The last few years have seen traditional parquet flooring make a strong comeback with a far greater variety of timbers, colours and finishes available. Our Palladio parquet flooring range, for instance, is available in traditional timbers such as Oak and Maple as well as many exotic and fashionable species such as Wenge and Merbau, making it a versatile option for all types of interior. But this resurgence coincides with another major development in flooring – under floor heating. Here we take a look at how these two trends can be combined to create flooring which is beautiful, practical and comfortable.
Parquet Flooring – Explore our Palladio range here.
Why Under Floor Heating?
The popularity of under floor heating began in the 1980’s and 90’s around the same time that many homeowners were moving away from carpeting and towards alternative flooring options such as tiles and solid wood flooring. The fashion for tiled floors was significantly influenced by the experience of Mediterranean holidays – but while a cold tile underfoot may be appealing when temperatures are in the 30’s, it is another matter when walking around a UK home in the middle of January. Under floor heating offers the warmth and comfort of carpeting with the looks and practicality of hard surface flooring. And it is also economical – being far cheaper to run than putting on the central heating, for instance. Under floor heating has the additional benefit of being virtually maintenance free as it fully protected by the flooring above it so is unlikely to ever suffer damage.
In addition, the running temperature of under floor heating is much lower than that of conventional hot water radiators. This makes it compatible with renewable heat sources such as solar thermal or ground source systems which may struggle, especially in more northerly countries, to deliver high temperatures during winter, but can much more easily achieve the modest 25 degrees or so required for under floor heating. So as well as the comfort factor, a key driver for the growth of under floor heating is the burgeoning interest in renewable energy systems for the home.
Once the use of under floor heating was well established for tiled floors, it was then a logical step to want to use under floor heating with solid wood flooring too, but initially this was problematic. Unlike tiles, wood will expand when warmed and shrink when cooled. Within the normal temperature range of a centrally heated home this is not a problem, but if exposed to excessive or direct heat wood can warp, resulting in an unstable or uneven floor.
But recent advances in wood floor manufacture, laying techniques and the under floor heating technology itself means that it's now possible to combine some types of solid wood flooring with under floor heating . In particular, Naturally Wood’s engineered floors and Palladio Parquet Flooring range are both suitable for laying over either electric or water borne under floor heating systems without risking damage to the timber.
Installing Palladio Parquet Flooring with Under Floor Heating
The key to installing our Palladio flooring over an under floor heating system is the sub-floor i.e. the layer of material between the under floor heating element (which is usually already encased in some type of scree) and the top layer of parquet. For the Palladio range a plywood sub-floor is required, which we can install as part of the overall flooring project if not already present.
Provided this sub-floor is in place there is no restriction in the design of parquet flooring that may be used, from traditional Herringbone or Basket Weave, to a more modern strip design, as well as our parquet panels. Because there is good separation from the heating element and a very even distribution of heat via the plywood sub-floor, all types of timber may be used, providing clients with an enormous choice of looks from the palest Canadian Maple to the darkest American Black Walnut. This also means that any parquet borders or motifs that a client may desire are equally compatible with under floor heating.
With the correct sub-floor in place, the parquet blocks or panels are then glued to the sub-floor with a suitable adhesive. Using adhesive both prevents inadvertent damage to the under floor heating system and is crucial to the final stability of the floor.
While this gives a general view of the installation procedure we assess each project individually to ensure exactly the right type of sub-floor and adhesive is used depending on the particular type of heating system among other factors.
Is Your Floor Suitable for Parquet Flooring and Under Floor Heating?
Each project is unique so it is vital to ensure that your plans for under floor heating and solid wood flooring are feasible. Naturally Wood can provide a no obligation site visit to assess your project, as well as guide you through the range of design options available.
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