Today, few people are surprised at the warm floor in the apartment. It's nice to come to visit after a walk along a cold street and warm yourself right away. But when the owners of apartments themselves begin to think about installing a warm floor, then a lot of questions immediately arise, some of which concern the substrate in such a system.
The underfloor heating itself is a heating system that heats the air at the bottom of the room. For its normal functioning, it is necessary to correctly install and select a suitable substrate.
Types of underfloor heating
1. Water. Their design is a pipe with hot water, laid in the screed floor. Heating is carried out by feeding from the heating system of the house.
The advantage of such a floor can be considered that it does not spend electricity, and the disadvantage is a decrease in pressure in the pipes of the entire entrance. Some utilities prohibit the installation of such floors. This option is more suitable for private homes, where the water is heated in an individual boiler room.
2. Electric. This species is divided into three groups:
- film;
- cable;
- electric flooring on mats.
Film coatings are considered the most advanced today. They can be mounted on almost any surface, and also serve as the basis for tile, laminate and linoleum. Another name for film floors is infrared. A room with such a base is heated by reflecting radiation from all objects. The film construction can only be mounted in open areas of the room.
The cable floor provides space heating by converting electrical energy into heat. The design of such a base fits directly into the screed. Cable flooring consumes more electricity than film.
The warm floor on the mats can be mounted already on the finished screed, this is its main difference from the previous type. Most often, this design is mounted under the tile. This is because the mats are quite high, and the laminate or linoleum on them will bend. Before laying the tiles on spread mats, special glue is distributed and the finish coating is mounted.
Underfloor Functions
1. Heat insulating. The underfloor underlay redirects radiation from the pipes, due to this, maximum efficiency is achieved in heating the room.
2. Soundproof. Mounting the backing helps suppress extraneous noise.
3. Facilitate the installation of the finish coating and give additional rigidity to the floor.
4. Hydro and vapor barrier in water floors.
5. Leveling. The underfloor underlay is able to hide small flaws in the surface.
Types of underfloor heating substrates
For the installation of underfloor heating, several types of substrates have been developed. Depending on the heating method, it is better to use different materials. For example, for floors with the conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy, only fire-resistant substrates should be used, and for water - moisture-resistant substrates. Before you find out which substrate under a warm floor is better, you need to get acquainted with all its varieties.
Foam foam backing
The underfloor underlay obtained by foaming polyethylene with hydrocarbons is perfect for it. Many owners choose it because of the low price.
The main positive properties of the foamed polyethylene foam substrate are its excellent antistatic performance and moisture resistance. It also has good soundproofing properties.
The service life of foamed polyethylene foam is quite long, so you can be sure that such a floor will not need repair soon. Thanks to this substrate, efficient and high-quality heat transfer to the room is ensured. In stores, an unusual foamed under-floor substrate can be found, the foil surface of which helps to reflect even more heat.
The scope of foamed polyethylene foam is quite wide, it can even be used as a substrate for warm water floors. The disadvantage of this material is the inability to tolerate high temperatures for a long time. Therefore, for example, a water floor can only be used for a limited amount of time. This drawback forces buyers to pay attention to other types of substrates.
Features of mounting a substrate of foamed polyethylene foam
The material is available in the form of rolls. It can be easily cut into several parts of the desired length and width. The individual elements are connected together by construction tape, while they should be located only butt.
Extruded polystyrene backing
Such a substrate is characterized by high compressive strength. Heat losses during its use will be very small, since there are pores in the structure of the material. The moisture absorption indicator is optimal for her, this eliminates the risk of condensation.
Features of the installation of extruded polystyrene foam
The material is available in the form of standard sheets and rolls of different thicknesses. The special qualities of extruded polystyrene foam allow it to be laid on any base coat without the use of special fasteners and adhesives. Additional waterproofing of the floor can be performed when gluing joints with a special metallized adhesive tape. The embossed substrate is laid down with the tabs down.
Precision in sheet sizes allows you to calculate the required amount of material, which reduces costs. To achieve the best result, it is necessary to entrust the installation of the coating to professionals or independently study all the details of the work.
Cork backing
Such material is chosen by lovers of all natural. Cork underfloor heating is obtained by pressing wood particles glued with suberin. As a result, at the output, the material is able to tolerate temperature jumps and the release of various vapors.
Cork is most often used as a substrate for warm water floors. The high price justifies the excellent cork performance.
Features of mounting a cork substrate
The material is available in the form of rolls. The thickness of the substrate may be different. During installation, you need to use only high-quality tools that will not provoke crumbling and deformation of the sheets.
Optimal flooring substrate
The most suitable substrate for a warm water floor should be an excellent waterproofing material. In this case, it will protect the floor in the event of an accident. Effectively distribute heat will help the reflective surface.
Thus, the foil under-floor heating substrate is the best option for water-type heating.
Optimum underlay for electric floors
The substrate for the film underfloor heating is mounted under the coating tape. The main properties that it should possess are thermally insulating and heat-reflecting characteristics. Cork meets these requirements.
The best option for a substrate for cable underfloor heating can be called a combination of several materials, in which a metallized layer must be present. It should be borne in mind that when the correct substrate for the underfloor heating is made, the laminate is laid easier and does not undergo deformations longer.
Thus, a universal substrate for a warm floor can be considered foil composite material.