Thanks to the advances made in the heated floor industry it is now possible to confidently install hardwood floors over radiant heat.
Maple hardwood over radiant heat.
A quick overview on installing hardwood over warmboard radiant.
What can be glued down are solid 4 in.
Following a few easy guidelines should make the installation process an easy one.
The heating system should be activated at least 4 5 days prior to delivery of flooring to drive excess moisture out of slab.
And still many hardwood flooring manufacturers will not warranty their products over any radiant heating system.
But i have to caution you against using maple here.
Most wood flooring can be installed over radiant heat providing all of the necessary conditions are met.
The various radiant heating systems there are 4 types of radiant heating systems steam radiators hydronic water hot water baseboards and low voltage electric.
Where radiant heating pipes are incorporated into wood subfloor panels ensure that moisture content of the wood subfloor is within 4 of the maple flooring prior to installation.
When you are installing wood floors over top of concrete the double layer two layers of 1 2 ply floating plywood method will be the best method.
You got one thing right.
This means homeowners can now enjoy the natural beauty of hickory oak cherry walnut maple ash and any other fine hardwood plus the efficiency and luxurious comfort provided by radiant heating.
Charles peterson a hardwood flooring expert and author of the upcoming book the art of wood flooring the taunton press 2009 replies.
Unfortunately hardwood and radiant heat don t mix.
A belief that for many in the architecture and construction industries still exists today.
If you are choosing our engineered hardwood floor it is very important that your heating contractor understand the maximum surface temperature of the flooring cannot exceed 25 degrees celsius.
A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete.
Maple shorts such as those used for a herringbone parquet floor thin flooring 5 16 in thick solid strip and engineered flooring.
But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well.
Wood flooring manufactured and expected to perform at mc levels higher than 9 percent or in conditions above 50 percent rh should not be used with radiant heating systems.
Most species are not recommended over.
Fortunately progress has been made in this arena.
Plainsawn wood will move more than quartersawn especially when it is over 4 inches wide.