SIP floors are well suited for timber frame buildings. They are also used for extensions of older buildings and self builds of various sizes. Roof conversions increasingly use SIPs as they fulfil two applications, a strong floor and an effective insulation layer.
Factory manufactured; high performance timber panels contain rigid foam at the core. This acts as an insulation layer, sandwiched between two layers of oriented strand board (OSB). The boards provide the SIP with dimensional and load strength whilst keeping the weight of the panel relatively low.
The continuous bond between the OSB profiles and insulation core gives the SIP its strength whilst making it highly thermally efficient. In addition, the design of some SIP flooring systems avoids thermal bridging altogether. SIP floors help reduce the heating requirements in winter and the need for cooling in summer, supporting the energy efficiency of a building.
Premanufactured SIP floors are easier to install than most traditional flooring systems and can be fitted within hours. This is because the most resource demanding processes are completed in a controlled factory environment. Surfacing is one of them. Arctek performance overlay technology is a high-performance overlay technology that can be formulated to the requirements of SIP application. The overlay can act as a moisture barrier and can be designed as a non-slip surface in a variety of colours and designs. The overlay is thermally fused with the OSB during the manufacture to form an effective flooring solution.
Are SIPs loadbearing?
SIPs can be used as full structural external walls and load bearing internal walls. They can also act as infill walls for framed construction. SIPs are engineered and manufactured with loadbearing capabilities, which include wind load and racking resistance. This extends the application of SIPs to floors and roofs.
To ensure that the relatively light panels can effectively distribute loads, a structural, strong bond between the three layers of the SIP is essential. Once SIP walls, floors and roofs are in place, they can bear significant loads horizontally and vertically with reduced internal studding. This can in turn substantially reduce cold bridging if the SIP flooring design has not resolved this already.
How far can SIPs span?
SIPs can be custom designed and manufactured to ensure structural and design requirements of projects are met. Their span can easily reach 5m between supports with 300mm deep joists and 600mm centres. Spans beyond 5m are possible but may require a floor design that includes steel beams as support. The large span and ability to customise the size of SIPs allow for greater design flexibility. The panels present fewer limitations on structural open and flexible spaces.
What are the benefits of Arctek Technology for SIP floors?
As the panels provide both support and insulation, floor assembly time is reduced. In commercial applications, subsequent plywood may be required to accommodate heavy traffic. It is expected that the top OSB profile of the flooring SIP will be protected by a moisture barrier. In application with a subsequent flooring layer, the OSB surface should be smoothed and primed.
As a standard practice, OSBs rated 3 and above are used for SIP manufacture as they have a level of water resistance but when used as flooring, they will need to be further protected from moisture and vapour ingress. This is to safeguard the structural integrity of the OSB itself but also to prevent moisture from penetrating to the core of the SIP and damaging the insulation layer.
Arctek performance overlay technology by Arclin is a high-performance overlay solution that offers robust protection from moisture and vapour. The reliable technology can also create a primed, smooth surface for improved adhesion of flooring membranes or ready for rapid finishing works that do not include time consuming sanding. The overlay solution is custom designed to suit the project objectives and thermally fused with the OSB during manufacture to ensure the SIP flooring components arrive on site protected and ready to install.
To find out more information on how Arctek performance overlay technology can improve the performance of SIPs, or to further discuss the benefits of our ground-breaking and proven technology, contact us today.
