You might not realise it, but your floor is actually a major factor when it comes to the energy efficiency of your home.

Up to 15% of the energy you spend heating your home is lost through uninsulated floors. Assuming you spend as much on heating as the national average for a family of 4 (£201.21 per month), then that becomes ~ £362 lost through uninsulated floors every year! And don’t forget, around 50% of homes will be spending more than that. After all, averages are about finding the midpoint.

Okay, so you can see why insulating your floors is important. But what does that have to do with insulating below your screed? Well, that’s pretty simple: in essence, screed is the top layer of your floor. So, if you want to insulate your floors, you’re going to want to lay your insulation beneath the screed, nestled between it and the concrete beneath.

This can be difficult, for reasons we’ll explain soon, but we’ve got a solution to that problem: SuperFOIL SFUF! So, without further ado, let’s explain what makes this product such a good solution to a problem you might not have even realised you had…

The Problem with Under Screed Insulation

So, as promised, let’s discuss the problems you are likely to encounter when trying to lay insulation beneath your screed.

Problems with Space: To begin with, there is the matter of insulation thickness. As you might guess, adding anything beneath your screed is going to run the risk of increasing the height of your floor, which poses obvious issues. But when you consider the thickness required for many modern insulation solutions to function properly, those problems become starker still.

Chemical Reactions: When a liquid anhydrous screed is used, the risk of chemical reactivity comes into play. You see, these kinds of screed are composed of different materials, posing the risk of reaction when they come into contact with certain materials – especially metals. These reactions could damage the screed, the insulation, or both.

Moisture Issues: A common issue with screed is that it can and will absorb moisture from its surroundings, which can lead to issues like mould or even structural degradation over time if nothing is done. As a result, the issue of moisture control becomes incredibly important when installing under-screed insulation.

Underfloor Heating: If you have an underfloor heating system in place beneath your screed, that adds a layer of complexity to your insulation needs. After all, there are only so many insulation options that will be able to effectively work in concert with these sorts of heating systems.

Cost Considerations: There’s always going to be a cost to insulating your home, but the nature of insulating beneath your screed can make it particularly costly. From the cost of the insulation itself to the cost of hiring skilled installers, and even the cost of re-laying your screed, there are many ways that cost could be a barrier to properly insulating your floors.

How SFUF Works Alongside Screed

SFUF is quite literally made to be used beneath your screed, just look at its name: SuperFOIL Under Floor, SFUF.

So, since we’ve just explained what makes it difficult to insulate beneath screed, why don’t we show you how SuperFOIL SFUF is designed to address these concerns…

Ultra-Thin Design: SFUF’s incredibly slim design – a mere 6mm thick – allows it to be included beneath the screed without significantly raising the floor height, particularly since its performance isn’t reliant on air gaps. Plus, since SFUF can also act as a high-performance vapour barrier, it could also replace your existing vapour control layer – making its size impact even smaller!

Protective Outer Layer: SFUF comes with a polythene outer layer, protecting the insulation from the screed in general by avoiding uneven compression; while also helping to prevent the risk of a chemical reaction between SFUF and liquid anhydrous screeds when they are used.

In-Built Vapour Barrier: As we’ve already mentioned, SFUF includes an in-built vapour barrier – allowing it to act as a highly effective vapour check layer. This helps to reduce the risk of moisture issues with under-screed insulation, and also avoids the need for a separate vapour barrier material too!

Keeping the Heat Flowing: SFUF is designed with the issue of heating in mind; in particular, its flexibility and ultra-thin design make SFUF ideal for insulating alongside these underfloor heating systems.

Lowering Costs: Finally, SFUF helps to cut the costs of installing it below screed in a number of key ways. Not only is it cheaper than many of the alternatives you might consider, but its relative ease of use also helps to lower the amount you’d have to spend on hiring installers too.

The Versatility of SFUF

Speaking of installing SFUF, one of the best things about it is that it isn’t only suitable for under-screed applications. On the contrary, SFUF is actually one of the most versatile insulation solutions in our entire range. After all, many of the traits that make it suitable as an under-screed insulation option also ensure that it would be an excellent choice for almost any situation.

Much like other SuperFOIL products, SFUF is suitable for use in floor, roof, and wall insulation build-ups. However, unlike other SuperFOIL products, its thermal performance doesn’t rely on the inclusion of air gaps. This means that SFUF requires no more than 6mm (its thickness) of space to operate effectively.

Combining that with its ability to act as a vapour control layer and its relative ease of installation, it’s clear to see that SFUF is a brilliant multi-purpose product. It even provides some minor sound insulation – helping to keep noise levels down – and includes grid markings that help to make the installation process even easier!

To put it briefly, there are very few situations where SFUF wouldn’t be a brilliant insulation option to consider – let alone a suitable one.

So, What Now?

Ultimately, if you’re planning to insulate beneath the screed in your home – or anywhere else really, SuperFOIL SFUF is a durable, efficient, and versatile solution.

What’s more, its relative ease of installation and built-in vapour barrier make it an incredibly versatile option if you are looking for a solution to apply in more than one location.

Of course, we would always recommend getting in touch with our technical team if you have a project in mind. Consummate professionals that they are, they will be able to provide you with insight and advice to ensure that you get the most out of your project and the insulation that you use. They could even help you to get in touch with a skilled installer to fit the products for you!

If you’d like to get in touch with the team, just give them a call at 01636 639900 or send an email to [email protected].