Radiant heating systems supply heat directly to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house. The systems depend largely on radiant heat transfer — the delivery of heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via infrared radiation. Radiant heating is the effect you feel from the warmth of a hot stovetop element from across the room. When radiant heating is located on the floor, it is often called radiant floor heating or simply floor heating. For radiant floors, engineered flooring is ideal because it’s thinner and more stable than most solid wood.
Radiant Heat
Radiant heating has a number of advantages. It is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because it eliminates duct losses. People with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn’t distribute allergens like forced air systems can. Hydronic (liquid-based) systems use little electricity, a benefit for homes off the power grid or in areas with high electricity prices. Hydronic systems can use a wide variety of energy sources to heat the liquid, including standard gas- or oil-fired boilers, wood-fired boilers, solar water heaters, or a combination of these sources.
You can further categorize these types by installation. Those that make use of the large thermal mass of a concrete slab floor or lightweight concrete over a wooden subfloor are called “wet installations,” and those in which the installer “sandwiches” the radiant floor tubing between two layers of plywood or attaches the tubing under the finished floor or subfloor are called “dry installations.” Despite its name, radiant floor heating depends heavily on convection, the natural circulation of heat within a room as air warmed by the floor rises. Radiant floor heating systems are significantly different from the radiant panels used in walls and ceilings.
Floor Covering
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor covering for radiant floor heating because it conducts heat well and adds thermal storage. Common floor coverings like vinyl and linoleum sheet goods, carpeting, or wood can also be used, but any covering that insulates the floor from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system.
For carpeting, use a thin carpet with dense padding and install as little carpeting as possible. If some rooms, but not all, have a floor covering, then those rooms should have a separate tubing loop to make the system heat these spaces more efficiently. This is because the water flowing under the covered floor will need to be hotter to compensate for the floor covering. Wood flooring should be laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood to reduce the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking from the drying effects of the heat.
Engineered wood often holds up better with radiant heat than other heating sources, such as HVAC units or bulky radiators. The only difference, which makes a huge impact, is construction. Solid is one thickness throughout, but engineered is layered. At the top is your species-of-choice, giving it beautiful undertones and unique characteristics such as knots, raised grains, and swirls. Underneath are three or more genuine wood layers combined with a little resin and placed in a crosswise position. This makes it stable, needing no acclimation and with an increased ability to handle water. As a result, it can be placed in some higher-than-normal moisture areas, such as basements.
Solid hardwood floors can be used over radiant heat systems. However, when using anything wider than 4″ consider extra acclimation and use a hardwood floor glue that is recommended by the wood floor manufacturer. Quartersawn or riftsawn are also considered better hardwood floor choices. Certain solid hardwood floors are appropriate as well. North American oak, American cherry, and American walnut are all appropriate. Some manufacturers even make hardwood floors specifically for radiant heat systems.
Radiant heat and engineered wood floors
Another key step during installation is to measure the surface temperature of the sub floor and the hardwood floor. The surface temperature of the sub floor should never exceed 85F. If the surface temperature exceeds 85F, the wood may dry out more than it should, and this can cause cracks.
Contact us
VCH Flooring stands by the promise to do the job right. Our professional installers will perform services consistent with the industry standards to your satisfaction. If you have concerns after the installation, contact us within 60 days and the services with be re-done at no additional cost. Product warranties vary by manufacturer. Because we are a services company and do not manufacture products, we only warranty our services with the DONE RIGHT GUARANTEE. We will disclose the warranties before the work begins as part of our transparency policy to be good neighbors who serve the community with excellence. Email vchflooring@gmail.com
VCH Flooring 1812 Underwood Blvd, Delran, NJ 08075. https://vchflooring.com/contact-us/ 856- 393- 1310