Laminate flooring has many remarkable properties: wear resistance, strength, durability. However, it is known that the coating under the effect of moisture or high temperature can change your settings.
Heated floors have become a familiar attribute of our everyday life, this system is widely used in apartments and country homes as additional and even main heating. So is it possible to combine a popular floor covering with floor heating system?
Compatibility ↑
Manufacturers and experts give to this question a positive answer. And immediately add that you can use not every type of laminate and not every system.
Laminate can not be compared with floor coverings made from natural wood, which from excess moisture and begin to swell «news», and against high temperature to shrink and dry. However, as we know, he did not «friends» of water, and the increased substrate temperature over 30°C is fraught with the beginning of the process of releasing formaldehyde resins. At normal room temperature no threat to health, in your room in addition to flooring and even furniture can contain formaldehyde resins as binders for manufacturing composite materials with wood.
Because of this, it is strongly recommended in conjunction with the floor heating system to use laminate grade E1 or E0, which is low formaldehyde content.
The compatibility of the coating with the floor indicated on the packaging pictograms:
In addition to the pictograms on the packaging may bear the inscription «Underflоorheating» or «Warm Wаsser», that matches an allow sense icons.
Floor covering with this icon on the packaging can be laid on the warm floor.
You only have to note that the panel thickness must not be less than 8 mm. thinner panel constant change in temperature would perceive bad. Experience shows that the optimal laminate 31 or 32 class panel thickness 8-10 mm.
The modern system of the tool joint on the Thumb is great for use with Underfloor heating, so don’t worry that the panel may differ, and there will be cracks. In addition, on the market there are models with aluminum locks, and some manufacturers offer locks with a metallic enhancement.
When choosing laminate, you should pay attention to the maximum allowed by the manufacturer the value of the heating panel surface. As a rule, allowed the temperature does not exceed 27°C.
Another very important indicator is the resistance of a material. It is believed that the floor heating system cost-effective, if the sum of all layers «pie» floor covering does not exceed 0.15 m?K/W. Taking into account the resistance of the substrate, the laminate should have a rate in the range of 0.10 m?K/W.
There are systems electric warm floor, film (infrared) and water.
Electric ↑
Being the most common type, electric floor heating using heating cable in the screed to a lesser extent for laminate. Unlike ceramic tiles. The fact that the substrate and the laminates have a low dissipation (touch panel – the top, the protective layer will usually be cool). The cable must first warm up the screed, in which he laid, and then the substrate through the coupling will heat the panel. This requires time and therefore the cost of heating the room will increase.
In any case, the screed must be of good quality and smooth (elevation changes are allowed within 2 mm on a length of 2-metre measuring rail), and the system of control and management is very reliable to provide the required level of heating.
Film (infrared) ↑
For laminate best suited system film sex. The system is a thin film, on which is fixed a conductive material in the form of strips. The film is placed under the substrate and heating of the screed is not required, which ensures efficiency in operation. The required surface temperature of the panels is achieved quickly and can be precisely set in the range of allowed values.
Currently, the leading manufacturers started production of the laminate with integrated infrared warm floor, but the cost of these models still inaccessible.
Water ↑
Let’s start with the fact that to lay laminate in a water warm floor in a city apartment will not work – water floor is prohibited. The attempt to lay it over, at best, a requirement to dismantle and restore the original heating.
To lay laminate in a water warm floor in a country house, moreover, Autonomous system of water heating with temperature control media are perfect for this flooring.
Conclusion ↑
For proper laying laminate on the warm floor is required to know whether the selected model for this purpose. Pictograms on the packaging will provide you with the necessary information.
The laminate flooring is «friends» with a film (infrared) heated floors, «gets» with electric (to the fore the questions of efficiency of the system), and in city apartments «has no relationships» water.
