Tile, carpet, or wood on floor?

Tremolux

The crew has almost demolished the 1st floor bathroom in our 1930 brick bastion. Removing a closet that opened in another room adds precious floor space.



We plan radiant floor heat there, as well as in an adjoining bedroom and kitchen.



The rest of the house will use new, probably cast iron, radiators and hot water.



What to put down under and on top of the new floors?



Pre-fab radiant underflooring ( not designed for new construction ) will go on the existing heavy duty underfloor. Are there any particular brands with significant advantages?



( We can live with the slight rise in height at the thresholds ... going down to the joists would be a heavy added expense. )



What guidelines are there for radiant floor coverings?



Special tile? Special grout? Anything to avoid like the plague?



Everything that's not tile is an insulator, right?



Are there special pads and carpets for under radiant floors?



How much heat will we lose by re- installing hardwood back in the bedroom?



( The floor there had already been removed ... the previous owner had "issues". )



Thanks for your time & attention

CMadatMe

What's Your Contractors

What is your heating contractors recommendation? Have you had a radiant heat loss and design done? The design will allow you to plug in the different r-values for the floor surfaces and you can make you decision based on each design. Whetther its QuikTrak, Climate Panel, Warmboard and any other above the joist products, they are only as effective as the install and design. They all function well and will provide many years of comfort.



Radiant heat using carpet as a finished floor surface requires the hotest water temp in any radiant application. It also may cause you to have to run 2 different mix supply water temperatures which adds cost to the boiler portion of the job. That's my other question. What type of boiler and what's the control plan for the radiant. These are very important parts of the job that also need to be looked at prior to making up your mind in the type of radiant installation.



There;s more to radiant than just sticking tubing in the floor. Control and zoning are a big factor that allows the most comfort.