Wood Flooring and Underfloor Heating: A Match Made in Heaven

Imagine stepping onto your beautiful wooden floor on a chilly morning and feeling a welcoming warmth under your feet. This is the magic of underfloor heating and it is the perfect combination with wooden flooring.

However, before you go ahead and order your wooden flooring and arrange for your underfloor heating to be installed, there are a couple of pointers we’d like to share with you that will ensure your flooring and heating give you the best results for many years to come.

Solid Wood Flooring and Underfloor Heating

If you have your heart set on underfloor heating and solid wood flooring, you may need to reconsider this combination. Underfloor heating, by its very nature, creates fluctuations in temperature which can play havoc with solid wood flooring over time. When there are fluctuations in temperature and moisture levels, solid wood flooring will expand. Once the temperature levels return to normal the wood flooring contracts again. When fluctuations like this are kept at a minimum your solid wood flooring should be fine, but when regular fluctuations occur this can create gaps and cause the floor to cup and bow. Not only will this spoil the look of your flooring, but will also increase draughts and chills.

Flooring That Works Well With Underfloor Heating

The good news is that you don’t have to compromise too much if you really want a wooden floor with underfloor heating. Engineered wood flooring offers the beauty of a solid wood floor without the complications experienced when combining with an underfloor heating solution. The smart construction of engineered wood means it is able to withstand significant expansion and contractions without causing any degradation in installation or aesthetics. This makes it the perfect candidate for kitchens and underfloor heating installations.

Choosing The Right Engineered Wood Flooring

When choosing any wood flooring for your home you’ll have a number of boxes that you’ll want to tick. These will typically include cost, style, colour, durability and ease of installation if you are fitting the flooring yourself. When you throw underfloor heating into the equation you may also need to consider the thickness of the flooring. Engineered wooden flooring is constructed by bonding together a number of layers of ply. This creates a stable and solid board that is very durable. When laying engineered wood over underfloor heating we usually recommend a thickness of no more than 21mm to ensure you get the benefits of your underfloor heating.

Your underfloor heating can be installed across your entire room or the parts you use the most. For example, in an open plan living space you may wish to install underfloor heating in the kitchen and bathroom areas only.

Engineered Wood Flooring Of The Highest Quality

We take great pride in our extensive selection of engineered wood flooring and we would be delighted to help you choose the right flooring to pair with underfloor heating so that you get the best results from your installation for many years to come.

Need Help Installing Floors in Your Home? Ask the Experts at Factory Flooring

What type of underlayment should you use? How many inches thick? How do you install it? And how do you avoid damaging your floors in the process? 

When you work with Factory Flooring, you don’t have to worry about these questions. Our team of professional flooring installers will handle all the heavy lifting for you — literally. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the savings on your energy bill. 

Need to get more flooring ideas first? Our design blog has dozens of articles to help you get started. Whenever you’re ready to tackle your insulation project, we’ll be here to help. Contact us online to get started, or call Factory Flooring at 469-583-7053