Choosing to install radiant in floor heating is one of the best decisions that you can make for your home. It helps to heat your house evenly and efficiently. To ensure that the system works well, you need to have the appropriate flooring for it. The material should be a conduct conductor of heat. Hence, some flooring materials work better than others when it comes to heat distribution. We have listed below the different types of flooring material and how they would perform with the floor heating system.
Tile and Concrete
These two flooring
materials work best when it comes to an underfloor heating system. They are both great conductors of heat. This implies that once the heat has been released from the heating pipes or wire, it quickly gets transferred to the surface. Tile and concrete can retain heat well, which helps to enhance the efficiency of the heating system. They have excellent heat transfer properties. Both these floorings can be cleaned easily. Tile and concrete flooring are ideal for both electric and hydronic heating systems. To get the best benefit from your underfloor heating system, you should opt for either tile or stone flooring.
Carpet
Carpet works well in homes that have floor heating systems. However, the underfloor heating on carpet comes with its set of limitations. Carpets act as an insulator and might also hinder the heating system from adequately transferring heat and warming up the room. To ensure that you get the best out of your heating system, pay close attention to the underlayment thickness, as it can quickly soak up a lot of heat and cause poor output. The underfloor heating system you are choosing should produce enough heat to warm up your house. The carpet’s and underlay’s combined TOG value should not exceed 2tog. Tog is a rating that indicates the effectiveness of a material’s heat insulation.
Hardwood
The heating system works differently with different types of wood. It is highly recommended that you opt for dense and thinner wooden floorboards because they conduct heat better. The thickness of the floorboards is crucial as it ensures that it doesn’t act like an insulator that blocks heat. If you are planning to opt for wooden flooring, then the following options are highly recommended:
- Engineered Timber: This has been designed for an underfloor heating system because it responds to changes in the floor temperature with ease and adapts easily to the changes in the level of moisture in the wood.
- Solid Hardwood: This might not be the perfect option to be used with an underfloor heating system. It can begin to gap and cup when there are fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Some manufacturers have designed solid hardwood that is perfectly suitable to be used along with the underfloor heating system.
- Softwood: It can be used only when the floorboards are thick enough to stand the high heat output of the system.
- Bamboo: Ideal option as it has high conductive properties.
