What kind of flooring is needed in an apartment on the ground floor?

How do you feel about apartments on the ground floor? I heard that such apartments are less valuable, but I didn’t really understand why. A friend who was “lucky” to live in just such housing, without hesitation, cited several reasons for the inconvenience of the first floor. Among these inconveniences are floors.

What is the problem with the floor on the first floor?

Residents of apartments on the first floors of apartment buildings often face the problem of cold floors. They cause discomfort, regular hypothermia and even colds. This problem is especially acute for families with small children.

The problem of cold floors in apartments on the ground floor is due to the presence of an unheated basement in the basement of the building. It can cause cold air, drafts, dampness, as well as unpleasant odors and even fungus to enter your home.

As a rule, basements serve an auxiliary function. Therefore, utility services are not puzzled by their insulation and thereby put the inhabitants of the first floors in unequal conditions with other residents of the house, and also force them to solve their problems on their own by insulating their apartment.

Insulation methods

There are several insulation options.

From the basement

One of the most effective methods of insulation is thermal insulation from the basement.

IMPORTANT! The main advantage of this method is saving space in the apartment, as well as the absence of the need to carry out rather dirty work in the living space.

How to do

For external insulation, you need to determine and mark the area of ​​your home on the concrete basement ceiling, and then stick moisture-resistant insulation onto it. This can be polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. Additional moisture insulation will be provided by a layer of polyethylene film, which needs to be covered with foam, or bitumen coating insulation.

IMPORTANT! To protect the insulating layer from damage by rodents, you can build a metal or plywood sheathing on top of it.

In the apartment

Another, most common option is to insulate the floor directly in the apartment.

The market for construction and finishing materials offers a wide variety of materials for installing warm coatings. They are produced in liquid and bulk form, as well as in the form of blocks and rolls.

Liquid materials

Liquid materials include a cement mixture with an admixture of expanded clay or polystyrene foam and polymer penoizol.

Each of these types of base has high thermal insulation properties. But at the same time, they are quite difficult to install and most often require special equipment.

Bulk materials

Bulk insulation in the form of expanded clay, sawdust and foam chips are durable and easy to install, and have low thermal conductivity.

The disadvantage of such materials is the low level of waterproofing and the ability to accumulate moisture.Therefore, their use is recommended only in dry rooms.

Block materials

Block insulation, represented by mineral wool, polystyrene foam, vermiculite and basalt fiber, is characterized by excellent thermal insulation, low cost and environmental friendliness.

Disadvantages include the fragility of the blocks and the ability to emit harmful fumes when heated.

Rolled

Materials such as mineral wool with an aluminum layer, foil insulation, and cork are produced in the form of rolls.

The main advantage of this type of insulation is its ease of installation. However, most of them cannot provide sufficient protection from cold and drafts.

IMPORTANT! If one roll of insulation is not enough to achieve the required temperature, it can be combined with another, laid in two layers or combined with block and bulk materials.

"Warm floor"

The most expensive and labor-intensive method of insulation is the installation of a “warm floor” system. This system provides heating using a water circuit, electricity or an infrared film layer.

This method allows you not only to equip the floors at a comfortable temperature in the house, but also provides heating to the entire room, and also effectively combats excess air humidity.

What is the best way to cover the floors on the first floor?

When covering floors for apartments on the ground floor, it is better to choose materials that have the lowest thermal conductivity.

Cork

In the first place among such finishing materials is cork. Eco-friendly, beautiful and durable, it provides natural regulation of humidity in the room and keeps the floor warm enough at any air temperature in the apartment.

Carpet covering

Long-pile carpeting also solves the problem of insufficient floor insulation. And the variety of color and stylistic solutions allows you to fit it into the interior of any room.

Linoleum with thick backing

Some types of linoleum also do an excellent job of insulating. If your budget allows, it is better to choose natural materials with a thick backing. This will provide good insulation without harm to health.

Unlike cork and carpet, linoleum is easy to install and extremely easy to maintain.

As you can see, if cold floors are the only disadvantage of a home, it is not at all difficult to change it to a plus. To do this, you will need to choose the most suitable insulation option.