Floor heating system including membranes that are configured to be joined together to house a heating cable, and flooring underlayment including such membranes

A flooring underlayment comprising:

• a base membrane configured to be installed between a subfloor and floor tiles to allow movement of the floor tiles relative to the subfloor, the base membrane including a base layer and a plurality of studs projecting from the base layer;
• and
• a cover membrane configured to be coupled to the base membrane to form an uninterrupted flat surface for supporting the floor tiles, the cover membrane including a cover layer and a plurality of studs projecting from the cover layer, wherein:
• the cover membrane is configured to be coupled to the base membrane using at least one of a snug fit and a snap fit;
• the plurality of studs on the cover membrane are configured to engage the plurality of studs on the base membrane to couple the cover membrane to the base membrane;
• the plurality of studs on one of the base and cover membranes have free ends that define pockets therein;
• and
• the plurality of studs on the other one the base and cover membranes are configured to fit within the pockets in the plurality of studs on the one of the base and cover membranes to couple the cover membrane to the base membrane.

A floor structure comprising:

• a subfloor;
• floor tiles;
• a base membrane configured to be installed between the subfloor and the floor tiles to allow movement of the floor tiles relative to the subfloor;
• and
• a cover membrane configured to be coupled to the base membrane using at least one of a snug fit and a snap fit and to cover the base membrane to prevent tile adhesive from reaching the base membrane, the cover membrane forming an uninterrupted flat surface for supporting the floor tiles.

A floor structure comprising:

• a subfloor;
• floor tiles;
• a base membrane configured to be installed between the subfloor and the floor tiles to allow movement of the floor tiles relative to the subfloor, the base membrane including a base layer and a plurality of studs projecting from the base layer;
• and
• a cover membrane configured to be coupled to the base membrane using at least one of a snug fit and a snap fit, the cover membrane including a cover layer and a plurality of studs projecting from the cover layer, wherein:
• the plurality of studs on the cover membrane are configured to engage the plurality of studs on the base membrane to couple the cover membrane to the base membrane;
• the plurality of studs on one of the base and cover membranes have free ends that define pockets therein;
• the plurality of studs on the other one the base and cover membranes are configured to fit within the pockets in the plurality of studs on the one of the base and cover membranes to couple the cover membrane to the base membrane;
• and
• adjacent ones of the plurality of studs on the base membrane are configured to hold a heating cable therebetween.

A method of installing a floor structure, the method comprising:

• placing a base membrane onto a subfloor;
• positioning a heating cable between adjacent ones of a plurality of studs on the base membrane such that the heating cable is held between the adjacent studs;
• coupling a cover membrane to the base membrane using at least one of a snug fit and a snap fit;
• applying tile adhesive to the cover membrane without applying tile adhesive to the base membrane;
• and
• installing floor tiles on the cover membrane.