How to insulate the floor in the basement

Many high-rise buildings probably have a basement that is very damp and dark. It is not for nothing that episodes are involved in almost all horror films, where the victim enters a basement, and accordingly nothing, without knowing whether he is attacked by a maniac or a ferocious predator, who craves for whose death. And many people are not just afraid of basements, but simply do not want to panic even pass by.

But in fact, if you work well on an empty and nondescript basement, then you will get a very decent room in which you can not only just store your supplies, but also open a business (for example, a cafe, a club , gym and so on), which will bring a very good income.

Most people don’t do this just because they don’t know how or are afraid of not cope with the basement. But in fact, it is possible to equip the basement in about a week (it all depends on your mood and preparedness, that is, so that everything is ready in advance for you to start repair). And if you have the desire, time, accessories and building materials, you can safely proceed to repair.

Getting started

Concrete preparation of the basement

First you need to clear the whole the basement of unnecessary things and garbage, as they will simply interfere with your repair. But you need to remember that cleaning should be very careful so that nothing is left that can disturb you. And, of course, you should not remove something that can harm the entire structure, such as pipes. If the pipes still bother you, and this will happen anyway, then you better call the specialists. So you will spend less time and money, and besides, it will be safer. After it is spacious and clean in your basement, you need to take care of how to warm the floor in the basement.

Floor cleaning

Floor insulation is the most important procedure that needs to be done anyway, since If you make a room for visitors (cafes, bars, and so on), then it will be unpleasant for them to walk on the cold floor. The floor should be warm in any case, and the walls in the basement most likely will not freeze, as the basement is under the building, that is, in the ground. Even ordinary heating used by the entire building is enough to heat the walls.

In order to warm the floor, you need to prepare the surface. And for this, you need to determine what is your floor in the basement - already filled with concrete or there is nothing on it, that is, bare ground. If your floor is filled with cement, half of the work has already been done for you. But if you have a bare ground, you will have to work a little on it. To do this, you must first fill the entire surface with rubble, and pour sand over the rubble.

Thus, you will have a kind of “cushion”, which you just need to fill with cement. And of course, it is worthwhile to take care that the floor is even and without various unnecessary objects, such as stones or rubbish, as they will only interfere. But still, if this happened, then try to get rid of this problem, for example with a regular knife.

Having a finished floor, you can choose the type of insulation. And there are only two such types:

• warmed with heating,
• ordinary warmed.

Consider each of the options.

Insulated with heating

Methods of insulation

Insulated with heating - such is the floor the warmest and, accordingly, expensive and harder to do than the usual insulated. But there are also good sides: such a floor will be much better and more practical in use than a normal floor. For this floor you will need:

• ready cement;
• sand;
• plastic or metal pipes;
• fittings and elbows;
• flooring you prefer.

Insulation with heating

First take the pipes and distribute them around the entire basement perimeter so as to get a huge "harmonica" from the pipes. Now connect these pipes to the heating and check the entire structure for leakage or damage. Next, take the sand and fill it with the entire floor about 10-15 centimeters from the floor. Now fill it with a thin layer of cement (about 4 centimeters) and let it dry for about a day (the drying time depends on the type of cement, ask the seller or read on the bag with cement itself). And you just have to cover this "sandwich" with flooring and the floor is ready for operation!

Normal insulated

Normal floor insulation

Normal floor heating. Everything is much simpler and cheaper here than in the previous type of floor. For this floor you will need:

• insulation (take any, but it is better not to save);
• foam;
• floor covering.

Basement insulation scheme

First, take insulation and spread it over the whole area of ​​the room . At the same time also closing corners. Next, take the usual building foam thickness of 10 centimeters and also spread it over the entire surface of the basement (only on insulation!). And fill all the cracks with foam. Now cover it with another layer of insulation and almost everything. It remains only to lay the floor covering.

That's it, now that you have a warmed floor, you can start other types of repairs in the basement. Successful repair!

We recommend reading:

• how to build a cellar with your own hands in the country;
• how to defrost a sewer pipe underground;

Video

Principle of arrangement of a warm water floor: