Month: August 2021

When laying the final flooring in a new build project it may seem a little trite to say that it needs to be as level and flat as it can possibly be, yet that is always the case. While there is no legal requirement to lay a screed on the substrate before fitting the final flooring, it is the way to go, whether or not you are installing underfloor heating.

If you are considering installing underfloor heating in Gloucestershire, you have two choices – either electric or water-based underfloor heating. An electric system uses either heating cables or a heating mat which has cables running through it and a water-based system uses heating pipes through which hot water is pumped which have been heated by a heat source such as your boiler.

Liquid screeds have grown in popularity considerably over the last 20 years because of the distinct advantages that they have over and above the traditional sand and cement screeds. They are very easy to lay, simply being pumped into position with a long hose, and they can be laid far faster than sand and cement which is trowelled into position by hand.

If you are going to lay a liquid screed in a new building, there are certain conditions that have to be met before doing so. Before commencing, the windows and doors must have been fitted, as must the roof, because there must not be any chance of rain or water entering the building. If the external windows and doors have not yet been fitted, the gaps will need to be covered with heavy polythene. The floor surface also needs to be clean and dust-free.

One of the most important qualities of a floor screed is surface regularity. This is often referred to as the measure of “waviness” of the surface. This is measured by placing a straightedge on the surface of the screed and using a slip gauge underneath to measure any gaps. The results are known as SR1, SR2, and SR3.

Liquid floor screeds have become more and more popular over the last 15 – 20 years as a flooring material, and there are many questions that have been asked about liquid screed for flooring, and especially in connection with underfloor heating systems. If you are considering flooring for a home or commercial project, then liquid screed is a highly versatile material. It also has a number of very important benefits when used in conjunction with underfloor heating, not the least of which is that it provides 100% thermal efficiency for the heating as the heat cannot get trapped in air pockets and the fact that the thermal conductivity is nearly double that of a standard traditional sand and cement screed.

If you are considering installing underfloor heating in our home, whether it is a new build or a retrofit, the good news is that you can use pretty much any type of floor finish that you wish. Wood, carpet, vinyl, tile, stone, laminate, even concrete if you wish. However, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration, and these will vary according to the type of flooring finish that you want.