Best Engineered Flooring For Radiant Heat

Guide the homeowner in selecting a hardwood floor that is appropriate for their scenario.

Best engineered flooring for radiant heat.

Engineered flooring works well over radiant heat because its unique plywood construction creates greater stability as each wood layer is positioned perpendicular to the other thereby resisting movement from environmental fluctuations depending on the selection can be nailed glued or floated over the subflooring. Energy gov informative website run by the energy department that addresses energy and. Best flooring properties for radiant heating. Properties that make a floor covering good or bad for radiant heating systems tend to center around the thickness of the flooring the flooring s thermal conductive nature its tendency to expand and contract and whether it is prone to water and heat damage.

Electric mat or mesh radiant heating systems must be specifically designated as suitable for use with laminate flooring systems by the manufacturer. Radiant floor systems have a limited heat output. If you ve already started reviewing your options in the hardwood flooring market then you ll be well aware that engineered hardwood flooring is an increasingly popular product. The cut and thickness of the wear layer lamina peeled sliced or sawn may also affect how the floor performs over radiant heat.

Concrete sub floors must register dry using a reliable concrete moisture. Certain solid hardwood floors are appropriate as well. If choosing engineered. The inherent dimensional stability of engineered hardwood floors makes it a great choice for radiant heat systems.

What is the best wood flooring to use over radiant heat. Always check wood sub floors to ensure that the moisture content is less than 12 using an accurate wood moisture meter. The best type of wood flooring construction to use would be a floating engineered floor. Engineered flooring with a less stable wear layer species such as hickory beech and maple are not normally best suited over radiant heat unless otherwise suggested by the flooring manufacturer.

One of the benefits of using a floating floor is that the floor boards are locked together at the joints of each board not nailed adhered or attached to the. One of the best options over radiant heat is to use an engineered hardwood floor. Plainsawn wood will move more than quartersawn especially when it is over 4 inches wide. If you re planning to install comfortable efficient radiant heat your best choices for use with radiant heating are tile flooring laminate flooring engineered flooring and natural stone flooring.

Better still it s competitively priced compared to solid hardwood flooring. For examples look at our northern lights collection. Most underfloor heating systems can keep the floor as warm as 85 degrees. Quartersawn wood flooring is always more stable under conditions of extreme moisture or heat and is always a good choice over radiant heat especially when going with flooring wider than 4 inches.

Learn more about radiant heat and flooring options.