Installing Engineered Hardwood Flooring Over Radiant Heat

Dimensions of the wood floor plainsawn or quartersawn understanding the difference between quartersawn and plainsawn flooring can help with your decision of what flooring to purchase.

Installing engineered hardwood flooring over radiant heat.

Can 3 4 solid wood flooring be used over radiant heat systems. But if you do wish to put radiant heating under solid hardwood use quarter sawn wood flooring instead of plain sawn wood flooring. If a solid 3 4 thick wood floor is desired it is recommended to use quartersawn flooring not usually available factory prefinished. The nwfa offers information on radiant heat in its technical manual a100.

One of the best options over radiant heat is to use an engineered hardwood floor. For more information about engineered flooring see our article all about engineered wood floors. Certain solid hardwood floors are appropriate as well. Guide the homeowner in selecting a hardwood floor that is appropriate for their scenario.

The key to installing wood floors over radiant heat lies in these factors which agree with rpa s guidelines. The heating element should be embedded within a sleeper system subfloor under a traditional subfloor or embedded within concrete. How to install hardwood floors over radiant heat parquet floors are readily used in radiant heat applications. Wood flooring manufactured and expected to perform at mc levels higher than 9 percent or in conditions above 50 percent rh should not be used with radiant heating systems.

First you need to do your homework and we will give you key tips so that you have a general understanding of exactly how you can use electric radiant heat under your wood floors. Successful wood floor installations occur when the radiant heat. Most wood flooring can be installed over radiant heat providing all of the necessary conditions are met. Engineered wood flooring works better for radiant heating than under solid hardwood.

The inherent dimensional stability of engineered hardwood floors makes it a great choice for radiant heat systems. First let s discuss the basics of wood flooring species engineered hardwood and solid hardwood.