Ever heard of decoupling mats? No? Then it's definitely time! Decoupling mats play a crucial role in the construction and renovation sector for the durability and stability of your surfaces, be it in a cozy living room, a beautifully designed outdoor area or a new building. Although you can't see them at first glance, decoupling mats are the silent protectors that ensure that your floor not only remains attractive but also stable in the long term. Let's take a look at why you definitely shouldn't do without these mats.
Why decoupling at all?
Imagine investing time and effort in laying tiles or other flooring. Without good decoupling, you risk the subfloor moving and unsightly cracks appearing in your floor. These cracks can not only affect the appearance of your surfaces, but also cause structural problems. A stable and reliable floor requires not only visual considerations, but above all effective decoupling to compensate for movements in the subfloor and prevent long-term damage. In this post, we take a closer look at why decoupling is a crucial factor in the durability and structure of your flooring.
What exactly are decoupling mats ?
Decoupling mats are specially designed underlays designed to install flooring on uneven or unstable subfloors. Made from plastic or rubber, they typically have a textured surface to provide improved adhesion of the flooring. The main purpose of decoupling mats is to protect the flooring from potential damage that may be caused by subfloor movement.
An important area of application is the absorption and reduction of sub-surface movements that tend to deform, crack or break the floor covering. Especially on uneven or unstable sub-surfaces, decoupling mats act as a protective mechanism to minimize these movements and thus protect the floor covering. The use of decoupling mats is particularly advisable when laying large format tiles, as floors can expand and contract due to temperature fluctuations. These mats compensate for the different expansions of the materials and thus prevent the appearance of cracks, which keeps the flooring intact for longer.
Advantages of decoupling mats
The decoupling mat revolutionizes the construction process by making it possible to lay tiles just 3-6 days after the screed has been made. This innovation significantly shortens construction time, allowing projects to be completed more quickly and reducing pre-financing time, especially in rental properties. The usual drying phases are eliminated, allowing tradespeople to work seamlessly.
The mat effectively protects the screed from moisture damage and ensures a stable structure during the drying process. This prevents silicone joints from breaking off, furniture damage and unwanted changes in shape or cracks in the screed. Kitchen furniture remains stable and there are no unpleasant noises because the screed does not move. In addition, the decoupling mat offers added value when installing underfloor heating by compensating for any deformation that occurs and ensuring even heat distribution. It is also extremely useful when renovating old floors, especially those with cracks in the subfloor. The mat prevents cracks from being transferred to the new tiled floor and ensures a permanently stable foundation.
Our mats in the range
sealing and decoupling membrane
Our high-performance composite sealing and decoupling mat is specially designed for ceramic and natural stone floor coverings both indoors and outdoors. This mat offers an ideal solution when renovating old surfaces where there are cracks in the subfloor. Tile or natural stone coverings are not waterproof themselves, and laying new coverings in a moisture-proof manner would be problematic without appropriate measures. Our advanced composite sealing and decoupling system was developed to successfully meet these challenges. The special three-layer structure combines composite sealing with outstanding crack-bridging properties. Thanks to these features, the sealing mat is even approved for indoor areas with high moisture loads. The areas of application extend to directly and indirectly stressed areas in public and private areas. This sealing mat has proven itself particularly effective in rooms where service and cleaning water is regularly handled, such as around swimming pools and shower facilities. Outdoors, it meets the strict requirements of stress class B0, which enables its use on directly and indirectly stressed areas such as balconies and terraces (not above rooms in use). The mat has also been tested as a waterproofing membrane in combination with tiles and slabs for waterproofing buildings against non-pressurized water, particularly in heavily used areas such as wet rooms in public and commercial areas. With our waterproofing mat with decoupling effect, we offer an innovative solution for a wide range of applications that meets the highest standards in terms of watertightness and decoupling.
DURAL decoupling mat CI++ & decoupling mat
The DURAL decoupling mat CI++ is a versatile solution that goes far beyond the conventional decoupling function. With a three-layer structure, this roller conveyor offers several advantages, especially when laying tiles on damaged but still load-bearing old coverings. The ability to bridge cracks and the optimized shear force protection enable safe installation, even on freshly laid screed from the time it can be walked on. The quick and uncomplicated processing of the roller conveyor ensures maximum installation safety.
The three-layer structure includes:
• Woven special polypropylene underlay for greater fleece stability and better adhesion to the installation substrate.
• Optimized stud geometry that reduces adhesive consumption.
• Coextruded mesh fabric for optimal adhesive tensile strength.
DURABASE CI++ not only serves as a decoupling mat, but also as a stress-reducing intermediate layer, crack bridging and moisture sealing. This mat enables vapor pressure equalization in the event of moisture from behind and decouples the covering from the substrate. Small cracks in the substrate are bridged without being transferred to the tile covering. This makes DURABASE CI++ particularly suitable for renovation projects. The decoupling mat enables tiles to be laid on screeds as soon as they are sufficiently walkable (residual moisture approx. 4%). In addition, it protects moisture-sensitive calcium sulfate screeds from further moisture ingress on the surface. When using large-format tiles, DURABASE CI++ offers additional protection against stress cracks. Technical information is included in the attached PDF data sheet.
The DURAL decoupling mat is available in lengths of 5 m, 10 m & 30 m. The grey decoupling mat is only available in 30 m.
reinforcement mat FGT
The DURAL FGT reinforcement mat has proven to be an indispensable element in renovation work, especially when the subsurface is not sufficiently stable due to a lack of stability or damage. Often, you are faced with the challenge of a construction height that is too low and have to deal with complex renovation methods.
This versatile reinforcement mat is suitable for a wide range of floor coverings, including tiles, laminate, vinyl, carpet, wooden floorboards and carpeting (PVC floor coverings, garage floors). Thanks to its choice of materials, the mat is extremely strong and at the same time ensures flexible compensation of any tension that occurs. The impressive technical values are reflected in a material thickness of just 1.5 mm, which can absorb loads of up to 1.58 tons and transfer them to the subfloor without cracking.
The mat can be used on a variety of surfaces, including:
• Installation on old tile coverings
• Installation on OSB boards
• Installation on cracked screed
• Installation on vinyl floors
• Installation on wooden floors
• Installation on old cracked tiles
• Installation on Rigibs on the wall
• Installation on OSB boards
• Installation on cracked screed
• Installation on vinyl floors
• Installation on wooden floors
• Installation on old cracked tiles
• Installation on Rigibs on the wall
With an impressive point load capacity, the reinforcement mat can permanently compensate for vertical tensions between the substrate and the covering. The bending strength of 400,000 cycles with a deflection of 1.8 mm and an adhesive tensile strength of 1.1 N/mm² guarantee a lasting bond between the substrate and the covering. All values were determined through tests by an independent German institute. The simple, quick and material-saving installation makes this mat a fundamental component for long-lasting floor coverings of all kinds.
The reinforcement mat can stabilize substrates that originally do not have their own strength. It offers a safe solution for various types of flooring, from large-format tiles and carpets to modern design flooring and natural stone flooring.
Installation instructions for decoupling mats
1. Preparation of the substrate:
• The substrate must be dry, free from adhesion-inhibiting components, stable and level.
• Any compensation measures must be carried out before laying the decoupling mat.
2. Application of thin-bed mortar:
• Thin-bed mortar is applied to the professionally prepared substrate using a notched trowel (4x4 mm).
• Use hydraulically setting flexible mortar or fast-setting flexible adhesive in accordance with DIN EN 12004 / C2.
• Important: Do not use larger notched trowels to avoid impairing the decoupling effect of the mat.
3. Embedding the decoupling mat:
• Embed the cut-to-size strips with the carrier fleece into the adhesive over their entire surface.
• The decoupling mat must not be clamped in a force-locking manner.
• The web is worked in using a pressure roller or another suitable tool.
4. Treatment of mat joints and corners:
• Mat joints can be sealed with sealing tape.
• Prefabricated moldings must be used for internal and external corners.
• Expansion joints must be sealed watertight using loop-shaped sealing tape.
5. Tiling indoors and outdoors:
• In interior areas, the tiles can be laid using the thin-bed method immediately after the decoupling mat has been glued in place.
• It is advisable to fill the mat recesses in one operation and then comb on the thin-bed mortar using the notched trowel.
• For exterior coverings, tile laying should only begin after the filler has hardened.
Conclusion
Overall, the use of decoupling mats is a preventative measure to prevent potential damage and ensure that flooring not only remains attractive but is also structurally stable. Investing in these mats will pay off in the long term by ensuring the durability and resilience of flooring both indoors and outdoors.
