ᐅ Vinyl Flooring: Click-Lock or Glue-Down System?

Hello,

We are moving into our new build in September/October. We have planned underfloor heating in every room.
In the hallway on the ground floor, living room, kitchen, guest bathroom, main bathroom, and utility room, the builder will install tiles.
In the upstairs hallway, guest room, bedroom, and two children’s rooms, we want to install vinyl/design flooring ourselves (not part of the building contract).

We are now facing the decision of whether to choose a click or glued installation system.
I only feel confident installing the click vinyl myself. For the glued option, I would need to hire someone.

The glued system is significantly thinner and is supposedly much better suited for underfloor heating. However, we tend to prefer the click vinyl because it seems more durable and the system is familiar from laminate flooring.
Is the click system really that bad for underfloor heating? Does anyone have experience with click flooring over underfloor heating and can share their insights?

The click system is perfectly adequate and poses no issues for flooring at all. The feel underfoot is simply more comfortable when glued down, but this also applies to parquet and similar materials.

Gluing is also very easy and anyone can do it, even without experience. Nowadays, there are great products available. For example, our parquet was click parquet, and we glued it down. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

SenorRaul7 schrieb:

Is the click system really that bad for underfloor heating? Has anyone installed it over underfloor heating and can share their experience?

No, it’s not that bad, but it also depends a lot on the substrate system. The surface heating then absorbs slightly less heat, and the supply temperature needs to be raised by 1–2°C (2–4°F) to reach the room temperature. With a heat pump, this reduces efficiency somewhat; with gas heating, it hardly matters. The thermal transmittance (U-value) of the coverings can usually be found in the technical datasheet.

We have both: click flooring upstairs and glued flooring on the ground floor. I would always prefer glued flooring, but not because of the underfloor heating. The glued floor feels more premium in terms of installation and underfoot comfort.

boxandroof schrieb:

Not that bad, but it really depends on the support system. The underfloor heating absorbs slightly less heat, so the supply temperature needs to be increased by 1-2°C (2-4°F) to reach the desired room temperature. With a heat pump, this costs a little efficiency; with gas heating, it’s almost negligible. You can usually find the thermal transmittance (U-value) of the coverings in the datasheet.

We have both types: click-fastened flooring upstairs and glued flooring downstairs. I would always prefer the glued option, not because of the underfloor heating. The glued flooring feels more premium in terms of installation quality and walking comfort.

First of all, thank you very much for this assessment. Since I’ve also noticed the less comfortable walking feeling with click flooring, as you described, I’m also leaning towards the glued option.

Question: Did you use leveling compound underneath, or did you lay the impact sound insulation directly on the subfloor?

In addition to heating considerations, the planned duration of use can also be a factor in decision-making.
If the flooring is intended to remain in place permanently, gluing is certainly better. However, if it is foreseeable that the flooring will need to be replaced at some point, then installing without adhesive is also an aesthetically good solution.

JaAberNein schrieb:

Question: Did you use a leveling compound underneath, or did you place the impact sound insulation directly?

We didn’t need it because the surface was perfectly even. (Children’s apartments with floating laminate.)