Massetto Caldo MGN

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.