Types Of Floor Construction
So what is best concrete or wood floor construction? Undoubtedly concrete or some sort of screed, as this acts as a thermal mass or a thermal storage battery which stores and evenly emits heat through a slab and to the room. The thickness of the screed is based on various factors, type of screed, what is the purpose of the building and what weight will be on the floor. Many contractors will simply put down 75-100mm of concrete, however thin slabs heat up fast but cool quick, where thicker slabs take longer to heat up but hold energy longer and can create a more stable room temperature. We at Gondwana Green Heat often use underfloor heating as a heat bank in thicker slabs, especially when creating a solar house where we store large volumes of water heated by the sun (large seasonal hot water storage systems). We use underfloor heating to stop tanks getting to warm, we dump heat into slabs or concrete solar holes which will give out heat over the next 6 months, this creates a very stable inside temperature due to the thermal mass. Currently to our knowledge we are the only ones doing this, if you are interested in a solar house, i would recommend getting in touch very early in the planning stages of your project.
Now pictures of floor construction, there are 3 main types.
1. Concrete floor.
- a. Conventional floor build up is DPC, insulation, concrete, tile or polished concrete etc.
or
- b. Structural concrete slab, DPC, insulation, concrete, tile or polished concrete etc.
The advantage of (a) is one concrete slab, however this build up is not always suitable in all circumstances.
2. Underfloor heating put between timber joists hung in aluminium trays to help dissipate heat evenly through the wooden deck, this type of build up can be used in most properties. It can also be used in new and retrofit situations.
3. Underfloor heating laid out on top of a existing floor, this is mainly used in refurbishment / retrofit applications. This option means that the original floor can stay as is, however door height may have to be changed, we do this option in 2 thicknesses and 2 ways.
- a. Pre formed insulation is laid on existing floor ( concrete or timber) with a deck laid on top (effectively a floating floor).
- b. Battens are fixed to the floor, pipes are run in between and a thin screed is spread in between.
As well as underfloor heating we also do manifold radiator connections for people who like tidy, simple to install and use plumbing systems, we can also supply a host of standard and fan assisted radiators for commercial and domestic customers. Should you have any questions regarding our services please feel free to get in touch.
