Wood flooring or Tile Coldness and underfloor heating

[platforminc]

Hi All.

I am trying to decide on whether wood flooring or Tiles, I have had wood flooring before and I know how cold it can be. I would like to know if tiles is any better, also if a screeded floor has 100mm celotex insulation, and tiles are put on it, will it still be cold ?

I have a living room/kitchen diner, the kitchen diner is about 20sqm which is screeded floor with sand cement and also has 100mm celotex, I did not make my mind up before on heating the floor and now the screen has been laid, is it still possible to have underfloor heating ?

The living room is about 14sqm, and this is just suspended uninsulated floor, with just floor board on at the moment. What is the process of having heated flooring on it right now, and is it easier/cheaper to have the dry electric one or the wet one which works with the boiler ?

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Wouldn't consider anything other than wall to wall carpet with good underlay in living room. Great at insulating against heat loss through floor. Wood flooring is noisy stuff when people walk on it and makes other sounds echo. Carpet absorbs and deadens annoying noises, except the wife's nagging. Tiles are cold unless heated or well insulated underneath.

 

[platforminc]

Thanks for your thoughtful insight.
my screeded floor which has 100mm insulation, will tiles still be cold on it ?

My problem as seen in the layout below is trying to avoid using 3 types of flooring (carpet/wood and tiles). Agreed that a carpet is warm and insulates. The issue is that I could use carpet in the lounge, ideally I want to use wood flooring in the hall area and also use tiles in the family + kitchen/diner. I would also consider using wood int he kitchen/dinning/family room area, only concern is water splashes from the kitchen and that ruining the wood flooring.

Thanks in advance.

Wouldn't consider anything other than wall to wall carpet with good underlay in living room. Great at insulating against heat loss through floor. Wood flooring is awful noisy stuff when people walk on it and makes other sounds echo. Carpet absorbs and deadens annoying noises, except the wife's nagging. Tiles are cold unless heated or well insulated underneath.

 

[Buck_68]

The same flooring in the kitchen / diner would work well - I’d go for tiles here but tempted to go carpet in the family room area although floor tiles through will allow the space to flow and feel bigger. The only down side is the noise / echo.


Warmth wise “cold”is relative and they will certainly feel cooler than carpet but with the 8 dulati9n this cold shouldn’t be striking just less comfortable to bare feet as an example.

I’d view the hall flooring and lounge flooring as two separate areas and for the latter, definitely carpet IMO for all the reasons mentioned above.

You can get wood effect tiles now which look superb. We have them in our cloaks and most people think it is wood when first viewing.

 

[transam]

There are under floor systems designed to be fitted over existing floors i.e screeds ect (wet systems)

over floor systems . Most ufh manu's will be able to supply them . Take a look at the Wunda Floor system ???

 

[Doggit]

I'm very surprised that you find wood cold, but tiles will be even colder, and would need insulation, electric UFH, and then the tiles, so would that raise the floor height too much. The upside of tiles, is that they'll help keep the room a little cooler in the summer. But trying to heat up those three areas could be expensive, and we hear a lot of cases where the cable or the thermostat goes, and you're buggered.

You didn't mention the depth of screed, but if you have tiles without any UFH, then they'll be damned cold in the winter, whereas I've fitted engineered wood on 5mm fibreboard, and it's been fine on it's own. I'd go with carpet in the lounge, and the engineered wood everywhere else. You can either go for lacquered, or brushed and oiled, but both will resist water.

 

[platforminc]

Thanks for this explanation.
I currently live in a house of a similar style to the layout above, the wood floor feels like its letting cold air in, even though there was a underlay fitted, and its the silver foil type. We had to put a rug on the lounge just to make it a little cozy, the house is a semi by the way. A mate on the other hand lives in a terrace, I advised him to insulate his floor before laying engineered wood flooring and he always thanks me that it was one of the best decisions he ever made.

If I had my way, I would have insulated my floor also before laying wood floor, what i am not sure of is this, is my mates house very warm because of the fact that he has insulated his floor or is it mainly because its a mid terrace ?

His engineered wood floor is warmer than mine for sure, and his heating has a better effect.

I'm very surprised that you find wood cold, but tiles will be even colder, and would need insulation, electric UFH, and then the tiles, so would that raise the floor height too much. The upside of tiles, is that they'll help keep the room a little cooler in the summer. But trying to heat up those three areas could be expensive, and we hear a lot of cases where the cable or the thermostat goes, and you're buggered.

You didn't mention the depth of screed, but if you have tiles without any UFH, then they'll be damned cold in the winter, whereas I've fitted engineered wood on 5mm fibreboard, and it's been fine on it's own. I'd go with carpet in the lounge, and the engineered wood everywhere else. You can either go for lacquered, or brushed and oiled, but both will resist water.

 

[Doggit]

How thick was the underlay; the silver foil backed types are often only a few mill, so won't be much cop; whereas 5mm fibreboard is a lot warmer. I suspect you're friends is warmer because he's mid terraced and because it's insulated.