Hardwood over sleepers on radiant slab
I am working on a project for a potential client.
They have 5″ 3/4″ prefinished hardwood already purchased.
Looking to install over a slab in new kitchen renovation in Southeastern Pennsylvania. (yet to be started)
I am considering running pex in the insulated slab and then installing 2 layers of 1/2″ plywood on top of the slab that we would secure the hardwood to.
We need to have a step in the slab as part of it will be ceramic right on top of the concrete so it should be interesting.
Question is this>….Anyone ever do it? I read FHB article on it and all sounds feasible but am concerned about moisture pushing up thru (I will install poly under slab) and any other potential challenges that I can’t even imagine.
I would likely heat it with a domestic water heater and circulator.
Comments and alternate ideas are appreciated.
Replies
Hardwood floor over radiant does not transfer heat very well. Have a relative that recently pulled up 500 feet of floating floor and installed tile due to this issue. IMO, 2 layers of plywood plus hardwood would effectively block most of the heat from the radiant.
this is absolutely incorrect. wood is not a great transfer medium, sure. But your relative pulled up wood floor and put down tile because no one did a heat load calculation first to see what would work in their case, not because you can't do wood over radiant. 1" of wood is a tad thicker than ideal, but radiant is done in joists pushing through 1.5" of wood every day of the week.-------------------------------------
-=Northeast Radiant Technology=-
Radiant Design, Consultation, Parts Supply
http://www.NRTradiant.com
I never said wood could not be laid over slab heat. I said it didn't transfer heat very well.
your implication was a tad stronger than that.-------------------------------------
-=Northeast Radiant Technology=-
Radiant Design, Consultation, Parts Supply
http://www.NRTradiant.com
seajai,
Well my bare toes are nice and warm and toasty. My radiant is under three inches of hardwood. Two inches of Tamarack and one inch of maple.. Sure I have an R value of 6 or so but heat (energy) doesn't just disappear, it's released slowly over time. Since it's released inside the insulation envelope and that envelope has an R value of 30 plus it pretty much remains remains inside the house.
Losses from windows will force me to use my forced air furnace as a back up on those extremely cold (minus 40 days) but most time in floor radiant is fine..
I havn't done this but have seen it done with sleepers on top of the concrete slab with conc. or gypsum infill around the tubing and between the sleepers. Plank flooring went directly on the sleepers, so there was no danger of nailing into the tubing.