It sounds contradictory but it is possible: a building protected as a historic monument, with narrow staircases and wooden beam ceilings. And with a modern floor heating system. This is proven again in a 1915 Amsterdam apartment. The underfloor heating with a sheet thickness of 20 mm was tiled directly.
The apartment, built in 1915, is on the second floor of a five-story monumental building overlooking the Plantage Muidergracht. The kitchen needed to be renovated and the old radiator removed. The challenge: only 20 mm space between the subfloor and the tiles. That's exactly where Uponor Siccus 16 fits. The plates are only 20 mm thick, ultra-light, contain insulation and can be tiled directly thanks to their high compressive strength.
Underfloor heating directly on wooden beam ceilings
'This system is perfect for renovation projects,' says Hans Steenbeek, owner of installation company A1 Montage in Barneveld, which carried out the project. 'It is quick to install and requires no wet screed, heavy machinery or noisy milling work. Our installers can lay it directly on the existing floor, even on wooden beam ceilings.'
The aluminum surface ensures even heat distribution and the pipes sit just below the surface for fast heat transfer. Uponor Siccus 16 can be connected to both heat pumps and traditional heating systems. This was the first time A1 Montage installed the dry building system in the Benelux.
Lightweight
Another big advantage is the low weight of the system. "Especially in older buildings with steep and narrow stairs, this is a real advantage," Steenbeek emphasizes. "The plates are light and easy to carry, and they lead not to messy milling dust or construction waste.'
That it can be done has been proven for some time. In 2018, for example, we already wrote about a renovation in Rotterdam's Kralingen, in which an underfloor heating system from the Dutch company Uniwarm had been laid. This system is even two mm thinner.
