Winter makes everything harder including getting up and going to work in the morning. The hardest part is getting out of your nice warm bed and walking on freezing cold floors. The solution to cold floors? Radiant heated floors. Consider a bathroom or kitchen remodel to install heated floors. Your feet will thank you.
WHY INSTALL HEATED FLOORS?
Your floors are cold because heat rises. Your Central Air blows warm air that immediately rises to the ceiling leaving your floors the coldest part of the home.
With heat radiating from below your floors, the heat will remain lower for longer compared to fast-moving central air. This will keep your floors, feet, and the rest of the room warmer than central air.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
You can control the level of heat coming through your heated floors by using a dial on the wall similar to baseboard heaters. Radiant heated floors can be installed a number of ways:
- Heated cables
- Heated tubing
- DIY floor mats
HEATED CABLES
Heated cables or wires are affixed to mesh and placed below your tile or stone flooring. Then electricity heats the wires and the heat radiates through the flooring. This type of heated flooring doesn’t raise the floor, giving you a level floor from one room to the next.
HEATED TUBING
Similar to heated cables, heated tubing is also placed below the floor tiles. However, this type of heated flooring occasionally requires a little more in-depth installation. Preferably, heated tubing is placed from the level below (such as the basement or crawl space) and the flooring is placed normally.
This type of flooring can require a bit more of a remodel than another heated flooring, but it is longer lasting and cheaper in the long-run. Heated tubing is more cost-effective when installed throughout the entire home. You will need a professional to install heated tubing in your home.
DIY FLOOR MATS
DIY heated floor mats are the easiest to install. Like putting together a child’s puzzle, users combine small mats together to fit the size of the room, then install flooring above it.
DIY heated floor mats raise the flooring level meaning there won’t be a consistent flow from one room to another. However, the ease of installation may be enough for some people. Floor mats may not be as efficient or long-lasting as other forms of heated floors, but they are cheaper.
HOW MUCH WILL HEATED FLOORS COST?
The cost of installing heated floors depends on the type of heated floor you choose to install, and whether you choose to install it throughout the whole house or just in the bathroom or kitchen. When pricing heated floors, you should also consider the costs of hiring a professional contractor to install the heated tubing or cables and the price of replacing the flooring.
Heated cables or heated floor mats at your local hardware store can cost anywhere from $5 per square foot to $20 per square foot. Consider the energy efficiency and expected life-span of the product you choose for your home.
If you would like help with planning, designing, or executing your bathroom or kitchen remodel to include heated flooring, contact First Class HVAC. We can recommend an expert contractor to assist with every stage of your project. Call (302) 281-2014 to get started today.