Flooring Over Radiant Heat
The Perfect Floors for Radiant Heat
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Launstein Hardwood Floors are engineered to give your home the Beauty of Hardwood Flooring and the Luxury of Radiant Heat. Heated Hardwood Flooring is the single most effective Luxury upgrade for your home. With Launstein Hardwood Floors you can enjoy the Beauty of Natural Wood, with the comfort of Radiant Heat.
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Hate the chilling shock of a frigidly cold floor on your bare feet? Natural hardwoods warm quickly and are cozy on bare feet. Heated flooring has been available in some form since the mid-1940s and the high tech radiant heat systems available today are perfect for hardwoods. Radiant Heated wood floors will make you feel proud of the luxury and warmth your home offers. The beauty, functionality and value of a hardwood floor over radiant heat should be enjoyed by every savvy homeowner.
What is Radiant Heat Flooring?
Radiant heating systems supply heat directly to your home’s floors or to panels in your walls/ceilings. Systems of this nature are dependent on radiant heat transfer, which is the delivery of warmth directly from a hot surface to room occupants via infrared radiation. Aren’t you feeling toasty warmth already?
Types of radiant floor heat are listed below and installation can be either dry (placing the heated tubing between two layers of plywood) or wet (using concrete slab flooring):
• Radiant air floors (air delivers the heat)
• Electric radiant floors
• Hot water (also known as hydronic) radiant floors
Benefits of Radiant Heated Flooring
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Radiant Heat Flooring feels Natural and is often more comfortable than forced air heat
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It is more cost effective than Natural Gas Heating
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Radiant Heat Flooring is very reliable. With proper care it can last longer than your home's furnace
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It doesn't circulate dust and allergens, unlike a forced air heat
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Radiant Heat Floors are quieter than forced air Heating
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Radiant Heat Flooring offers a consistent warmth to your home, making it more efficient than other forms of heating
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Radiant Heat Flooring is also less expensive than using Natural Gas to heat your home; it could save you 30-40% on your heating bill
What is Relative Humidity?
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Before we begin discussing the importance of relative humidity in hardwood flooring, it is fundamental that we understand what we mean by relative humidity (RH). Relative Humidity is the ratio between the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water the air can hold at a given temperature. Therefore, when we talk of 40 percent RH, we mean that the air has 40% of the maximum water vapor. This is the water vapor that it can hold before turning foggy. For professional woodworkers, the RH is a constant concern.
Winter Season, High Heat Low Humidity
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During winter, snow and the cold weather force us to turn up the thermostat.. Have you ever thought about the effects of this heat on your hardwood floor? When you heat your home, the air becomes dry and the hardwood floor gives up some of its moisture. Therefore, the wood will contract as a result of the loss of moisture. If the home doesn’t have the proper level of moisture, you may start to notice small gaps between the wood planks. When the heat is reduced and the floor returns to the optimal moisture level the floor expands back to its original size.
Humid Season, High Humidity Levels
and Hardwood Floors
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During the humid season, the hardwood floor absorbs moisture from the air. As a result, the wooden floor begins to swell and expand. When wooden floors expands, there will be pressure between the boards. Consequently, the floor will begin to cup, warp, crush the edges and even cracks. With cupping, the edges of the wooden floor are higher than the center. This might take a long time to restore the internal moisture and flatten again. In some cases, this becomes a permanent occurrence. When cupping becomes severe, it leads to the defaced wooden floor and homeowner might be forced to change the whole floor.
Another common effect of absorbing moisture is crowning. This is an exact opposite of cupping. Thus, the center of the wooden floor is higher than the edges. When crowning occurs, the top edges of the board are sanded off. As a result, they become lower than the rest of the board after the normal moisture content is attained. Consequently, the floor could be ruined.
How to Prevent the Moisture Problems
in Your Hardwood Floor
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Unlike other common floor coverings, a hardwood floor can last for a lifetime after installation. However, what determines this is the maintenance given. As indicated above, it is important to maintain the right humidity to prevent these effects from occurring. But how do you do this? The indoor air humidity must be maintained at the suitable levels ( see Diagram ). Therefore, you might have to purchase a humidifier to use during the dry season. During the humid summers, use an air conditioner to maintain the acceptable humidity. To monitor the indoor conditions all year round, a combined digital temperature/moisture meter will be appropriate. Generally, the recommended relative humidity is within the range of 35%-55%.
Therefore, it is important for the homeowners who have installed a hardwood floor or are planning to install one, to have this knowledge on RH. Note that Relative Humidity is a major factor when it comes to maintenance of your hardwood floor.