How to Protect Wood Floors From Radiant Heating

Radiant heating is a very effective and efficient way to heat your home, yet it can be damaging to your hardwood floors if not properly installed. Here's how to install radiant heating under wood floors.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Install a concrete slab. Excessive heat can be damaging to wood, which is why the radiant heat cannot be directly applied to the wood floor. Instead you must pour or install a concrete slab to separate the two to prevent the wood floor from cracking, bowing, warping or experiencing other problems or damage.

2. Allow the concrete to dry. Providing sufficient time for the concrete to dry is especially important since any excess moisture can cause the wood to warp once it is put down. Generally a concrete slab for radiant heating takes several weeks to completely dry, which is why many people install it during the summer.

3. Turn heat on for additional drying. Before putting the wood floor down, ensure that you have gotten all the moisture out of the concrete. This can be done by turning the heater on and allowing it to dry out the concrete for 1 to 2 weeks.

4. Install the wood floor. Once the concrete slab has sufficiently dried, you can install the wood floor. The moisture should be gone, thus making it easy for you to enjoy radiant heat and wood floors at the same time.

Tips & Warnings

• Installing radiant heat can be rather difficult, which is why it is often best handled by a professional.