Different floor construction options
These floor construction diagrams show the materials required for the most common UFH installations.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat have worked to continuously improved the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
Over the last three decades Heat Mat has worked to continuously improve the design of their cables and mats to ensure their safety and longevity. This unique combination of technologies means you get a safe and fast to install system without sacrificing quality. Only Heat Mat’s systems include this combination of technologies.
TEST For polished and painted concrete floors of at least 55mm thickness we recommend using our in-screed heating cables by embedding them directly into the concrete. This is a low cost option and adds nothing to the build height whilst providing a very stable temperature.
If the concrete layer is thinner than 55mm and suitable for use with underfloor heating then standard heating mats can be used and covered with the concrete. If it is not suitable to have underfloor heating encased within it, we recommend using our standard heating mats, covered with 12mm of levelling compound and then installing the concrete floor on top of the levelling compound.
Please note that in all cases undertile heating cable can be used instead of heating mats and thermal underfloor insulation installed beneath the heating system will speed up its warm up time and reduce running costs.
With laminate floors it is vital to spread the heat evenly beneath the flooring to avoid discolouration or movement in the floor. For residential properties we recommend installing our 6mm Decora insulation layer onto the floor to prevent downward heat loss and then installing our Underlaminate System heating mats on top. These mats have an output of 150W/sqm and due to their dual-conductor design are fast to install. They are fully earthed for safety unlike a carbon film heating system.
The benefits of this system are a rapid reaction time, a low build height and no ‘wet trade’ (such as levelling compounds) is required during the installation. For very high traffic areas and commercial premises, we would recommend installing a heating system beneath a levelling compound or screed (as with vinyl and Karndean flooring) – better suited to heavy traffic. It is important not to trap the heat beneath the laminate so any layer of acoustic insulation placed above the heating system must be able to cope with the heat produced by the mats and also let the heat transfer through to the laminate floor.
Bonded wooden and engineered board floors can be laid onto floor bases that have been prepared in the same way as for vinyl and Karndean flooring Always check the wood or engineered board you choose is suitable for use with underfloor heating. If battens are being used to bond them to the floor surface of screed or levelling compound first attach the flooring above. Please note – the higher the battens, the longer it will take for heat to rise through the boards due to heating the air in the gap beneath the floor first.
An alternative method of installation (between battens that are at least 500mm apart) is laying a heating mat between the battens, covering this with 12mm of levelling compound, and then fixing the flooring to the battens above. In all cases, the maximum output of the heating system is 160W/m².
Beneath tile and stone floors we recommend installing our standard heating mat or heating cable. If the floor base is concrete the system can be laid directly onto the floor and skimmed with tile adhesive or covered with a latex screed. The tiles or stone can then be laid directly on top. This method ensures the heating system will have a fast heating up time and maintains a low build height.
For the fastest possible heating up time you should install our 240W/sqm heating mats and use thermal underfloor heating insulation boards beneath the heating system.
If you are laying a screed you can use an in-screed heating cable with a maximum output of 240W/sqm, which provides a very stable temperature and is the most cost-effective option.
There are two options for safely heating vinyl or Karndean floors and these both involve covering the heating element with screed or levelling compound to help spread the heat evenly across the floor.
If you are laying a screed then you can use an in-screed heating cable with a maximum output of 160W/sqm, which provides a very stable temperature, and is the most cost effective method of installing underfloor heating.
If you are not laying a screed then we recommend laying our 160W/sqm heating mats and covering these with at least 12mm of flexible self-levelling compound to help spread the heat. This installation method ensures a low build height and provides a fast-reacting system.
There are two options for safely heating carpeted floors, one is with a 12mm layer of levelling compound over a 160W/m² heating mat and the other option is our combymat system combined with overlay boards (see picture).
Be aware that the underlay should have a Tog rating no higher than 0.8 Tog, and combined with the carpet no higher than 1.8 Tog. Most hessian-backed carpets have a Tog rating below this. Thermal underfloor insulation boards installed beneath the heating system will increase the heating up time and reduce running costs. Our combymat system must be used with our 6mm Decora insulation layer.