Do-it-yourself insulation of a balcony with mineral wool: how to insulate it

Insulating a balcony with mineral wool with your own hands does not require special skills. However, some care is required because the material is fragile and can crumble, forming dust. Since it is not resistant to moisture, it is very important to provide waterproofing. How to do this is described in detail in the presented material.

Is it worth using mineral wool: pros and cons

Insulating a balcony with mineral wool is a technology that is used quite often due to its affordable price and other advantages of insulation:

• good thermal insulation;
• noise protection;
• convenient shape for installation (rectangles);
• combustion resistance;
• good vapor permeability - air and water circulate freely, so the room always has a normal microclimate;
• resistance to chemical and biological influences;
• resistance to temperature changes, which is especially important for an unheated balcony.

On the other hand, insulating a loggia with mineral wool also has its disadvantages:

• easily deteriorates from exposure to moisture;
• the material crumbles well, forming dust;
• the weight is quite large due to the high density - transportation costs increase.

The main disadvantages of insulating a loggia with mineral wool can be resolved. Good protection against moisture is a waterproofing layer. As for dust, you can deal with it by putting a finishing layer on top, which is almost always done.While working, it is important to use goggles, a respirator and wear special clothing.

How to insulate a balcony

Insulation of the floor on the balcony with mineral wool, as well as other surfaces, is carried out in several stages:

1. Take the necessary measurements and remove unnecessary items from the balcony.
2. Seal the cracks with polyurethane foam.
3. Installation of wooden or metal sheathing. The thickness of the material, for example, timber, should be 1 cm greater than the blocks of material. Thanks to this, the insulation of the balcony with cotton wool will be carried out correctly.
4. The sheathing elements are created so that the cells are 1 cm smaller in width than the blocks. Otherwise, insulating the loggia with stone wool will not be reliable enough - over time, voids will appear due to the inevitable shrinkage of the material.
5. By installing the material on the ceiling and walls. Moreover, for this purpose they take the densest types of material to ensure maximum insulation. The main way to insulate a metal balcony is to glue blocks using a special adhesive composition. Additionally, they are fixed using staples or self-tapping screws.
6. To strengthen the balcony, mineral wool is installed in the cells of the frame (sheathing), so notches are made in the appropriate places in the wooden beam. Thanks to this, the slats will not protrude above the surface.
7. The insulation of the balcony with stone wool is completed by laying the material on the floor. There is no need to fasten it - the joints are coated with glue and the surface is mounted. During work, you cannot step on the insulation, so it is better to immediately lay a board on top.
8. The way to insulate a balcony with mineral wool is quite simple. But even with careful installation, gaps form in some places.Eliminating them is quite simple by cutting out a small piece of insulation. As for the main parts, they are carefully inserted between the slats. The insulation of the loggia with mineral wool is carried out carefully with your own hands - if you push it a little, a crack will appear and the material will crumble.
9. At the last stage of the instructions on how to insulate a balcony with cotton wool, you need to start vapor barrier from the inside of the room. It is best to use penofol for these purposes, installing the fragments tightly to each other. In this case, the foil layer should “look” inside the balcony. There is another option - thick polyethylene film, which is laid overlapping. After this, the finishing coating is installed.

As can be seen from the review, it is quite possible to insulate a balcony with mineral wool with your own hands. Despite the low strength of the material and instability to moisture, these shortcomings can be eliminated. In this case, you need to work in a respirator and a mask, and act carefully - otherwise the blocks may break.