Are Radiant Heat Wood Floors Worth It

There are two types of radiant floor heating electric and water based systems.

Are radiant heat wood floors worth it. Perhaps realtors must consider too many variables to definitively state what a radiant heating system might add to or subtract from any given asking price. We recommend limiting the use of rugs with a radiant heating system if the flooring type is laminate or engineered wood as the rugs can trap heat and potentially discolor the floor over time. Electric radiant heat is provided by electric under floor heating cables. During the installation process one of the most important steps to take is to turn on the radiant heat system 1 2 weeks prior to the delivery of the wood.

The two types of heated flooring systems are electric radiant heated floors and hydronic heated floor. Since humidity affects wood so much and the heating in your home affects humidity you ll have to take care not to install your radiant heating system during a particularly humid time of year. Warm water systems run hot water through pipes to create heat whereas electric underfloor heating heats wiring beneath the floor to generate heat. Most wood flooring can be installed over radiant heat providing all of the necessary conditions are met.

Thanks to the advances made in the heated floor industry it is now possible to confidently install hardwood floors over radiant heat. Radiant floor heating systems are known for being quiet. 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. Launstein r value testing results.

Unlike forced air systems. Hydronic radiant floor heating system with the help of a boiler generates hot water then pumps it through plastic pex tubing installed underneath the surface to be heated. Radiant heat dates to ancient times when the romans warmed rooms by running the flues for slave tended wood burning fires under elevated marble floors keeping toes and togas nice and toasty. 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.

Many centuries later in this country frank lloyd wright buried copper pipes in the concrete floors of his usonian homes and warmed them with hot water. The challenge when installing radiant heat under hardwood floors comes from the fact that wood naturally expands when there is moisture in the air. 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. Value report issued by hanley wood media publishers of remodeling magazine.

In floor heating is not even tracked in the annual cost vs.