How to Install Heating in Basement Floor Joists
Your basement becomes a cold room during winter, and the basement floor is no exception. Make it a little warmer by installing a heating system in the joists of your basement floor. To install the system, you'll first have to locate these joists. That may require taking apart the basement floor, but the finished product--a warmer floor--is worth the effort. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- White chalk
- Jackhammer
- Vacuum
- Radiant heat mat
- Sand
- Shovel
- Broom
- Mortar
- Water
- Bucket
- Trowel
- Ceramic tiles
Instructions
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Tap your basement floor with a hammer to find the basement joists. Start on one side of the basement. When you hear a hollow sound, you are between two joists; when you hear a solid sound, like a clunk, you have hit a joist. Mark the locations of the joists with white chalk.
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Plug in a jackhammer to an electric outlet. Point the nose of the jackhammer at the space between the joists. Turn the jackhammer on and press the nose into the concrete to break it up. Work your way across the room to break up all the concrete between the joists in your basement floor. Clean up all the broken pieces of concrete. Use a vacuum to clean up some of the debris.
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3
Lay sand in the spaces between the joists. Use a shovel to unload the sand onto the floor. Smooth over the sand subfloor with a broom.
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Mix two parts cement with one part water in a bucket to make mortar. Spread the mortar onto the subfloor, using a trowel.
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Lay the radiant heat mat across the floor and press it into the mortar. Spread another layer of mortar on top of the radiant heat mat and set in the ceramic tiles over the mortar.
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Tips & Warnings
Hire a licensed electrician to test your radiant heat mat to make sure it works properly. Ask the electrician to check if you have a sufficient electric supply system to operate the radiant heat mat.
Ask your electrician to install a circuit for the radiant heat mat. You or the electrician can then install a thermostat to regulate the heat output of your floor heating system.
Wear eye goggles and a face mask to avoid injury from flying concrete when using the jackhammer.
References
- Photo Credit Parquet floor image by Einar Bog from Fotolia.com
