Heated Flooring – Good Oshawa Home Renovations Investment?

Heated Flooring

Is heated flooring actually a good investment for your Oshawa home renovations? Lets find out! Radiant heat flooring sounds like an extra frill that only the wealthy would choose to install but let me illustrate the benefits of this fantastic invention that will serve not only to keep your toes warm but could also help increase the efficiency of your home’s heating & cooling system!  We’ll also discuss the differences of the 3 main types of heated floors: Air heated floors, electric heated floors, and hot water floors and the installation processes as well:  Wet Installation Heated Floors and Dry Installation Heated Floors.

Heated Floors – The Technology

Lets get down to the important bits; there are three main types of radiant floor heating here are their proper terms:

• Radiant air floors (air heated)
• Electric radiant floors (electric)
• Hot water (hydronic) floors

Now for the types of heated flooring installation:

Wet installations: This heated flooring installation makes use of the large thermal mass of the concrete slab floor

Pros: Wet Installation Heated Floors

• Wet systems can be used along with heat pumps.
• This system can be set to low temperatures which can assist in heating/cooling the house.
• You will benefit from lower utility bills in comparison to dry heating systems.

Cons: Wet Installation Heated Floors

• This process can be extremely difficult to install unless you are remodelling a significant portion of your home.
• Can have higher initial costs of installation
• If the height of the room is very low, then you may have to raise the flooring to be able to install the pipes
• Repairs costs can be very high if issues arise with the installation

Dry installations: Installing the radiant floor tubing between two layers of plywood or by attaching the tubing under the finished floor or subfloor.

Pros Dry Installation Heated Floors

• This system can also be used with solar panels, which if linked to your home will significantly reduce your electricity bills and also make you home greener.
• The underlay mats are available in much smaller sizes and can even be installed in bathrooms and on upper floors.

Cons Dry Installation Heated Floors

• You may experience uneven heat distribution if the install goes wrong.
• The cost of running a dry floor heating system is higher than that of a wet floor heating system.
• You need to be careful while placing heavy furniture around the room as you may pinch the tubing.

What type of flooring can be used with in floor heating systems?

Tiles, porcelain, ceramic and stone: These are the most popular. All tiles can withstand high temperatures and are very good conduits for heat. The maximum stone thickness should be at least 3/4 inch and the tiles can be heated up to temperatures of 84 degrees F.

Laminated wood: will conduct heat very well, albeit at slightly lower temperatures than tiles maximum temperature would be 80 degrees F.

Wood: It is advised to avoid some strains of real wood. Wood is a natural material that is affected by the humidity of your home environment. It’s important to acclimate your floors to ensure the correct moisture content of your wood flooring during and after the installation. You will also need to regularly monitor your heating system to ensure it is functioning at the best cycle for your floors.

Carpet: Carpet can be used with underfloor heating. The guidelines indicate that the material of the carpet and/or underlay must not exceed 2.5 tog in order for the system to be used correctly.

By installing the in floor heating system your entire home will benefit from this upgrade; you will reduce the amount of allergens circulating in the air, you will reduce the incidence of mites by almost 80% all the while using a very low maintenance system.

Heated Flooring Conclusion

Yes, heated flooring is a good investment for your Oshawa home renovations, and as a bonus, it is a healthy upgrade for your family!

I hope you have enjoyed our Heated Flooring tips! Read our Reno Tips Blog page for more great tips! Manulock are experts at taking care of your home renovations and are knowledgeable on all types of flooring.

Call 1-905-550-5125 for your free quote now!