Cold floor

freebutterflies, Jan 24, 1:43pm
Hi, a couple of years ago i had my deck filled in to be a sunroom. and as an occasional spare room. The wooden deck floor is just above the ground and had plastic, then plywood put down. Then it was covered with a cheapish carpet but with no underlay. The room is cold until the sun comes in the afternoon. It faces north west. Would it make a huge difference to lift the carpet and put down underlay and if so, what kind? It has windows and a ranchslider along one wall. its about 4 metres long x 2 metres wide.
Thanks.
budgel, Jan 24, 3:45pm
Underlay in that context would be working as insulation. Insulation is good at maintaining the existing temperature. You would still have to raise the temperature. In a small well insulated space a fan heater works well.
freebutterflies, Jan 24, 5:57pm
Yes it does and thats what ive used so far. Thanks
happychappy50, Jan 24, 7:55pm
Some form of insulation under the ply would have been ideal,however sounds as tho it would be difficult now,so a thicker underlay would certainly be better than what you have.Is the area under the floor well ventilated or damp? If anydampness is evident ventilate it which would also cause it to be cool.
grrrahaaam, Jan 24, 8:54pm
Polystyrene!
freebutterflies, Jan 24, 10:00pm
No its not damp. Just cold to walk on. Until the sun comes in. Theres a gap on one end where air can circulate, but its also the end that faces the east which brings the most rain. The walls are insulated and the windows double glazed.
Polystyrene where? Floor?
blue35, Jan 25, 10:50am
There are some better underlays that have an R rating for insulation purposes.
amasser, Jan 25, 1:46pm
Socks or slippers.
grrrahaaam, Jan 25, 7:26pm
Could polystyrene be used instead of carpet underlay? It shouldn't mind any dampness and has insulation value, probably more than carpet underlay depending on thickness.
golfaholic2, Jan 26, 8:28pm
Once squished poly wont bounce back like underlay will .
macandrosie, Feb 17, 3:01pm
Expol underfloor insulation really makes a difference to the floor temperature.
annies3, Feb 18, 9:50am
Once you insulate, whichever way you choose, it will make no difference to the temperature untill the room has warmed up which will happen faster, then the room stays warm longer,but insulation itself does not create warmth.
We had an interesting discussion with an elderly man who used to build beautiful caravans, he was advised by one of his staff that he should be insulating the vans, but he didn't believe this would improve the warmth, they carried out a test, insulated one van and used an uninsulated van as comparison, both vans were inside a closed work shop and the temperature in both was the same, so he was convinced he was right and that insulation would make no difference, now we all know he was wrong and that the insulated van would have warmed quicker by what ever method, even being outside in the sun, and would have held that temperature for far longer. We never argued with him but I have often remembered that conversation.
supernova2, Feb 18, 10:35am
Devil's advocate here.

If the caravan was insulated why would it warm up quicker if parked in the sun?

If it does then surely the insulation is not doing its job properly?
annies3, Feb 18, 3:58pm
LOL, because of course the caravan has windows to let the sun in as does the uninsulated one, but because the warmth stays in the space for longer it allows the van to heat quicker, and of course to stay warm for longer.
As would a heating system.
gyrogearloose, Feb 18, 4:52pm
My opinion is that a sunroom facing north-west won't get any sun at all until the afternoon. Therefore, if you want the room to be warm in the morning it would have to have very good insulation, and I'm thinking double-glazing, roof insulation as well as underfloor. Underfloor by itself, in my opinion, wouldn't be sufficient to make any difference when, from what you have described, the construction method was very cheap in the first place.

I like the suggestion of socks or slippers, and my other suggestion is to put in something like concrete planter boxes - after all it is a sunroom - which can capture and retain warmth.
freebutterflies, Feb 18, 7:23pm
Only the carpet was cheap from bunnings. The job cost almost 10000 once it was furnished.The ceiling is insulated and has a new colour steel roof. The ranchslider and windows are double glazed. Walls are insulated. Exterior is clad with thick exterior plywood. Youre right about the sun, it doesnt come in the window until noon. But in winter it has the last of the afternoon sun and the sunsets.
I had a carpet company come and give me advice. He suggested thick mats made of wool or polypropylene material. I bought 2, laid end to end and its made all the difference. The floor no longer feels cold, thanks for the help.
ceebee2, Feb 19, 2:38pm
And what is the roof and walls constructed of and are they also insulated?
freebutterflies, Feb 20, 8:26am
Yes, roof is colour steel, ceiling is gib, insulated, inside walls are gib and insulated . the floor has that foil then thick ply. the only thing they didnt do was put underlay under the carpet.
martin11, Feb 20, 8:31am
Was foil hanging down between the joists or tight under the ply ,it is not recomended as an insulation now and I think it has been banned .
freebutterflies, Feb 20, 10:01am
Just looked back on pics, sorry, it wasnt foil it was the heavy stiff black plastic stretched tight across. dont know what its called.
ceebee2, Dec 21, 2:40pm
I filled in a conservatory similar to yours and lined the floor with 18mm construction ply straight onto the original deck (All covered in of course) and just attached the cheap nylon carpet from the Warehouse and it is nice and cosy.
In winter the wooden framed windows weep though (Single glazed)