Categories: Decorating & Design

Installing Heated Floors in Your Kitchen or Bathroom

Your kitchen and bathroom are one of the most used rooms in the house. And because these areas of the home are often surrounded by water, more durable flooring materials are needed to keep moisture at bay. That often translates to tile surfaces that can get really cold underfoot during the winter months. By installing a heated pad between the subfloor and the tile, you can control the temperature of the flooring (and the entire room) with a simple thermostat. Lower your overall heating costs and keep heat where you need it most using these simple techniques for installing your own heated floor.

Electric Systems

This is the most common form of radiant floor heating systems. Underfloor heating systems like these are simple to install and can easily be done on any budget. Most radiant heating like this can be installed under just about any type of flooring and installed over nearly any kind of substrate. Common designs are mesh fiberglass mats with an embedded electrical cable. Mats come in rolls approximately 3′ wide and as long as you like.

Place the mats perpendicular to one another to provide maximum heating coverage. Fabric scissors should be used to cut the mats to length. The separate pads are wired together in a series using a self-sealing coupling. Pads are attached to the substrate using staples, adhesive or the provided fasteners and the system is then tested for electrical continuity before the flooring materials are added. Once the flooring is complete, the thermostat is wired into the system and it’s ready for use.

The down side of these types of underfloor heating systems is that if one section of an underfloor heating pad goes bad, then the rest of the pads in the series won’t work either. Some inferior systems can also produce excessive electromagnetic fields that interfere with your homes electronics. Use the following guidelines when buying and underfloor heating system and you’ll be sure to get a long lasting system that’s perfect for your kitchen or bathroom.

· Heavy Insulation- Wires that are heavily insulated and covered with a layer of foil that reduce the electromagnetic field to zero.
· Self-Limiting Wring- Underfloor heaters are like toaster coils; they get hot. Self-limiting wires heat up only to a specific temperature no matter what the voltage, ensuring no fire hazards are lurking under your new floor.
· Versatile Installation- Look for a heating pad that isn’t limited by the surfaces that support or cover the pads.
· UL Listed- Don’t buy any underfloor heating system that hasn’t been tested by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL). Their rigorous testing makes sure your underfloor heater is safe for your home.

Hydronic Systems

Water is used to heat this underfloor heating system. This is definitely not a DIY project. Professional plumbing contractors even have a tough time installing these complex and delicate underfloor heaters. A water heater or heat pump is needed to heat the water in these unique underfloor heating units.

Coolant Systems

An antifreeze coolant is used to regulate underfloor heat with this system. Thin tubes filled with this liquid are heated by using a water heater, heat pump or geothermic wells or fields. A pump is needed to circulate the fluid and keep the flooring system temperature consistent. Be sure to hire a professional to install this energy efficient underfloor heating material.