Underfloor heating for renovation

Why renovation is a different discipline

In new builds you can plan the floor build-up height. In older houses thresholds, doors, stairs and ceiling load capacity are fixed. Traditional screed is often not feasible due to height or weight constraints. Therefore for renovations we use alternative systems that fit within a few centimetres and can be installed without wet processes.

Four ways to keep the build-up low

• Dry system with a load-spreading board. Polystyrene or wood fibre board with grooves and metal lamellae housing the pipe, topped with a gypsum fibre board. No screed required; ready for foot traffic immediately.
• Grooving channels into existing screed. If the original screed is sound, we groove it and cover the pipes with a thin levelling layer. The lowest possible build-up.
• Thin-layer wet system. Low-profile system boards and self-levelling screed instead of full screeding. Suitable when you have just a few centimetres to spare and require thermal mass.
• Electric heating mats and foils. A few millimetres under tiles or under a floating floor. Ideal for individual rooms.

Wooden ceilings and timber-framed buildings

A joist ceiling cannot support tonnes of screed, and wood does not like moisture. A dry build-up with a distribution board is the natural choice for it: low weight, no water in construction, installation without technological pauses. The pipe runs in lamellae that distribute heat across the surface.

Flat in an older apartment building

In the apartment we address two issues: where to place the manifold and what heat source to use. A water-based underfloor heating system can be connected to a floor boiler or to a heat exchanger from the building's boiler room, while an electric system requires only a socket circuit and protection. Dry systems allow existing threshold and door heights to be preserved.

What we ask during the inspection

• How much height do you have available from the load-bearing layer to the finished floor?
• What is under the existing floor and whether the screed is sound.
• What is the heat source and where will the manifold be installed?
• What type of floor covering do you plan to use, and whether the insulation needs to be replaced.