Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Tar paper under wood floors (radiant)

Tom Giedraitis
Tom Giedraitis Member Posts: 44
in THE MAIN WALL
A friend of mine would like to retrofit staple up radiant with plates in his home, but he has one possibly legitimate concern.

The hardwood flooring was installed over 15# tar paper, not rosin paper.
Should he forget the idea of heating his floors, or will there likely be a smell that goes away after a few weeks?

Ripping up the floor is not an option.

Anyone have an experience with this?

Comments

  • Rit Roberts_2
    Rit Roberts_2 Member Posts: 5
    Tar Paper

    My advice would be to stay away from any floor with tar paper. I was called to a job recently where the whole house smelled like a newely paved driveway. The smell was so bad the homeowner had to shut down the system. The tar paper had actually melted to the point that it was slowly seeping up through the flooring. Rit
  • Rit Roberts_2
    Rit Roberts_2 Member Posts: 5
    Tar Paper

    I would not reccommend any floor with tar paper. I was recently call on a job that smelled like the whole house had just been paved. The smell was so bad the homeowner had to shut down the system. The tar paper has actually melted and seeped up between the floor boards. Rit
  • Tim Doran
    Tim Doran Member Posts: 208
    Off Gas

    The tar paper may off gas and cause a smell.

    Tim D.
  • Mike T., Swampeast MO
    Mike T., Swampeast MO Member Posts: 6,928


    Yikes! Was that an existing floor with old tar paper?
  • eleft_4
    eleft_4 Member Posts: 509
    How hot is/was the floor?

    Could anyone walk on this before the tar melted?
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,908
    OMG!


    That had to have been one WARM floor!!!!!

    Mark H

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
    uuummmm

    Just how hot WAS that floor ????

    Scott

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • Rit Roberts_2
    Rit Roberts_2 Member Posts: 5
    Tar paper

    I was not the installer so I am not able to give exact details. From what I am told, the radiant was installed and then soon after a new floor was installed in only the kitchen. It appears that the floor installer put down new tar paper and 3" hard pine. A portion of the first floor is still up and working and the floor is comfortable, warm, not hot. I assume the actual melting occured because the tar paper was so fresh rather than faded with age. It is a good idea to ask about tar paper underlayments and put a "no fault" mention in your proposals on any floor you question.
    I was called in to install a temporary L.P. gas wall heater to get the tenants through the winter.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories