Today, underfloor heating is one of the best options when creating a heating system in a private house. This is the most economical and comfortable type of heating. Pipes are diverted from the boiler and laid in all rooms. Most often they are poured into a screed. However, there are other options.
Today, construction materials are on sale that allow you to create a warm water floor without screed. It is an easy-to-install system. You can cope with the installation yourself. Before starting repairs, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology for this process.
Features of water floor heating without screed
The installation of a water heated floor without screed has many advantages over the traditional installation of pipes in a concrete layer. Such a system allows you to mount the heating even on wooden floors. In this case, the floor level will not rise too much.
Water floor heating can be mounted in a private house. This option is not suitable for an apartment. For such premises, electrical systems are used. Water floor heating is a system of special pipes. They move away from the boiler. As heating equipment, an installation that runs on solid fuel, gas or electricity can be used.
Several pipe circuits depart from the boiler. Each of them leads to a separate room. Using a special comb, the flow of the heated coolant through the pipes is adjusted. Shut-off valves with thermostatic valves determine which circuit to direct the heated flow to and which to shut off.
Water floor heating without screed under the laminate works on the same principle. The difference lies only in the installation features. When heated, uniform heat from the floor will rise up. Unlike convectors, batteries, and other similar heating devices, the pipe system creates the most comfortable heating in the room. The highest temperatures will be determined at the base of the floor. The air will be colder under the ceiling. In the case of using convectors and batteries, everything happens exactly the opposite. This distinguishes the warm floor from other heating systems.
When is a heated floor installed without a screed?
A light water heating floor without screed is preferred only in some cases. It is installed in rooms with low ceilings. If in such a room to put the water floor in the screed, a small room will become even smaller. The height of the room will be reduced by about 10-15 cm.
In some cases, interior design does not reduce the height of the ceilings. In this case, a pipe-laying system without a tie is also preferred. Such a solution will be an ideal solution for the owners of a wooden house. Do not lay heavy screed on such floors. Its weight will affect wooden surfaces, gradually destroying them. A dry system weighs several times less.
It should be said that the screed needs the right fill. If the owners of the house make repairs on their own, but have never before created concrete foundations, this can cause a number of problems. The screed should dry out under certain conditions. It must be constantly moistened. In a wooden house, this will lead to the appearance of a fungus that will destroy the walls.
It should also be said that concrete screeds gain strength within 1 month. You cannot live in a house at this time. If you need to repair quickly, a dry installation of a water floor will be an ideal solution. It will not be necessary to wait for a long time until the system gains strength, completely dries out.
Comparison of underfloor heating with and without screed
Laying a water heated floor without screed has several advantages over the usual type of installation. The speed of creating a heating system in this case increases significantly. Dry installation is lightweight. This allows you to significantly increase the life of floors.
The thickness of the finished structure is only 3.5-6 cm. This allows you to use a similar heating system for different rooms. You can mount such a system yourself. In this case, you do not need to make great physical efforts or have deep knowledge and skills in carrying out such work. This is one of the simplest types of installation of water pipes.
Materials for dry installation withstand temperature extremes, as well as high heat and sound insulation. If necessary, the water floor system can be easily dismantled.
Considering reviews of a warm water field without a screed, it should be said about its shortcomings. Since there will be no screed on top of it, heat will not evenly be distributed on the floor surface. Because of this, it is necessary to reduce the laying step between the pipes. As a result, you will need to purchase more pipes, coolant. The pump should also be more powerful.
At the same time, wooden structures, unlike concrete, are distinguished by thermal insulation properties. This will require more energy when heated. Also, the materials used in the installation are afraid of moisture.
Types of materials
Installation of a water heated floor without screed is performed using one of several methods. The base on which the pipes are laid out can be wooden or polystyrene. It provides grooves in which the pipes are inserted. Metal plates are also laid on the base. They allow you to evenly distribute heat on the surface of the floor.
When the pipes are laid out in grooves, they are covered with various materials. They are designed to provide rigidity to the base. First, waterproofing is laid on the pipes. Further mounted sheets GVL. Without them, the design will not be durable. Then you can install the topcoat. It can be tile, laminate, parquet or carpet. These materials are characterized by a certain thermal conductivity.
Best of all, a tile system is suitable for any type of underfloor heating system. This is the most thermally conductive material. When using it, the cost of heating the room will be less. The floor will warm up faster. However, this type of decoration is far from suitable for every interior. Therefore, other varieties are also used.
It should be noted that when choosing a laminate, parquet or carpet for flooring, preference should be given to varieties with a minimum thickness. In this case, the thermal insulation effect of these materials will be less.
Polystyrene base
Warm water floor without screed for tiles or other types of materials can be mounted on a polystyrene base. This is a lightweight material that is suitable for both wooden and concrete substrates. Such mats are characterized by high thermal insulation properties. Their thickness can be from 1 to 4 cm. It is better to give preference to thicker varieties. Thin sheets are only suitable for upper floors.
On polystyrene mats most often there are special protrusions. Smooth sheets are also on sale. However, their use in installation is not recommended. They will need to manually cut the grooves for styling. Reliable fixation of lamellas with pipes can be provided only by relief varieties. Their protrusions are most often in the form of cubes or cylinders.
It is easy to install a water heated floor without a screed with your own hands. Polystyrene sheets have special grooves. With their help, the plates are joined together. Fit them and combine into a single system is not difficult.
Metal lamellas are laid out on polystyrene plates . They can be made of aluminum or galvanized steel. Lamels have grooves. They need to lay pipes. Without metal lamellas, a thermal zebra will appear on the floor surface. This significantly reduces the comfort of heating.
The procedure for mounting pipes on polystyrene mats
Making a warm water floor without screed yourself is simple. First, the rough surface is cleaned of construction waste. If necessary, the base must be leveled.
A plastic film is laid out on the prepared surface. Its thickness should be at least 200 microns. Cloths of waterproofing made of polyethylene are lapped (10-15 cm). Joints need to be firmly fastened with adhesive tape.
A damper tape is laid out around the perimeter of the room. It compensates for the possible expansion of the system during heating. Then the polystyrene mats are laid out. If their thickness is small, the joints need to be coated with glue. Between the protrusions lay metal lamellas. Pipes are placed in their grooves. On top of them lay another layer of waterproofing.
Then you need to lay out 2 layers of sheets GVL. The joints of the first layer should not intersect with the previous layer. The thickness of this flooring should be 1 cm. Joints need to be coated with PVA glue. Layers need to be bonded with screws. It is important not to damage the pipes.
After that, the finish coating is mounted. Under the laminate, you need to lay a special substrate. When installing the tiles, the correct glue should be selected. It should be on an acrylic basis.
Slatted wooden base
Water floor heating without a screed under the laminate can be mounted on a wooden base. It is of two types. The rack category belongs to the first category, and to the second - modular. They have certain differences during installation.
The support layer of the rack structure is cut from the boards of chipboard or MDF. Moisture resistant plywood can also be used. The thickness of the wood flooring should be about 2 cm. Their moisture content should be about 10%.
Stripes are cut from the plates of the selected material. If the pipe pitch is 15 cm, the strips should be 13 cm wide. This system should also be used for other types of pipe laying. The difference between the width of the step and the boards should be 2 cm.
The installation process in this case is also relatively simple. First you need to prepare the surface accordingly. It is cleaned and leveled. Next, a waterproofing layer is laid out on the floor, a damper tape is installed around the perimeter of the room.
Do-it-yourself water-heated floor without screeds with the help of rails is mounted mainly on a wooden base. It can be solid flooring or logs. Before starting their installation, you need to develop a plan in accordance with which the layout of the pipes will be made.
Mounting the floor on wooden battens
In accordance with the created plan, slats are cut out and laid on the floor surface. They are fixed with screws. The layout of the pipe is performed across the boards of the support of the wooden base or log.
To mount a water heated floor without a concrete screed, you will need to mark the pipes on a wooden base in accordance with the plan. They can be mounted in the form of a "snake" or "snail". The first option is simpler. On both sides, according to the marking, the place for the wire is lined with rails. The gap between them should be about 2 cm.
In places of curvature of the pipe, the strips also need to be rounded. Between the plates lay metal plates. They are fixed on a wooden base with screws. Plates can not be laid out everywhere. The minimum number of them in the room should be 80% of the area. Pipes are inserted into the grooves of the metal plates without fixation.
After that, the heating element is covered with waterproofing around the entire perimeter of the room. Also, the membrane is able to reduce noise when heating pipes. From above, it will also be necessary to lay two layers of GVL sheets. After their installation, you can mount the finish floor.
Modular system
Warm water floor without screed can be installed using a wooden modular flooring. Pipes in this case are laid out in special slots. Grooves are carved in the thickness of square plates. Most often they are made of chipboard.
This mounting option is designed for solid wood bases and logs. Chipboards with slots for pipes are laid out on the surface of the floor and connected using grooves. They are provided in the design of the modules. This kind of base for mounting water pipes is the easiest and fastest to install.
Pipe installation is carried out according to the established technology. First you need to prepare, clean the base. Then they put waterproofing on it. The modules are laid out on top. This method does not require calculation and drawing up a plan. Factory modules already have a groove system for pipes. Wooden boards simply need to be laid out on the floor and connected using the lock provided by the manufacturer.
Next, metal lamellas are laid out on them and pipes are drawn. Two layers of thin sheets of GVL are also laid out on top. After that, the finish coating is performed. For self-assembly, it is necessary to choose exactly modular designs.
User reviews
A warm water floor without a screed, according to reviews, is mounted quickly and without any problems. At the same time, owners of private houses argue that the simplest type of installation is the use of modular wooden or polystyrene plates. Such materials can be purchased at specialized stores.
However, if you want to save money on the family budget, you can choose the rack and pinion method of installing pipes. In this case, you need to have enough free time. This is a more complex and lengthy installation process.
If you carry out all the actions correctly, you can get a quality system. It will be reliable and durable. In this case, space heating will be uniform and less expensive than when using batteries. It is better to entrust the connection of pipes to the boiler to a professional. The safety of the operation of the heating system depends on this.
After considering how to install a warm water floor without screed, you can mount the system yourself.