Underfloor Heating - choosing the right type of flooring matters

Underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular with homeowners and as technical expertise develops, these systems are consequently designed to work efficiently and cost-effectively.

Whilst issues such as heat loss, choice of heat source and floor construction will have been considered prior to installation, homeowners may not have given much thought to floor finish until after the UFH system has been fitted. Although this type of heating is compatible with the majority of floor finishes, care needs to be taken in order that the maximum benefit is gained and choice of finish will also have an effect on energy costs and carbon emissions.

The main principles involved when choosing the correct floor finish for your UFH system are:

• All floor finishes should make good contact with the floor
• Include expansion joints in the screed into which the UFH pipework is embedded to allow for movement of the floor
• Allow both concrete and screed to fully cure and dry out before fitting the flooring
• Special attention needs to be given to wooden floors as the moisture content varies; however this type of flooring can be successfully used with UFH by following manufacturers’ guidelines
• At Heatandplumb.com, we supply a wide range of underfloor heating systems and by using our new classification scheme, the process of choosing the correct floor and floor finish is now even easier.

Why not take advantage of the competitive prices we have to offer and for further advice, speak to one of our experienced sales team who are always pleased to assist.