Pipe cover and depth on Swindon heated floors
In a heated floor it is the screed that carries warmth out from the pipes and across the room, which is why the depth above them is worth getting right. A liquid screed wants a minimum of 25mm over the pipes, making 45 to 50mm or so in total. For sand and cement, allow about 45mm over the pipes. Too little cover risks cracking over the pipes, while too much slows the floor's response.
Liquid screed is the more common choice over heating because it flows fully around the pipes and leaves no air pockets. That gives better contact, a faster warm-up and better efficiency. Sand and cement still has its place, particularly in smaller rooms or where a cement based floor is needed for wet areas.
On the newer estates the system is usually specified as part of the build. West Wichel has been under construction since 2022, and on plots like those the insulation, edge strip and pipework should all be in place before the screed arrives. Our team inspects the edge strip, membrane and insulation ahead of the pour and can provide whichever is missing.
Laying the pipework itself is not part of our work. That is done by the heating engineer, who should also pressure test the system before we pour. If the plot specifies a calcium sulphate product, our page on anhydrite flow screed in Swindon explains the grades and the sanding it needs.
Adding heated floors to older Swindon homes
Putting heated floors into a house that is already built comes down mainly to height. A wet system needs insulation, pipes and a screed on top, and in an older house the existing floor may sit too close to the door thresholds to fit all of that. Often the old floor has to be dug out to make room, which suits the Victorian terraces where solid floors are being renewed anyway.
Extensions are simpler. A new room can be designed with the right depth from the start, and the heated floor then meets the existing house at a matched level. Where a heated extension opens into an older room without heating, both floors are still planned to finish at the same height, so the new flooring can run straight through.
After the pour, commissioning has to be gradual. On calcium sulphate the system can normally be switched on from about 7 days. On sand and cement, wait 21 days at least. The temperature is then raised in steps, following the heating supplier's schedule.
For a deeper look at depths, read the guide to screed thickness over pipes. If the floor is being dug out first, our sand and cement screed service covers the rebuild. If you are over in Cirencester, see underfloor heating screed for Cirencester homes.
Underfloor Heating Screed prices in Swindon
Liquid screed over underfloor heating: £20 to £35 per m² supplied and laid (trade2base, June 2026), so £700 to £1,230 for 35 m². trade2base gives these figures excluding VAT. See our floor screeding cost guide or screed calculator.
Who lays your underfloor heating screed in Swindon
K & B Screeding’s own team, led by director Donatas Bardisevicius. Founded 2019, company 12298780.
See what customers say in our Google reviews and on our testimonials page.
Underfloor Heating Screed from Slough to Swindon
Swindon is about 49.2 miles west of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including SN1, SN25, SN5 and SN3. The nearest towns to it are Royal Wootton Bassett (5.3 miles), Calne (12.8 miles), Cirencester (13.3 miles) and Wantage (15.6 miles).
More on underfloor heating screed, part of our screeding services.
