The thermal insulation system of a building from the outside, commonly known as "external insulation", has been considerably diffused in the last 30 years and is the most suitable solution for the renovation of vertical facades. This system consists of applying slabs or insulating panels to the entire external surface of the building.
Extruded polystyrene and polyurethane foam are particularly suitable for this application as they are light weight, have excellent insulation, they don't absorb water and cling easily to mortars and plasters commonly used. For this specific application are indicated X-FOAM® WAFER and POLIISO® ED: the first product has a wafer surface and is available in thicknesses from 20 to 300 mm, POLIISO® ED, instead, is a PIR foam panel available in thicknesses from 30 to 160 mm.
The use of X-FOAM® and POLIISO® panels, compared to solutions using alternative insulating materials, makes it possible to considerably improve the performance and the cost-effectiveness of the entire system thanks to a reduction of the thicknesses necessary to obtain the Prefixed thermal transmittance, to a limitation of the weight of the insulating layer, to a lower incidence of the accessories for the fastening and finishing of the system (shorter plugs, less thick profiles, reduced thresholds and sills), to a greater stability in time of insulating performance, mechanical resistance and dimensional stability and end to a lower use of resources and limited environmental impact.
Laying: the wall must be flat, without any dislevels above the centimeter, clean from residues and dry. The X-FOAM® and POLIISO® panels must be fixed to the structure with a normal adhesive mortar with continuous curb on the perimeter of the slab and center point. Moreover, they must be fixed mechanically to the masonry by means of coat plugs, at least four points, near the edges of the slab. The first layer of shaving is then stretched in which a glass fibre network is drowned, with a reinforcement function. After eliminating any imperfections from the net, the following protective layers are drawn up to the external finish, which is generally made up of mineral-based paints.
