Warm floor under the laminate
The modern flooring market offers the consumer many different materials that can satisfy the most demanding tastes. The laminate is especially popular due to its resistance to the negative effects of moisture and mechanical damage. As for the appearance, it is a quality laminate that is quite capable of replacing expensive parquet, in addition, the variety of textures and color schemes attracts the opportunity to create an original design of the room. Laminate can even be installed on mounted underfloor heating. However, the underfloor heating under the laminate must be selected taking into account the characteristics of this type of flooring. The thing is that he does not conduct heat well enough. That is why experts recommend choosing water or infrared film underfloor heating..
Content
- Laminate infrared film floor
- Water floor under the laminate
The warm floor under the laminate needs to be selected, focusing on the technical characteristics of this floor covering
Laminate infrared film floor
This type of underfloor heating is perfect for any finishing flooring, and laminate is no exception. This versatility and superior performance have led to the widespread use of infrared in our homes..
It has good heat dissipation, accompanied by a not too high temperature of heating the floor covering. In addition, floor heating and air heating in the room occurs evenly, which is important for creating the desired atmosphere and “weather” in the house.
Modern infrared underfloor heating under the laminate does not require special skills for its installation. That is why you do not have to pay specialized firms for laying a warm floor. Having patience and carefully approaching the installation, you can completely do it yourself and get at least a high-quality result.
Infrared film floor can be laid by an inexperienced artist
So, installing a warm floor under the laminate using film material does not take much time. However, it is necessary to prepare for its installation. The floor surface is cleaned of debris, all irregularities are eliminated. Then a waterproofing layer with a polypropylene coating is laid. Such a substrate for a laminate – a warm floor is mounted precisely on it – will allow you to save the radiated heat.
In addition, it is necessary to design the laying of a warm floor, taking into account the fact that in the places of placement of furniture and household appliances, floor heating did not occur. That is, in these places the film heat-insulated floor does not fit under the laminate. You can control the desired temperature using the thermostat.
Thus, the process of laying an infrared film warm floor is a phased implementation of a number of works:
- Leveling the floor, eliminating cracks and chips.
- Surface cleaning, dirt and debris removal.
- Laying a waterproofing layer with a special heat-reflecting coating.
- Cutting a film floor into tapes, laying it.
- Connecting the floor to the mains, installing the thermostat.
After carrying out these types of work, it is possible to use a warm floor for a long period of time..
Water floor under the laminate
Another aesthetic, practical and functional option for arranging a warm floor will be a water floor. Experts argue that the most appropriate will be its device in private homes.
So, a water heated floor under the laminate is a system of special pipes under the final floor covering, through which water of a certain temperature circulates. It is hot water that heats the floor covered with laminate. It is worth noting that modern pipes for underfloor heating are carried out using the latest technologies and materials. Thus, metal-plastic and polyethylene ensure the safety of underfloor heating, preventing water leakage.
Laying a water floor involves taking into account a number of features. So, a laminate – as already mentioned – is a material with insufficiently good thermal conductivity. Obviously, when laying water pipes under wooden logs, a layer of hydro and thermal insulation, a laminate and, possibly, a carpet, the effect of heat transfer will be practically zero. That is why it is recommended to lay water pipes in a sand-cement screed.
Such laying of a warm floor under a laminate is the most common and effective. This is due to the fact that the finished sand-cement screed prevents damage to the laid pipes and performs the function of a continuous heating surface that evenly distributes heat.
As with laying an infrared film heat-insulated floor, it is necessary to divide the floor area into sections and determine which of them will have a warm floor, and which ones will not. The next step is the leveling of the floor surface, laying of the layer of the selected insulation material and the installation of the reinforcing mesh under the sand-cement screed.
Then the mounting plate is fastened and the water pipes are laid. As a rule, pipe fasteners are carried out to the already laid reinforcing mesh using wire. Thus, the reinforcing mesh is a good markup for laying water pipes of a warm floor.
There are several ways by which warm water floors are laid under the laminate: parallel and spiral. With the parallel method, pipes are laid in the form of a snake – one after another.
Water floor heating under the laminate (parallel installation method)
The spiral method, respectively, involves laying pipes in a spiral.
Water underfloor heating with spiral piping
The next step is the direct filling of the finished structure with cement to create a screed. After its final hardening, it is necessary to check the readiness of the underfloor heating system for operation. So, a water heated floor under the laminate – the reviews about it are the most positive – is subject to the temperature regime, the entire hydraulics check. If there are no malfunctions, then the warm floor can be considered ready for use.
Thus, there are a lot of options for constructing a heated floor system, however, given the operational characteristics of the laminate, the optimal options are: infrared film and water floors. They will allow you to easily heat not only the final flooring itself, but also the air in the room where they will be installed.
