Using Flooring with Underfloor Heating

Is underfloor heating the hottest flooring trend? All puns aside, blending your heating system into your floor can be a very appealing way to warm up your living space during the colder months. If you are not familiar with this concept, underfloor heating literally makes your floor the heater. Imagine walking through your home in socks, feeling the warmth on the bottoms of your feet, and not even being in an area close to where a heating vent or radiator is. You would experience this comfort everywhere you walk in the room!

As opposed to pushing warm air through the room as conventional heating systems do, an underfloor heating system radiates the heat from the floor up. Since warm air rises, this method can be more energy-efficient and produce greater impact as it takes advantage of the natural upward flow of heat. When considering underfloor heating, it is helpful to understand that electric and warm water are the two main system types. The differences in these two types will ultimately determine if either underfloor heating system is a great fit for your home.

Electric

Electric underfloor heating uses heating wires under the floor and is both simpler and cheaper to install. This installation advantage makes an electric system suitable for installing in both remodeling and new construction projects. While it can be more expensive to run ongoing, the trade-off is that there are generally no maintenance costs.

Warm Water

Warm water underfloor heating uses pipes to circulate hot water underneath the floor. This type is more expensive to install and is better suited for new construction and professional installation. While a warm water system will require regular maintenance, the ongoing costs to run are usually less than an electric system.

After you review and understand the two main types of underfloor heating, now it’s time to answer the big question…

What type of flooring works with underfloor heating?

Here is some fantastic news: Underfloor heating can work well with many types of flooring. While different flooring types have varying abilities to transfer heat from the underfloor heating system, you still have a wide array of choices. Stone and ceramic tiles radiate and transfer the heat the best, but vinyl, as well as solid and engineered hardwood flooring, are well suited to combining with underfloor heating. While carpet will also work with underfloor heating, it is not quite as effective as other choices, and the heating system will transfer less heat with a thicker carpet pile on top.

Are you interested in underfloor heating for your whole house, one floor of a multi-level home, or a few particular rooms in the house? And are you planning a new construction project or a remodeling or upgrade project? Your Thornton Flooring flooring experts are ready to help you explore the best underfloor heating system options for your project and answer any questions that you may have. With all of the exciting combinations available, you could be on your way to the most comfortable floor that you’ve ever stepped foot on!