Flooring for basement hobby room with underfloor heating - floating or glued

Hello everyone,

we still need to install the floor covering in the basement. It is a solid construction / WU basement, the room is about 32 sqm in size, has underfloor heating and a controlled central ventilation system, and is intended as a hobby/playroom also for children.
We want to have something possibly low-emission, robust in wood look installed, and the underfloor heating should work efficiently with it.
The company advised us against glued vinyl. The offer was Meister Design Flex floors (without plasticizers etc.), about 5 mm thick according to the manufacturer and suitable for underfloor heating – but only as a floating installation. We don’t have anything against that in the end, the only question is whether the underfloor heating then still fulfills its function. Everywhere on the internet it says – possibly glue it down, otherwise air gaps etc.
The carpenter (same company) also sees no problem with underfloor heating, even if this covering is installed floating.
Here we need your opinion: should we still glue something else down, or are there coverings that can also be installed floating on underfloor heating without disadvantages for the underfloor heating?

Thank you very much!

Best regards
Nils

We were advised against adhesive vinyl by the company. The offer was Meister Design Flex floors (without plasticizers, etc.)

It is technically also a vinyl floor. Why did the company advise against it?

whether the underfloor heating then still fulfills its function.

Yes, of course!

or are there coverings that can be installed floating on underfloor heating without disadvantages for the underfloor heating?

No. Floating installation on underfloor heating (classically on screed) is always worse than bonding. Now, here comes a BUT. It is still good. It’s kind of like saying that an S-Class (floating installation) is bad because you drive a Maybach (bonded). So don’t worry about that. Apart from that, I personally wouldn’t choose either covering because I don’t want any plastic on the floor. Then rather a parquet floor for €30/sqm than the Design Flex floor (which probably isn’t any cheaper either).

Great, thank you very much!

It's technically also a vinyl floor. Why did the company advise against it?

Because of plasticizers and possibly harmful substances – the offered flooring is free of those.

No. Floating installation on underfloor heating (classically on screed) is always worse than gluing. Now comes a BUT. It is still good.
It's roughly like saying that an S-Class (floating installation) is bad because you drive a Maybach (glued).
So don't worry about that.

Then I'll stick with the S-Class, if the floor stays warm :) it's a basement after all. Parquet is not that durable (dents etc.) plus it's a basement with moisture risk.

Due to plasticizers and possibly harmful substances - the offered covering is free of them

Nowadays, every floor from a somewhat reputable provider is harmless to health. The bad plasticizers were phthalate plasticizers, which basically no longer exist today. That’s why you also find offers that are explicitly allowed to carry the Blue Angel or similar seals.

Parquet is not so robust (dents, etc.) plus it’s a basement with risk of moisture.

But parquet is wood. It has character. If you have a risk of moisture in the basement, you should report a defect immediately. If there is no defect, there is no risk of moisture.

Basement is predestined for tiles for me.

Keller ist für mich prädestiniert für Fliesen.

Basically correct. But not as a hobby and playroom for children.