What Hardwood Floor To Be Used For Radiant Heat
Engineered wood flooring works better for radiant heating than under solid hardwood.
What hardwood floor to be used for radiant heat. 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. If a solid 3 4 thick wood floor is desired it is recommended to use quartersawn flooring not usually available factory prefinished. It is also important to consider the heat transfer qualities of the sub flooring used the sub floor and wood floor should be within 2 3 degrees of each other. For more information about engineered flooring see our article all about engineered wood floors.
Thanks to the advances made in the heated floor industry it is now possible to confidently install hardwood floors over radiant heat. Traditionally it has been used for tile floors but now it is also used with wood flooring. Solid hardwood floors can be used over radiant heat systems. Radiant heating has been used to heating interior spaces dating back to ancient china 10 000 bce.
Radiant heat is a system using electric coils or tubes of hot water underneath the flooring. However when using anything wider than 4 consider extra acclimation and use a hardwood floor glue that is recommended by the wood floor manufacturer. It was until the late 1990s that hardwood flooring began to make its comeback. Heating floors is becoming increasingly popular due to the ease of warming up your entire home.
Wood flooring manufactured and expected to perform at mc levels higher than 9 percent or in conditions above 50 percent rh should not be used with radiant heating systems. 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. A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete. Today hardwood remains among the most desired floor coverings in north america.
What is radiant heat. How to install hardwood floors over radiant heat parquet floors are readily used in radiant heat applications. Can 3 4 solid wood flooring be used over radiant heat systems. Quartersawn is a method of cutting the boards from the log so that the direction of the.
The heating element should be embedded within a sleeper system subfloor under a traditional subfloor or embedded within concrete. But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well. But if you do wish to put radiant heating under solid hardwood use quarter sawn wood flooring instead of plain sawn wood flooring. Launstein r value testing results.
Which is why the most efficent way to use radiant heat under your wood floors is to use a hardwood with a low r value.