Heated Hardwood Floors
Surround Yourself with the Beauty of Hardwood Floors and the Comfort of Radiant Heat
In addition to its striking looks, hardwood floors can also be heated, offering elegant warmth as well as stunning visual appeal. And if you have a considerable amount of hardwood flooring in your home, you are sure to appreciate the benefits of radiant heat. For comfort’s sake, many homeowners cover beautifully finished floors with area rugs, but with radiant heated floors you can enjoy the beauty – and warmth – of heated hardwood floors.
Radiant Heat
There are two types of heated floor technologies—hydronic and electric. As the name implies, hydronic systems utilize specially treated water that is heated by a boiler and pumped through PEX tubing under the floor. Electric radiant heat systems rely on heating elements that provide a quick, efficient source of heat.
Due to the complexities of installation and up-front costs, hydronic radiant heat is generally used for larger square footage applications. Products like ComfortTile, HeatShield floor heating insulation panels, and low-voltage FloorHeat make electric radiant heat installation under hardwood floors an easy proposition for a savvy do-it-yourselfer. They are pre-configured for installation under wood or laminate floors, and are perfect for any radiant heat project, whether you’re remodeling an existing home or building a new one.
If you have access to your floor joists from below, you can also apply radiant heat to your existing hardwood floor. Simply staple up the RetroHeat floor heating element (between the joists), apply insulation and you're ready to enjoy the beauty and luxurious comfort of a heated hardwood floor.
Recommended Solutions for Heating Hardwood Floors
The FILMHEAT in-floor heating system is an excellent value for installing radiant heat under hardwood and laminate flooring. The paper-thin heating element is laid out directly under the flooring as it is being laid out, making it quick, easy and affordable to install. The FilmHeat floor heating system efficiently heats your floors without requiring any floor buildup. When installing the system, the heating panels are cut to their proper length on site, and then installed on the subfloor. After the FilmHeat heating elements are secured, the electrical connections are then made and the laminate floor is installed directly over the panels. FilmHeat can also be used to retrofit existing floors with radiant heat by accessing the floor joists from below. The the heating panels are stapled up between the floor joists. Then Batt insulation is applied over the heating element to direct all the heat upwards, resulting in an affordable and efficient way to add radiant floor heating to existing floors. (This is the same type of heating element as our RetroHeat floor heating product.) |
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STEP FLOORHEAT - is another thin, low-profile heating element, but is also low-voltage. The versatile system can be installed under any material from hardwood floors to roofing. No other radiant heating element can match its characteristics. The radiant heating system utilizes a self-regulating semi-conductive polyethylene heating element that is used for new construction as well as retrofit applications. Warmzone FloorHeat is installed directly under various types of floors, and even in thinset when installing under tile. No additional floor buildup is required when heating floors with FloorHeat. FloorHeat is a safe low-voltage product for practically any application, so it can be safely nailed through (such as in roofing applications) without damaging the heating element. Like RetroHeat, FloorHeat can also be installed between floor joists to provide radiant heat for existing floors. |
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HEATSHIELD features lightweight insulated aluminum panels with channels for the heat cable. HeatShield floor heating insulation panels boast a remarkably efficient radiant heat solution that is ideal for heating hardwood floors. The system consists of lightweight, heat-reflecting panels that radiate the heat upwards to the surface of the floor while providing insulation from the ground. There’s no need to embed the heating cables in a mud base with HeatShield Panels. Simply place the insulation panels on the subfloor, press the ComfortTile heating cable into the grooves provided and lay the hardwood or laminate floor directly on top. HeatShield floor insulation panels consist of a ½-inch thick polystyrene insulation covered with a thin, specially profiled aluminum. The panels ensure maximum upward heat distribution that significantly reduces energy consumption as well as downward insulation and optimum upward heat distribution that significantly reduces energy consumption. HeatShield Panels are so efficient that you typically only have to run your floor heating system for a short period of time, which further saves you money. |