How to Avoid Underfloor Heating Issues with Wooden Floors

Are you considering the installation of an underfloor heating system in your home? This is a great option that can help you keep your feet toasty warm in wintertime and don’t break the bank when it comes to paying those heating bills. In addition, an underfloor heating system works with the majority of real wood flooring types and you can enjoy the timeless beauty and durability of real wood flooring along with a warm and cosy home. However, there are always potential issues that you may find yourself dealing with soon or later The good news are that all of these issues can be avoided. Here are some helpful and useful tips for you, your wooden floor and your underfloor heating system.

One very important thing you need to remember when it comes to having an underfloor heating system with your wooden floor is that you need to have constant control over the temperature. Usually, this means that the temperature of the underfloor heating system should be kept constant and a bit lower. Why? Well, real wood floors are natural materials. Even when cut into pieces, floorboards and blocks, they still have their natural response to changes in their environment. Temperature fluctuations are one of the factors that can affect the condition of your wooden floor the most.

High temperature makes the floorboards expand, while the low temperature will make them shrink. While this natural movement of the wooden floorboards is generally nothing you need to worry about, because the floor itself has control over it and will soon be back in its initial shape, it is important to keep in mind that sometimes the changes are so significant that wooden floorboards may get very damaged and even broken by excessive movement. Therefore, it is important to keep your underfloor heating system at a constant temperature and don’t allow major fluctuations.

The majority of the issues affecting your real wood floor and associated with an underfloor heating system usually come from some of these conditions:

• Significant temperature fluctuations
• Hot spots
• Uneven heat distribution
• Increased indoor humidity and moisture levels
• Setting the heating system on a too high temperature
• Cleaning the floor with an excessive amount of water

If some of the above-listed conditions are present or has happened, there are some issues that can happen to the floor, including:

• Warping of the floorboards
• Occurrence of gaps between the floorboards
• For engineered wood flooring – delaminating or coming off of the top layer
• Floorboards lifting up
• Weakened insulation of the floor
• Lack of even and effective heat distribution and transference through the floor

In order to avoid the above-listed issues and problems, here is what you can do:

• Always work with professional installers of wood flooring and underfloor heating
• Ensure you have chosen the right underfloor heating system for your needs, requirements, and the specifics of the floor
• Do not install an underfloor heating system under cheap and low-quality engineered wood flooring
• Do not install an underfloor heating system under solid wood flooring
• Make sure the floorboards are glued down with durable, hard-wearing and high-quality wood floor adhesive
• When the underfloor heating system is installed, make sure that all maintenance and installation requirements are followed
• Usually, hot spots will appear when there are no effective reflector plates that spread the heat or in spots where the screed is too thin
• Do not turn on and off the heating system too often
• Make sure you are not increasing and decreasing the temperature of the underfloor heating system excessively
• Always clean your wooden floor as recommended by the wood flooring manufacturers or other professionals in the field