Warm floors can serve their owners for a long time andreliably if they are correctly mounted and a suitable coating is selected. The floor can be created from any materials: concrete, wood, linoleum, and so on. One of the best materials is a laminate for a water-heated floor, with certain parameters and properties.
Laminate has long been popular when installing 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 for a warm floor is the following points:
- low thermal conductivity of the laminate, allows to provide heat transfer at the level of 40-50 degrees;
- laminate coating reduces heat consumption by 40 percent when compared with other home heating systems;
- when using this type of heating laminate floor there is no magnetic field that adversely affects human health;
- 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;
- tandem laminate and underfloor heating is a clean and ecological solution in the home heating system.
In addition to the above-mentioned advantages, such a floor in the room heats up almost instantly and evenly. The thermal system under the laminate increases the service life of the coating several times.
The existing drawbacks of the tandem described are the incorrect use of the installation technique, both of the heating system itself and of the laminate.
Feature of a warm floor
Most experts do not recommendinstall laminate for a water heated floor and the heating system itself in apartment premises, since it requires special pumps and tanks for pumping system fluid, which occupy a considerable space. Also in case of a pipe break in the floor, water will ruin not only the laminate itself, but also relations with its neighbors from below. Therefore, such a tandem, advantageous in any conditions, is installed in private houses, cottages and cottages.
Laminate flooring: what to choose?
Not every type of laminate is suitable for use.together with warm floor. The traditional laminate coating, which can be found in every hardware store, cannot be used for a heated floor, as it has a very low thermal conductivity. A material is needed that is both dense and thin at the same time, capable of transmitting the heat coming from below and being resistant to external pressure.
Which laminate for a warm water floor shouldchoose in the construction market or in the store? Experts advise you to take the floor with a special marking in the form of a special icon on the product packaging or in the accompanying documents, indicating the suitability of the material for use with a warm floor. In this case, laminate flooring for underfloor heating is not intended for electric underfloor heating and vice versa.
To customers could distinguish the required laminate, on the packaging depict a water symbol, write the formula H2O or put the inscription "water".If there is no specialized marking, then this flooring is considered to be an ordinary standard for floor installation without additional heating systems.
Unlabeled Laminate
Which laminate is suitable for a warm water floor,if it is not worth a special designation? Many manufacturers of high-quality and low-cost flooring (both domestic and foreign) do not put special marks about the moments for which this or that material is intended. Therefore, according to building standards, that laminate with a thermal resistance not exceeding 150 W is perfect for a warm floor. In this case, the substrate should be of synthetic porous material that minimally retards the heat wave.
Many users who have installed at homelaminate for water heated floor, it is advised when choosing a coating to pay attention to the thickness of the board - from 8 to 10 mm. Such material will be durable and reliable, and it will also be good to pass heated air.
In addition, the purchased floor material mustcharacterized by high resistance to water and a maximum load of 500 kg / m2. With proper selection of material, its service life will be at least 50 years.
Laminate Selection Tips
In addition to the above recommendations,pick up laminate more durable and resistant to abrasion. It is better to install flooring of a class not lower than 32 on a warm floor. Such material does not leave traces of furniture, it serves its owners longer and does not lose heat conduction.
How does such a system work?
Pipes for underfloor heating are laid in cementscreed to ensure their greater safety. Under the pipe is placed a special insulation material that protects the loss of heat through the earth or reinforced concrete floors. The heating system on top is covered with a synthetic substrate that protects the coating material, and the laminate itself is installed directly for a water-heated floor.
During the operation of the heating system laminateheats up to 50 degrees, the heat from the floor rises up and thereby heats the whole room. The heat output of such a tandem is very high. Even after turning off the heat supply to the system, the pipes and the laminate itself keep the temperature for a fairly long time.
Conclusion
The system "warm floor" in itself is very populardue to its economy 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 that is unsuitable for this system, then 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.
Because the warm floor can be as efficient as possible.work only in conjunction with a special coating, and the laminate here takes the 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 underfloor heatingshould pay attention to its labeling and specifications. Then the money invested in the installation of the heating system and the floor will bring beauty, warmth, coziness and comfort to all family members.
