Hello,
We've just bought a four year old home with an unfinished basement. The basement has underfloor heating under concrete. What is the best flooring to put on top? The rooms will be an office, guest bedroom, bathroom, family room and bathroom. We're thinking carpet for guest bed and family room, ceramic for bathroom and an engineered hardwood or laminate for office, and hallway. Will this cause us any problems? We are not planning on putting in a subfloor. We are new to home new build stuff and to this site. Thanks.
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
For infloor heating, your best bet is ceramic tile as it will conduct the heat the best.
Next up from that would be engineered hardwood. (If you talk to the hardwood guys, they will tell you you must use engineered hardwoods, the hydronic heating guys will tell you that real hardwood is OK. However, the hardwood guys will not honour your warrantee if you have in floor heating as they claim the hardwood will cup. When you ask the hydronic guys about that they claim the hardwood guys are overly sensitive. But if you then ask the hydronic guys if THEY will then warrantee the hardwood, they balk at that suggestion. Moral of the story, go engineered hardwood.)
Putting carpet on top of in floor heating is not recommended because the carpet will insulate against proper heat transfer unless the infloor heating has been specifically designed for carpet - i.e. twice as much tubing as normally installed.
For infloor heating, your best bet is ceramic tile as it will conduct the heat the best.
Next up from that would be engineered hardwood. (If you talk to the hardwood guys, they will tell you you must use engineered hardwoods, the hydronic heating guys will tell you that real hardwood is OK. However, the hardwood guys will not honour your warrantee if you have in floor heating as they claim the hardwood will cup. When you ask the hydronic guys about that they claim the hardwood guys are overly sensitive. But if you then ask the hydronic guys if THEY will then warrantee the hardwood, they balk at that suggestion. Moral of the story, go engineered hardwood.)
Putting carpet on top of in floor heating is not recommended because the carpet will insulate against proper heat transfer unless the infloor heating has been specifically designed for carpet - i.e. twice as much tubing as normally installed.
Well, Get wooden flooring and paint the walls with brighter colors (if your basement doesn’t have any window) ; Once it done do interior as per your requirement.
Suggestion. Do nothing until spring or even summer. The heating system will have a good test over the winter and you can then judge how effective it has been. You also want to look closely for any signs of discoloration that might suggest water leaks or even dampness.
If by then, spring,you see nothing I would think it would be safe to start your flooring. You don't need anything for the ceramic, but that orange membrane has been used as a barrier, although not on a heated floor that I recall. Won't hurt.
For your carpet you do want waterproof underpadding and for the wood you want the padding that comes in rolls - dimpled red I have seen, anything that lets the floor have some slight give to it. Wood on concrete by itself is very harsh and hard. You want some flex.