In case you thought heated floors were a luxury reserved only for fancy ski lodges and five-star hotels, think again—more and more homes these days, particularly ones in colder climates, are having radiant floor heating systems installed under their stone, tile, concrete, and even wood flooring. Just ask the ancient Romans who first ran warm water pipes under raised marble flooring. These floor heating systems can potentially run throughout an entire home, or they can be reserved for smaller spaces like a master bathroom.
How Heated Floors Work
There are two main types of floor heating systems: electric and hydronic. Electric systems use electric wires run under flooring to create heat and are generally more affordable to install but more expensive to run; hydronic systems, on the other hand, involve hot water tubes and cost more money to install, but they are generally less expensive to run once installed. Pricing-wise, you’re looking at paying roughly $5 to $8 per square foot, coming out to around $500 to $800 for an average-sized bathroom.
The Pros of Heated Floors
An Everyday Luxury
Imagine stepping out of the shower and onto warm tile flooring every morning. Or setting your shoes on warmed stone to help them dry faster. These are just two of many reasons people love heated floors. Heated floors are just on reason why concrete becoming more and more versatile
Fast-Drying Floors
Tired of puddles on the bathroom floor? Warm floors mean that they’ll evaporate much more quickly.
An Alternative to Forced-Air Heating
While you would likely still be using your central heating system throughout the winter, having heated floors means that you’ll need less of it to heat your home. The nature of heated flooring means that you’ll achieve an all-over warm faster—radiating upward from warm, toasty feet—thus requiring less central air heat to feel warm. And you don’t have to worry about blowing around dust and allergens like you do with your central air heat system.
Heated Flooring and Concrete
Concrete flooring has great thermal conducting properties and is thus a great option for a heated flooring system. And with the variety of colors and finishes available, you can find a custom flooring combination just for you.
Nothing protects high traffic concrete flooring like epoxy coating does. Should you find yourself with new concrete flooring and need an epoxy coating to protect your investment, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
