Oak Flooring For Underfloor Heating

Due to dramatic temperature fluctuations, not all types of wooden flooring can be laid over underfloor heating.  The heat can dry it out causing shrinking, which creates gaps in the floor. Contrary when the heating goes off, the wood reabsorbs moisture and expands. That is why the best type of wooden floor for underfloor heating systems is engineered timber flooring. It performs well with changes in floor temperature.
 

What do you need to consider when choosing engineered wooden floors for underfloor heating?
 

There are two main factors to consider when choosing the best engineered oak flooring for underfloor heating projects:

1. Construction stability, which reduces flooring swelling and shrinking due to varying room temperature.
2. Thermal conductivity, which described as a material's ability to conduct heat. The wooden floors' thermal conductivity depends on wood density (kg/m2). As a result, oak wood has the best thermal conductivity comparing with other types of wood.
    

 Engineered oak flooring manufactured by us is ideal for underfloor heating
 

1. Our symmetrical, true balanced 3-layer construction is engineered to achieve maximum all-dimensional stability
2. As mentioned earlier, the key factor for conductivity in effective engineered wood flooring is the hardness of the timber. Our 3-layer construction includes 7 mm of oak hardwood and 7.5 mm of birch plywood—more than what is typically found in other engineered flooring on the market. This hardwood-based construction offers low thermal resistance (i.e., high conductivity), ensuring maximum efficiency of your heating system.
    

Underfloor heating for Ecohardwood oak floors installation tips

Please remember that the installation of the sub-floor for heated floors and the use of such floors can be complex.

The main rules are: 

1. When installing the flooring, the humidity of the concrete sub-floor should not exceed 1.5% MC.
2. Heating elements in the sub-floor should be placed equally and at the same level. The temperature of the whole area of the floor should be even and not exceed +27°C.
3. The heating of the sub-floor should be switched on at least 4 weeks after laying the leveling layer.
4. After turning on the heating, the temperature of the sub-floor should be increased every day by +2-3°C until the maximum heating capacity is reached.
5. The heating period during the drying of concrete should not be less than 24 days. Before laying the flooring, the sub-floor should be heated for at least 5 or more days.
6. For laying heated floors you should choose the glue very carefully. The suitability of glue for heated floors should be indicated in the instructions.
7. To ensure maximum stability, our recommended installation method is to glue planks all the bottom down to a sub-floor.
8. 2-3 days before installing the floor, the temperature of the sub-floor should be gradually reduced to +18°C - +21°C and it should be maintained during installation. The temperature of the room should be the same.
9. After installation of the floor, the temperature of the sub-floor should be maintained (from +18°C to +21°C) for at least 3 days. Then the desired temperature can be set gradually.
10. It is particularly important to maintain proper environmental conditions for heated floors during use: relative humidity should be 40-60%; room temperature +18°C - +24°C, floor surface maximum +27°C. Otherwise, gaps may appear in the floor due to the natural qualities of the wood noted above.