A Complete Checklist: Preparing Your Subfloor for Water Underfloor Heating

How to Prepare the Subfloor for Water Underfloor Heating System

Underfloor heating has many advantages, which is why it is increasingly chosen as the primary heating system for apartments, single-family homes, as well as large facilities such as sports halls and public buildings.

The underfloor heating system has several benefits:

• Improves living comfort,
• Provides functionality and better utility of the rooms,
• Enhances heating efficiency as the entire floor becomes a radiator,
• Provides a better distribution of temperature in the room,
• Allows for significant savings on heating during the autumn-winter season.

However, to enjoy an efficient underfloor heating system, certain principles must be followed already at the stage of its design and installation.

Preparing the Substrate for Underfloor Heating

For underfloor heating to work correctly, proper preparation of the substrate on which the underfloor installation will be laid is crucial. Its execution depends on several factors:

• its type,
• the choice of underfloor heating technology,
• as well as the method of its installation.

Certainly, it must be clean, dry, hard, free from cracks, leveled, and strong. At the preparation stage, it should be cleaned of dust, dirt, remnants of plaster, mortar, small stones, and any other impurities. Any irregularities should be smoothed out, and cracks filled. In the case of irregularities larger than 2-3 mm, they should be leveled using appropriate self-leveling compounds or leveling boards. Immediately before laying the underfloor heating, the prepared substrate should be thoroughly dried and degreased.

Water Underfloor Heating Systems Archives – The Underfloor Heating Expert

Subfloor Protection Before Underfloor Heating Installation

Another equally important element is moisture insulation, usually in the form of foil, and thermal insulation. It will protect the system from unwanted heat loss to the substrate and ensure the proper circulation and direction of heated air. Only on such prepared substrate can underfloor heating be laid.

Preparing a good substrate that meets the requirements for underfloor heating can be challenging for beginners. Therefore, it is worth considering delegating this task to professionals. They will help choose the appropriate heating solutions and then install the underfloor heating system in accordance with the principles of construction art and technology.