Substrate under the warm floor: how to choose? Substrate under the warm floor foil

Today, few people are surprised at the warm floor in the apartment. It's nice after a walk along the cold street to come to visit and immediately get warm. But when the owners of apartments themselves begin to think about installing a warm floor, then immediately there is a lot of questions, some of which are related to the substrate in such a system.

The warm floor itself is a heating system that heats the air at the bottom of the room. For its normal functioning, it is necessary to properly mount and select a suitable substrate.

Kinds of warm floors

1. Water. Their design is a pipe with hot water, laid in the floor screed. Heating is provided by feeding from the heating system of the house.

The advantage of such a floor can be considered that it does not waste electricity, and the disadvantage is a decrease in pressure in the pipes of the entire entrance. Some public service workers prohibit the installation of such floors. This option is more suitable for private houses, where water is heated in an individual boiler room.

2. Electrical. This species is divided into three groups:

- film;

- cable;

- electric floors on mats.

Film coatings are considered today the most perfect. They can be mounted on almost any surface, also serve as a base for tiles, laminate and linoleum. Another name for film floors is infrared. Heating of the room with such a base is carried out by reflecting the radiation from all objects. The film structure can be mounted only in the open places of the room.

The cable floor is used to heat the room by converting electrical energy into heat. The construction of such a foundation fits directly into the screed. The cable floor consumes more power than the film floor.

The warm floor on mats can be mounted already on the finished screed, in this its main difference from the previous view. Most often this construction 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, special glue is spread on the spread mats and the finishing coat is mounted.

Underfloor heating function

1. Thermal insulation. Substrate under the warm floor redirects the radiation from the pipes, thereby achieving maximum efficiency in heating the room.

2. Soundproof. The mounting of the substrate helps to suppress extraneous noise.

3. Facilitating the installation of the finish coat and giving extra rigidity to the floor.

4. Hydro and steam insulation in water floors.

5. Leveling. The substrate under the warm floor is able to hide small flaws in the surface.

Types of substrates under the warm floor

For the installation of warm floors, several types of substrates have been developed. Depending on the heating method, it is better to use different materials. For example, for floors with conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy, only fire resistant substrates should be used, and for water ones - moisture resistant ones. Before you figure out which substrate under the warm floor is best, you need to get acquainted with all of its varieties.

Substrate of foam expanded polyethylene

The substrate under the warm floor, obtained by foaming polyethylene with hydrocarbons, is perfectly suitable for it. Many owners choose it because of the low price.

The main positive properties of foamed polyethylene foam are excellent antistatic properties and resistance to moisture. It also has good sound insulation properties.

The service life of foamed polyethylene foam is long enough, so you can be sure that repairs to such a floor will not take long. Thanks to such a substrate, efficient and quality heat transfer to the room is ensured. In stores, there can be an unusual foamed substrate under the warm floor, the foil surface of which helps to reflect even more heat.

The field of application of foamed polyethylene foam is wide enough, it can be used even as a substrate for warm water floors. The disadvantage of this material is the inability to withstand the effects of high temperatures for a long time. Therefore, for example, the 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 installation of a substrate made of expanded foam

The material is available in the form of rolls. It can easily be cut into several parts of the desired length and width. Individual elements are joined together by a building tape, and they should be located only in butt.

Substrate of extruded polystyrene foam

Such a substrate has a high compressive strength. Heat loss during its use will be very small, since there are pores in the structure of the material. The moisture absorption index is optimal, it eliminates the risk of condensation.

Features of installation of extruded polystyrene foam

The material is produced in the form of standard sheets and rolls of different thicknesses. 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 by gluing the joints with a special metallized tape. The relief substrate is laid with projections downwards.

Accuracy in the size of the sheets allows you to calculate the required amount of material, which reduces costs. To achieve the best result, you must entrust the installation of the coating to professionals or independently examine all the details of the work.

Substrate of cork materials

Such material is chosen by lovers of everything natural. The cork substrate under the warm floor is obtained by pressing the wood particles adhered by the suberin. As a result, at the outlet, the material is capable of transferring temperature jumps and release of various vapors.

Cork is most often used as a substrate for warm water floors. The high price justifies the excellent performance of the cork.

Cork mounting features

The material is available in the form of rolls. The thickness of the substrate can be different. During installation, use only high-quality tools that will not cause crumbling and deformation of the sheets.

Optimal substrate for the water floor

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. The reflective surface will effectively distribute heat.

Thus, the substrate under the warm floor foil is the best option for water heating type.

Optimum substrate for electric floors

The substrate under the film warm floor is mounted under the coating tape. The main properties that it must possess are thermo-insulating and heat-reflecting characteristics. A cork corresponds to these requirements.

The best variant of the substrate for cable floor heating can be called a combination of several materials, in which a metallized interlayer must be present. It should be taken into account that when the correct substrate under the warm floor is made, the laminate is laid down easier and does not undergo deformations for longer.

Thus, a multi-purpose substrate for a warm floor can be considered a foamed combined material.