Lofts du Village’s Underfloor Heating: Case Study

When the people of Canada’s capital region seek relief from city life, they often retreat to the serene, natural beauty found in Quebec’s Gatineau hills. Here, where temperatures drop to -39 C and snow falls seven months of the year, underfloor heating is a practical luxury. It’s therefore not surprising that the Groupe Nordik turned to Mapei to provide a single-source floor heating solution for its new Scandinavian-style getaway.

Located at the entrance of Gatineau Park in Chelsea, Lofts du Village expands the capacity of Groupe Nordik’s main resort, Nordik Spa-Nature. It is comprised of 12 lofts and nine studio apartments that offer short and long-term accommodations to a wide variety of visitors ― business travellers looking for a peaceful place away from the hustle and bustle of city life, outdoor enthusiasts, young couples and families.

Construction on Lofts du Village got underway in 2019. Design plans called for an open space concept featuring spacious kitchens and modern bathrooms with separate water closets. As a final touch, it was decided that state-of-the-art heated floors would be incorporated throughout all bathrooms and the premium suite to combat the frigid temperatures. Products from Mapei’s Tile & Stone Installation Systems were specified for the tiling job, while the company’s Mapeheat line of products were used to create an energy efficient radiant heating system.

Beginning in 2020, the weeks-long installation required a high-end waterproofing and crack isolation underlayment for 2,200 square feet of various types of ceramic tile, including large format. With that in mind, flooring installers from Jacques Lamont Ltd. installed Mapeheat Membrane, interlaced with Mapeheat Cable. For added assurance, the team laid Mapeguard WP 200 ― a thin, flexible polyethylene sheet membrane with a non-woven, polypropylene fabric on both sides that is ideal for both waterproofing and crack isolation. A programmable thermostat, Mapeheat Thermo Touch, was then selected for its seven-day programmability, and floor and ambient air sensing capabilities.

The large format tile was installed using Keraflex Plus, a professional extra smooth, non-sag/non-slump, large and heavy tile mortar and, where needed, Ultraflex LFT, a premium large and heavy tile mortar with polymer. Ultracolor Plus FA rapid setting grout was selected for its aesthetic quality, stain-resistance properties and ease of maintenance. In select areas, Kerapoxy premium epoxy grout was used for extra chemical resistance.

Justin Lafontaine is Mapei’s business development manager for the concrete restoration systems and industrial flooring divisions for Eastern Canada. Justin joined Mapei in 2001, as part of the sales team.