Floor Warming System Provides Sound Control and Thermal Break

Like everyone else, condominium owners want warm floors and quiet spaces. Unfortunately, the concrete construction of these multi-story buildings makes controlling impact sound through floor-ceiling assemblies challenging, particularly with hard surface coverings like tiles. Sound control materials tend to be compressible and not all provide adequate support for the tile covering. DITRA-HEAT-DUO, formerly DITRA-HEAT-TB, reduces sound transmission, in addition to warming the floor and still supporting the covering to ensure a lasting installation.

ASTM E2179 testing shows DITRA-HEAT-DUO produces an increase in impact insulation class (ΔIIC) of 20 to a concrete slab floor. The dual benefits of reducing impact sound transmission and providing faster warm-up times make this membrane an ideal solution for ceramic and stone tile floor installations in multi-story residential construction.

Schluter-DITRA-HEAT-DUO is the first electric floor warming system with an integrated thermal break and sound control to overcome these multiple challenges. The relatively thin thermal break on the underside of the membrane allows the system to warm tiled floors up to 70% faster over concrete substrates by directing heat to the tile, not to the subfloor. The all-in-one system means faster and simpler installation as the membrane, heating cables, thermal break and sound control material are all combined in a single layer.

To achieve this assembly would normally require the installation of multiple layers. DITRA-HEAT-DUO is the only system that provides all of these benefits in a single layer. This new system has all of the same attributes as DITRA-HEAT, and the total assembly is only 5/16”-thick to minimize construction height.

Installers have the option of installing the heating cables, or not, depending on the specific needs of the situation. The heating cables are easily snapped into place on top of the uncoupling mat with no clips or fasteners. The installer has complete flexibility on where the cables are placed so every installation is customized to suit the exact requirements of the owner. Because they are held securely within the DITRA-HEAT-DUO mat, there is no need to use self-leveling compounds to encapsulate the heating cables. Instead of waiting for a leveling compound to set, tile installation can begin immediately, resulting in a much faster installation.

DITRA-HEAT-DUO performs the same four essential functions as the original DITRA uncoupling membrane for a lasting tile floor installation: uncoupling to prevent cracks in tiles and grout, waterproofing to protect areas beneath the tile from moisture, vapor management to provide a route for excess moisture to escape the substrate without damaging the tile, and support/load distribution to keep the tile covering intact with traffic.

About Schluter®-Systems
