Underfloor heating? Costs etc

paulmapp8306

Good idea on the "extra tiles in case of repairs".

There mixed sized tiles so while i would always over buy, Im not sure by how much.

TBH at £25/box it would be silly to not get enough/extra (thats retail - and I have a 20% off voucher, and my fitter also thinks he can get the tiles I want at trade, so may/may not be even cheaper than the £20/box I can get them for).

These are the ones Im looking at if it helps - http://www.tiletown.co.uk/default.aspx?PageID=749

It doesnt look like underfloor is going to be worth it though. My fitter has done some investigation - and says that the only real way is with heating mats due to how the floor is laid and the heights. He also says we'd need a 3-4Kw mat, so running costs wouldnt be very economical. If its on 4 hours a day (2 morning/2 evening), thats going to be around £20/month even at current elec prices just to warm the floor. If we use it more (quite possibly in the winter) then it could get expensive fast.

He's also said that stone tiles tend to stay roughly around the ambient air temp anyway if we stick a small insulation layer under the tiles as they hold heat well. They may be cold in the moning during the winter, but appart from that they should be fine.

Guess a nice new pair of slippers could be in order - definately cheaper.

sillygoose

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

Good idea on the "extra tiles in case of repairs".

There mixed sized tiles so while i would always over buy, Im not sure by how much.

TBH at £25/box it would be silly to not get enough/extra (thats retail - and I have a 20% off voucher, and my fitter also thinks he can get the tiles I want at trade, so may/may not be even cheaper than the £20/box I can get them for).

These are the ones Im looking at if it helps - http://www.tiletown.co.uk/default.aspx?PageID=749

It doesnt look like underfloor is going to be worth it though. My fitter has done some investigation - and says that the only real way is with heating mats due to how the floor is laid and the heights. He also says we'd need a 3-4Kw mat, so running costs wouldnt be very economical. If its on 4 hours a day (2 morning/2 evening), thats going to be around £20/month even at current elec prices just to warm the floor. If we use it more (quite possibly in the winter) then it could get expensive fast.

He's also said that stone tiles tend to stay roughly around the ambient air temp anyway if we stick a small insulation layer under the tiles as they hold heat well. They may be cold in the moning during the winter, but appart from that they should be fine.

Guess a nice new pair of slippers could be in order - definately cheaper.

I think your right, if you can get even a 10mm insulation board layer under the tiles I think it would make a huge difference.

cyclonebri1

sillygoose wrote: »

Some things to consider, whilst I do like the look and luxury of tiled floors in a kitchen I don't thinks its actually very practical.

Its the most likely place to spill stuff, no matter how well sealed it can get pretty shabby looking, oily grout, not nice.

.

But unfortunately it's the hardest worked floor in the house. Tiles, ceramic, porcelain, slate or stone will stilll be there when any form of vinyl has been shredded. ripped into pieces and binned.

Try sliding a stubborn fridge out over ninyl, it will rip 9 from 10.

Drop the good lady's stone rolling pin, the floor will tear.

The kitchen sink area and the doorway will go very early.

So you chuck the plastic stuff.

Steam the tiles and it off we go, ok, the tiles would simply need the grouting re doing, but steaming vinyl can be fatal.

Bottom line, hard floors are permanent and some staining is/has to be acceptable, live with it, or buy new flooring every 2 years :A:A:A:A:A:A

tlh858

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

The UF is soley to take any chill from the tiles in the winter.

Solution - don't walk about in your kitchen with bare feet.

paulmapp8306

Hence the"new slippers being in order" comment.

sillygoose

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Try sliding a stubborn fridge out over ninyl, it will rip 9 from 10.

This possible true, but I try not to move the fridge tooo often and use a couple of old laminate boards as runners.

Drop the good lady's stone rolling pin, the floor will tear.

I don't think so! hasn't happened yet. More likely to bounce on your toes though.

The kitchen sink area and the doorway will go very early.

Nope, non of that either.

So you chuck the plastic stuff.

Steam the tiles and it off we go, ok, the tiles would simply need the grouting re doing, but steaming vinyl can be fatal.

Mine survived even oven hot items being dropped without damage, don't need steam, a mop and some flash works fine.

Bottom line, hard floors are permanent and some staining is/has to be acceptable, live with it, or buy new flooring every 2 years

Blimey! you must have had some cheap old stuff! Mine has been down 5 years without any visible wear, even where the bar stool feet are slide across several times a day. Certainly no plans to change it for many years to come

apart from soft flooring there are some extraordinary laminates, I have Pergo tiles in another room that would stop a bullet its so tough it ruined my table saw blade. That was 12 years ago and not a mark on it.

cyclonebri1

sillygoose wrote: »

apart from soft flooring there are some extraordinary laminates, I have Pergo tiles in another room that would stop a bullet its so tough it ruined my table saw blade. That was 12 years ago and not a mark on it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not pooh poohing it entirely, I just like kitchen floors to be industrially rated:D:D

I bought some of the higher quality cushioned vinyl early this year for a large conservatory, tiling was too expensive for me.
It's like Rhino floor but thicker and the wear layer is also thicker and other specs stand up better. It was also significantly cheaper than the "high branded stuff"
Guaranteed for 5 years heavy duty wear min.

Looks great, can'r tell it from oak planking to look at and I'm very happy with the result. However I messed around with the offcuts and it tears very easily indeed, problem being once you get through the thin top surface, and some are as low as 0.1mm, then the rest just gives. The stuff I have is 0.4mm, even the best stuff I could research was only 0.5mm.
You simply have to be a little more carefull with it, and anything standing on it needs pads under the feet or it's indented quickly.

Oh, I would say it stands head and shoulders above laminate type flooring for a kitchen, seen too many water damaged rip outs to ever dream of using it for that application.

I know that will have wound up a few folks but it does stand up the argument.;)