ᐅ Floor construction without a screed layer directly on the basement ceiling
Created on: 4 Feb 2021 10:08
F
fracoon
Hello everyone,
I have a question regarding our single-family house and hope there are experts who can offer some advice.
We are planning a ceiling heating system.
Reasons:
- Cooling is possible
- The ceiling will be suspended anyway
- No screed needed (more ecological and no drying time)
- More flexibility in choosing the flooring
Is it possible/useful to attach a crisscross battens frame directly onto the concrete basement ceiling and then screw a plank floor directly onto it?
Could insulation made of wood fiber be placed directly into the battens?
Do the battens need to be fastened to the concrete slab? Or do you only screw the second layer of battens onto the first?
I have a question regarding our single-family house and hope there are experts who can offer some advice.
We are planning a ceiling heating system.
Reasons:
- Cooling is possible
- The ceiling will be suspended anyway
- No screed needed (more ecological and no drying time)
- More flexibility in choosing the flooring
Is it possible/useful to attach a crisscross battens frame directly onto the concrete basement ceiling and then screw a plank floor directly onto it?
Could insulation made of wood fiber be placed directly into the battens?
Do the battens need to be fastened to the concrete slab? Or do you only screw the second layer of battens onto the first?
P
pagoni20205 Feb 2021 11:20We will build this type of floor construction. Depending on how much insulation you need under the floor (possibly specified by your energy consultant based on your target requirements), this is achievable.
It seems you have a basement underneath, so you might even be able to skip a vapor barrier, although it would be safer to install one.
There are systems, for example from Steico and others, called SteicoFloor, where the joists are not screwed down but rather laid floating and decoupled. The fiber insulation boards rest on the floor, while the wooden joists are positioned a few millimeters above. On top of that, you can install almost any kind of flooring, including screwing down planks, which is what we will do.
If you want or need to use different insulation, I was recommended a method that I find sensible: after the vapor barrier, first lay a layer of polystyrene foam, as this compensates well for small stones or cement residues. Then lay the joists floating on top—meaning a timber beam with insulation boards between them. Because we need to meet a specific insulation class for KfW standards, we will probably go with this approach. Instead of polystyrene, you can also use fiberboard. This also depends on the desired insulation performance.
You can also screw the joists directly to the subfloor; in this case, make sure they are firmly screwed down permanently, as otherwise over the years they might creak occasionally. The joists can be decoupled using a layer of felt or similar material.
I used a similar approach in my old house, and it worked well. However, this time we will probably use the floating solution described above.
We will not use a screed. The discussion about that is unnecessary; for a plank floor, a screed is not required and can even be counterproductive.
It seems you have a basement underneath, so you might even be able to skip a vapor barrier, although it would be safer to install one.
There are systems, for example from Steico and others, called SteicoFloor, where the joists are not screwed down but rather laid floating and decoupled. The fiber insulation boards rest on the floor, while the wooden joists are positioned a few millimeters above. On top of that, you can install almost any kind of flooring, including screwing down planks, which is what we will do.
If you want or need to use different insulation, I was recommended a method that I find sensible: after the vapor barrier, first lay a layer of polystyrene foam, as this compensates well for small stones or cement residues. Then lay the joists floating on top—meaning a timber beam with insulation boards between them. Because we need to meet a specific insulation class for KfW standards, we will probably go with this approach. Instead of polystyrene, you can also use fiberboard. This also depends on the desired insulation performance.
You can also screw the joists directly to the subfloor; in this case, make sure they are firmly screwed down permanently, as otherwise over the years they might creak occasionally. The joists can be decoupled using a layer of felt or similar material.
I used a similar approach in my old house, and it worked well. However, this time we will probably use the floating solution described above.
We will not use a screed. The discussion about that is unnecessary; for a plank floor, a screed is not required and can even be counterproductive.
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