Underfloor and wood floor,same old same old

GilltownJoe

hi,

Just wondering what latest thinking is on underfloor and wood. I know it's not ideal but needs must.

Underlay and floating or glues down?

Other threads seem bit old

bellucio

GilltownJoe wrote: »

hi,

Just wondering what latest thinking is on underfloor and wood. I know it's not ideal but needs must.

Underlay and floating or glues down?

Other threads seem bit old

Can I ask a stupid question ????
Why are wooden floors not ideal with UFH ?

DOCARCH

GilltownJoe wrote: »

Underlay and floating or glues down?

Glue down best.

There is 'special' underlay out there for timber flooring and under floor heating, but, it's not as good as gluing down (adding another layer simply reduces the amount of heat reaching the surface).

GilltownJoe

Bellucio,
Wood is not a very good conductor, i.e. it does not allow heat pass through it easily. Therefore it slows down the flow of heat from the floor to the room. It does not stop the flow, just slows it down.

Docarch,
I was thinking the same about the glue but then realised the glue layer is approx. 5mm thick. If you have a concrete slab that is rough the glue is ideal for filling the gaps between the floor and slab as the gap wont be uniform.

But, if you have a poured liquid screed which is dead flat, a 2mm underlay would be thinner than the glue and also would have complete contact with floor and board, no?

DOCARCH

Not sure why you think the glue layer might be 5mm thick? The glue should be only 1 to 2mm max.

If you have under floor heating and a rough concrete screed over, it's not ideal (for any finish). Either the screed/slab should have been power floated, or as you suggest, there should a liquid screed used (to get a smooth/good finish for finishes).

GilltownJoe

Was reading on the website of the glue manufacturer and they insist on an 8mm notched trowel be used to apply glue so i guessed you would end up with 4mm thick layer.

A 1-2mm layer sounds much better but i still wonder if the self adhesive underlay would perform just as well.

The other factor is that the glue would require a thicker board, i.e. 14+ mm, whilst the underlay can be used with a laminate, i.e. 4-6mm thick.

I have searched loads of websites and cant find any definitive information.

bellucio

GilltownJoe wrote: »

Bellucio,
Wood is not a very good conductor, i.e. it does not allow heat pass through it easily. Therefore it slows down the flow of heat from the floor to the room. It does not stop the flow, just slows it down.

So what is best, tiles ?? Presume carpet would be even worse ?