28+ Can You Put Radiant Heat Under Existing Hardwood Floors

Vinyl plank flooring is a great option for on top of radiant heating, especially if you need a flooring that is waterproof! Be sure to keep the radiant flooring heat under 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You don’t want the heat too high, as you could compromise the integrity of the flooring. How to Install Electric Radiant Heat Under Wood Floors. Electric radiant underfloor heating systems can be installed under wood floors by working from the basement or from a basement crawlspace.

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For smaller rooms, radiant heat existing wood floor will be best served with electric heat. But for larger buildings with big-footprint rooms, you’ll want to look into hydronic radiant heating. In the case of large rooms, electric radiant heating could end up being less energy-efficient than forced-air because of the spread a large space.

Can you put radiant heat under existing hardwood floors. If you’ve installed radiant heating in your home, you may wonder what type of floor can be installed over it. Laminate flooring on top of a radiant heated floor is the perfect solution. As long as proper precautions are taken, it is perfectly fine to install laminate over a radiant heated floor. Yes, you can install just about any type of flooring over a radiant heat system, but I would not recommend any type of vinyl flooring. And also, you want to check with the manufacturer, because installing some floor over a radiant heat system will void the warranty. If you are considering radiant heat in your home, consult with experts to advise you which species are best suited for this application. Be sure to discuss how the thickness of the flooring will affect heating; how the natural shrinkage and swelling will affect your floors, and which types of wood are most stable when heated.

Thus, radiant heat became synonymous with “high mass radiant heat”, which has many drawbacks. As one can imagine, heating a large mass of concrete takes a considerable amount of time, between 12 hours and a couple of days depending on the size and thickness of the slab. This of course is problematic if you need quickly. Use 2" staples in the nailer, and set the compressor at 60-70 psi. Use the nailer to set the board and drive the staples through the tongue at an angle into the subfloor. You can use a manual nailer, but for a job this size it was best to use the pneumatic nailer. Note: You rent a pneumatic nailer and compressor for about $70/day. With a hydronic system, you can attach aluminum plates beneath the floor to spread and store heat. Radiant heating works well with ceramic tile and vinyl, but not with wood floors. Its success with carpeted floors depends on the length of the weave – thick carpets or those with thick pads won’t work well as heat generated by the system will.

There are several ways radiant heat systems can be installed: By installing the radiant heat tubing directly under the wood subfloor from below. This is the most common installation in home renovation. By installing the radiant heat tubing within a plywood underlayment system, directly over the existing concrete slab or existing wood subfloor. In fact, the application of solid hardwood floors installed over a radiant heated floor is approved by many hardwood manufacturers and trade organizations, with the above conditions, of course. With forced hot air or baseboard systems, there is more heat on the wood around the perimeter of the room, so those boards may have a tendency to. How to Install Hardwood Floors Over Radiant Heat Parquet floors are readily used in radiant heat applications. With strip flooring, the wider the board, the greater the potential for gaps between the boards when they contract with seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.

Engineered wood flooring works better for radiant heating than under solid hardwood. But if you do wish to put radiant heating under solid hardwood, use quarter-sawn wood flooring instead of plain-sawn wood flooring. The heating element should be embedded within a sleeper system subfloor, under a traditional subfloor, or embedded within concrete. First, you need to do your homework and we will give you key tips so that you have a general understanding of exactly how you can use electric radiant heat under your Wood Floors. First, let’s discuss the basics of Wood Flooring, Species, Engineered Hardwood, and Solid Hardwood. Thanks to the advances made in the heated floor industry, it is now possible to confidently install hardwood floors over radiant heat. This means homeowners can now enjoy the natural beauty of hickory, oak, cherry, walnut, maple, ash, and any other fine hardwood, plus the efficiency and luxurious comfort provided by radiant heating.

The retrofit is limited in spaces that it can go into, and the insulation properties of the existing floors block some of the radiant heat produced by the system. Under the Joists But that said, even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well. A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete. 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. Radiant heat can be added under your existing floor. In this situation, hydronic radiant heat (water circulating through pipes) would be easier to install than electric mat radiant heat. Electric mat radiant heat is best when sandwiched between the subfloor and the finish material, be it wood, tile, or carpet.

Warmup systems have been extensively researched and developed for use with a wide variety of wooden floor options. The key with radiant-based heating of wood flooring is the wood’s thermal conductivity; the thinner and denser the wood, the quicker the heat-up time and therefore, the more efficient the system. Radiant heat has many benefits. Walking on heated floors in winter is very cozy. The dog will love laying on it. And radiant heat can be very economical. If you’re considering the installation of a radiant heat system, some flooring options work better than others. Here are the top 4 flooring options for use over radiant heat. The challenge when installing radiant heat under hardwood floors comes from the fact that wood naturally expands when there is moisture in the air. 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.

If you can access your floor joists from below, you can easily install energy-efficient radiant heat under your existing floors. The two most highly recommended options are RetroHeat and FloorHeat.Both systems are very affordable and allow you to install radiant heat to existing floors without extensive remodeling or tearing up existing floors. Installing electric radiant heat under nailed hardwood can seem like a daunting task, but if you know the right way to install it, there’s nothing to fear! If you’re interested in installing radiant heat under nailed hardwood floors in your home, start by requesting a custom installation plan by contacting sales@warmlyyours.com . It can go under most existing flooring, including wood, tile, vinyl, and even carpet.. you can cover them with a variety of finish floors. Because tiles give up their heat readily, they're ideal for radiant heat—so a bathroom is a great place for a retrofit.. the Newton homeowners decided to put the radiant under the entire first floor.

1 Fasten the heat transfer plates to the underside of the old floor with ½-inch screws. Install two parallel rows of plates between each pair of floor joists. 2 Snap the flexible PEX tubing into the grooves of the heat transfer plates.

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