Helping to Reduce Heat Loss Through the Floor of your Property

poundsSubstantial heat can be lost through poorly insulated flooring – up to 15% of all hear lost is through badly insulated flooring.

In order to further insulate a floor there are two main ways of doing so: insulating from above or insulating from below.

When insulating from above you would be able to lift any carpeting or tiling as well as the floorboards and fill between the joists with insulation material. You may wish to staple some form of netting between the joists to support the insulating material or you could nail batons to the joists so that these support the panels of insulation material that lie on top. Alternatively, rather than filling the gaps between the joists with solid insulate you could simply roll a foiled quilt insulate across the joists, whilst pushing it down between the gaps in the joists (no more than 2 inches) and staple to the inside of each of the joists to support the quilt in place.

Insulating a floor from below is an even easier proposition (although a less likely option) which would simply pushing the insulation between the joists and using a form of mesh or netting which is connected underneath to support the insulation material in place.

An additional consideration when insulating a floor from above or below is the addition of a sheet of plaster boarding laid on top of the insulation material. This will not only help with insulating against heat loss but will also help with soundproofing.

It is also possible to increase the insulation (and soundproofing) properties of a floor by fitting a good quality carpet and underlay. Obviously the room will benefit from better insulation against heat loss, but the soundproofing qualities will only benefit the room below the floor that has been insulated.

Visit Wickes online to see the wide variety of insulation products available.