Where To Nail A Hardwood Floor

Hardwood flooring is a popular floor cease in both contemporary home design and habitation restoration projects and it is an ideal material to employ with an underfloor heating system.

In this guide we'll explain:

Is underfloor heating suitable with hardwood floors?
The differences betwixt hardwood and engineered forest
The qualities of hardwood
How best to install floor heaters with hardwood floor
The best electric flooring heating systems to employ with hardwood flooring

Tin can I use Underfloor Heating with Hardwood Floors?

Electric underfloor heating systems work well with hardwood floors, as wood conducts and holds the warmth produced past the floor heater and radiates this into the room. The natural backdrop of wood too hateful that it has a fast heat-upwardly time whilst also resisting heat from escaping also quickly, making wood helpful in maximising the energy-efficiency of an underfloor heating organization.

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Differences between Hardwood and Engineered Wood Flooring

Whilst both hardwood flooring and engineered wood flooring can be used with an underfloor heating arrangement, the differences in their density and wet content values tin lead to different heating requirements.

Hardwood

When nosotros refer to hardwood, nosotros generally mean natural timber– that is wood that has been cut and treated specifically for flooring and virtually commonly produced as floorboards. When considering installing flooring heating with a hardwood floor finish, the quality of the woods is very important. Quarter-sawn wood is the best choice every bit it has been cut in such a way that when it absorbs moisture, it is unlikely to bow or warp.

Engineered woods

Engineered wood is a human being-made product that often utilizes a hardwood finish on summit of a plywood inner core. All engineered wood is designed to limit the growth and shrinkage caused by wet in the atmosphere but due to the softer forest core, cheaper engineered wooden flooring can corking over time, in some cases causing a failure of the floor heating organization. It's always best to talk with your flooring supplier about the suitability of using your chosen floor finish with underfloor heating.

Learn more about Underfloor Heating for Wooden Floors

The Qualities of Hardwood when used with Underfloor Heating

As a natural fabric, wood is affected by its surrounding environs and there are some key things to think about when installing an underfloor heating system with hardwood floors.

Platonic Thickness

The thickness and density of hardwood flooring tin impact on the operation of the system and we recommend that timber thickness should be no more than 18mm. Also, equally wider flooring boards volition ofttimes prove more motion than more narrow boards, we recommend that the ratio of thickness to width should exist in the region of vii to 11. A board with a thickness of 16mm and width of 160mm would give a ratio of x, so is ideal.

Thermal Conductivity

It is typically recommended that a maximum floor surface temperature of 27°C should not be exceeded for hardwood flooring but this not strictly accurate. This temperate instruction is based on celebrated research exploring growth and shrinkage rates of hardwood floors and it was at 27°C that the expansion of hardwood tested was deemed 'invisible' to the naked eye. This temperature is now an industry-wide recommendation, simply hardwood floors tin can exist heated to a college level if necessary, however, if your flooring supplier recommends a maximum surface temperature of 27°C then you should follow this advice.

Yous can secure the temperature restriction of the hardwood floor using a Warmup Thermostat that accurately controls the underfloor heating arrangement to provide you with an optimally heated room. As part of your project, yous should as well always get a rut loss calculation washed in order to ensure that underfloor heating meets the room heating requirement.

Expansion and Contraction

All forest is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from effectually it and this wet causes both hardwood and engineered forest to naturally expand and contract over fourth dimension. This moisture content can vary depending on what kind of timber you choose and the environment of where your floor-heating project is located. With the changing seasons, a hardwood floor volition grow and compress minutely equally the indoor humidity changes. If installed incorrectly, this swelling and contraction of a timber floor can touch on on the responsiveness of a floor heater.

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Underfloor Heating with Suspended Timber Floors

Suspended forest floors are a common structural element in many menses properties and we offering a range of floor heating systems specifically designed for suspended timber floors.

Electric Systems

Yous can also apply electric underfloor heating with suspended timber floors. In these cases, you would apply the original timber floorboards every bit a subfloor and install the electric system on top of it earlier laying downwardly a new flooring finish.

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Installation Tips

If you are installing a new hardwood floor with an underfloor heating system, in that location are a couple of key things to retrieve near to guarantee a successful first-fourth dimension installation.

Acclimating the Wood

Due to wood's moisture content and the effect this has on growth and movement, we recommend letting the wood flooring acclimate to the environment inside the room it will be fitted to. Part of this process is an installation heating wheel during which the floor surface temperature should exist kept at 15°C and the air temperature between 15-22°C. The atmospheric relative humidity should be between 40-lx%.

Later installation, the floor should acclimate for at least 48 hours before turning the organization dorsum on. The floor temperature should exist limited to 15°C and increased past i°C a day until the desired flooring temperature is accomplished. It is advisable to check the temperature restrictions with your floor manufacturer as the ambient temperature will depend on the season. E'er bank check with the floor manufacturer the suitability of the flooring for use with the heating organization.

Self-Leveling Guidance

With regards to the hygroscopic properties of wood, it's also worth being aware that the self-leveler will add excess moisture to the wood, so nosotros recommend allowing screed to dry at a rate of 1mm per twenty-four hours. A 10mm expansion gap around the room is as well recommended to foreclose whatsoever future issues with the expansion and contraction of a hardwood flooring.

Nailed Hardwood

Many hardwoods require a nail-down application and these too are suitable for use with electric underfloor heating. For installations where nailing is required it is important to follow the sleeper method. When installed post-obit this method planks of forest are laid beyond the room, referred to as sleepers, to provide an intentional place to blast the wood without damaging the heating cable. As with all electric underfloor heating installations, nosotros recommend checking product resistance before, during, and afterward installation to ensure the production has non been compromised.

Read the Blog "How to Install Underfloor Heating"

Best Underfloor Heating Systems for Hardwood Floors

Our Foil Heater electrical underfloor heating system is recommended for floating wood floor finishes and its unique design offers rapid installation times.

For spaces that require higher heat output or for a nail-downwards application, the DCM-PRO system is recommended. The DCM-PRO organization too offers a fast installation and comes backed by a lifetime warranty.

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Source: https://www.warmup.com/blog/guide-to-using-underfloor-heating-with-timber-floors

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