How to insulate outdoor floors : instructions for insulating outdoor flooring . From DIY to products to use to insulate outdoor floors .
With the right flooring and proper installation, it should not be necessary to further insulate outdoor floors. Garden and outdoor flooring is designed to withstand water and weather. However, if the installation work was not satisfactory or the starting materials were not adequate, it is possible to insulate outdoor floors with ad hoc work.
When the external floors to be insulated are those of the terrace, the insulation should not only aim at waterproofing: in this case it will be necessary to also insulate the floor thermally. In this circumstance I refer you to the article dedicated to the insulation of floors on the ground or terraces: insulating floors , indications and advice .
How to insulate external floors
To waterproof and insulate an outdoor floor, it is important to identify the weak points of our flooring but also to understand what type of insulation we intend to install. If the outdoor floor is the roof (or terrace), as mentioned, it will be necessary to insulate it acoustically and thermally. The insulating sheath of an outdoor floor should be installed only after a thorough cleaning of the surface.
A first system to isolate the external floor consists in checking the joints, the gaps. Check the cracks and joints between the flooring and the perimeter walls, if you notice excessively large or deteriorated gaps, use silicone to seal the meeting points.
This system is ineffective if the problem occurs on an entire surface: if the surface is not tiled, use an insulating sheath, on the contrary, if the surface is tiled, you can insulate the outdoor flooring by applying silicone-based insulating material. This is a colorless (transparent) liquid that is applied with a simple brush. This DIY operation is quite effective for insulating an outdoor floor and at the same time polishing it and making it water-repellent. Silicone-based insulators are compatible with almost all outdoor flooring, especially if made of stoneware or terracotta.
External floors that are subject to vehicle traffic (cars or motorcycles) may require more thorough waterproofing. In this context, it is not advisable to use insulating sheaths (such as those used for roofs and terraces) or silicone-based spreadable insulators. To insulate floors adjacent to the garage or where cars pass, it may be more appropriate to use bituminous material to avoid water overflowing which, in the event of heavy rain, could cause the tiles to lift.
In particularly humid areas, the use of bitumen is also recommended for insulating external floors of terraces and balconies . In this case, the insulating substance must be applied with a brush and cold or, as mentioned, in the form of an insulating sheath requiring the use of a gas torch to melt the material to make it adhere perfectly to the various joints.
If you do not intend to buy a torch (on Amazon, a good gas torch for laying roof coverings can be purchased for about 20 euros), you can request the intervention of a specialized company that will take care of laying the insulating covering. The insulating covering for roofs and terraces consists of rolls that are laid on the flooring to be insulated and then laid with the heat method (using the flame generated by the gas torch).
These just described are the “traditional” methods for insulating outdoor floors, however, today, there are many other materials that give excellent results. This is the case of epoxy mastic that must first be spread on the ground with a special tool and then, when solidified, takes on an appearance similar to that of linoleum .
Among the outdoor maintenance jobs, don’t forget to insulate the external walls of the house and the perimeter walls of the garden: how to waterproof a wall .
How to pave a garden
If what you want to insulate is an outdoor floor made of beaten earth or rough ground, it will be necessary to carry out a renovation job and install a suitable outdoor floor. In this context, I invite you to read my guide articles:
