Concrete provides quick heat up times and retains heat well even storing the warmth produced by solar gain making a heated polished concrete floor a great option to improve the comfort and warmth of your home.
Warm concrete floors.
The science behind radiant floor heating is quite simple.
By embedding radiant heating cables in concrete floors for example you can keep floors toasty warm in the winter and you can control the temperature level.
The most common application however is an in floor heating system installed between the finished concrete slab and the flooring above.
Luckily there are ways to combat this chilly predicament.
Due to their high thermal mass concrete floors are ideal to be heated by an underfloor heating system.
But to make the most of the thermal mass benefits of concrete the slab and foundation should be insulated from both the ground and the air.
If the home is built to take advantage of solar radiation entering through windows concrete floors will absorb the heat from the sun to keep rooms warmer in the winter.
Floors of ceramic stone or concrete are the worst culprits with hardwood a runner up.
A few are expensive or not practical for some homes.
Radiant below surface heating is the most expensive option but also the most effective.
For new construction or for concrete poured over an existing slab you have the option to add radiant heat electrical cables or hot water tubes embedded in the concrete to create warm comfy floors.
Insulating the floors rim joists and headers can be an effective way to warm these floors.
Tubes that circulate hot water or electrical heating elements are installed in the concrete slab when it s poured turning the thermal mass of the concrete into an inconspicuous radiator of warm even heat.
Ergodesk 5 years ago.
It radiates heat through the underlayment up to the top flooring layer and through the rest of the room helping your favorite spaces feel toasty even during cold winters.
Radiant heat can be an electrical heating element embedded into a very thin concrete overlay then tiled carpeted or have wood flooring installed over it.
Find concrete floor contractorsto install radiant heating.
Cold concrete floors are a rather common problem and there are several approaches to warming them up.
One of the most recommended systems.
Keep cold air out warm air in start with the simplest solution which will help provide a comfortable temperature for the whole house not just the floor.
Quite simply concrete floor radiant heat is a system of pex tubes that carry hot water throughout a concrete floor or slab.
Check out the podcast episode and please feel free to leave you comments or questions.
A concrete floor is an excellent solution for a high performing home.