fermacell® Therm25 TM
fermacell® Therm25TM is based on the acoustic fermacell® floor elements, which are already very well known on the market. This innovative product consists of a 25mm thick gypsum fibre board. This is a uniform gypsum fibre finishing board with cellulose fibres which is hydrophobised in the factory. A lead pattern is milled into the upper side to make it easy to install the floor heating pipes. This milled panel usually has to be combined with a second fermacell® gypsum fibre board, which is glued and fastened mechanically as an extra layer on top of or under the

fermacell® Therm25TM elements
We spoke to Melissa Mican, technical engineer for sales in the Belgian division of the manufacturer James Hardie Netherlands B.V. (the parent company is American), and asked for further clarification of this innovative manner of dealing with floor heating.

'Amongst other things, this panel is ideal for renovation, where pipes are often laid on top of a wooden floor, with electric wires on top. If necessary, you can also use a dry levelling grain if the substrate isn’t flat, and after that you apply the fermacell® Therm25TM system or acoustic Fermacell® floor elements on top. It’s even possible to combine the panels with each other so that you create more mass, something which is requested for some projects. The panels can also be combined alongside each other,’ Ms Mican explains. ‘One very big advantage here is that you don’t need to allow the substrate to dry out so you can carry on working. The end result can be walked on and used quickly, unlike with the use of a screed which has to dry first. Moreover, the construction height is very low and the fitting is very quick and easy. The panel is also fireproof, with more than 60 minutes of fire resistance from top to bottom (fire class A2 – non-inflammable), something which makes it attractive for use with apartment floors. And, obviously, this product scores well in terms of acoustics and guarantees a speedy transition of heat.’

Milled gypsum board with two pipe spacings
The milled gypsum board (milling depth: 18mm) has two pipe spacings, one of 167 and another of 125mm, depending on the calculations of the heat installation, for the fitting of heating pipes of 16mm in the pipe grooves. The panels are available in a rectangular shape (1000 x 500 x 25mm) and a round shape (500 x 500 x 25mm) for specific fitting plans.
Finally, something worth considering in more depth is the exceptional ecological and circular edge of the floor heating element. The plate consists of gypsum and cellulose fibres, which are fully recycled.

Made from recycled material
‘At our head office in Wijchen, near Nijmegen, tonnes of gypsum and paper or cellulose arrive every day which are recycled. We don’t make any new base material, and this makes the product unique. It’s literally quite possible that even the magazine in which this article appears could later be part of a new Fermacell® floor element,’ Melissa Mican tells us with a smile. ‘We advise anyone wanting to know more about the product to contact us and/or make an appointment in our showroom in Evere. You can also find all the information about it on our web site. I can also say that our parent company supplies not only flooring and wall panels, but also wall cladding.’

More information: www.fermacell.be