Schluter Technical Manager Ian Knifton looks at how an underfloor heating system actually protects tiles from damage.

Schluter-Systems Ltd. was recently called to trouble-shoot at a large apartment block where the screed was poured with underfloor heating incorporated, and within a month of the heating being switched on the screed was cracking badly.  And that’s before the tiles had even been laid!

We constantly receive enquiries from tilers who are wary of fixing over conventional heated screeds because of problems they’ve experienced in the past with tiles cracking, buckling and debonding caused by the screed and ceramics expanding and contracting at different rates, due to their different heat expansion coefficients during temperature changes.

Another disadvantage associated with conventional systems is that the relatively large screed mass requires a great amount of heating energy, making them slow to respond to temperature changes.

Both these problems -- damaged tiles and poor energy efficiency -- can now be avoided through the philosophy of seeing an underfloor heating system as a single assembly in which modular components, planning, and construction must fit together as a whole.

Tilers who are doing this are making more money by being able to take design responsibility for the whole underfloor heating assembly, managing the screeder and plumber.  They’re also able to offer customers another unique selling point, in that they can guarantee the entire assembly.