What underfloor heating?

movilogo

I have old carpet in downstairs which I am thinking of replacing with laminated floor (it is concrete floor at the base). Now I have been told that without underfloor heating it will be cold with laminated floor. 

I read that there are 2 different types of underfloor heating - wet and dry. 

Wet = standard gas central heating radiator pipes flow under the lamination
Dry = electric mats are laid under floor

Any suggestion/experience with either? To me dry/electric seems easier to install (even if done by professionals). 

markin

Only the wealthy can afford to run electric floors.

ComicGeek

Wear slippers and put a rug down where you sit for long periods - it is only the floor that will feel colder, I assume that you already have a heating system installed in that area which currently works fine?

Laminate flooring is going to feel warmer than tiles, but colder than carpet. I always think it crazy to retrofit underfloor heating just to keep your feet warm, that is an unnecessary extravagance. 

Cisco001

Electric with high bill.

Have you consider skirting board heating?

It is relatively cheaper when compare to underfloor heating from what I've read.

movilogo

Never heard about skirting board heating before but will explore.

Typically furniture cover skirting board, so not sure how much effective it will be.

Yes, electric heating could be expensive but I think it will lot cheaper than wet heating to install. Not that I'll run it all the time, only during very cold periods.

ComicGeek

movilogo said:

Never heard about skirting board heating before but will explore.

Is your current heating system sufficient with the existing carpet installed? If yes, then why pay out money to install an expensive additional heating system (and extra running costs!) just to keep your feet warmer. Skirting board heating won't specifically heat the floor, they are just a general room heater.

Alter_ego

Why not replace the carpet?

movilogo

I have moved to this house recently. The majority of ground floor is heated by warm air unit which I find not as warm as gas central heating. The carpets are tatty and I prefer lamination. So thought underfloor heating would help in addition to warm air heating system. 

greensalad

I wouldn't bother for an entire downstairs. I have laminate laid on concrete. Yes it's quite cold to the touch. I wear slippers. Fitflops or Ugg boots with a solid thick foam sole to keep you off the floor. You can buy yourself the fanciest pair of slippers every year and you'll still spend less than you would've on underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating IMO should only be for bathrooms. Somewhere where the area is small and you are genuinely going to be in there barefoot fairly often.

diystarter7

movilogo said:

Never heard about skirting board heating before but will explore.

Typically furniture cover skirting board, so not sure how much effective it will be.

Yes, electric heating could be expensive but I think it will lot cheaper than wet heating to install. Not that I'll run it all the time, only during very cold periods.

Hi

We considered skirting board heating about 15 years ago but felt it was a gimmick. I felt the heating a lot of it would be hidden behing sofas/units and could not meet the minimum heating requirements especially for larger rooms

Under floor heating is a must if you have a larger house otherwise you'd never get it warmed up.

A few of my family have built their own homes and have used underfloor/wet heating ground floor as houses are massive and floors are tiled. The have a few designer rads downstairs as well for aesthetics etc but you can warm your coats etc on them. IOn the other floors they have gone for rads.

Therefore, IMO, a very large house does need underfloor heatig of the wet type but it needs to be done properly.
If you only want it in a small area like a bedroom, or bathroom where heating is only less or the area is not too vast, consider electricity as easier and cheaper to fit and fit under appropriate floor boards.

Good luck

ThisIsWeird

Movilogo, laminate shouldn't feel that cold to the touch, or to walk on - it's an inherently well insulated material in its own right. If you wear socks or slippers, it shouldn't be an issue, and as said before, some rugs where you'll be sitting will sort these areas.

Your call, but to fit UFL just to take the 'cold' out of the laminate floor for just a few months a year is pretty extravagant, I think

'Electrical' is FAR cheaper to install, but very costly to run. 'Wet' will be stupidly expensive to retrofit, but will be much cheaper to run.

UFH works by giving out a low heat over a large area. Normal radiators work by giving out a high heat from a small area. Skirting rads will likely be in between, but pointless to fit if you already have working rads.