Stepping onto your wooden floor on a cold winter mourning and feeling a heat under your feet is a dream of many homeowners. This magic of underfloor heating can also be combined with wooden flooring. However, before you decide to arrange for your underfloor heating to be installed, or you order your wooden flooring with the thought of doing it, there are a couple of hints to ensure your wood flooring and underfloor heating go along and give you the best long lasting results.
Problems With Solid Wood Flooring and Underfloor Heating
As much as this option sounds like a perfect combination, you might have to reconsider this. Over time, Solid Wood Flooring and underfloor heating can play a havoc in your house. By its very nature, underfloor heating creates fluctuations in temperature and moisture levels. Unless these changes in temperature are kept to a minimum, they will result in solid wood flooring to expand and contract which can create gaps and cause the floor to cup and bow. It won’t only change the look of your wood floor, but it will also increase draughts and chills.
Which Wood Flooring Works Well With Underfloor Heating ?
The best compromise and the perfect candidate for wood floor and underfloor heating installations is an Engineered Wood Flooring. It offers that beautiful look of a solid wood floor without the possible negatives. The engineered wood is designed in the way so it is capable to withstand significant expansion and contractions without causing any damage or changes to floor’s aesthetics.
Choosing The Right Kind
When buying a new wood floor you will typically consider cost, colour, style, durability, and if you are going to fit it yourself, the ease of installation. When deciding to combine a wood floor and underfloor heating, you may also need to consider the thickness of the flooring. Too thick the floor might make your floor feel less warm than you expected. For the best benefits, we don’t recommend a thickness of more than 20mm.