An apartment becomes cozy if it is warm and dry in any weather, if, despite the restless neighbors, you can remain in silence. Modern building materials allow creating a comfortable atmosphere. Produced since 2005, the foam is endowed with qualities suitable for insulation and sound insulation of apartments and private houses. It does not take away volume from the premises, it is easy to use, and besides, it has a long service life.
What it is?
Penolon is a new building material, the technical characteristics of which allow it to be both a heater and a sound insulator at the same time. The domestic company "Russfom" manufactures foam rubber from high-pressure polyethylene foam. Despite the fact that the foam is created artificially, it is absolutely harmless to humans. Environmental friendliness and lack of toxicity are important characteristics that allow the material to successfully compete with other products.
Penolone is a cross-linked polyethylene foam. Available in rolls from 1 mm thick. The middle part is soft and elastic due to closed cells filled with air. On both sides, the canvas is laminated with paper, so the foam can be glued to the walls, like ordinary non-woven wallpaper.
Pros and cons
Despite the fact that foam rubber has appeared on the construction markets relatively recently, professional finishers often use it for major and cosmetic repairs of residential premises. Feedback from buyers who have already tested the new material are only positive. Penolon has proven itself as an excellent thermal insulation. This is confirmed by people who lived in the winter, first without a wallpaper backing, and then with it.
The soundproofing of the material was to the taste of those who have cheerful neighbors and families with small children behind the wall. It is noted that the layer of cellular material significantly reduces the penetration of sounds. Measurements showed an efficiency of 30%.
The advantages of the material are not limited to the listed characteristics. The positive qualities include:
- low moisture absorption (no more than 1%);
- long service life (according to the manufacturer, it is at least 80 years);
- lack of decay and the impossibility of the appearance of fungal formations;
- resistance to high and low temperatures;
- hygiene and environmental friendliness;
- the ability to regain shape after removing stress;
- light weight, which makes it easier to perform work;
- resistance to oils, gasoline and other chemicals;
- elasticity;
- strength;
- quite democratic cost, that is, availability for a wide range of consumers.
Scope of application
Penolon copes best with impact noises. Foamed polyethylene sound insulation is installed at various sites. These are private houses and apartments in multi-storey buildings, office premises and social and cultural facilities.
By sticking cellular polyethylene sheets on the walls in the room, living conditions will certainly improve. In the cool summer and off-season, when the central heating is not working, the material helps to keep the heat in apartments and offices. Penolon is also advised because it is able to speed up repair work. In the presence of minor irregularities on the walls, the foam acts as a leveling material. The walls do not need to be putty, the soft base will hide the flaws.
Penolon is used as a substrate for wallpaper and various floor coverings, including it is laid under laminate and parquet. Foamed polyethylene under the Akustik trademark solves the problem that has been preventing the creation of a sound barrier between floors for years. If earlier it took a lot of effort to ensure silence, up to the creation of expensive engineering structures, now the issue is solved very simply. The neighbors below will not hear a sound if there is a foam pad above them in the apartment.
The material is sold in rolls. Anyone can lift and carry it manually, it is very light. Typically, the roll width is one and a half meters. The thickness is different: the thicker the layer, the smaller the roll footage. For example, with a material thickness of 5 mm, the length will be 100 m.If a thicker layer is required, for example, 10 mm, then the length will be halved and will already be only 50 m.
Installation methods
Some similarity of foam rubber with non-woven wallpaper allows it to be glued to the walls in the same way as the wallpaper itself. The process is simple, so everyone can glue the insulating layer without the involvement of masters and additional costs.
Despite all the simplicity, it is still worth adhering to certain rules. Sequential execution of operations will maximize the effect of isolation.
- Finishing work begins in different ways, depending on what needs to be done. So, during secondary finishing, that is, when carrying out repairs, the old wallpaper is first removed , the panels are removed or the paint is washed off (depending on what was previously applied to the walls). After exposing the walls, the operations are the same as for the initial pasting.
- First , a visual inspection of the vertical surfaces is performed . Plastering is required for walls lined with bricks or blocks. It will not do without additional processing even if the house is log. And only flat reinforced concrete slabs are almost ready for final finishing. Minor flaws can not be eliminated, they will be hidden by the foam pad laid under the wallpaper. And large ones should be repaired: growths - cut down, chips, depressions and potholes - putty.
- When the putty is dry, dust off the walls and apply a deep penetration primer . This intermediate operation can significantly improve adhesion. The process of penetration into the wall material lasts a day. The foam must not be glued within 24 hours. But without haste, you can mark and cut the required number of pieces.
- To install the insulation under the wallpaper, the wall must be greased with ordinary wallpaper glue. On a damp wall, sheets of foam are glued end-to-end to each other. Smoothing for a tighter adhesion can be performed either with a roller or simply by hand. In this case, movements should be done only in the vertical direction from top to bottom and bottom to top. It is not worth smoothing the canvases to the sides, as this may form gaps between the sheets, which is undesirable.
- If the sticker is made with PVA , the glue will have to be applied both to the wall and to the insulating material. PVA dries pretty quickly, which means you have to accelerate. It is better to perform work with glue in four hands. The part of the foam that is on the inner side of the roll should adjoin the wall.
- It will take three days for the glue to completely dry and for good adhesion of the substrate to the wall. After 72 hours, the time for the final stage comes. First, the joints of adjacent sheets are glued with paper tape, and then wallpaper is applied.
If we adapt the foam to the ceiling, the permeability of noise from the upper floor will be significantly reduced. Processing of ceilings in cheap new buildings, where insulating materials are completely absent, is especially relevant.
The thin, porous material has proven itself as an underlay for finishing floor coverings.It is laid under linoleum, laminate, parquet. On the one hand, the cold floor is insulated, on the other, it becomes quieter in the apartment, since the substrate does not allow you to hear what is happening in the lower neighbors. According to the manufacturer, the sound absorption is 25 dB, and the dispersion reaches 70%.
Laying foam on the floor is not much different from a wall sticker.
- The base must be free of dirt and dust. Any small particles can damage the thin substrate.
- The floor slab is primed and lubricated with an adhesive.
- Sheets are stacked as close to each other as possible. Sizing is done not with paper, but with ordinary tape. The paper can break during the installation of the topcoat, and regular tape will withstand the load and prevent the sheets from spreading. If a five-millimeter thickness is not enough, you need to take a thicker type of foam rubber of 8-10 mm. Do not lay in two layers!
Are there any repairs in the near future? Do not forget that a thin porous material of a new generation - foam rubber - is suitable for warming rooms and improving sound insulation.
For information on how to glue foam rubber, see the video below.