Massetto Caldo MGN
Filling and levelling floor screed - original Roman lime mix with enormous heat storage capacity
Can be laid on timber, brick-cement, or cement floors. The surface over this screed can be finished with timber, tiles or as a traditional Venetian floor
Based on lab measurements brick powder and lime shard screeds output ca. 16% more heat, keep the heat longer than similar sand & cement screeds and heat up the living area faster.
- This is the exact reproduction of the historical, original recipe
- Warm on its own, therefore this is the ideal solution for radiant floors
- Can be sanded/polished for natural shine
- Easy to spread even with a plastering machine
- Much lighter than traditional screeds
- It is the best base for prestigious Venetian or wooden floors
Ancient Roman underfloor heating system: Hypocaust
Oxfordshire, UK
Why replace something perfect with new?
We vote for Cocciopesto against modern cementitious floor screeds
This heat-retaining brick solution was typical of Roman underfloor heating systems, only those systems were powered by hot air rather than hot water pipes. Even when the fire was not lit at night, it radiated warmth and kept the house at a very comfortable temperature. The same materials were used for the floor structure and supporting columns: lime, terracotta-lime and thermal brick.
We prefer Massetto Caldo lime floor screed to the concrete systems, because the heat-retaining brick fragments it contains make it much warmer to the touch. Even without underfloor heating installed, it provides a much warmer floor. However, when installed in combination with underfloor heating pipes, the underfloor heating will warm up your floor screed, and after it is turned off, the floor will stay warm for quite a while.
Massetto Caldo MGN makes the underfloor heating more economical and keeps the floor warmer, even when the underfloor heating is completely switched off or does not exist at all.
Suitable for breathable floors, underfloor heating systems, as screed.
Comparative performance tests for the science minded
Massetto Caldo original Roman recipe contra traditional sand-cement floor
The Massetto Caldo MGN is not your typical contemporary floor screed. It is the result of years of research, experimentation and testing, both in the laboratory and on site, in order to reproduce and, if possible, improve the historic original.
Tests were carried out at the CMR Laboratories in Italy to evaluate its performance compared to a traditional sand-cement floor. Specimens of lime-cocciopesto and cement screeds were prepared and applied to the same underfloor heating system, and surface heat flow measurements were undertaken on each.
A 17 mm diameter hydraulic pipe circuit was fastened onto a 1000 x 1200 x 30 mm expanded polystyrene (EPS) panel. Above this the following floor samples were laid out:
1. An common sand-cement floor screed, in 40 mm thickness above the pipes, with a specific weight of 1800-1900 kg/m3,
2. A traditional cocciopesto MGN floor screed, in 40 mm thickness above the pipes.
Thermal flow measurements were carried via thermo-flow sensors placed onto the surface of the floors, in-between adjacent pipes of the hydraulic circuit. The sensors have been connected to an automatic data acquisition system, which was taking readings at 1 minute intervals.
The graph compares the surface heat flow generated by the two different floors. We can see how the cocciopesto floor screed has a steeper curve than the concrete floor. Moreover, it steadily outputs by about 16% more heat than a similar concrete floor screed.
This indicates that a cocciopesto floor screed heats up the living space faster and maintains it at a lower temperature of the water than a comparable cement floor.
Specifications
Composition
Hydrated lime, with more than 90% calcium hydroxide (CL90S as per EN459-1 standard)
- NHL3.5 Natural hydraulic lime, desalinated white
- Traditional cocciopesto (grounded brick powder, granulation 0-3 mm, cooked at low temperatures)
Colour:
Light red (brick)
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