Radiant Floor Heating

Three Types of Radiant Floors
1. Electric Radiant Floors—Do a great job at heating any kind of home, but they're extremely expensive.
2. Hydronic Floors or Liquid Floors—Cost less and are, therefore, used more often in residential construction.
3. Radiant Air Floors—Don't hold large amount of heat, and for this reason they are used mainly in commercial buildings.

Using a hydronic floor system is a great way to heat your home, but you can also use it on a smaller scale, installing it in a cold room such as a basement or under the tile in the bathroom so that you don't step onto chilly tile after a warm bath.

Installing a Radiant Floor System
There are two categories of installation for radiant floor heating—wet and dry. Wet installation is most commonly used in the ground floor. Your contractor needs to be experienced with the installation of these types of systems, both wet and dry, so be sure your builder knows ahead of time that you are contemplating having a radiant floor system installed, because steps need to be taken to ensure there will be enough space in the substrate.

When installing a radiant floor system on the upper floors of your home, the most common method is called "dry installation," which is a system that suspends the tubing underneath the subfloor, between the joists.

Radiant Floor Cushions
Denser, thinner pads such as a slab rubber or waffle rubber pad, without clay fillers, are considered the best choice among pads for use with radiant floor heating systems.