Hello everyone,
During the renovation of a wooden house, we are now also facing the question of the floor system.
So far, a dry screed with parquet and carpet was installed, which has all been removed, and the raw concrete ceiling remains.
The raw room height is 255cm (100 inches).
The ceiling will be slightly lowered (3cm / 1 inch), so every centimeter saved in floor height is very valuable, especially since we have a rather large combined living-dining area of 60sqm (645 sqft).
For the flooring in a "real" wooden house, solid wood planks (oak) are the only option for us.
Underfloor heating will be installed throughout the house.
Now the question arises:
Dry system or screed (floating screed with pourable compound).
Dry system:
Heating panels placed between the planks, which are screwed onto battens and then fully rest on the heating panels.
Advantages:
- No moisture introduced into the wooden house
- No adhesive needed for planks, screwed planks, a well-established method
- Fast heating response (in combination with a wood stove in the living area)
- Low build-up height (4cm / 1.6 inches including flooring)
- No drying time
Disadvantages:
- No thermal mass
- Expensive
Screed system:
Heating installed as a clip-on pipe system with special screed (total 4-5cm / 1.6-2 inches screed including heating), planks then glued.
Advantages:
- Thermal mass for heating
- Possibly better walking feel of glued floor (?)
- Cost-effective
Disadvantages:
- A lot of moisture introduced into the house
- Drying time required
- Planks must be glued (solvents, thin screed with glued planks can reportedly cause issues according to manufacturer)
- Build-up height including flooring 6-7cm (2.4-2.8 inches)
Depending on the additional cost, I tend to prefer the dry system. Have I overlooked anything in the pros/cons?
Regards,
Harv
During the renovation of a wooden house, we are now also facing the question of the floor system.
So far, a dry screed with parquet and carpet was installed, which has all been removed, and the raw concrete ceiling remains.
The raw room height is 255cm (100 inches).
The ceiling will be slightly lowered (3cm / 1 inch), so every centimeter saved in floor height is very valuable, especially since we have a rather large combined living-dining area of 60sqm (645 sqft).
For the flooring in a "real" wooden house, solid wood planks (oak) are the only option for us.
Underfloor heating will be installed throughout the house.
Now the question arises:
Dry system or screed (floating screed with pourable compound).
Dry system:
Heating panels placed between the planks, which are screwed onto battens and then fully rest on the heating panels.
Advantages:
- No moisture introduced into the wooden house
- No adhesive needed for planks, screwed planks, a well-established method
- Fast heating response (in combination with a wood stove in the living area)
- Low build-up height (4cm / 1.6 inches including flooring)
- No drying time
Disadvantages:
- No thermal mass
- Expensive
Screed system:
Heating installed as a clip-on pipe system with special screed (total 4-5cm / 1.6-2 inches screed including heating), planks then glued.
Advantages:
- Thermal mass for heating
- Possibly better walking feel of glued floor (?)
- Cost-effective
Disadvantages:
- A lot of moisture introduced into the house
- Drying time required
- Planks must be glued (solvents, thin screed with glued planks can reportedly cause issues according to manufacturer)
- Build-up height including flooring 6-7cm (2.4-2.8 inches)
Depending on the additional cost, I tend to prefer the dry system. Have I overlooked anything in the pros/cons?
Regards,
Harv
Hello "Harv".
Yes, you have overlooked quite a few things.
Underfloor heating and solid hardwood planks do not go well together.
The parquet boards will dry out under the influence of the underfloor heating, they cannot sufficiently reabsorb moisture during the nighttime setback, and will deform and crack due to drying.
With a nailed installation over joists, this combination is hardly feasible anyway, as the significant heat losses between the heating elements and the boards must also be taken into account.
In principle, you are right that in a timber-framed building, as little additional water as possible (e.g., from wet screeds) should be introduced.
This statement is very important!
Therefore, I would actually recommend using prefabricated screed panels.
There are systems with pre-milled grooves on the surface into which the heating elements are laid.
A mineral-based leveling compound specific to the system, with a covering thickness of about 6mm (¼ inch), then creates the finished installation surface.
However, no manufacturer of dry construction systems (these are the prefabricated screed panels) known to me approves them for installing large-format tiles or solid wood planks.
For this reason, you should revise your plans and reconsider using solid hardwood planks.
Best regards, KlaRa
Yes, you have overlooked quite a few things.
Underfloor heating and solid hardwood planks do not go well together.
The parquet boards will dry out under the influence of the underfloor heating, they cannot sufficiently reabsorb moisture during the nighttime setback, and will deform and crack due to drying.
With a nailed installation over joists, this combination is hardly feasible anyway, as the significant heat losses between the heating elements and the boards must also be taken into account.
In principle, you are right that in a timber-framed building, as little additional water as possible (e.g., from wet screeds) should be introduced.
This statement is very important!
Therefore, I would actually recommend using prefabricated screed panels.
There are systems with pre-milled grooves on the surface into which the heating elements are laid.
A mineral-based leveling compound specific to the system, with a covering thickness of about 6mm (¼ inch), then creates the finished installation surface.
However, no manufacturer of dry construction systems (these are the prefabricated screed panels) known to me approves them for installing large-format tiles or solid wood planks.
For this reason, you should revise your plans and reconsider using solid hardwood planks.
Best regards, KlaRa
Hello KlaRa,
your statement surprises me quite a bit since I have received the suggested construction from both the flooring manufacturer and the underfloor heating manufacturer. Online, you can find such a structure, or something similar, for example with Ripal and Havelland floorboards.
Floorboards have actually been installed over underfloor heating for quite some time now.
your statement surprises me quite a bit since I have received the suggested construction from both the flooring manufacturer and the underfloor heating manufacturer. Online, you can find such a structure, or something similar, for example with Ripal and Havelland floorboards.
Floorboards have actually been installed over underfloor heating for quite some time now.
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