Radiant Heating: Three Floor Covering Options

March 17, 2010

Radiant heating, also known as in-floor heating, is becoming a popular choice for many homeowners because it eliminates the discomfort of cold floors, and can be a more efficient home heating option than traditional methods like baseboard or forced-air heat.

Using a system of hydronic tubing or electrical mats, radiant heating is designed to directly warm the floors of your home. The heat then radiates up from the floor to warm the rest of your home. Using in-floor radiant heating can create a more comfortable, draft-free environment in your home, but choosing the right floor covering to install on top of your heated floors is important.

When using radiant heating, consider these floor covering options:

• Ceramic Tiles - These tiles, as well as those made from natural stone, conduct heat well and act as thermal storage for the heat produced in your floor. These characteristics make tile the most commonly-used floor covering for heated floors. In some radiant heating installations, the tubing system, which delivers heated fluid throughout the floor, is embedded within the concrete floor slab of the home. Installing tiles over a concrete slab will help create a large thermal mass with the capacity to store and radiate heat efficiently.
• Carpeting - When choosing a carpet to install over your heated floors, it is important to choose a thin carpeting that sits on a thin, rubber carpet pad. A carpet or pad that is too thick will reduce the amount of heat that can be transferred from the radiant floors to the air circulating in your home. To compensate for the insulating nature of all carpet, installers will often increase the temperature at which the radiant heating system operates.
• Wood - If you want the look and feel of a wood floor in your home, it is best to choose a wood laminate product instead of a solid wood covering. This is because solid wood has a tendency to shrink and crack when installed over radiant heating. Laminates, on the other hand, are constructed like plywood and are engineered to withstand movement and temperature changes.

Choosing one of these floor covering options will help ensure that your radiant heating works efficiently and produces the maximum level of comfort for your home. It is also a good idea to let the designer of your radiant heat system know what floor covering you're considering, as those details can effect the system's design.

Related Searches underfloor heating flooring man update flooring antique flooring oriental rugs area rugs

Related Videos & Photos
	See What's Going Down with a Glass Sink