Warm floors can serve their owners for a long time and reliably if they are correctly installed and a suitable coating is selected. The floor can be created from any materials: concrete, wood, linoleum and so on. One of the optimal materials is a laminate for a water floor heating, which has certain parameters and properties.
Laminate flooring has long been popular in the installation of flooring. It is convenient to operate, it has a stylish appearance and a wide variety of colors and textures.
Laminate for a warm water floor: advantages and properties
Among the advantages of such a floor covering for a warm floor, the following points should be highlighted:
- the thermal conductivity of the laminate is low, it allows to provide heat transfer at the level of 40-50 degrees;
- laminate flooring reduces heat consumption by 40 percent when compared with other home heating systems;
- when using this type of laminate floor heating, there is no magnetic field that negatively affects human health;
- a laminate for a warm water floor ( user reviews emphasize this) keeps the heating surface dry, which protects the floor from fungus, mold and dampness in the room;
- The tandem of laminate and underfloor heating is a clean and environmentally friendly solution in a home heating system.
In addition to the above advantages, such a floor in a room heats up almost instantly and evenly. The thermal system under the laminate increases the service life of the coating several times.
The existing disadvantages of the described tandem are the incorrect use of the installation technique, both the heating system itself and the laminate.
The feature of the warm floor
Most experts do not recommend installing a laminate for a water heated floor and the heating system itself in apartment premises, since it requires special pumps and containers for pumping system fluid, which occupy a significant space. Also, in the event of a pipe break in the floor, water will spoil not only the laminate itself, but also relations with the neighbors from below. Therefore, such a tandem, advantageous in any conditions, is installed in private houses, cottages and summer cottages.
Laminate for underfloor heating: which one to choose?
Not every type of laminate is suitable for use with a warm floor. The traditional laminate flooring, which can be found in every hardware store, cannot be used for underfloor heating, as it has very low thermal conductivity. What is needed is a material that is both dense and thin, capable of transmitting heat coming from below and being resistant to external pressure.
What kind of laminate for a warm water floor should I choose in the construction market or in a store? Experts advise taking flooring with special markings in the form of a special pictogram on the product packaging or in accompanying documents, indicating the suitability of the material for use with a warm floor. At the same time, the laminate suitable for underfloor heating is not intended for electric underfloor heating and vice versa.
So that customers can distinguish the necessary laminate, the symbol of water is shown on the packaging, they write the formula H 2 O or put the inscription "water". If there is no specialized marking, then such a floor covering is considered an ordinary standard, designed for floor installation without additional heating systems.
Laminate without marking
Which laminate is suitable for a warm water floor if it does not have a special designation? Many manufacturers of high-quality and inexpensive floor coverings (both domestic and foreign) do not put special labels about what moments this or that material is intended for. Therefore, according to building standards, the laminate with a thermal resistance of not higher than 150 watts is perfectly suitable for a warm floor . In this case, the substrate should be made of synthetic porous material that minimally delays the heat wave.
Many users who have installed a laminate for a water floor heating at home, advise when paying attention to the thickness of the board - from 8 to 10 mm. Such a material will be durable and reliable, and will also allow heated air to pass through well.
In addition, the floor material purchased must be characterized by high water resistance and a maximum load of 500 kg / m2. With the right selection of material, its service life will be at least 50 years.
Laminate Tips
In addition to the above recommendations, you should choose a laminate more durable and resistant to abrasion. It is better to install a floor covering of a class not lower than 32 on a warm floor. On this material there are no traces of furniture, it serves its owners longer and does not lose heat conductivity.
How such a system works
Pipes for underfloor heating are laid in a cement screed, which ensures their greater safety. A special insulating material is laid under the pipes, which prevents the loss of heat through the ground or reinforced concrete floor. The heating system is covered from above with a synthetic substrate that protects the coating material, and the laminate itself is mounted directly on the underfloor heating system.
During the operation of the heating system, the laminate is heated to 50 degrees, the heat from the floor rises up and thereby heats the entire room. The heat transfer of such a tandem is very high. Even after turning off the heat supply to the system, the pipes and the laminate itself hold the temperature for a sufficiently long period.
Output
The "warm floor" system itself is very popular due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. In the house where it is installed, it is always cozy and warm, there are no panels and batteries on the walls, all rooms are evenly heated, everywhere is dry and comfortable. However, not every floor covering can provide the desired effect. If the floor is mounted from a material unsuitable for this system, either it will not be able to pass enough heat into the room, or it will be very hot, which will bring some discomfort to those living in the house.
Therefore, a warm floor can work as efficiently as possible only in conjunction with a special coating, and the laminate here takes first place. But such material should be designed to work in tandem with a warm floor according to the above parameters.
Therefore, when choosing a laminate for a warm floor, you should pay attention to its marking and technical specifications. Then the money invested in the installation of the heating system and floor will bring beauty, warmth, coziness and comfort for all family members.