Many people think that parquet is the best flooring material. It is much easier to clean than carpet and doesn’t collect allergens like pollen or pet dander. Elegant and timeless, it will increase the value of your home and may not need to be replaced for decades.
Parquet floors are also very flexible. They can look different enough to fit any style of living. Underfloor heating under the parquet would be the icing on the cake.
Even with all of these pros, people often wonder if they should get hardwood floors. Their biggest worry is that these floors don’t always fit with their more modern tastes.
You wonder if a floor like a parquet, which is old-fashioned, can be made to work with the new technologies that homeowners today have come to expect.
One of these technologies is heated floors, and homeowners often ask if they can install underfloor heating under parquet.
What exactly is underfloor heating?
Underfloor heating is one of the most popular new trends in building homes, and it’s already known as an important part of high-end modern homes.
It is also called “underfloor heating” because it warms the floor for your feet’s comfort and heats the whole heat. This way, underfloor heating can be used instead of radiators or other traditional heating systems.
How does underfloor heating work?
You can heat your floor in two ways. Either a Hydronic or radiant system for heating the floor. The heat comes from cables under the floor if your floor heating is powered by electricity. Pipes that carry hot water under the floor do the same as water-based heating.
Most of the time, it’s not too hard to put in underfloor heating. However, when you lay the heat source, you have to raise the floor underneath it. Homeowners often worry about this idea because they think it will be too expensive to put in.
Putting in underfloor heating in your home can be expensive, but it’s not too bad to do it when you build or remodel your home. Most of the time, the benefits of underfloor heating outweigh the costs of getting it.
Why should you choose underfloor heating?
Underfloor heating has a lot of benefits over other types of heating. For example, the pipes or cables that heat your floor do so over the whole surface, so the whole room is heated evenly.
In contrast, a radiator or other type of heater gives off heat from a small, localized source and tends to get colder the farther you get from it. Most of the time, you’ll feel too hot near the radiator and too cold far from it.
Underfloor heating is also much more energy efficient because it heats the whole room evenly, and you don’t have to crank up the temperature. People who switch to underfloor heating save about 15% on their electricity bills. This kind of heating also makes the air better.
Since radiators only heat one part of the room and leave the rest cold, the warm air tends to rise and move around, carrying allergens like dust and pet dander.
Since underfloor heating heats the whole house evenly, allergens and other pollutants won’t move around your home as quickly.
How is it installed?
Some people install underfloor heating on their own, but if you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s best to call a professional. The floor must be taken up, and the pipes or cables must be put in the system.
To level the floor, a filler must be put on top after it has been laid. The floor needs about a day to dry before being put down again. The whole process can be done in a few days, and the height of your floor will usually only go up by about 1–2 cm.
Can you lay underfloor heating under the parquet?
You are probably worried about why this should work, but it does. In truth, you don’t need to worry.
You can put heated floors down under any floor covering. It’s fine to use vinyl, tile, or carpet. However, there are some aspects regarding hardwood flooring that you should be aware of.
What not to do!
If you install underfloor heating beneath the parquet, you must consider the type of flooring.
The most common mistake in installing underfloor heating is you should only use wood that is thick, too dense, or that expands or contracts a lot because the heat won’t move through it well, or it could damage your floor.
If you intend to use underfloor heating, a glued installation ensures that the parquet floorboards are securely bonded to the subfloor.
Floating parquet flooring is not a good idea because the loose connection between the planks makes it much longer for the room to warm up and unevenly spread heat.
You should never nail your parquet floor because the metal nails could make your heat source go out.