Getting pipe cover right in Windsor extensions
Semis account for 25% of Windsor's homes, and heated rear extensions on them are a common kind of job. Get the screed wrong and the heating never performs as it should, however good the system.
The first decision is the depth of cover above the pipework. A pumped liquid floor needs no less than 25mm of that cover, so the screed itself comes out at 45 to 50mm. Sand and cement trowelled in by hand needs about 45mm above them, so the extension floor ends up deeper. Too thin and the screed may crack along the lines of pipe; too thick and the room is slow to warm.
Encapsulation comes next. A liquid screed flows around each pipe and leaves no air pockets, so heat passes straight into the floor and warm-up is faster. A hand-laid screed can be compacted around pipes, but it takes more care to avoid gaps.
The layers beneath matter too. Insulation stops heat leaking downwards, a membrane keeps screed and insulation apart, and the edge strip gives the screed room to expand along the walls. We check these on arrival and can supply them. For pumped screed laid over heating pipes, 2026 published figures run between £20 and £35 a square metre.
Finally, the finish. Tiles, LVT and engineered wood all need a flat base, and a heated floor with a thin finish shows any unevenness. Pumped liquid screed readily achieves SR1 or SR2, which suits the thin finishes laid over heating.
Heating older Windsor floors where height is tight
Putting heating into a house that is already built is trickier than planning it into a new extension. Doors, stairs and neighbouring rooms have already set the finished floor level, and all the layers must squeeze in beneath it.
In older houses that are being fully renovated, the old floor is often broken out anyway, which gives the chance to plan the depth properly. Where the floor stays, a thinner liquid screed over the pipes often makes the difference between fitting heating and not fitting it. For a heated wet room, cement screed laid by hand is the safer option.
After the pour, the heating is brought up gently. Calcium sulphate can usually take low heat once about 7 days have gone by; sand and cement asks for a wait of 21 days or longer. The heating engineer then commissions the system gradually, raising the water temperature in stages rather than going straight to full. That protects the screed from cracking and dries it evenly.
Our part is the screed; the heating pipes are fitted by others. We work alongside your heating engineer so the pour date, pipe pressure test and edge details line up. For a heated floor in Bracknell, see screed over heating pipes in Bracknell.
Underfloor Heating Screed prices in Windsor
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 Windsor
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 Windsor
Windsor is about 3.9 miles south-south-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including SL4 and TW19. The nearest towns to it are Slough (2.1 miles), Egham (4.3 miles), Staines-upon-Thames (5.3 miles) and Maidenhead (5.6 miles).
More on underfloor heating screed, part of our screeding services.
