Which flooring is suitable for underfloor heating?

2022-11-09 04:22:21

Many people don’t do it at all, right? I’m of the opinion that I haven’t seen that at Hammer and others at all.

2022-11-09 05:42:57

Whenever there is an inquiry about a flooring that one can install oneself and that is not too expensive, I mention bamboo parquet.
Strangely, none of the questioners ever acknowledge it. Most of them, because they actually want an answer about the desired oak parquet.
And why not you?

I also searched for it last year, but unfortunately it was significantly more expensive than oak parquet.

2022-11-09 06:00:00

Hi, With parquet, I would always choose oiled, never lacquered. With lacquered, you see every scratch and can hardly repair them. Oiled parquet is definitely easier in that regard. But: forget about floating parquet flooring! Unlike laminate, parquet expands and contracts significantly with different humidity levels (summer vs. winter) and will warp accordingly. This leads to creaking floors, and in large rooms (= span from wall to wall more than 6 m) it can happen that the parquet elements touch the wall in summer and push upwards even though you have a 15-20 mm gap from the wall in winter (which the baseboard can hardly cover). We have this situation in our living room (7.5 m span) and eventually we will lift it again and glue it down firmly. I wanted to install it myself back then and therefore installed it floating. It was even worse upstairs, where we installed it without transition strips (explicitly approved by the manufacturer), and it warped so much in summer that it creaked like in a 500-year-old castle. All it was missing was the castle ghost. When the parquet had to be renewed after water damage, I then had it glued down firmly. Floating installation is also not cheap. _Good_ impact sound insulation quickly costs 8-12 €/sqm (roughly the same as parquet adhesive) and you need many finishing profiles and transition strips, which get really expensive if they are good quality. In the basement, we installed good laminate floating and that has been completely trouble-free. So, my advice: You can safely install laminate floating because there is really good stuff out there. Parquet only glued down firmly. Having now seen how it works, I would trust myself to do it too. It’s no rocket science. Best regards, Andreas

I can't confirm that. We have floating parquet installed in the open living area and two rooms, and nothing expands differently nor creaks. We installed it ourselves and prefer the feel underfoot compared to glued flooring. Regarding the question: I would not install parquet in a children's room or in a household with children. It is somewhat hard but also sensitive. If a child throws something around, it will leave scratches. If you can live with that, it’s fine; I wouldn’t like it. Large or quite active dogs can also cause scratches; a visiting dog once managed to do that at our place. Our medium-sized dog doesn’t cause any damage. With children, I would rather choose good laminate. In my experience, it is more resistant. In the children’s room, I would always install carpet, even if that does not seem to be fashionable right now. I find it better for children because it is softer and warmer, at least as long as they play on the floor.

2022-11-09 06:49:27

I'll throw rigid vinyl into the discussion as well. My neighbor installed it himself as a floating floor in the spring. We will use it too. It costs €30/m2 (but the price can go up freely), includes impact sound insulation, and is suitable for underfloor heating. Due to the hard core, it expands only minimally with temperature fluctuations. I was able to see this nicely at my neighbor’s place during the summer. The floor feels very natural and looks great. I don't have a comparison with a dog or children, as I don’t have either or no longer have them. The only disadvantage for me so far: it's plastic. You have to decide that yourself with your green heart.

2022-11-09 07:30:22

Laminates were indeed also my recommendation until the priority with the dog (pattering) came up. Now I have the direct comparison, and on the laminate upstairs you can hear it very loudly. In the parquet flooring in the apartment, almost not at all. I don't know how much has to do with the pure material and how much with the installation method (floating vs glued), but the difference is extreme. My guess is that parquet helps a lot simply because of the softer surface and at the same time more mass of the material. But the floating installation creates a resonance body, which can then amplify the sound even more.

2022-11-09 08:57:28

In the children's room, I would always lay carpet, even if that apparently is not fashionable right now. But I find it better for children because it is softer and warmer. At least as long as they play on the floor.

I absolutely cannot understand that. Carpet is an absolute disaster to keep clean, every dirt really settles in. Spilled drinks, chocolate bars,... There is a reason why carpet is hardly used nowadays.

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Which flooring is suitable for underfloor heating?

Reggert

motorradsilke

motorradsilke

DeepRed

Tolentino

WilderSueden