Floor Preparation

All floors should be suitably prepared prior to laying the Cablewarm® heating mats:

Concrete sub-floors

If the sub-floor is a new concrete floor it should be allowed to cure naturally – as a guideline you should allow 1 week per 25mm but this is dependant upon weather conditions. If the finished concrete floor is not level then a thin layer of levelling compound should be applied to give a smooth and level surface.

Wooden sub-floors

Timber floors should be clean and level. Where necessary (especially if laying tiles on top of the Cablewarm® underfloor heating), suitable plywood over-boarding should be laid, in line with the Tiling Federation recommendations.

Primer/Sealer

The use of a suitable Primer/Sealer is recommended by adhesive manufacturers on both concrete and wooden sub-floors to seal the porous sub-floor, prior to applying adhesives or levelling compounds.

For more information on the Floor Heating recommended range of sealers, flexible tile adhesives, flexible grouts and flexible levelling compounds: click here.

Installation of Underfloor Heating Thermal Insulation

Where any underfloor heating is installed, heat energy will travel in both directions; down as well as up. Cement floors act as a heat sink absorbing this energy, creating a large drag on the performance of the flooring above. A high quality thermal barrier between the heat source and the sub-floor will significantly improve the performance of your floor heating, speeding up the initial warm up times and saving money on electricity costs - the thicker the insulation the better the results.

Floor Heating Ltd recommend the use of Fastwarm® High Performance Thermal Insulation Boards for more information on Fastwarm® or go the Fastwarm® insulation FAQ page.