles remain after this process. As a rule, their size does not exceed 5 mm. This material is perfectly used for the device of light concrete, where it is added as a lightweight filler, it is kneaded in other solutions.

Scope of expanded clay

Due to the above properties, expanded clay can be used as a filler with pores for light concrete. A floor made of such claydite will last for many years and will be warm. In addition, all the work associated with it is easily done by hand.

Warm floors made of expanded clay are used in the repair of rooms of private houses and apartments. And it does not necessarily have to be just living rooms, for example, a bedroom - according to this method, floors can be made in the bathroom and toilet, as well as in the kitchen and corridor. Also expanded clay for floor insulation is often used for insulation of other rooms: warmed verandas, garages, balconies and loggias.

The advantages of using expanded clay in construction

One of the most important areas of application of expanded clay is thermal insulation. Since claydite is known as an inexpensive material that does not deteriorate, it is easier for it to insulate than with wood or brick. For example, a layer of expanded clay in 10 cm can more effectively protect against cold than brickwork with a meter thickness or a quarter meter board.

Moreover, expanded clay can be used in the form of crushed stone, gravel and even sand. Because of this, as well as its excellent thermal conductivity, it is often used in cases where you need to insulate the walls of the house, the base before laying the flooring, roofing or concrete structures.

Laying claydite when flooring

Before insulating the floor with expanded clay, you need to take into account several important factors:

• choose exactly what the thickness of the expanded clay will be;
• before filling the claydite, lay a ruberoid on the base;
• at warming it is preferable to use granules, different in size, which will not allow the floor to sink.

Such works are carried out both for concrete pavement and in the case when it is required to perform warming of the wooden floor in the house.

Note! For the best tamping fine pellets are most suited.

Typically, the thickness of the covered clay is 30 cm, but if necessary it can be increased to 40 cm. Before pouring the layer of clay, you need to waterproof the floor. It is made of a 200 micron thick film. In general, there is no need to perform sound insulation, as claydite itself is a good insulator from external noise.

When a layer of expanded clay is filled, it is spread by the rule on the level noted earlier on the walls. After that, as a vapor barrier, a film layer is laid, the edges of which are applied to the walls.

Note! A vapor barrier layer made of a film must have an overlap of 15 cm in the canvases, the canvases are fastened together with tape or in some other way.

Then the concrete floor is poured, or pressed plates are laid on top. After that, you can lay laminate, linoleum or lay tile on the finished base.

Video

This video will tell about the method of making a subfloor with expanded clay insulation: