Noisy floors with under floor heating
If you’ve got noisy floors with under floor heating, you’re not alone. For years, we’ve known there are plenty of homes suffering from creaks and squeaks caused by failed sub-floors hiding under those warm, cosy surfaces. But until recently, we hadn’t been able to tackle one ourselves. That’s just changed.
The challenge of heating meets flooring
Repairing a failed sub-floor is tricky at the best of times. There are a lot of moving parts (sometimes quite literally). Add a pressurised under floor heating system into the mix and things get a lot more complex, and expensive. That’s one of the reasons both we and many homeowners avoided it for so long. It just seemed like too big of a job.
A proper, permanent fix for noisy floors with under floor heating
We’re known for fixing noisy floors properly and permanently. It’s what we do. But throw under floor heating into the equation and the work, and cost, can go up quickly. Our first project involving under floor heating proved that.
It’s not just a case of being careful with the heating pipes, although that’s definitely part of it. We also need to access as many cavities as possible without damaging the system. All the while, we have to be absolutely certain that everything we do will stand the test of time.
What makes it so tricky?
With under floor heating, we’re dealing with extreme temperature changes and zoned heating systems that vary room to room. These frequent fluctuations put stress on components and materials. One wrong move and you risk damaging not just the floor, but the heating system too.
That’s why we take extra care, from the moment we walk in to the moment the floor is silenced.
A closer look: The first under floor heating project
Our first job involving under floor heating was certainly an eye-opener. The floor we were called in to fix had a 22mm chipboard sub-floor, with channels cut into it to house the heating pipes. These grooves were routed roughly 200mm apart and went 20mm deep.
That doesn’t leave much room for strength.
In several places, we could actually see the chipboard had split. Each channel was barely holding together. This system is supposed to last the lifetime of the property, and yet we were being called in just three years after the house had been completed.
When Builders Can’t Fix It
The client was understandably frustrated. They’d built their home from the ground up and had made it clear to their builder: no squeaky floors. But even from early on, the creaks started. The builder tried to sort it, twice, but nothing worked. Three years in, they gave us a call.
They weren’t just hoping for a quick fix. They were determined to get it right.
That kind of mindset really resonates with us. We’re in the business of making homes feel right. When someone is this passionate about getting their space sorted, we’re all in.
What we learned (and what’s next)
This job showed us that noisy floors with under floor heating can be fixed, but it takes a specialist approach. It also opened the door to more of this work. Our next under floor heating project? It involves pipes clipped directly to the underside of the chipboard. That’ll be a new challenge, but we’re up for it.
Need Help with a Noisy Floor?
If you’re dealing with squeaky floors and under floor heating, don’t wait around for it to get worse. Tap the ‘Get a quote’ button below and let’s talk about how we can help.