32 BUILD June/July 2007

BUILD RIGHT
INSULATING SLAB-ON-
GROUND FLOORS
Current methods for adding insulation to slab-on-ground floors have some
disadvantages. However, recent BRANZ research has developed more effective
methods.
By Ian Cox-Smith, BRANZ Thermal Testing Scientist
C
urrent practice for adding insulation
to slab-on-ground foors usually
involves either putting the insulation
under the perimeter of the slab,
or putting it on the outside vertical face of
the foundation wall, including the area of
foundation exposed above ground level.
While the frst technique is relatively easy
to implement, its effectiveness is limited by
the fact that without a thermal break between
the slab and foundation, heat from the interior
environment can readily fow along the slab
and through the foundations to the exterior.
The second technique is more diffcult to
implement, and even though there are some
proprietary solutions that use expanded
polystyrene formwork they are reliant on
fnding an effective means to protect the
insulation. The technique is particularly
diffcult to use when the wall system is a
standard 90 mm timber frame.
When is insulation required?
Addition of insulation is usually required for
small foor slabs (<80 m
2
) and where there
are heating elements embedded into the
slab. Insulation is also recommended when
the local water table is less than 1 m below
ground level.
Apart from very large foor slabs achieving
SNZ/PAS 4244: 2003 Insulation of
lightweight-framed and solid-timber houses,
recommended better practice (R1.9 m
2
C/W)
requires the addition of insulation to a slab-
on-ground foor.
New, improved methods
Figure 1 illustrates a more effective
insulation method that uses timber to
Figure 1: Floor slab insulation single storey.
90 mm
direct-fxed cladding
framing (insulation
omitted for clarity)
bottom plate on dpc
H3.2 140 x 45 mm
timber insert
120 mm
reinforced concrete
foor slab
polystyrene
insulation
dpm on sand
blinding and
hardfll
165 mm
200 mm
155 mm
90 mm
H3.2 140 x 45 mm
timber insert
reinforced concrete
foor slab
polystyrene
insulation
dpm on sand
blinding and
hardfll
Figure 2: Floor slab insulation double storey.
cladding
framing (insulation
omitted for clarity)
20 mm cavity
battens
bottom plate on dpc
reinforcing through
hole drilled in
timber insert
BUILD June/July 2007 33
provide a thermal break between the
slab and its foundation. In this case, the
construction is single storey. For double
storey construction, the foor slab is required
to be tied to the foundation (see Figure
2). In both cases it may be necessary to
cast the bottom plate fxing in place to
avoid spalling of the concrete faces when
attempting to install the fxing later.
Some heat will still be able to bypass
the insulation in the area between the
thermal break and bottom plate. A further
improvement in the thermal performance of
the slab can be achieved by using 140 mm
deep wall studs to eliminate this gap (see
Figure 3).
Figure 4 shows an insulation solution
for a slab-on-ground foor where the wall
is brick veneer. Since the bricks provide
some additional thermal resistance, as well
as protection for the insulation, additional
insulation under the perimeter of the slab
may not be necessary. It is important to apply
a wedge of mortar to the top edge of the
insulation and to align it with the weep holes
to ensure proper drainage of the cavity.
A Building Research Levy funded study
developed this new method (see pages 103
105 for a report on the research project).
165 mm
120 mm
140 mm
H3.2 140 x 45 mm
timber insert
reinforced concrete
foor slab
polystyrene
insulation
dpm on sand
blinding and
hardfll
bottom plate on dpc
direct-fxed cladding
140 x 45 framing
(insulation omitted
for clarity)
Figure 3: Floor slab insulation single storey with 140 mm studs. Figure 4: Floor slab insulation single or double storey with masonry veneer cladding.
240 mm
90 mm
reinforced concrete
foor slab
polystyrene
insulation
dpm on sand
blinding and
hardfll
bottom plate on dpc
framing (insulation
omitted for clarity)
masonry veneer
cladding
wall underlay
weep holes
wedge of mortar
sloped to exterior
50 mm
setdown
50 mm
polystyrene
insulation
16 mm (10 mm
plaster coat & 6 mm
capillary break)