ᐅ Underfloor heating: yes or no?

Hello dear forum,

I have bought a newly built apartment. Now I have to decide whether I want underfloor heating or not. Since I have no experience with it at all, I want to ask here what I should pay attention to or whether it is just as good to use a regular gas heating system.

Both heating types run on gas. A small technical room is planned in the apartment for the equipment.

The only thing I know so far is that I would prefer not to have underfloor heating in the bedroom. I rarely (or almost never) heat my bedroom.

The floor will be wooden plank parquet, oak. Apparently suitable for underfloor heating.

How expensive would underfloor heating be for an apartment of 90sqm (970 sqft)? The open living-kitchen area is 36sqm (390 sqft).

I look forward to your experiences, tips, and advice.

A mix is definitely not a good idea... it should be either all underfloor heating or all radiators, even in the bedroom, where the temperature can simply be turned down.

I would choose underfloor heating because it is more comfortable and also more energy efficient.

You need to make sure that the manifold is installed in the hallway or bathroom. The pipe spacing should be followed and the system must be properly sized.

Afterwards, a hydraulic balancing should be carried out.

In terms of cost, there shouldn’t be any difference regardless of which option you choose.

Why is a mix not a good idea? And if there is no price difference, well, I’m expecting an extra cost of 4000 euros. The construction project was naturally planned with the simplest/ugliest radiators, so my heating budget is not very large.

What is a hydraulic balancing? I’ll look it up on Google shortly. I’m about to head off on vacation, so I’ll have time to research then.

Why should the manifold be located in the bathroom or hallway instead of the utility room? Is it because of accessibility?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

No mixing, because then you don’t need two different temperatures... Underfloor heating typically runs at about 35°C (95°F), while radiators operate at around 55°C (131°F) unless you have very large ones, in which case it can be slightly lower. Using a mix means more “unnecessary” technology, controls, and related components.

If you have a utility room, it’s fine to place the manifold there... but it should be as central as possible to keep the pipe lengths short. The room with the manifold will be the warmest because you can’t regulate it, as all the pipes come together there.

For real wood floors, use a radiator. For vinyl or tiles, a fully glued-down floor is recommended. Wood is insulating. It is not a good surface for underfloor heating. Cork is the worst option as almost no heat passes through. A mix is not advisable. I agree with mycraft.

That’s a bit exaggerated.
Solid wood parquet glued down is very suitable for underfloor heating.
And cork, when glued down, is no problem either. Even cork on carrier boards is suitable, as the thermal conductivity value is still below 15.
Certainly, some options may be better, but I don’t think you would notice the difference.