Electric & Hydronic Under Timber Floor Heating

There’s nothing like beautifully finished timber flooring with the added bonus of warmth! Can you put underfloor heating under wooden floors? Yes you can!

Many home owners love combining the look and feel of warm timber floors to achieve optimium comfort in their living spaces.   Not only that, but they act as a wonderful and convenient conversation starter among guests!

Underfloor heating timber floors can be a very effective way of heating your home in Australia, however, there are a few restrictions to keep in mind. With timber floors, it is essential that the relative humidity of the timber not be reduced to the point where shrinking or warping of the timber could become apparent.

To avoid this, it is important to be aware of the heat restrictions noted by your timber flooring manufacturer when using both electric and hydronic floor heating systems. Typically, the floor heating system is controlled by using air and floor sensing thermostats to ensure that the floor surface temperature does not exceed 27°C (or whatever is recommended by your timber floor supplier).

In cases where a home or room is poorly insulated, a supplementary heat source may be required to ensure adequate comfort levels.

ELECTRIC underfloor heating for timber floors

For compatiblity with wooden or timber floors we recommend the following electric floor heating systems.

• X cable CK 10, inscread under timber
• X mat MG 150, under timber in a glue bed (with an air/floor thermostat)

 HYDRONIC underfloor heating for timber floors

Battened timber floors are best heated using the Diffusion Plate system, though installing hydronic heating pipes between batten on an existing concrete slab and filling up to the top surface level of the battens with a screed can also provide acceptable results provided suitable insulation is used.  A floating timber floor can be added on top of in-slab or in-screed flooring which has floor heating, but in all cases the temperature must be limited to comply with the timber supplier’s recommendations.

INSULATION

We strongly recommend thermal insulation with underfloor heating systems including in-screed and under batten timber installations. Thermal insulation is designed to be used beneath electric floor heating systems to reduce downward heat loss and aid in faster warm-up times. Without the use of thermal insulation, some of the energy generated from the heating elements travels downwards into the floor below leaving less heat available to warm the floor surface.

Quick Heat is designed for under floating timber and includes the required insulation beneath the electric heating cables. It has an embedded “recessed” aluminium plate that holds the cables.  The aluminium plate ensures an even distribution of the heat beneath the floor material. Speed Up is also designed to offer insulation under floating timber floors, however, is applied to hydronic floor heating systems in particular.

For more information or an obligation-free quote, please contact us on 1800 636 091 or [email protected]