Would you like to receive personal advice about wood flooring? From Thursday March 4 2021 it will be possible to visit one of our showrooms by appointment. Schedule a showroom visit or video call appointment here or contact us on Monday-Friday between 10am and 6pm and Saturday between 10am and 5pm on 0172-477355 or info@uipkes.nl.
THE WARMTH OF WOOD WITH UNDERFLOOR HEATING
Underfloor heating is a pleasure and a warming experience, especially in combination with the naturel feeling of wood. Fortunately, wooden floors and underfloor heating have been a great combination for years!
WE HAVE BEEN COMBINING WOODEN FLOORS WITH UNDERFLOOR HEATING FOR YEARS
With our many years of experience, skill and love for wood you can trust us with installing a wood floor on your underfloor heating. Our wooden floors are always made and installed according to your wishes. We alwaysdo an inspection of your home or office and provide you with information, so you can make the best choices for your situation. We have wide range of wooden floors, which can be modified with different colors as you like.
WOOD FLOORING IS SUITABLE FOR UNDERFLOOR HEATING
"Wood flooring on underfloor heating has been a warm combination for years"
One of the questions in our showroom is whether underfloor heating can easily be combined with wood flooring. Some people do not know that this is a great combination, if you use the right wood products and craftsmanship. Installing wooden floors on underfloor heating is our specialty! We have years of experience in carefully installing wooden floors on various types of underfloor heating and subfloors. All colors and most installation patterns are possible. We also supply wood flooring on underfloor heating with a 5-year CBW guarantee within The Netherlands.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FLOOR HEATING AND WOOD FLOORING
- Is it possible to install a wooden floor with underfloor heating?
Yes, this is possible and we have years of experience with installing parquet floors with undefloor heating. It’s important however, that the heating protocol is done once during construction so the underfloor and the parquet floor can be gradually warmed up in phases. See the heating protocol below.
A solid hardwood floor is not suitable for underfloor heating as main heating. The massive floorboards have a large R value, creating a situation where not enough heat can reach the surface. Also, the heating time of a solid wood floor would take very long, making this option very inefficient.
- What wood species can be used for a combination with underfloor heating?
Not all wood species can be used for floor heating. Harder wood conducts heat better, but it’s also important that the type of wood used is highly resistant to changes in temperature and humidity percentages. The more sensitive wood is for these factors, the more the floor parts can expand or shrink, which results in a damaged floor. Wood species such as ash wood and beech wood are more vulnerable and therefore not suitable for underfloor heating. For example: oak, merbau, afzelia and walnut wood are well suited for a combination with underfloor heating.
We recommend oak wood. Oak is a strong, stable wood specie with a low resistance (R) and an excellent price / quality ratio. In addition, oak has a timeless character and the possibilities of finishing oak wood parquet floors are endless. Also oak parquet is suitable for various applications such as floating wood floors in apartments, which must meet a 10 dB noise reduction in several countries.
- What are the requirements for heating systems?
Old heating systems (> 20 years) are generally not suitable for a combination with wood flooring, because these systems generate too much heat. This is detrimental to the floorboards. Therefore, use a new generation of underfloor heating, wherein temperature regulation is more gradual, and the maximum temperature is not too high. First, consider whether you want to create floor heating as main heating or additional heating, and which subfloor you (see information below) before you leave install underfloor heating. For our parquet floorboards, it is important that the underfloor heating is located deep enough. We will pay attention to this during the inspection of your home, before installing the floor.
- What determines the efficiency of floor heating?
The efficiency of heating depends on the type of wood (hardness / resistance / stability), the thickness of the solid wood layer (10 - 20mm), insulation, type of heating system and the type of heating (main or additional heating). For more information and advice on the efficiency of underfloor heating for your living situation, you can always make an appointment to visit our showroom!
- Which installation patterns can you apply to underfloor heating?
In addition to the traditional straight pattern, you can also easily apply a Chevron, Versailles or herringbone floor pattern to underfloor heating. Only an end grain wood floor pattern cannot be applied to underfloor heating because the resistance (Rc) of this type of wooden floor is too high.
.Wood flooring installation patterns suitable for underfloor heating
- What should I keep in mind when using and maintaining a wooden floor that has underfloor heating?
A wooden floor is to be gradually warmed up and cooled down in order to prevent shrinkage or expansion of the timber. It is important that you follow the instructions of the heating protocol and keep the humidity percentage in your home stable (around 55%).
You will receive a beautiful hygrometer as a gift from us after installation of the wooden floor. This allows you to measure the humidity in your home. You place the hygrometer at eye level on an interior wall, away from the sun and free from drafts. During the ‘heating season’ in the winter, the humidity rate may drop to a low point (<40%), which might result in shrinking of the floorboards. Using a humidifier can provide a solution in this situation.
You need to maintain the floor by dusting, vacuuming and / or mopping the floor on a regular basis. In the maintenance kit you will find resources to maintain your floor. Good floor maintenance extends the life and protects the finish of a wooden floor.
Got more questions? Contact us today! We are happy to help.
ADVANTAGES OF UNDERFLOOR HEATING
Do you consider putting underfloor heating under your wooden floor, but do not have a good idea of the benefits? Based on our knowledge, experience and questions from our customers, we provide an overview of the benefits, opportunities and issues that you must pay attention to when installing and maintaining a wooden floor with underfloor heating.
HOME FURNISHINGS AND LIVING COMFORT
A wooden floor combined with underfloor heating provides a comfortable living situation. Nothing feels as natural and pleasurable as warm wood under your bare feet, especially in the winter months. Underfloor heating is of course possible with different types of floors, such as natural stone, but the unique sensation and appearance of wood is often preferred over other floor types. In practice, we regularly see people who have come back to their decision for the combination of underfloor heating with natural stone. They ask us in the showroom whether it is possible to put a wooden floor directly over their natural stone floor to add a 'warmer atmosphere' to the house. This is often possible without removing the stone floor.
The heat that underfloor heating generates is evenly distributed throughout the room. This has the advantage that there are no cold corners and temperature fluctuations within the same space. This is often the case in homes with radiators.
Another reason for choosing underfloor heating as main heating is that you can remove ugly radiators in the room, so you can see more of your wooden floor. Apart from more visibility of your floor, you get more options to furnish your home to your liking, because your wooden floor is available in various installation patterns.
COST SAVING
Although the construction of underfloor heating initially requires an investment, it also provides financial benefits. For example, the underfloor heating temperature is lower than when using radiators. The water must first be heated to a high temperature before it flows through radiators. This can be done with underfloor heating with much lower temperatures. An floor heating temperature of around 20 degrees already ensures a sufficiently comfortable temperature, while this comfortable tempurature can only be reached in radiators at higher temperatures.
In the long term, this will cost a lot of money. Depending on the type of underfloor heating you choose, you can also combine this with renewable energy, such as solar panels.
HEALTH
A wooden floor installed on underfloor heating can be easily maintained by vacuuming and mopping. Dust cannot easily accumulate, as is often the case with hard-to-clean radiators. For people who are sensitive to dust, have vulnerable lungs or allergies, underfloor heating is a warm solution. Finally, the chance of molding in the house is a lot smaller, because underfloor heating provides a lower air humidity and molds need high humidity to grow.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
In short, there are many good reasons for combining underfloor heating with wood flooring. Do you have more questions about the possibilities for your living situation? Would you like to know more about our products and services? Order our free wooden flooring magazine, request an online quote within 2 minutes or visit one of our inspiring showrooms for free advice!
TECHNICAL EXPLANATION OF TYPES OF FLOOR HEATING UNDER A WOODEN FLOOR
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.
HOW TO PREPARE THE WORKPLACE?
You only have to execute the heating protocol once before installation of the wood floor. The heating protocol helps you to avoid large temperature fluctuations and bring the floor in optimal condition before installing your new floor. It is important to check the moisture content in the subfloor, which we will do before installation: cement floor up to 2.0% and anhydrite floor up to 0.5% moisture content.
Uipkes Wood Flooring always performs an inspection before we install a wooden floor, so you can safely enjoy your wooden floor with underfloor heating! During this inspection, we also measure the moisture percentage of the subfloor. The wooden floor is delivered and installed with 5 years of CBW guarantee.
HEATING PROTOCOL
The heating protocol helps you to avoid large temperature fluctuations and keep the floor in optimal condition.
ONE TIME PREPARATION OF THE WORKPLACE
The heating cycle described below will take approximately 14 days.
- Heat the workplace the first day with a water temperature of 20 ºC. Then increase the temperature by 5 ° C per 24 hours. Keep the inflow water temperature below 45 ° C.
- Keep the maximum temperature (45 ° C) for at least 24 hours for every cm of subfloor thickness: so for a 3 cm thick floor it will take 3 days.
- Decrease the temperature in the same way.
DURING AND AFTER INSTALLATION OF A WOODEN FLOOR WITH UNDERFLOOR HEATING
- During installation the floor should be around 15-18 ° C (water temperature 20 ° C). Maintain this temperature for at least 5 days after installing and finishing of the floor.
- Then slowly increase the temperature 2 ° C per day up to a maximum water inflow temperature of 45 ° C.
- The gradual increasing and decreasing of the water temperature is also necessary at the beginning and the end of the heating season. It is important to maintain little temperature differences during day and night.
Wood Flooring and Underfloor Heating - A trusted combination for years!
Uipkes has extensive experience in crafting and installing wooden floors with underfloor heating. With our many years of experience, skill and love for wood you can trust us with installing a wood floor on your underfloor heating. Wooden floors of Uipkes are always made and installed according to your wishes. We always do an inspection of your home or office and provide you with information, so you can make the best choices for your situation.
We like to see you in our showroom for an informal and informative talk about combining floor heating with a beautiful wooden floor from Uipkes!
