The device of a warm water floor assumes the use of various specific materials, the main of which are pipes and mats. The latter are a substrate, which is located between the slab and the cement floor screed.
Functions that perform mats under a warm water floor are as follows:
- the creation of a thermo-insulating layer that will direct the heat flow upward. This makes it possible not to waste extra energy on heating the slab, absolutely unnecessary;
- mats for a warm water floor take on a considerable load: the weight of the pipes themselves with the coolant, the concrete screed, the finish coat, plus the weight of people moving on the floor;
- waterproofing - mats create another barrier in the event of possible leaks, which is important if you live in a multi-apartment building;
- they also perform additional soundproofing of the room.
Types of mounting mats for a water-heated floor
There are several types of mats for warm floors. They differ among themselves not only in cost but also in technical parameters: the way of fastening pipes, the material of manufacture, etc. To choose one or another option, you need to proceed from a specific situation:
- Foiled mats are one of the simplest and cheapest varieties. They are made of polyethylene, penofol or other foam polymer. On the one hand, these mats have a layer of foil, which should be placed above, under the pipes. This option is advisable to apply, if your apartment is not on the first floor, the warm floor is not considered as the main source of heating, and the floor base already has a thermal insulation layer in addition to mats. Otherwise, there will inevitably be heat loss, and a heated floor based on foil mats will be ineffective. It should also be borne in mind that for laying pipes over these mats you will have to buy and install the structure in the form of a metal mesh or "comb."
- More practical are flat mats made from EPS (extruded polystyrene). Their advantages are the availability of pipe fittings and the ability to make the floor a primary source of room heating. Of the drawbacks, it should be noted the need to lay under the mats a layer of hydroprotection and independent application of marking lines (many models do not have them). In addition, it is desirable to choose mats with a thickness of at least 40-50 mm and a density of 40 kg / cu. m - then they will reliably withstand the mechanical load from the pipes filled with water.
- Specialists in the laying of warm floors are very grateful to the mats from the EPPS, which have an additional film coating on the bottom, and a marking grid is applied from above. Such mats have an increased density and strength, are very convenient to install. They are rolled into rolls in zigzags, due to which they decompose, turning into a single surface without cracks. Neighboring rows are connected by means of special grooves (slats), and the pipes are fastened by "combs" or staples.
- Among the materials for the device of a warm water floor, the best polystyrene foam mats are considered to be the best. On their surface there are relief protrusions ("bosses"), between which tightly fit pipes. This makes it possible to eliminate the displacement of the pipes when pouring the screed. In addition, profile mats have other
Advantages: excellent noise absorption due to the relief cellular structure, low thermal conductivity of expanded polystyrene, a convenient locking system that allows to assemble mats in a continuous surface without gaps on the joints. Profile mat can be with or without lamination: the first are more reliable in terms of waterproofing.
To domestic firms that have established themselves as producers of quality mats for a warm water floor, include "Foam" and "Energoflex". The best foreign companies that manufacture mats under the water warm floor are Rehau, Ecotherm, Oventrop.