A decoupling membrane or mat is an effective way of achieving reliable results when fixing tiles or other hard materials such as stone, slate and marble etc. onto sub floors that are unstable in the horizontal plane.
This instability may be because of the nature of the material. For example, wood based floors, (chipboard or floorboards), which are affected by humidity in the air, or by sub floors subject to shrinkage as with “green” screeds. More recently the growing use of under floor heating systems has caused problems in installations where the rapid expansion of the sub floor creates tension with the rigid surface and cracking or worse occurs.
The heating of a sub floor, (especially where this is by a plumbed in heating system), can create rapid changes in its overall dimensions. The rigid covering can become stressed because of these differences in the rate of expansion within the floor. Even using flexible adhesives and grouts can, sometimes, not be enough to counter this tension. Use of a decoupling mat will absorbs this stress.
While not a “Miracle” product, de coupling Membranes will allow successful installations to be achieved where traditional methods have failed.
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