ᐅ Natural flooring options suitable for underfloor heating systems
Created on: 23 Jul 2017 15:59
A
Arifas
Hello everyone,
Please excuse my non-professional wording, I’m still new to this topic.
If everything goes well, we plan to start building later this year and want to gradually decide on our flooring. The house will have underfloor heating and will be occupied by 2 adults and 5 children, who often walk barefoot and have treated floors with great care over the past 11 years. I would like to keep it that way ;-). We clean by mopping after every meal and do a full cleaning once in the evening with a lightly damp vacuum mop.
We visited specialty stores and various home improvement centers. The result: more confusion than before due to contradictory information.
I’ll share our plan now and would really appreciate your opinions and expert advice:
I would like to have natural flagstone tiles glued down in the hallway and bathrooms, possibly also in the kitchen and living room. The material cost at the local specialty store is about 45 Euros per square meter (about 4.2 USD per square foot). What do you think the installation cost would be for tiles in size 30 by 60 centimeters (12 by 24 inches)?
My husband thinks the tiles are not bad overall, but they are too uneven for him. Are there smoother options available?
For the children’s rooms, bedrooms, and the office, we would like wood or cork flooring. But please something easy to install, so we can save somewhat on installation costs or be able to do it ourselves with friends’ help.
Question: Is wood or cork compatible with underfloor heating? If yes, should it be glued down or click lock installed? With an underlay? And what exactly should we be looking for? I understand that traditional planks might not be suitable for underfloor heating?
By the way, in three home improvement stores, we were given five different opinions on this ;-)
If we decide to have these floors installed professionally, what should we expect to pay per square meter (per square foot)?
Please excuse my non-professional wording, I’m still new to this topic.
If everything goes well, we plan to start building later this year and want to gradually decide on our flooring. The house will have underfloor heating and will be occupied by 2 adults and 5 children, who often walk barefoot and have treated floors with great care over the past 11 years. I would like to keep it that way ;-). We clean by mopping after every meal and do a full cleaning once in the evening with a lightly damp vacuum mop.
We visited specialty stores and various home improvement centers. The result: more confusion than before due to contradictory information.
I’ll share our plan now and would really appreciate your opinions and expert advice:
I would like to have natural flagstone tiles glued down in the hallway and bathrooms, possibly also in the kitchen and living room. The material cost at the local specialty store is about 45 Euros per square meter (about 4.2 USD per square foot). What do you think the installation cost would be for tiles in size 30 by 60 centimeters (12 by 24 inches)?
My husband thinks the tiles are not bad overall, but they are too uneven for him. Are there smoother options available?
For the children’s rooms, bedrooms, and the office, we would like wood or cork flooring. But please something easy to install, so we can save somewhat on installation costs or be able to do it ourselves with friends’ help.
Question: Is wood or cork compatible with underfloor heating? If yes, should it be glued down or click lock installed? With an underlay? And what exactly should we be looking for? I understand that traditional planks might not be suitable for underfloor heating?
By the way, in three home improvement stores, we were given five different opinions on this ;-)
If we decide to have these floors installed professionally, what should we expect to pay per square meter (per square foot)?
Alex85 schrieb:
If there’s a remedy for that, I definitely don’t want to overrule the expert.I’ll ask again. I really liked the slate. Various shades of red and brown, very vibrant. And for 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), around 35 euros per m² (around 3.25 USD per sq ft) for material costs. Plus base, natural adhesive, and installation. So not extremely expensive, but not exactly cheap either.Arifas schrieb:
Aha. I thought that impregnating the slate would make it less sensitive to stains. That’s what they said at the natural stone supplier. Hm, that’s unfortunate, then it wouldn’t be so ideal.Yes, but it should then be reapplied regularly [emoji52]
Regards, Yvonne
K
Knallkörper23 Jul 2017 20:48All natural stones are porous. Granite and marble also need to be sealed when installed in kitchens. For this, silicone-based products are used, which are not cheap and can be labor-intensive to apply. The sealing lasts for several years. Slate, on the other hand, is soft and therefore requires sealing more frequently. Many people simply appreciate the natural wear patterns that develop on slate over time.
Wooden floorboards on underfloor heating are not a problem, but your heating engineer should be informed about it.
Wooden floorboards on underfloor heating are not a problem, but your heating engineer should be informed about it.
These are interesting points. Thank you!
I like the idea of a natural look. However, my husband is unsure because of the strong irregularities of the slate. For him, porcelain stoneware or wood would be alternatives.
Basically, we have found that we prefer to feel the same texture as we see. That’s why vinyl, slate-look flooring, and actually laminate are not options.
What about cork with underfloor heating? Should glued cork work as well? It would probably also be pleasantly quiet.
I like the idea of a natural look. However, my husband is unsure because of the strong irregularities of the slate. For him, porcelain stoneware or wood would be alternatives.
Basically, we have found that we prefer to feel the same texture as we see. That’s why vinyl, slate-look flooring, and actually laminate are not options.
What about cork with underfloor heating? Should glued cork work as well? It would probably also be pleasantly quiet.
With slate, there is the additional issue that you will quickly wear holes in your socks.
We have uneven and partly irregularly matte tiles—during the winter season, you can expect to ruin about 3 pairs of socks. With slate, it will be even worse...
Check out Atlas Concorde: they offer very nice tiles. Not slate look, but also very interesting textures 🙂
Best regards, Yvonne
We have uneven and partly irregularly matte tiles—during the winter season, you can expect to ruin about 3 pairs of socks. With slate, it will be even worse...
Check out Atlas Concorde: they offer very nice tiles. Not slate look, but also very interesting textures 🙂
Best regards, Yvonne
Similar topics