Can I combine wood floors and underfloor heating or cooling?
Contrary to popular belief, wooden floors can be installed with underfloor heating. Multi-layer parquet is resistant to the load caused by temperature fluctuations and humidity. Underfloor heating also contributes to the warm feeling of a real parquet floor.
In addition to the following, it is always advisable to check local regulations, as these may differ in certain cases.
Types of underfloor heating
All Quick-Step parquet floors are compatible with underfloor heating at low temperature (whether the installation is glued or floating). This means that the maximum permitted contact temperature (= contact surface of the floor with the feet) is 27°C. In many cases, this maximum temperature is more than sufficient. Be sure to inform your installer. They can easily adjust your underfloor heating system accordingly.
Your Quick-Step floor can be installed on:
- Hot water systems:
- Wet systems (= incorporated in a screed)
- Dry systems (= installed on a dry base floor)
- Electrical systems:
- Wet systems (= incorporated in a screed)
- Dry systems (= installed on a dry base floor)
The underfloor heating must be installed in accordance with the supplier’s instructions and generally accepted rules and regulations.
Wooden floors with underfloor heating: Please remember:
When combining a wooden floor with underfloor heating, make sure that the total thermal resistance does not exceed 0.15 m² K/W. The greater the thermal resistance, the longer it will take for your floor to heat up and the less efficient your underfloor heating will be. Given the fairly high thermal resistance of a parquet floor, only a glued installation or floating installation combined with the Silent Walk underlay is possible in order to remain below this maximum value. The thermal resistance of Quick-Step parquet can be found in the specific guidelines for underfloor heating.
It is also important to apply an insulating layer beneath your underfloor heating, which provides better insulation than the wooden floor. This enables the heat from the insulation layer to be reflected and conducted through the floor.
Wooden floors and floor cooling
Floor cooling is based on the same principle as underfloor heating, but uses cold water instead of hot water. As the systems cool your floor, it is important to have an advanced control and safety system to prevent internal condensation when using floor cooling. This prevents water damage to your floor. Such “condensation monitoring” is already installed as standard in many systems. We recommend that you check with your installer to be on the safe side.
For underfloor cooling, a thermal resistance of less than or equal to 0.15 m² K/W is recommended. Given the fairly high thermal resistance of a parquet floor, only a glued installation or floating installation combined with the Silent Walk underlay is possible in order to remain below this maximum value.
Installing a wooden floor with underfloor heating
Quick-Step parquet floors can be installed in two ways: glued or 'floating'. A glued floor conducts the heat a little better. If you do choose a floating installation, we recommend using our Silent Walk underlay for the best possible result. The general installation guidelinesstill apply, unless ourspecific guidelines for underfloor heatingspecify otherwise. You should always contact your dealerif you are unsure.