Underfloor Heating & Parquet Flooring F.A.Q.

We are often asked questions about installing parquet flooring with underfloor heating…

Can you put underfloor heating under parquet flooring?

Yes, you can fit parquet flooring onto underfloor heating though you must follow a few crucial steps to ensure that your parquet flooring or plank flooring doesn’t overheat. When it comes to fitting any type of parquet flooring or plank flooring to underfloor heating the main step is to make sure the floor temperature is kept low for a period of time to allow for the timber to acclimatise. It is especially important that the heating is brought up slowly so that the timber does not move. There is a misconception out there that solid flooring whether it be parquet or plank is not suited to underfloor heating as it leads to gaps etc, this is true if you do not bring your heating up slowly and allow the timber to adjust. We always fit expansion gaps in our floors whether there is under floor heating or not as with the climate in Ireland and the moisture, timber usually expands anyway, the expansion gaps allow for this and therefore no cupping will occur.

But with MM Parquet & Carpentry Ltd you don’t have to worry about this as we have all the knowledge and experience to get this work done in just a few simple steps so you can have that solid parquet flooring you have always wanted. The benefits of using the correct primers and adhesives with these floors really does benefit your heating system, as timber maintains the heat for much longer and has the lowest U rating 0 (zero) when your heating system has been turned off. The parquet flooring or your plank flooring will hold the heat for greater periods of time, unlike tiles or carpet, which have the highest U rating and can lose heat straight away.

Once all the correct products have been used and floors are bonded correctly, then the heating should be kept to the correct temperature, no lower than 18 degrees and no more than 23 degrees. The only reason there are issues with underfloor heating systems is that they are put on a dry out mode by the installer, which in turn will go up one degree a day, until it has reached its max temperature., which in some cases can go up to 50 degrees of heat and more. If this happens timber would not survive that temperature, or skirtings etc. So, the safest way to get around this issue is to have your Plummer lock the boiler after all dry out modes have been completed.

While the installation is being undertaken you can set the boiler at 25-30 degrees. Once this is done it will give you a floor temperature of 20-21 degrees at the floor level, which is the perfect setting for any wooden floor from engineered to solid. Your parquet flooring and plank flooring can dry out at a natural pace. Just to recap, heating needs to be set to a low temp for timber to adjust be in parquet or plank, once this is done there will not be any gaps or cupping etc.

There are two types of underfloor heating situations that are installed, you have the old systems from 10-15 years ago. These systems have the heating pipes under 4-6 inches of concrete. These systems are good for heating your home, but the main downfall is it is very hard to regulate the heat. These floors can take up to 3-4 days before you will know the correct floor temperature and in turn will take 3-4 days to cool down. In this country and with this climate you could never get the correct temperature you desire in your home as the weather changes so quickly.

The second would be the new systems which have the heating pipes laid on a thinner layer of pump screeds or concrete. This depth is usually between 60-80 mm depending on what your builder decides to build with. Either way at this depth of subfloor your parquet flooring or plank flooring will heat up much faster and cool down much quicker. Usually within 24hrs you will have your desired temperature and you can get a much more accurate floor temperature which will help with whatever flooring you decide to have fitted.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to underfloor heating with any type of flooring, is to slowly dry your house and floors out over a period of 2-3 months. Once you have your floors fitted to your subfloors you must set your floor temperature at 20-21 degrees and continue your acclimatisation for 2-3 months more and then to slowly bring your heating up when the colder months come in. This process only must happen once, but it must be done correctly. Then you are free to have whatever temperature you desire, and the results are fantastic.

We also provide a full carpentry service: ranging from staircases, doors, skirting to floor sanding and maintenance.

All our work is carried out by qualified tradesmen and all our work is fully guaranteed.