Replies

1. 
   ted | Sep 14, 2009 04:03am | #1

   I would think Hardwood flooring would be best at heat transfer as carpet would seem to me to have an insulating effect and lack the thermal mass to be any sort of heat sink.

1. 
   captainbil | Sep 14, 2009 04:29am | #3

   Ted, thanks. The wood flooring I looked at had a very thin wear layer to it and without talking to the source I don't know if the glue will hold up over time. The carpeting option depends on the carpet itself and how thick it will be. This will be my office so wear on the floor is important. I did a job in ahouse with all radiant heat,I guess I could see what he did. thanks again .

2. 
   WayneL5 | Sep 14, 2009 04:15am | #2

   The better the conduction the better the response, of course.  Radiant floor heat is used successfully with both wood and carpet.  But thinner is better.  So if you like hardwood, go for the 3/8" thick rather than 3/4".  With carpet, a low pile, like a Berber or even a commercial carpet, without a pad is better than a plush.

1. 
   captainbil | Sep 14, 2009 04:40am | #4

   Wayne, we had some discussion on this once before, but forgot what the results were. All the 3/4 flooring I saw was solid and the sources did not like to see that over radiant heat, had to do with expansion and contraction. That was one type of carpet I liked, but try and talk the wife into it.The 3/8 was an option but not much of a wear layer there, and I don't want to nail it for fear of hitting a tube so it has to be glued down. You would think with all the radiant heat going in now there would be more information. But that did reinforce so thoughts I had about it. thanks fo the come back

1. 
   hotdoggy | Jan 08, 2010 01:10pm | #5

   you can do solid hardwood and radiant heat as long as the heat is evenly distributed. finicky hardwoods like brazilian cherry are compatible as well with radiant solutions like Warmboard.

   
3. 
   Haystax | Jan 10, 2010 05:23pm | #6

   My experience in my own home w/ Warmboard sub -

   Tile is the best, thick saltillo tile is warmer longer than thinner marble. Floating Alloc laminate feels cooler to your feet compared to tile zones.

   Thermal mass is really what you are talking about. The t-stat and "feels like" temps are the same, the actual radiating surface holds or gives up heat differently based on thickness.

   Carpet will eventually "lose" the heat to the rest of the room but there will be a need for higher water temps, especially coupled with your underfloor radiant panels.

   In my experience, you would really have to have a poor control setup to abuse most hardwood flooring.