Installing Underfloor Heating in Solid Concrete Floor
Solid concrete flooring is one of the most practical foundations for modern houses, commercial buildings, and extensions. It’s durable and long-lasting. Best of all, it’s the ideal foundation for our underfloor heating fitters to install pipes into.
Our Process of Installing Heated Floors on Concrete
First, we send the surveyors from our underfloor heating Nottingham team to scope the building project and design the most efficient pipe layout for the solid floor. They will also calculate how tall the insulation and floor screed cover should be. Should there be any problems, they will work with you to find your ideal solution.
After the preparation work is complete, our underfloor heating fitters lay insulation and a vapour barrier. The pipes are then laid onto the insulation using a barbed clip. Once the piping is installed and sufficiently tested, the flowing self compacting concrete is laid to cover the pipes. When it is dry, you are left with a heated concrete floor that is sure to last a long time.
Alternatively, we can lay pipes into lightweight backer board if additional floor height is a concern. This does not require screeding, only a levelling compound is required before a floor covering can be laid over it.
Can Underfloor Heating Fitters Work On An Uneven Floor?
Over time, solid concrete can become uneven and pitted, this is why our liquid screeders are often hired to retouch them with self compacting concrete. Using this service, we transform an old concrete floor back to a smooth, even surface.
Installing heated floors over uneven concrete is not a problem for our standard setup, as long as the floor is not actively sinking from a structural issue. Underfloor heating pipes are flexible and can work well with minute differences in elevations. Once everything is smoothed over with one of our self compacting concrete solutions, you’ll be left with a smooth and level floor.
The Benefits of Using Self Compacting Concrete
Also known as flowing concretes or SCCs, these liquid flooring solutions can be installed quickly without the need for a power floater to apply a smooth finish. We often use it for commercial building projects when deadlines are tight, and clients are always happy with the smooth finish it has over the pipes our underfloor heating Nottingham team has laid.
SCCs can be used on a wide variety of concrete slabs, including:
- Residential house foundations
- Low traffic flooring
- Office areas
- Garages
- Mezzanine floors
Does Damp Affect Installation of a Heated Floor Over Concrete?
Damp can cause the screed finish over the heating to crack. The most common causes of rising damp is that the damp-proof course has deteriorated, was not installed properly, or inadvertently removed by a builder. We find this happens primarily with historic properties and barn conversions.
Our underfloor heating solutions are designed to help address damp issues, depending on the exact cause. We install a damp proof membrane and vapour barrier before the piping. This prevents moisture from building up, whilst the heating itself keeps the floor dry.
