Has anybody used that mesh that get imbedded into the mortar under tiles to keep them warm? I’m not talking about radiant floor heating, this is just a mesh that gets imbedded in the thinset. It supposedly keeps the tile warm, but doesn’t heat the room. Any experiences good or bad?
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Chuck,
I just installed the "Warmly Yours" roll in my bathroom. Here's a few tips from a first-timer: First I put on a layer of 1/4" hardibacker, nailed and thinsetted. Staple the mesh everywhere on the hardi (3" OC) so it doesn't bulge as you're mudding. I covered it with thin set (thick as peanut butter) and floated it like you would a garage floor to get it smooth. (Some people use SLC.) When this hardens, set the tile in thinset like normal. I didn't like their photos in the instructions showing to set the tiles in a thick bed right over the mesh. For the cable, drill a hole into the drywall and bottom plate before you lay the hardiboard so the hole is below the trim. I put the wire up into a flexmetal sheild which goes up to a junction box to mount the thermostat.
Darrell
In the winter/spring of 99 I did two bathrooms with Heat Weave followed by thickbedded 12" marble tile and base. Install as per Darrell's basic description and was pleased with the results............estheticaly and heatwise.
Toasty warm marble tile to step onto after a hot shower following a long cold day outside in the depth of winter.
Well worth the time and money.......................................Iron Helix
Chuck,
I have the cable type system (Infloor by Maxxon) under one bathroom tile floor and the the Nuheat mat tyoe under several other floors. The cable version was cheaper but a PITA to install. If you get the cable version, SLC is a good investment. The mat system was a complete solid fibrous mat with wires imbedded in it.
The controls for each system were quite different, and how you intend to use yours and the conttrols available may dictate which one you get.
The Infloor system control floor heat in two ways. You set the floor temperature internal to the t-stat. This limits the temp the floor will reach. The t-stat has an external adjustment for room air temp. The t-stat starts and stops heat based on room temp. This control has no programming capabilities. In my installation, the floor heat provides about 800w to the space at full load. For a second floor room that is very well insulated, no additional heat was necessary.
The other system, Nuheat, controls soley on floor temperature, via an embedded RTD, but is programmable. This system is installed on an uninsulated slab, so I probably could control it well based on air temps, and the programmable controller keeps energy use down when not in use.
Chuck, Here's some background info, as well as a link to another company, SunTouch/Bask.
We just did the cable type. It's a grunt to figure out the layout, but we figured the mat type would be cut to shreds anyway in the layout, so why spend the extra money?
Family Handyman Magazine had an article about this last fall, which got us going. DH went searching on the internet and found the lowest price for the cable suppliers and we went from there. Nobody had heard of it locally, as in TX it's probably not a frequently requested item...
We put down the cement backer board, then once the cable was layed out, thinsetted it in. Since the cable was about 1/8", we then had height adjustments to do in our now un-level floor. So we used thinset on the floor, plus buttered each tile to get them level as possible. Don't want any stubbed toes. It was a PITA, but for a small bathroom well worth it. When we get around to doing the master, we will definately go the same way.
It can also be used as a supplemental heat source, but I found that when the floor was at a higher temperature, it made my feet sweat, which was uncomfortable. Just enough to take the chill off the floor is best. It's amazing what a difference it makes.
I installed SunTouch to my bathroom last year. I currently live in a "loft" condo with concrete floor. I laid down the mesh, applied thinset, and laid marble on top. It was fairly easy to install. But... I think I lose a lot of the heat to the concrete floor. The marble gets warm, and it's actually quite nice to step out of shower and feel the warmth, but it never quite warms the bathroom itself. I imagine the guy on 13th floor has a warm ceiling though.