Which floor to choose: which option is better + manufacturers review

The benefits of underfloor heating are obvious. A modern floor heating system evenly distributes heat throughout the room, quickly warms up a large area, provides a comfortable temperature in the house.

To decide which floor to choose, you need to get acquainted with the characteristics and features of all types of this equipment and find out what manufacturers offer today.

Installation of floor heating systems

The underfloor heating system is far from a modern invention. For the first time, visitors to the ancient Roman and Turkish baths experienced it for many thousands of years ago. The source of heat in those days was the heated air passing through the channels made in the stone floor.

Such a system was used until the beginning of the 20th century, when the first pumps appeared, and the air was replaced by heated water. From the middle of the last century, cable structures began to be used. But the most widespread warm floor was about fifteen years ago.

Modern underfloor heating is an integrated floor heating system. It is a kind of layered cake, the filling of which is a system of cables or pipes with thermal insulation, steam and waterproofing layers.

The cake is laid mainly on a concrete base. An alignment layer and a front floor covering are mounted on top of the structure.

The heat-insulated floor is laid on any basis. The heating elements are located on the insulation layer and are fixed on top with a cement screed

Most often stacked ceramic tile underfloor heating in bathrooms, shower rooms, kitchens, where it serves for additional heating. It is also installed under the laminate and linoleum, less often under carpet. The equipment is often used as the only heating system that replaces traditional radiators.

There are two main types of underfloor heating: water and electric. In the first case, water pipes are used for heating, through which hot water circulates in a constant mode. In electric floors, the surface is heated using an electric cable, infrared film or carbon rods.

The diagram shows different types of warm floors. When choosing a particular system, it is necessary to proceed from the parameters of the room in which it will be installed (+)

In each system, you can find both positive and negative points. The choice of design depends on the installation location, individual characteristics and size of the room, type of front flooring, material capabilities of the owners and other factors.

Benefits of underfloor heating

The warm floor is a worthy alternative to the radiator heating system. The main disadvantages of radiators are: air drying and the creation of convection flows of warm air in the room, moving from floor to ceiling and back.

Such circulation does not allow evenly warming up the whole room, since the heat goes to the ceiling, and the temperature is not quite comfortable on the floor.

Modern floor systems are completely devoid of these shortcomings, they distribute heat throughout the room evenly with a minimum temperature difference on the ceiling and floor of the room. In this case, the warmest air remains below, and the colder rises up.

The heat transfer efficiency does not depend to a small extent on the type of flooring used. So, it is not recommended to install heating floors under carpets, in particular under carpet, as well as floors made of natural wood, which have low thermal conductivity.

The distribution pattern of warm air flow with radiator and underfloor heating clearly indicates the effectiveness of the warm floor system

Another undoubted advantage of the floor heating system is the ability to adjust the temperature. It can be increased or decreased to the required indicators by just turning the thermostat knob.

This allows not only creating the most comfortable environment in the room, but also significantly saving energy consumption. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of underfloor heating are given below.

Features of water design

Water floor heating is a pipeline system, laid between the ceiling and the front floor covering. The room is heated by warm water that flows through the pipes. The fluid is supplied either directly from the central heating system, or from an electric or gas heating boiler.

For laying the pipeline, polymer pipes are used that are connected to the collector. The layout of their installation depends on the size and individual characteristics of the room

The effectiveness of the water floor is most obvious when used in cottages with a large area. The water system can significantly reduce energy costs.

Savings are achieved due to the low temperature of the coolant, which does not exceed 50 degrees. If a gas or solid fuel boiler is used to heat water, the costs will be even lower. But this is far from his only advantage.

Among other advantages of water floors can be noted:

• compatible with different types of floor coverings, except for wooden;
• can be installed in very humid rooms;
• non-volatile, can function both from electricity, and from gas or solid fuel boilers.

Water floors are mainly installed in private households and very rarely in multi-storey buildings. There is a simple explanation for this. On the water floor a very thick layer of concrete mortar is applied, which puts pressure on the floors (up to 200 kg / 1 m 2). As a result, the load increases significantly, which is extremely dangerous.

Disadvantages of water floor heating are also available:

• complexity in design and high cost of installation work;
• difficult temperature control when connected to central heating;
• a long time to warm up the room (up to 4 hours).

In addition, pipes may be damaged and leaking as a result of operation. If this unpleasant event occurs, water will flow directly to the neighbors, and you will have to completely dismantle the entire floor covering.

Therefore, the use of a water system in multi-storey buildings is prohibited according to technical indicators. To install it requires permission from the management company.

Characteristics of electrical systems

Electric heated floors are universal. They can be installed in private and multi-storey buildings without any coordination. Their installation is simple and is much faster than water. Electric floors easy to adjust, you can set the desired temperature with an accuracy of one degree.

The main types of modern electric floor heating systems with various types of heating elements, presented on the Russian market (+)

There are two types of underfloor heating, the functioning of which requires electricity. It is convectional and infrared. Their main difference lies in the principle of heating. In the first, a heating cable acts as a heating element, which is produced either in bays or in thermomats.

Infrared floors, although they relate to electrical systems, are a separate group. Heating elements in them are thermal film or special carbon rods.

Electric cable floor

Warm cable floor appeared one of the first, but today it is also relevant, as before. It has a simple design, low cost of materials and installation, can be laid in any room as the main or additional heating. The life of the system reaches twenty years.

A heating cable is laid between the concrete base and the floor covering on the thermal insulation layer. Its main function is to convert electrical energy into thermal energy, due to which the surface is heated (+)

However, despite the relatively low cost of laying, electrical cable systems require considerable financial costs for their maintenance. Cable design and installation require special care. Incorrect miscalculations and inaccurate installation can lead to electrical injuries, which is especially dangerous in wet rooms.

It should be noted also such a minus as the presence of electromagnetic radiation, which is created in the room through the use of a heating cable.

A more modern and improved electric flooring is thermostats, which are a fiberglass mesh on which a heating cable is fixed. The cost of the material is more expensive than the price of the heating cable in the bay, but due to the exact calculation of the required quantity and ease of installation, the final floor price is not much higher than the previous version.

The standard width of the mats is 0.5 m, the length is from 20 to 24 m. One roll is enough to cover the floor area up to 12 m 2. The power of products, depending on the model and manufacturer, ranges from 100 to 200 W / m 2

Laying mats is not particularly difficult, even a layman can handle this. If necessary, the mesh can be easily cut into pieces of the desired size and give it any shape. Mats do not require the application of a thick layer of screed, and when mounted under a tile, they can be laid directly under the tile adhesive.

Infrared underfloor heating

Infrared systems are the most advanced type of underfloor heating. They appeared relatively recently, but have already become quite popular. They use innovative technologies.

Heat dissipation infrared floors up to 97%, they are safe for humans, do not create electromagnetic radiation. The failure of the entire system is excluded, since parallel connection of blocks is used.

The principle of operation of a floor heating system is as follows: an electric current passes through the built-in heating elements, which causes infrared radiation that transfers energy. The infrared floor is represented by two types: heating film and carbon rods.

In the film floor, a carbon or bimetallic fiber, enclosed in two layers of a polymer film, which has good dielectric properties, serves as a heating element. Laying of the roll is carried out by dry method without screed, a film-type warm floor is usually laid under a laminate, linoleum and parquet

Film infrared flooring is sold in rolls with a width of 500, 800 and 1000 mm. The film can be cut in strictly defined places indicated by the line

The most advanced floor heating system is the infrared floor with carbon rods. The core floor has a self-regulating ability, which eliminates overheating of the system.

Thanks to this, it can be installed under a wide variety of flooring. It can be placed in rooms with a very high level of humidity. Innovative material has a high cost, but requires minimal costs during operation.

Rolls of carbon rods have a standard width of 83 cm, heating rods are located at a distance of 9 or 10 cm from each other. The length of the roll does not exceed 20 m. The product can be cut between the conductive rods

Key points in choosing a heating design

In order to determine the choice of a floor heating system and understand which warm floor is best for laying in a particular case, it is necessary to take into account the following factors:

1. The area and height of the floor in the room where the structure will be installed.
2. For what purposes is it supposed to use a floor heating system: will it be the only or additional source of heating.

For heating a country house, the best option is water heated floors. They can be installed both at the construction stage and in the finished house. The complexity of the installation will pay off with low energy costs during the operation of the system.

Water floor is a cost-effective option for private housing construction. It allows you to organize an effective autonomous home heating system without the use of electricity

However, here it is also necessary to take into account such factors as climate, temperature indicators of the area, the degree of thermal insulation of the house. Water-type warm floors can be used as the main heating equipment only in well-insulated buildings. In other cases, they are better used as an additional way of heating individual rooms of the house.

To arrange additional floor heating in the apartment, it is better to stay on cable or film electrical construction. The infrared floor is well suited as the only heat source in any room.

However, you need to consider that the electric, especially cable floor, during operation consumes a lot of electricity, so you need to first calculate how beneficial it will be to install.

An equally important parameter for determining the type of floor heating is the situation in the room itself. All systems, except the core, do not withstand overheating.

Furniture and heavy appliances create pressure on the structure and increase the temperature in the system. Therefore, the underfloor heating should be mounted in places free of heavy objects.

When designing the floor, it is necessary to bypass the areas where the furniture will stand, otherwise the system may fail

It should be noted that all floor heating structures to one degree or another affect the height of the ceilings. The thickest screed layer is required when arranging water floors - up to 15 cm, the cable floor reduces the height of the ceilings by an average of 5 cm. In film infrared floors this figure is minimized, since they only fit without screed.

Such a characteristic as the maintainability of the system is the same for all underfloor heating. In the event of a breakdown, all of them require complete dismantling of the floor covering. It is also difficult to determine the location of the damaged area, as the screed does not allow access to the elements of the system. The exception is film floors, dry-mounted.

If you focus on the speed of work, then the top three will be thermomats, infrared film and core floors. These systems are installed in one day. However, the floor can only be connected after the screed is completely dry.

The electrical structure can be connected after seven days, and for core floors, manufacturers set a limit of 28 days. The film floor also has the best performance here, which can be used already a day after installation.

In addition to the above indicators, there are many other factors that need to be taken into account when choosing a warm floor: compatibility with the finish flooring, installation location, cost of materials, cost-effectiveness in use.

Top equipment manufacturers

An essential criterion for choosing a floor heating system is its manufacturer. It is not easy to decide which company to choose a warm floor, since many worthy models of both domestic and foreign companies are presented on the Russian market. Meet the best of them.

The Finnish company Devi is considered the recognized leader in the production of underfloor heating. Electric floor systems made with impeccable Scandinavian quality are also distinguished by their affordable cost. They are equipped with a thermostat with an intelligent timer, so the system works with significant savings.

The product range is presented in two varieties: heating cables and electric mats, for which the manufacturer provides a twenty-year warranty

No less high-quality and reliable products are produced by the Finnish manufacturer Ensto. Ensto's electric cable flooring and thermostats have proven their worth in the most adverse conditions. Among the assortment of the company you can find models of different price ranges, the cost of which depends on the capacity of the equipment.

Finnish company warm floors are suitable for dry and wet rooms, as well as unheated buildings. They can be installed under tiles, in places with poor thermal insulation and even in stone floors.

The products of the English company Energy are very popular among Russian consumers. The model line includes six models of heating mats with one and two-wire cable. The manufacturer's innovative development was water floors, which are a pipe system with built-in electric heating.

Energy thermometers have a reduced power, which allows them to be laid under tiles and wooden floors, as well as used to heat the soil in greenhouses

Underfloor heating under the Rehau brand are made with genuine German quality. The company specializes in the production of water floors and electric heating mats with a two-wire cable. The manufacturer offers a complete set of necessary equipment and consumables for installing the system.

Rehau thermometers are equipped with a durable cable with a Kevlar braid and a double degree of protection, which makes it resistant to any changes in temperature and deformation

The list of foreign manufacturers will be incomplete, if not to mention the South Korean company Unimat, which conquered buyers around the world with its infrared thermomats. Along with high quality indicators, efficiency and reliability, the warm floor of this brand has an affordable price and a long service life.

Unimat infrared floor with carbon rods can be installed in any room, including in baths, saunas and even on the street

Among domestic manufacturers of warm floor systems, the Special Systems and Technologies factory can be distinguished, which produce heating floors under two brands: Teplolux and National Comfort.

The company's products are exported to forty countries, which speaks for itself. Warm floors are reliable, high quality workmanship and low cost.

An incredibly wide range of products is produced under the Teplolux brand: a two-core pipeline, heating mats, a warm water floor, suitable for a wide variety of operating conditions

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video # 1. The features of different electric floor systems can be found in the following video:

Video # 2. How is the installation of the water floor, the video narrates:

Video # 3. How to choose an infrared film floor, see the video:

The warm floor will help create a comfortable atmosphere in the house, but only when the system is correctly selected, the correct calculation is made and the equipment is installed expertly. Therefore, you should not rely on your sometimes superficial knowledge, it is better to consult a professional and entrust all the work to specialists.

Please write comments, ask questions, post photos in the block below. Tell us how you chose a floor heating system for your own country house or cottage. Perhaps you have useful information that you would like to share with visitors to the site and with us?