I’m trying to find out what the gypcrete that I have to pour over radiant heat is made from. I have difficulty finding out a company that would deliver a premixed gypcrete to a jobsite in Jersey City, NJ.
I would like to pour a small add on room, and could mix it myself (I have a mortar mixer). Is gypcrete the same product as Structolite? Can I pour the floor with a structolite (a small room)? I assume it will crack when it dries, but the I could come back and fill the cracks? Will the subfloor be stable enough to install terracota tiles over it?
Please give me your suggestions.
Thanks
Replies
Here's Maxxon's description: http://www.heatthefloor.com/gypcrete.htm That's the product I have.
No, it's not Structo-lite, which is a base coat for plaster.
Before tiling, you should install an anti-fracture membrane so that the inevitable cracks in the gypcrete don't cause cracks in the tile.
Contact Maxxon for a distributor in your area.
Don't know how much these will help:
http://www.maxxon.com/index.asp
http://www.gypsumsolutions.com/brand.asp?prod=42
There are, of course, alternatives to pouring gypcrete, such as Warmboard and similar products:
http://www.warmboard.com/
There are also a number of radiant floor heating and hydronic heating discussion forums, but my connection is about to go down, so don't have time to list them. A search should find some...
You could also use regular concrete , slightly heavier ,slightly cheaper , vastly easier to procure.
Thanks for your replies.
I saw Maxxon website. The closest representative they have is 5 hours drive from NJ.I will try to call on Monday.
Their tech sheet says that the mixture is 80% Plaster of Paris then Portland and some minerals the name I forgot. It sounds like it will be quite expensive product.
Can I make a lightweight concrete myself? I know in Italy contractors use perlite pebels instead of a stone, then sand and cement ( realize the walls are built differently there). Can such mixture be used over radiant heat?
Are there any contractors that used gypcrete on the East Coast? From reading seems like mostly radiant flooring is used on West Coast or Canada..
My contractor works throughout NC.Some people use lightweight concrete. Uses lightweight aggregate to save weight (not perlite, which would insulate a bit I think).
Gypcrete is commonly used over tubing, as you're doing, and I have seen it used over subfloor without tubing in cases where soundproofing to the floors below is important (i.e. condos).
I would check Dan Holohan's radiant forum and see if the contractors there can send you somewhere to get what you need.... heatinghelp.com... go to the Wall forum.