Are you adding on to your home? Remodeling? Building a new home? Beyond decisions about the flooring and wall color of a room, there’s also the logistics of the construction to consider, such as heating and cooling the room or spaces. For one of our customers, that came when adding on a bedroom, laundry room and bathroom. Though they had heating and cooling solutions for the other rooms, the bathroom was left out in the cold (literally!); the homeowners didn’t want to deal with a cold bathroom, or a cold floor because the room was built over a concrete slab. The solution they chose was underfloor heating.
Underfloor heating can be done in two ways; through an electric mat installed under the flooring. An electric mat is ideal for homes with forced air heating. For a home with a radiant heating, underfloor heating can be run through pipes under the floor. What kind of flooring can go over underfloor heating? The good news is that there are many flooring options:
- Carpet. Carpet can add another level of cozy to your space, especially when installed over underfloor heating. When installing carpet over underfloor heating, talk to the experts to make sure that you use the right pad and carpet so you can take full advantage of the heating potential of your radiant heating system.
- Laminate floors. Wood flooring is not a good product to go over the top of underfloor heating, but you can still have the look of wood. Laminate flooring comes in a variety of styles, and can have the look of stone, tile or even concrete. Whatever the look, laminate flooring is a floating floor, meaning it can be installed over an underfloor heating system.
- Tile—any kind! If you are installing a tile that can be cold to your toes, such as porcelain tile, radiant flooring is your answer. Tile conducts heat naturally, leaving you with an even heat that is easy-to-clean and mildew resistant. Tile is also one of the easiest floors to install over underfloor heating and can look like wood. That’s right, some tile manufacturers make tiles that look like wood—really looks like wood.
- Engineered hardwood. With the look of real wood and the floating floor properties of laminate, engineered hardwood is an ideal floor for homeowners that want wood floors and the warmth of underfloor heating.
If you’re considering underfloor heating, make sure you consult experts to make sure you select the right flooring (and pad, if you choose carpet) that amplifies the warmth of your radiant flooring. Then, sit back—or lie down—and enjoy the look of your new floor and the warmth of your underfloor heating.
