Radiant Heat For Wood Floors

Typical radiant heat temperatures under finished wood flooring.
Radiant heat for wood floors. Temperature range or about 105 115 f. For more information about engineered flooring see our article all about engineered wood floors. Launstein r value testing results. A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete.
It is also the responsibility of the general contractor plumber and hvac systems professional to put care into the installation of a radiant heat system so that all flooring substrates perform well and look great for years. With the right experience moisture testing understanding of the radiant heat system and knowledge about the wood flooring being used contractors can make wood flooring over radiant heat work even. But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well. Under wood floors nailed right to the subfloor and tubing below radiant heat temperatures are typically at the middle of our 85 135 f.
The radiant heated wood floor shown in our photo left was installed in a new york home. 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. 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.
The ability of the radiant heating system to either adequately heat the facility or to simply warm the floor without damaging the wood must be taken into account when specifying a radiant heating system within any facility. The ability inability of a wood flooring material to transfer heat will directly affect the radiant heating system design. 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. Hydronic radiant heating systems are usually designed to heat an entire house.
Water is heated to between 100 and 120 degrees fahrenheit by a boiler and circulated through tubing under floors. Quartersawn is a method of cutting the boards from the log so that the direction of the. With radiant heat systems it s not just the responsibility of the hardwood floor professional to be on top of their game. Installing radiant heat under hardwood floors.
While radiant heat is not in the realm of a novice wood flooring contractor wood floors are installed over radiant heat with success every day. Radiant heating systems warm rooms from the floor upwards resulting in the capability and comfort of setting home thermostats to lower temperatures which effectively reduces energy consumption and saves money even more so for hardwood flooring since it retains heat for longer periods compared to other flooring materials.