The Do’s and Don’ts of Installing In-floor Radiant Heating System with Hardwood Flooring
When considering radiant heat, the reluctance to install hardwood floors over radiant heat systems was from the original technology, launched more than 40 years ago.
With radiant heat, to compensate for poor insulation, radiant heat temperatures were higher than normal causing excessive expansion and contraction in hardwood floors, which resulted in damage to hardwoods and a builder’s reputation.
Today, faultless radiant heat installations of fine hardwood flooring are completed over radiant floor heating.
To be honest, installing hardwoods over radiant heating systems is really no different from laying a typical hardwood floor.
Although the temperature of radiant floor heating will not harm the wood floor, a change in moisture will cause various hardwood flooring to warp, buckle or gap.
As the temperature rises, the moisture content generally decreases, and the moisture is removed causing the wood to shrink and gaps to occur between the boards. With lower temperatures the moisture returns and the gaps close.
When radiant...