Underfloor Heating

With an increasing focus on thermal efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, underfloor heating is being used more and more for both commercial and domestic heating in buildings.

There are several reasons for this, including the fact that underfloor heating delivers a consistent interior temperature; it can work with a variety of heat sources; and the low operating temperature reduces heat losses.

In addition, underfloor heating eliminates hot and cold spots within an interior, and provides much more flexibility for designing room layouts.

Underfloor Heating - highly efficient and extremely durable

While electric systems can be used at a small scale, most new installations feature a “wet” system using pipes through which warm water is pumped. Improved system design and manufacture, along with better installation procedures, have removed previous concerns over workmanship and leaks and will now consistently deliver a highly efficient and extremely durable space heating solution.

When installed as part of a solid floor construction it is usual to finish a heated floor with a screed. This provides a thermal mass for the heat to dissipate into, giving a consistent temperature across an area with a gradual rise and fall over time. By providing the heat to a room over such a large area, it is possible to use water at a lower temperature, which reduces the energy required.

Traditionally, the use of screed has been a potentially time-consuming element of construction. Screed is laid as a wet mix or semi dry, on top of the underfloor heating pipes which have already been fixed and pressure tested for leaks. However, the screed will take some time to dry, and the final floor finishes cannot be laid until it has fully dried out; while the use of the heating system itself to assist in this can be hindered by concerns that the screed will dry too quickly and may crack.

Allied to the fact that it is very difficult to lift a screed and restart this stage of a build, it is understandable why specifiers and construction teams will always err on the conservative side when selecting and designing screeds; and in waiting to lay final floor finishes.

The arrival of the FlexiDry floor screed additive addresses a number of these concerns. FlexiDry not only allows the screed mix to fully hydrate but acts as a capillary pump to remove excess water from the screed and any remaining moisture is locked in, crystalised and turned to stone. FlexiDry provides a more consolidated molecular structure giving stability and dries extremely quick; it also provides protection against issues such as cracking. As a result, contractors can be sure that underfloor heating can be installed on a tighter construction programme as the FlexiDry fast drying floor screed will dry quicker without the problems that this may sometimes bring.

FlexiDry fast drying floor screed develops a stronger top surface faster with better abrasion resistance, allowing it to be used for site traffic sooner after laying and enabling final floor finishes to be laid much quicker than with a traditional screed additive. The savings generated by the time saved will always substantially outweigh the modest increase of adding FlexiDry to the floor screed.