Developments in technology have created a situation that floor heating can be used anywhere. Underfloor heating can be used as additional or main heating. The wooden floor which we have been using for underfloor heating for years, has a resistance (Rc) of 0.088. This resistance is very low. When your heating system allows for a maximum resistance of 0.12 Rc, then our floor with Rc 0.088 can be installed without any problem.
Underfloor Heating as Main Heating
If you want to use underfloor heating as a main heating system, we recommend you to use engineered parquet flooring. This type of floor, which consists of laminated boards with a top layer of solid oak wood, can range in thickness from 10 to 20 mm. The thickness, thermal insulation capacity (R-value) of the floor and the installation method (floating or glued down) influences the efficiency and effectiveness of your heating.
To achieve the highest efficiency, we recommend directly glued method of our engineered parquet floor ‘Vincent’. Parquet flooring is available in over 90 colors, is very strong and has an average lifespan of 50 years.
The advantages of underfloor heating as main heating are lower heating costs and radiant heat. The body is comfortably heated directly instead of through the air by radiators.
Underfloor heating as main heating is often chosen for aesthetic reasons, as 'ugly' radiators and pipes can be removed, which gives the room a more clean look and feel.
The value of well-insulated house with floor heating as main heating generally increases. Finally, main heating is a child-friendly solution, since children can not hurt themselves or have their fingers burned with this heating system.
Underfloor Heating as Additional Heating
Another possibility is to use underfloor heating as additional heating in combination with radiators or convectors. One advantage is that the total area of the floor is evenly heated by underfloor heating in combination with radiators. This often fails when you are only using radiators or convectors. By using underfloor heating as additional heating, the fluctuations in temperature are much less, so that a wooden floor is less likely to swell or shrink. The more gradual changes in the temperature and timber moisture content, the better this is for the wooden floor. Underfloor heating as main heating has the property that it may take longer before the entire living area is warmed. This is not the case when using underfloor heating as additional heating.