Underfloor Heating and Wood Flooring: What You Need to Know Before Installation

Renovating your house comes with a myriad of decisions including the flooring material and heating system to use. In recent years, wooden floors and underfloor heating have gained popularity among homeowners.

However, before ordering wooden floorboards, there are several issues you should consider to promote the durability of the wood floor and promote the efficiency of underfloor heating.

Engineered Wood Flooring vs. Solid Wood Floor for Underfloor Heating

If you are set on underfloor heating for your wooden floor, then solid wood floor may not be a good option. Underfloor heating creates abrupt temperature changes that may cause damage to wooden floors over time.

Temperature fluctuations affect the moisture content of solid wood, which results in expansion and contraction. These regular fluctuations result in the creation of gaps or cause warping of the floor

Engineered wood floors have the same aesthetic qualities as solid wood floors but present fewer complications when combined with underfloor heating.

Engineered wood is constructed by gluing layers of wood together with plywood, which allows the flooring material to withstand the constant expansion and contraction without causing any damage to the floor. This characteristic of engineered wood floors makes it an ideal candidate for underfloor heating installations. Find more details about wood flooring here.

Maximum Thickness for Wooden Floors

When deciding on the color, and cost of your wood floor, it is also important to consider the thickness, especially if you are considering underfloor heating. Maintaining a maximum thickness of 18mm, (3/4”) allows efficient heat transfer. Using wood that is thicker than 18mm may result in reduced heat transfer, which affects the efficiency of your heating system

To ensure maximum comfort, make sure that the surface floor temperature is below 80°F (27°C). Installing a thermostat to your heating system will help to ensure the temperature does not exceed 80°F. A floor-heating thermostat is specifically designed to control your heating system; thus, protects your floor surface from unpleasant temperatures that are uncomfortable to walk on.

Wooden Flooring Installation Tips

Installing underfloor heating is a quick and easy task. Here are a few tips you need to consider to ensure successful installation of both your underfloor heating and wood flooring.

• Leaving a 10mm expansion gap between the wood flooring and walls will allow space for expansion; thus, prevent warping. You can use a skirting board to hide the expansion gap.
• Ensure that the moisture content of your wooden floor corresponds with the environmental humidity. This prevents excessive drying of your floor, which may result in shrinkage; thus, causing unpleasant gaps.
• Allowing your floor to adapt to the environment for 48 hours allows better determination of expansion and contraction spaces; thus, ensure increased durability of your floor.

Wood floors are aesthetic, sustainable and durable, which has resulted in their increasing popularity among homeowners. However, if you are considering using underfloor heating together wood flooring, ensure you follow the above recommendations.