ᐅ Laminate and Hardwood Flooring in New Construction – Screed Moisture?

We are currently building a house and have many questions about laminate and hardwood flooring. We have consulted various stores (specialty wood dealers, parquet installers, and BayWa) and received a wide range of information. We have underfloor heating throughout the living area.

1. Should the moisture level in the screed be measured by drilling into it, or is it enough to wait at least six weeks and properly heat the screed?

2. Which wood species is very hard for parquet? We are interested in maple or beech, definitely something light in color. (However, there is also the opinion that beech should not be used with underfloor heating.)

3. What should be placed underneath? Combined impact sound insulation and vapor barrier, or separate layers? The specialist retailer says that if the screed is dry (verified by drilling), a vapor barrier is not necessary.
Additionally, the impact sound insulation should reduce noise and not be too thin.

4. We are interested in laminate and parquet from the brand Meister. Does anyone have experience with the quality of these products?
Are there any other brands you would recommend?

Gast100 schrieb:
We are currently building a house and have many questions regarding laminate and hardwood flooring. We have consulted various stores (timber specialist, parquet installers, and BayWa) and received a wide range of information. We have underfloor heating throughout the living area.

1. Should the moisture in the screed be measured by drilling into it, or is it enough to wait at least 6 weeks and properly heat the screed?

2. Which wood species is very hard for parquet flooring? We are interested in maple or beech—definitely something light-colored! (However, there is also the opinion that beech should not be installed over underfloor heating.)

3. What should be placed underneath? Impact sound insulation and vapor barrier combined or separately? The specialist store says if the screed is dry (proven by drilling), a vapor barrier is not necessary. Also, the impact sound insulation should reduce noise and not be too thin...

4. We are interested in laminate and hardwood flooring from the company Meister. Does anyone have experience with the quality of their products? Are there other brands you would recommend?

Hello,

Regarding 1: When installing hardwood flooring, moisture measurement is absolutely necessary.

Regarding 2: Beech and maple are not recommended for underfloor heating. It is better to use oak, cherry, or walnut.

Regarding 3: For parquet flooring over underfloor heating, only fully glued parquet is suitable. Floating parquet installation is not appropriate because air pockets develop between the subfloor and the parquet when laid floating. If you use an impact sound insulation mat, there are actually two air pockets: one between the subfloor and the mat and another between the mat and the parquet. Air is one of the best insulators, and with underfloor heating beneath a floating parquet floor, the heat needs to pass through two air pockets, the impact sound mat, and the parquet itself before warming the room. This results in significant heat loss, making it impractical and possibly meaning a standard underfloor heating system cannot provide sufficient output.

Regarding 4: I cannot contribute any information.

Hello,

firstly, regarding point 4:

Meister laminate flooring is acceptable, not the best, but offers good value for the price.

Once again on moisture measurement:
As already mentioned, measuring moisture in the screed is absolutely necessary and also required by regulations. The best and most suitable method is the CM measurement (calcium carbide method), which is also the only legally recognized test. Additionally, for heated screeds, a heat-up protocol is absolutely necessary.

There are certainly options to install a floating floor, but it is essential to ensure that it is approved for use over heated screeds. For impact sound insulation, there are various solutions available; consult a specialist retailer. However, it is true that a glued-down solution is better and, above all, more effective, because impact sound insulation reduces your heating efficiency.

Regards, Andreas

A very hard option for parquet flooring would be bamboo – this should also work well with underfloor heating. However, it always depends somewhat on the thickness and the installation method. Otherwise, all hardwoods – hard wood – hard parquet are suitable. I would not recommend maple for this.

We have installed impact sound insulation Duo Protect (with moisture protection) plus an additional vapor barrier. The cost for the vapor barrier is low, so I wouldn't skip it.

For laminate flooring, we used Parador and are very satisfied with it. We cannot confirm the claim that laminate increases dust accumulation. Thanks to its texture, it feels very comfortable, especially with underfloor heating, even when barefoot.