Help....No room for insulation board

[Troy Judd]

Hi all.

Our kitchen is to be tiled (concrete floor) and we want to fit electric underfloor heating. The problem is there is not enough room for the increased floor height for insulation board (only have about 13-15mm, and tiles will be porcelain so about 9-10mm).

Is there anythign we can do regading insulating the floor without using boards? I've read about some insulation paints, but do these really work...What are our options.

Thanks

 

[Gazzer]

I have seen these paint on insulators but as yet I have seen no proof they work.

 

[Rich]

I have not heard good or bad things about these. Is it not possible to hide the height difference going into other rooms with a different thresh hold?

 

[Troy Judd]

I have not heard good or bad things about these. Is it not possible to hide the height difference going into other rooms with a different thresh hold?

Unfortunately not, the problem is with an external door where the bottom of the door is no more than 15mm off the floor.

 

[trevortine]

Is it not possible at all to raise the height of door?

 

[Mike Mike]

Unfortunately not, the problem is with an external door where the bottom of the door is no more than 15mm off the floor.

I assume it is an aluminium or UPVc door then and can't be trimmed? I don't like the sound of insulating paint and then tiling directly onto paint???

Could you try the following?

- Do without any insulation under the wires
- Use a pourable adhesive to cover the wires and tile directly over them.
- Create a gradual, unnoticeable fall towards the back door and have no UFH within say 1 ½ metres of the door so you can get the tiles nice and tight to the screed in the area that the door needs to open.

You can also try and find some thinner tiles. I just put down some 300 x 300 porcelain and they are 6mm thick.

 

[Troy Judd]

I assume it is an aluminium or UPVc door then and can't be trimmed?

Correct

I don't like the sound of insulating paint and then tiling directly onto paint???

yeah, me neither

Could you try the following?

- Do without any insulation under the wires
- Use a pourable adhesive to cover the wires and tile directly over them.
- Create a gradual, unnoticeable fall towards the back door and have no UFH within say 1 ½ metres of the door so you can get the tiles nice and tight to the screed in the area that the door needs to open.

You can also try and find some thinner tiles. I just put down some 300 x 300 porcelain and they are 6mm thick.

Now thats an idea..... Who does 6mm 300x300 tiles (all the ones I've seen have been much thicker).... With 6mm, I could probably get away with 4mm backer board...much better idea

 

[Mike Mike]

Correct

Now thats an idea..... Who does 6mm 300x300 tiles (all the ones I've seen have been much thicker).... With 6mm, I could probably get away with 4mm backer board...much better idea

Your first post said "only have about 13-15mm". If that's the case I think you need to forget about insulation boards. Even a 4mm board needs to be fixed down with tile adhesive + spankers, so the likely height overall will be 6mm. The UFH has a height, the adhesive will have a height of at least 4 but maybe 6mm, and then there are the tiles themselves. Even with 6mm tiles I reckon you'd be at around 16mm if you use that board. If you didn't have UFH by the door and tried to drop down a couple of mm then you'd be at 14mm. That's either 1mm too high, or gives 1mm clearance, but you won't know until you actually do it and see if the door still opens....

The tiles I laid were from a Danish retailer called Jem & Fix. jem & fix reklamtidning - vecka 13 Page 13, tiles are called "klinker Etna" (they are black/very dark grey in real life, so may look different in different photos if you see them somewhere else).

Sorry, don't know which U.K. shops would have similar??

 

[Ajax123]

Cant think of a way this can be done given the zone available. Given that in all honesty the concrete will suck so much heat without the insulation boards that i thinki would not bother with it. My guess is you wil try it and like it once it heats up but will switch it off forever once you see you electricity bill.

 

[Olz]

I second that, as much as I try to give people what they want when I qoute, sometimes things just arent possible given the parameters you need to work within.

Had the same problem in my current house, double patio doors meant no room for insulation board over the conrete floor, the missus wanted her feet to stay warm when she walked on the tiles floor, the soloution.... a big rug.

 

[Ajax123]

Could always get some microwaveable slippers

 

[Troy Judd]

Ok...thanks everyone....

Just had a proper look (and measure) and actually have about 22to24mm (not sure where I got 13-15mm from) between floor and door, I'm thinking it will probably be ok (tight, but ok)

 

[Mike Mike]

Ok...thanks everyone....

Just had a proper look (and measure) and actually have about 22to24mm (not sure where I got 13-15mm from) between floor and door, I'm thinking it will probably be ok (tight, but ok)

LOL :lol:

 

[Uheat - Keith]

We also have a 200w/m2 mat system in many sizes that is for use in a Conservatory, but we are found many people take this system for their Kitchen to make up for the loss on floor area not used under the Kitchen units.
Running costs are the same.
Say you program your thermostat for a room temp of 22 deg C, the 200w/m2 will use more electic, but get to 22 deg quicker, and so switch off sooner.
Our Factory tested the 'paints' for over a year and found there to be no measurable difference.