Insulating the roof boarding from the inside

By 2050, seven million homes and one million buildings must be off natural gas. As a first step, by 2030 the first 1.5 million existing homes must be made sustainable. That usually means a switch to connection to a heat grid or installation of a heat pump. Because these systems operate at lower temperatures than a central heating system, proper insulation of a home is necessary. However, you can do that right now! But where do we start? Meuwissen Gerritsen, specialists in the development and production of technical construction membranes, will help you on your way.

Where can I start insulating? Perhaps insulate the attic floor, or the ceiling under the flat roof of the extension. Or we insulate the sloping roof with a roof insulation. We choose the latter after some deliberation.

Materials
But now? What insulation materials should we use? Pressed boards, rock or glass wool? The choice this time is glass wool. The glass wool panels are installed tightly between the existing tracks. Should these not be there, we make a 40 x 40 mm (insulation thickness) battens on the purlins. We cut the glass wool sheets just a little wider, so they sit tightly between the lines. We also seal the corners and anomalous connections with rock wool.

Vapour control membrane
Then a good vapor control membrane is stretched and stapled along in front of the mineral wool. If there is an extremely humid room, such as a bathroom (climate class 4), even a Vapour barrier membrane must be used. So-called standard PE tolerance films, despite still being regularly used, are not suitable as vapor retarders. Houses are becoming more airtight on the inside, so higher vapor pressure builds up inside the home. This will pass through a PE film more easily. Therefore, the use of true vapor control membranes is very important for insulating buildings.

Prevent air leaks
Make sure the seams and connections of the Vapour control membrane are properly taped. This prevents the vapor/humid air from still escaping and cooling against the roof boarding. Result: condensation and moisture problems. Therefore, it is important to get rid of this air through ventilation and not through gaps in the interior finishes.
Connections to the beam or wall can be resolved with a Vast-R® Butyl tape or the Vast-R® Seal Pro sealing tape. After the foil is applied, a battens are installed for the final finish, such as drywall or OSB. Be careful not to puncture the vapor retardant Insulation membrane later, however, as the air sealing will have been for nothing.

What do I need?

• Vapor control membrane: Miofol® 125S. Available sizes: 1.50 x 25 meters, 1.50 x 50 meters, 2.00 x 50 meters and 2.60 x 50 meters.
• Accessories: VAST-R® Film tape basic 7.5 cm x 25 meters, VAST-R® Butyl tape 3 cm x 20 meters, Tyvek® FlexWrap Tape 6 cm x 10 meters and Vast-R® Seal Pro 1 cm x 12 meters.
• Vapour barrier membrane: Miofol® 125AV. Available sizes: 1.50 x 25 meters and 1.50 x 50 meters.
• Accessories: VAST-R® Aluminum tape basic 7.5 cm x 25 meters, VAST-R® Butyl tape 3 cm x 20 meters, Tyvek® FlexWrap Tape 6 cm x 10 meters and Vast-R® Seal Pro 1 cm x 12 meters.

Construction membrane specialist
Meuwissen Gerritsen is a specialist in the development and production of technical construction membranes. For decades, the company has supplied a wide range of products for residential, renovation and commercial construction through building material dealers in the Benelux. In addition to its own product lines Miofol®, Alkreflex®, Polytex®, VAST-R® and TAFTEX®, the company is DuPont’s exclusive distributor for AirGuard® and Tyvek® products.

Good luck with processing!