Polished concrete floors
Polished screed floors offer a resilient and luxurious floor finish for contemporary living.
Benefits of polished screed floors
Once primarily used in a purely industrial setting, polished concrete is now an increasingly popular flooring choice for home renovations and new-build projects across the world. Polished screed flooring is hard-wearing and easy to clean whilst adding a sense of modernity and luxury to a space.
Due to their high thermal-mass, concrete floors are ideal to be heated by a floor heating system. Concrete provides quick heat-up times and retains heat well, even storing the warmth produced by solar gain, making a heated polished screed floor a great option to improve the comfort and warmth of a home.
Types of polished screed floor finishes
Concrete is a versatile material that can be installed as flooring in a variety of ways.
Polished screed pour
The most common form of concrete flooring, a deep layer of concrete is poured into position before being polished after curing.
Polished concrete screed
A shallow layer of self-levelling liquid screed is applied to an existing subfloor, then polished once dry.
Polished screed overlay
In some cases, a very thin layer of polished concrete overlay is installed over existing damaged concrete floors.
Best floor heating systems for polished screed flooring
The heat-retention properties of polished screed make it an ideal floor finish for heating with a radiant floor heating solution.
Electric floor heating solutions
If installing a polished screed floor as part of a new-build project, our WIS heating cable is an ideal electric floor heating choice. It is installed directly within a 50mm – 100mm layer of concrete and its slower heat-up and cool down times make it perfect for rooms in constant use.
If retrofitting an electric floor heating system onto an existing concrete floor or subfloor, the SPM and PVC heating mats are a suitable system to use as it offers a low-profile installation, having little-to-no impact on floor build-up.
Suitable for any project
Radiantly heated polished screed flooring is suitable for both new-build projects and refurbishments.
New-build projects
Polished screed flooring is often fitted as part of a new-build construction project as its depth can be taken into account during the design stage. There is a selection of electric floor heating systems that can be installed directly within the concrete while installing the floor, for an efficient and hassle-free installation.
Retrofitting with existing concrete floors
Floor heating can be installed with an existing concrete floor or subfloor. If a polished screed floor already exists, it might be possible to fit a low-profile electric floor heating system before adding a new layer of levelling compound and polished screed overlay. If a renovation project features concrete subfloors and a polished screed floor finish is going to be installed above, there is a variety of floor heating systems suitable for use. Calculation is required as to whether the structure can take the extra weight of polished screed flooring.
Costs of heating polished screed floors
Floor heating is an energy-efficient heating solution that can enable savings on energy bills. The cost of installing a heating system with a polished screed floor is dependent on a few factors including the size of the project, the location, the quality and materials of the subfloors and the structural strength of the project.
Having existing concrete floors polished can cost from as little as 50€ per m², but this will rise substantially if undertaking a new polished screed flooring pour. Installing a floor heating system as part of this process would cost from approximately 100€ per m² for the system with accompanying insulation and a Warmup smart thermostat. Contact us for an accurate, free quote for the project.
Installing radiant heating with polished concrete floors
The installation of heated polished screed floors varies system to system however in this case we will explore installing our WIS heating cable. Always ensure to work with an experienced installer who has installed floor heating in concrete floors before and make sure the project can structurally take the extra load-bearing weight of concrete floors.
It is recommended to install a floor heating system with insulation to reduce heat-loss and enhance the energy-efficiency of the system, so the first step will be to install a layer of Warmup insulation and damp-proof membranes on to the subfloor. The floor heating system can be installed directly onto this insulation material before being tested and then covered in a concrete pour. Do not switch the heating system on while the concrete is curing as this will cause damage. Once fully dried, the concrete can be polished by a specialist tradesperson.
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