flooring & underfloor heating

Wood flooring & underfloor heating

Our engineered flooring boards are designed to be used in conjunction with underfloor heating (UFH), but there are some ‘do’s and don’ts’ that it is very important to adhere to.

 There are two golden rules:
• Do not allow the floor temperature to exceed 27°C
• Do not lay a solid wood floor over UFH 

Cracks can appear as engineering flooring boards dry out. This can be caused by relative humidity levels being too dry or ambient temperature too high. 

The most common cause, however, is underfloor heating being on too high and for prolonged period. If UFH is the primary source of heating in the property and the room temperature is set to 22 degrees, it is possible the floor surface may be above 27 degrees - which is too high, especially over long periods.

Some heating systems have a floor thermostat as well as a room thermostat, so you can check the floor temperature is not too high.  

If you haven’t got a floor thermostat, it is worth investing in an infrared heat reader - the same type as are currently being using to check people’s temperatures during the covid-19 pandemic. This way as you bring up the room temperature on the thermostat, you can check what the floor temperature gets to. 

Treating split boards
If any boards have split as a result of drying out, if it is an oiled floor it will need a coat of maintenance oil to try and feed some moisture back into board. Sometimes if the cracks are small and the temperature is brought down, the board will contract and you won’t see the hairline crack.

Unfortunately, if the board has dried out too much and the split is significant and/or it is a lacquered finish, the board(s) may need to be replaced.

Laminate & LVT flooring & underfloor heating

Laminate and LVT are great choices with underfloor heating, they are hardwearing and manufacturerd to cope with temperature changes.  The rule still applies as above - Do not allow the floor temperature to exceed 27°C.  With underfloor heating becoming so popular, there are many to choose from, it may be worth double checking with the manufacturer that your chosen floor is compatible.