You have questions, we have answers!

• Choose a company with a registered address and premises.
• Ask the company for up-to-date business registry details from Taxis Net. By doing so you will find out exactly what profession the company engages in and since when.
• Ask to see the company’s certification from ESYD (Hellenic Accreditation System) and insulation projects that were completed three years ago.
• Ask to see the technical specification brochures of the insulation materials that will be used in your insulation, so that you can review them and compare them to by choose the best quality.  
• Approach 2-3 insulations companies, ask for a econometric study and review it carefully.
• Check whether the company is on the internet.
• Don’t make your decision based on the cheapest price. This is the biggest mistake you can make, but the most common mistake everyone makes.

Insulation works can be safely carried out all year round. However, extreme weather conditions both in summer and winter should be avoided and dry days should be preferred. Temperatures ranging from 5°C to 35°C are ideal. In any event, the work crew supervisor should choose the appropriate time and appropriate materials for the season to start the works.

Should an insulation issue arise, we should not leave time go by. When addressed early on, the repair is more cost economical and more importantly, the strain on the building will cease. The longer the problem remains, the harder and more expensive it is to fix.

The actions we take to protect a building against losses in cold and hot conditions, primarily aim at providing its residents with ideal living conditions, namely:

• Preventing the growth of mould, fungus and other problems that are associated with the quality of air that we breathe.
• Maintaining the desired temperature of the building for as long as possible after turning off the heating or the air conditioning.  
• Energy efficiency, which will offset your investment in the first 5 years, since thermal losses in a conventional construction without thermal insulation can reach 65% for the areas of the building’s top level.

The six most commercial insulation products in Greece are:

• Graphite extruded polystyrene (XEnergy)

• Expanded polystyrene (airpop)
  
  
• Graphite expanded polystyrene (Neopor)
  
  
• Extruded polystyrene (Dow)
  
  
• Stone wool (Geolan)
  
  
• Mineral wool.

All of these materials have similar thermal insulation value, with the exception of X-Energy and Neopor which are superior.  We separate which insulation materialsoffer greater thermal protection from the thermal conductivity coefficient (λd). A piece of advice, the low the λ, the best the thermal insulation product.

However, in order to objectively evaluate the thermal insulation value of a product, serious consideration must be given to its thickness, which plays a significant role in good thermal insulation since it is directly related with it.

The company indicatively recommends:

• For conventional rooftop insulation: Graphite extruded polystyrene (X Energy)
• For external thermal insulation: Graphite expanded polystyrene (Neopor)  
• For inverted insulation: Extruded polystyrene (X Energy)
• For internal thermal insulation:   - Knauf mineral wool
                                                  - Knauf In Thermo system
  (water-resistant gypsum board and Neopor adhered graphite polystyrene)
  Significant criteria for choosing thermal insulation products include:

• Thermal conductivity (λd)
• Mechanical strength
• Potential vulnerability to contact with water (water absorption)
• Ability to breathe
• Ease of use during application
• Exterior sound absorption.

• It has the best thermal conductivity coefficient (λd=0.030-0.031).
• X Energy's thermal conductivity (λd) does not change with time (ELOT 13163 – par.: 4.2.7.3).
• The dencity of the material is 32 kg/m^3 
• It has almost zero water absorption
  
• X Energy has exceptional mechanical properties,strength of 200Pa which makes it the ideal choice for the thermal insulation of the rooftop building, roof and walls, as a sub layer (in floors, footpaths, and general use), as an insulation material (thermal insulation, waterproofing) under significant strain.
  

In most case we recommend external thermal insulation, because we take advantage of the thermal permeability of the building’s internal structural elements, resulting in the maintenance of the desired temperature for longer periods after turning off the heating and air conditioning. Also, thermal bridges which are responsible for many thermal losses are avoided, while the exterior wall surfaces are waterproofed and protected against contractions and expansions.

However, if external thermal insulation cannot be installed due to lack of accessibility, disputes, architectural restrictions, etc., thermal insulation is installed to the interior walls.  With the right insulation materials internal thermal insulation can ensure the occupants’ thermal adequacy while helping to eliminate problems due to the lack of thermal insulation such as moisture, mould, black spots, unpleasant odours, etc. With the installation of internal thermal insulation, the thermal insulation results are instantaneous, since the thermal insulation is position before the structural elements. Thus, the building is heated faster in the winter and cools down easier in the summer.

Given that all the internal thermal insulation works take place inside the building, it can be done any time of the year, regardless of weather conditions.

You should definitely choose a certified system, i.e., it should be CE - ETA (European Technical Assessment) certified according to ETAG 004 (European Technical Assessment for external thermal insulation) and the materials should be considered easy to use by the work crew that you select.

If you have any doubts about the suitability of your work crew, you can choose systems which production companies give a manufacturing warranty, under conditions. These systems include Kelyfos, Mapetherm by Mapei, Star by Baumit etc.

Opt for the traditional conventional insulation because it is the only one that will offer you maximum thermal insulation results, it is lightweight (40kg/m^2) and extremely affordable.

Cool colours can help, in part, to reflect the warm during the summer months. They are only used as an alternative and always in combination with the traditional thermal insulation materials, such as expanded polystyrene (airpop), graphite polystyrene (Neopor, extruded polystyrene (dow), stone wool, etc.

Unfortunately, taking advantage of the economic crisis, many companies recommend various reflective membranes, paints, renders and admixtures as a cheap thermal insulation solution. They even call on various technologies like nanotechnology and give these products “magical” properties, for the sole purpose of make a quick profit.

Following repeated complaints, the Ministry of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy reacted by issuing is opinion on 09/03/2015 which states that these products “do not fall under the category of thermal insulation products”. In addition, it asks the General Secretariat of Consumer Affairs to impose the legally-provided sanctions.

The consumers’ attention should be drawn to avoid the supply and application of products whose sole purpose is to deceive them. Deceived consumers can contact the General Secretariat of Commerce & Consumer Protection to claim for any compensation.

General Secretariat of Consumer Affairs complaint line: 1520

Rooftops are the exterior shell that is hit the hardest by the environment. The lack of protection could lead to wear and tear such as materials peeling off, layers blistering, premature ageing of structural materials, damage to the reinforced concrete.

Don’t wait for the problems to emerge before waterproofing because the cost of restoring the building’s wear and tear may be excessive and economically unviable.

Tiles are not a waterproofing solution because almost all the grout that is used for grouting the tiles is permeable to water and cannot be meet waterproofing requirements.

In addition, any crack, even a hairline crack, in the tiles or the grouting from the surface’s continuous contractions and expansions may become a water inflow point.

When tiles are laid on the rooftop without prior waterproof, in most cases it is only a matter of time for moisture to occur.

When moisture occurs, there are two solutions:

• To waterproof the titles with bituminous sheets, on condition that they are not do not sound hollow.

To remove the old tiles and the cement mortar, waterproof the concrete slab with bituminous sheets, lay new cement mortar, waterproof it with two-component, cementitious mortar and adhere the tiles using a flexible C2-TE-S1-type adhesive.

The most suitable waterproofing materials are bituminous sheets, provided they meet the requirements, i.e., a weight of 6 Kg/m2, elastomeric with elasticity at -20οC, reinforced with spun-bond polyester 180 gr and mineral white coating (such as Dien Energy++).

Polyurethane paints, like Hyperdesmo, are also reliable. However, conditions apply for their proper application. In particular:

• Concrete slabs, grained concrete, industrial floors and generally highly durable sub layers that do not have inclinations greater than 2% are the most suitable surfaces. Hyperdesmo is not applied on lightweight concrete, like foamed concrete, perlite concrete, pumice, etc. In addition, there is a high risk of failure when applied on tiles, due to the possibility of moisture being trapped underneath the tiles.
• Surfaces with anomalies should be sanded down with a concrete grinding machine (e.g., mosaic machine). If the substrates are not smooth and we apply a coat of the material, it will flow to the lower areas and leave a membrane of the material in the higher segments. So, all too often the costly surface preparation does not allow Hyperdesmo to be applied.
• In many cases, a coat of aliphatic polyurethane varnish is required on top of Hyperdesmo to increase the resistance of the waterproofing system to solar radiation and organic pollutants (e.g., building near the sea), but this increases the cost of application.

Waterproofing with acrylic based sealants should be avoided due to the low durability of these materials.

Reinforcement is always required at the roof top's vulnerable points like pipes that pass through concrete, railings, solar panel and tank frame bases, downspouts, etc. We have pinpointed numerous such points which will lead to failed waterproofing if attention is not paid to these.

Total reinforcement is necessary in sub layers with many thick cracks, surfaces that are subject to intense contractions and expansions, worn out surfaces, coatings without the necessary expansion joints, etc.

No, it is not necessary. However, if we want waterproofing to last for 30 to 35 years, it is the only solution.

Our opinion is to opt for bituminous sheets with tile upper layer.

Aluminium coated bituminous sheets act as vapour barriers. Their proper installation should initially be preceded by a vapour diffusion layer, i.e., a perforated bituminous sheet, combined with evaporates, otherwise there will be blisters and detachments. 

To begin with, the condition of the bituminous sheets needs to be assessed. If there a significant detachments, cracks, burnt areas and general their life span is over, it is not worth spending the money. Any attempt to repair or maintain it will fail. In this case, the old bituminous layer should be removed and replaced by a new one.

However, if the bituminous sheets are in good condition, an experienced work crew can repair and maintains them at a low cost. Bituminous, acrylic and polyurethane-bitumen mastics as well as pieces of bituminous sheets are used to reinforce vulnerable areas. On many occasions, the entire bituminous sheet is coated with an acrylic waterproof paint to further protect the waterproofing layer.

Waterproofing, regardless of the material, is not an easy feat. If you decide to apply a rooftop waterproofing material on your own, you undertake the risk of the waterproofing being completely unsuccessful (thus, you will have lost the money that you spent to but the materials and then you may need to spend more money to remove the unsuccessful waterproofing layer) or the best case, the waterproofing layer will not have the endurance and life span that is given by the manufacturer.

These are professional materials and should only be applied by experienced and skilled work crews and companies like ours, with professional tools and equipment, which individual rarely have.  

With fibre-reinforced foamed concrete or grained concrete 20-25. Lightweight concrete with perlite and pumice aggregates are prohibited because of their capacity to retain water.

In most cases, our company recommends foamed concrete because Greek buildings have not been built with specification and the rooftop buildings cannot withstand static slopes with grained concrete, thus with weights of 200 Kg/m2. Foamed concrete has a weight of about 35 Kg/m2.

Moreover, 10 cm thick foamed concrete is equivalent to 3 cm thermal insulation slabs, i.e., it has a thermal conductivity coefficient of λ=0.11 (W/mK)

Mortar composition: 300 kg cement per cubic metre, polypropylene fibre, foaming aqueous solution and water.