54 2017 | TECH Sean Gerolimatos, technical director Schluter Systems www.schluter.com Membranes for tile installation were first introduced in the 1980s to help prevent cracks from forming in tiled floors. It wasn’t long before people realized they could get multi- ple benefits from these membranes. For example, crack-isolation and uncoupling membranes have often performed as waterproofing mem- branes. More recently, with the wide- spread popularity of floor warming, products have been developed that incorporate uncoupling and floor warming into a single layer. Total floor thickness and installation time are both reduced significantly. The appeal of providing multiple performance benefits in a single layer is obvious and is really driv- ing innovation in the category. The latest innovation is the addition of sound control and thermal break lay- ers to the existing membranes. A thicker bonding fleece on the under- side reduces impact sound transfer through floor/ceiling assemblies and reduces heat loss to the substrate for faster warm-up times. The marriage of better performance and simplified installation processes will continue to drive new developments in the category. WARMING PRODUCTS ELECTRIC FLOOR WARMING –––––– OJ Electronics manufactures OJ Microline® Touch thermostats that offer remote WLAN connectivity, which gives users a conve- nient way to adjust and monitor their electric floor heating system, and easy access to energy consumption and system perfor- mance information. Apps for iPhone and Android feature a variety of sys- tem control and scheduling changes. The thermostats are suitable for tile, stone, laminate, concrete and wood- en floors and have simple-to-install, intuitive set-up with a large 3.5” color touch screen for clear viewing. www. ojelectronics.com Progress Profiles offers Prodeso Heat membrane, a polypropylene uncoupling crack-isolation water- proofing membrane with rounded, square-shaped reliefs. With its low- profile design, the height of the mem- brane is only 5.5 mm (1/4”), Prodeso Heat offers a solution for remodeling projects where the new floor needs to transit over an existing surface. And due to its uncoupling and crack isolating properties, it is possible to install tile and floor heating over a variety of difficult substrates and to eliminate some of the otherwise nec- essary expansion joints. www.pro- gressprofiles.com/en/company Schluter Systems recognizes that controlling impact sound through floor-ceiling assemblies in multi-story construction can present challenges, particularly with hard surface tiles. Sound control materials tend to be compressible and not all provide ade- quate support for the tile covering in thin-set applications. DITRA-HEAT- DUO by Schluter Systems reduces sound transmission, warms the floor and supports the covering to ensure a lasting installation. ASTM E2179 testing shows DITRA-HEAT-DUO pro- duces an increase in impact insula- tion class (ΔIIC) of 20 to a concrete slab floor-ceiling assembly. The dual benefits of reducing impact sound transmission and providing faster warm-up times make this mem- brane an ideal solution for ceramic and stone tile floor installations in multi-story residential construction. www.schluter.com Warmup’s DCM-PRO Floor Heating System combines anti-fracture protec- tion, floor heating and WiFi controls. The system also provides high heat outputs for primary heating controlled by Warmup’s proprietary MyWarmup app. The system is comprised of a 1/4” castellated membrane, the DCM-PRO HeatingCableand4iEThermostat.The full system comes with a 30-year war- ranty and is currently available in 63 countries including the U.S., Canada and Mexico in September 2017. The DCM-PRO Cable comes complete with a 30-Year Warranty and SafetyNet™ Installation Guarantee. The DCM-PRO Membrane has been rated as up to Heavy Commercial under the C627 Robinson test and has been tested by the Tile Council of North America to the ASTM 118.12 standards. www.warmup.com Floor Warming