Conservatories - Interiors

The interior finish of a conservatory is a personal issue and will vary with individual taste. There are many things to decide, so we’ll start on the floor.

We insulate our floor slab with 75mm phenolic foam to the Building Regulations standard (although this is an exempt building, and we don’t have to, but saving energy is an important issue and one we don’t feel we can disregard). Over that will be the damp proof membrane and the minimum 100mm thick concrete floor slab.

If you have decided to have the luxury of underfloor heating [link to UFH] , this is laid next, after the concrete floor has been primed ready to receive the self–levelling compound, laid prior to your slate floor or tiling. Which you choose is a matter of personal taste. Engineered timber flooring is also an option to be laid over underfloor heating, but solid timber cannot be laid onto a heat source, even though the heat outpout is lower (at max 100W/m2) than for a solid floor finish (150W/m2).

Dwarf or full height walls also must be considered. We build predominantly 300mm wide insulated blockwork walls and we are looking at the options for the internal finish. A smooth sand and cement render is a popular choice, which can be painted with masonry paint or exterior grade emulsion to match your colour scheme. Another option is to skim (plaster) the base coat of render, give the same finish as the rest of your home, so that you either paint or paper as you wish. We can also provide brick or natural stone as an internal finish to reflect, perhaps, the rustic look of a country cottage. There are a number of variations which can be combined but the guiding question is ‘will it meet the Building Regulations?’. If the answer is broadly ‘yes’ we can do it for you.

Cills come next, on top of the dwarf or full height walls. These can be of bullnosed uPVC in white or wood grain finish, solid timber (with hardwood as an option), slate, granite or marble. Slate is a very popular choice, as is granite which – with all the many colour shades and stone patterns – will match any decor and add that special touch. Marble, too, is available in a variety of colours and patterns which gives a luxury finish.