The new kitchen floor

The new floor

We made a decision to install a new floor in the main area of the house. We knew we might have problems with the underfloor heating... but hadn't envisaged the problem we have encountered. 

The screed around the pipes has turned to a powder in some parts of the floor. This means that the builders cannot accurately level it to install the finishing. 

So we have decided to dig up all the screed and the UFH pipes and start again! It's an expensive job but we think it will give us a better overall area in the future.

So into the skip goes all the old UFH pipe - it's actually in a pretty good state.

The trouble is... once you start ripping up one part of the floor it then has a knock on effect on other parts. So, we are now taking up all the kitchen floor, the utility and boot room and part of the hall way by the front door. It's definitely a bigger job than we had planned - but, on reflection we have decided it to be worthwhile in the long run.

we will have new screed, new underfloor heating pipes, and new under screed insulation. It will also mean we will have better control of the zones in the areas for the UFH.

The old toilet now stands 6 inches taller than previously due to the floor being removed around it - not a problem if you are tall!

The old UFH was insulated with polystyrene trays - not bad considering it's been down since the 1980's.

We made a decision to also dig up part of the hall way - partly because we wanted to ensure there was consistent heat underneath he floor and partly so we had a perfectly level screed for the stone tiles that will go on top.