ᐅ Underfloor Heating Beneath Wood Plank Flooring

Hello!

I would like to hear your opinions on the topic of underfloor heating and wooden plank flooring:

I want to have a floor that feels as warm and natural as possible, because it is breathable. Therefore, parquet and laminate are not an option. I find wooden planks ideal, maybe even spruce/fir.
Wooden planks are installed on a special substructure, as far as I have seen... So I could probably save on screed in those areas.

But how do you construct something like this in combination with underfloor heating? Support elements to the concrete slab can only be placed between the pipes/tubes, right?

That’s not possible. Period. Floorboards need to be insulated, and underfloor heating (UFH) requires a heat conductor that is firmly connected with the screed: tile, vinyl, glued engineered wood flooring, or a low-pile carpet. Floorboards, then radiators. That’s how it is.

I wouldn’t recommend spruce/fir either, as in my opinion the wood isn’t hard enough for that purpose. You should at least expect certain disadvantages, such as quick dents and scratches in the floorboards. I personally installed 20mm (0.8 inch) thick oak floorboards, since it’s an older building where they were laid on OSB panels over wooden beam ceilings.

According to the manufacturer, installation with underfloor heating is also possible. However, I’m wondering what kind of special subfloor you’re referring to? As far as I know, the floorboards are installed in the same way as laminate or parquet, possibly glued down. But this is the first time I’ve heard of a special subfloor—what do you mean by that?

@Nordlys: Although I haven’t seen it myself in person yet, our floor installer also says that it’s not a problem at all. Where do you get the idea that floorboards and underfloor heating are incompatible?

If he wants the floor to be "as natural as possible" (however that may be interpreted), then anything that requires adhesive is probably out of the question. I have never seen a special subfloor system without glue... and I find it hard to imagine an underfloor heating system without a strong bond to the floor surface... Gluing floorboards is definitely possible, but if parquet is excluded because it’s not considered natural, then glued floorboards wouldn’t be much different.

I partly agree with Nordlys, maybe not quite as strictly. If you have such specific requirements (no screed...), then it’s probably better to opt for wall or ceiling heating, or else the unattractive alternative with radiators.

cschiko schrieb:
How do you come to the conclusion that wooden floorboards and underfloor heating are incompatible?

Wood is not a good conductor of heat.

cschiko schrieb:
according to our floor installer, that is not a problem at all

I think you meant something different there—gluing thin boards directly onto the screed to create a floorboard look is possible.
But the original poster wants real floorboards, which won’t work with underfloor heating.
In that case, you could use wall and ceiling heating instead.