Heated Floors: All You Need to Know
Gaining popularity for quite some time, electric heated floors (with a membrane) have revolutionized the flooring world. What is better than walking on a warm floor when coming out of the shower, or cooking barefoot and not being cold? However, before you install an electric heated floor, learn all that you need to know about them, because a poorly installed heated floor can quickly turn into a nightmare.
There are no limits with membrane heated floors; you can have them in any room of your house. The floor is heated by electric radiation (by resistance), meaning the heat is created by an electrical cable made of materials that have high electrical resistance, which produces heat.
It is important to choose flooring that is appropriate for use with heating elements, since not all floor coverings are ideal. Tiles are the most common type of flooring because they are a heat conductive material and disperse heat evenly. I tis also possible to have electric radiant flooring with wood or vinyl. You should talk to your flooring dealer; they will advise you about which type of floor covering is the best choice.
Installing a heated floor is relatively simply. First insulation must be placed against the ground to make sure that you aren’t heating the ground! Next comes the installation of the uncoupling membrane specially designed to accommodate the heating cables. Once the membrane is installed, then comes the cable. At this stage it is important to place the cable in the zones that you want to be heated. When this is completed, the next step is to completely cover the surface with the chosen flooring using the appropriate method. A heated floor must be installed by a certified electrician so that the quality of the work is recognized.
Heated floors have several advantages:
- There is less heat loss when the heat comes from the flooring.
- It doesn’t make any noise.
- There is no odour (think about a heater open for the first time after being closed for a while!).
- It requires less space than a standard heating system.
- It is cost-effective in the long term.
- It distributes heat evenly throughout the room.
- It does not stir up dust unlike other heat sources.
- It saves energy.
- It adds a certain coziness.
- It guarantees that no joints will crack over the years.
- It replaces the subfloor, so it is less thick.
- It is easy to use with hardwood flooring (in height) due to its lower profile
All in all, there are only good reasons to choose electric radiant floor heating.Don’t hesitate to offer yourself this little piece of luxury.