Best Types Of Flooring To Install Over Radiant Heating

As much as radiant heating has many benefits, it is quite beneficial to know which floors work best with this type of in-floor heating. It would be such a buzz kill to realize that your floor is deforming just as you were starting to get used to a cozy, warm floor.

Below are examples of flooring that you should go for if you are looking to install a radiant floor heating systems Vancouver.

• Tile flooring

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are great heat conductors which makes them some of the best finishes for a radiant heating system. Additionally, these types of floors do not expand with changes in temperature and thus they are not prone to cracking.

• Laminate flooring

This floor replicates the look and feel of a tile floor or solid hardwood flooring but comes at a cheaper cost than the two. It is also very effective when used for floor heating systems. Since it is comprised of layers of wood running in opposite directions, it is a more stable material as compared to hardwood. Just like a solid hardwood floor, this floor finish will not contract or expand with temperature changes.

• Engineered wood flooring

Like laminate, it consists of many layers which make it very stable in relation to temperature changes. With this type of flooring, you are sure that there will be no cracks even after a long use of the radiant heating systems because it does not expand or contract. The top layer of the engineered wood flooring material is usually solid wood to ensure it wears slowly and evenly.

• Natural stone flooring

Travertine, sandstone, granite, and any other natural heat flooring will do a wonderful job when it comes to heated floors. Most people assume that stone is one very cold material. As much as this is true, stone heats up very well when subjected to radiant heating. Try using natural stone with radiant heat systems and you will be surprised that you can walk barefooted around your house even during the winter.

Flooring that doesn’t do well with radiant heat systems

• Vinyl flooring

Tests have shown that vinyl flooring does not do well with heat. When heated, this type of floor tends to discolor and give off dangerous fumes due to off-gassing of chemicals.

• Solid hardwood flooring

This material is also not good with the radiant heat system because of its shrinking and swelling that occurs due to the heating/cooling process. You ought to avoid investing in pricey hardwood flooring that will end up cupping, buckling, cracking or crowing when you start using the underfloor heating system

• Wall-to-wall carpeting

Carpeting has insulation value which will make it prevent effective transfer of heat from the radiant pipes into your home.