Radiant Heat Under Floating Wood Floor

Quartersawn is a method of cutting the boards from the log so that the direction of the.

Radiant heat under floating wood floor. For more information about engineered flooring see our article all about engineered wood floors. But if you do wish to put radiant heating under solid hardwood use quarter sawn wood flooring instead of plain sawn wood flooring. But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well. Floor heating will typically add the most heat to supplement an existing heating source and it will not take any extra space since it is embedded in the floor.

The challenge when installing radiant heat under hardwood floors comes from the fact that wood naturally expands when there is moisture in the air. How the wood floor performs over the radiant heat is equally as important. The heating element should be embedded within a sleeper system subfloor under a traditional subfloor or embedded within concrete. Traditionally it has been used for tile floors but now it is also used with wood flooring.

The types of wood flooring best suited for under floor radiant heat systems should be accounted for to ensure long term performance. When you are installing wood floors over top of concrete the double layer two layers of 1 2 ply floating plywood method will be the best method. It is also important to consider the heat transfer qualities of the sub flooring used the sub floor and wood floor should be within 2 3 degrees of each other. Species both in solid and engineered flooring options certain species are known for their inherent dimensional stability such as.

Electric radiant underfloor heating systems can be installed under wood floors by working from the basement or from a basement crawlspace. If a solid 3 4 thick wood floor is desired it is recommended to use quartersawn flooring not usually available factory prefinished. This is the easiest and most cost effective way of. Since humidity affects wood so much and the heating in your home affects humidity you ll have to take care not to install your radiant heating system during a particularly humid time of year.

Which is why the most efficent way to use radiant heat under your wood floors is to use a hardwood with a low r value. Radiant heat is a system using electric coils or tubes of hot water underneath the flooring. A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete. Heating floors is becoming increasingly popular due to the ease of warming up your entire home.