The feeling of waking up in the morning and placing your feet on a luxuriously warm floor is a compelling one. It is a feeling that has not only been used to great advantage by the makers and marketers of this mode of residential central heating, but it is also one we have taken to heart. So much so, that over the last few decades, underfloor heating has transformed the way we heat our homes. With the increased specifications of underfloor heating came requests for timber flooring that could be used in conjunction with it. This, in turn, ushered in a transformation for Solid Floor, as we responded to the changing landscape.
Underfloor heating: What exactly is it?
As the name implies, underfloor heating is designed so that the heat source is located underfoot, radiating through the finished floor. As a mode of residential heating, it falls into two types: what are called dry systems and wet systems.
Dry systems
Dry systems generate heat via electric cables that can be encased in a latex levelling compound or laid under a cushioning underlay designed for this purpose. The overall height build-up of dry systems is usually minimal, which makes them a viable option for house and flat refurbishments where the heating system would need to be placed atop an existing subfloor and height gain is an issue. Dry systems are most often found in smaller, single rooms, such as kitchens or bathrooms, as running costs for this system are higher than for wet systems.
Wet systems
Wet systems generate heat via hot water – the water is heated by a boiler or heat pump – that is circulated through a network of flexible tubes. The tubing is usually buried within a screed layer, part of the subfloor, or laid in conduits or channels set into sheets of various materials such as rigid plastic or chipboard. Although wet systems are most usually associated with new build construction, they can also be retrofitted into an existing structure with traditional suspended joist floors. Systems whereby the heating tubes are placed into low-profile plastic trays set atop an existing subfloor mean that height build-up is kept to a minimum.
Underfloor heating and timber floors
Fortunately for those who love wood floors, you can have them in conjunction with underfloor heating, provided you choose the correct type. Timber, if heated, will lose moisture and shrink. This is the nature of wood.
How can a wood floor sit atop the heating and remain stable? The answer is engineered timber flooring.
Engineered timber flooring
A clever innovation, this type of flooring is basically multi-layers of cross-bonded plywood topped with a layer of solid wood (the part you see). The plywood is designed to stabilise the timber top layer and reduce its natural tendency to shrink and expand. These boards can be laid on top of the screed or plywood utilised as part of the underfloor heating system. Fixing the engineered planks to the substrate with a proprietary adhesive is the preferred method of installation, although they can, in some instances, be floated as well. The rule, therefore, is engineered wood only in conjunction with underfloor heating. Sticking to this directive will ensure that a timber floor will be every bit as stable as desired and needed.
Solid Floor has the solution
When Solid Floor opened its first London showroom in 1997, as the name suggests, we carried solid floors, mostly 20mm thick, solid “French oak.” This was our market at the time. Then, at the turn of the century, began more frequent requests for our floors to be laid over underfloor heating systems. While engineered floors were widely available at the time, they were most often found as uninspiring, ‘three-strip,’ boards of lacklustre design, not the sort of thing that appealed to our clientele. People wanted underfloor heating, but they also wanted the Solid Floor look.
Not long after, we were able to incorporate our trademark wide planks and signature finishes into a high-quality engineered board. It was the look that our customers had come to associate with us, but it had the advantage of being underfloor heating compatible. It was an instant success, and over the course of twenty years, engineered flooring has become the lion’s share of our sales, due in large part to the increasing use of residential underfloor heating.
Nowadays all our engineered floors – planks, parquet, panels, etc. – can be used in conjunction with most all types of underfloor heating, whether wet or hot dry systems. They can be laid right on top of the screed or the plywood. Head over to our collection page to see our full range of floors.
