The Best Types of Flooring for Radiant Heating
Radiant floor heating can be a remarkably convenient and efficient way to keep your home warm and cozy. However, because of the unique effects of this type of heat, the flooring has to meet certain specifications.
When deciding on the best flooring for radiant heat, you want to look for a material that:
- Isn’t too thick
- Has good thermal conductivity
- Not prone to expanding or contracting
- Tolerates heat and moisture well
Picking the wrong flooring could decrease the effectiveness of your radiant heating system and even damage your floor. Here are the best types of flooring for radiant heat.
Porcelain and Ceramic Tile
Porcelain and ceramic tile are widely regarded as the best choice for radiant floor heating.
These tiles are thin and conduct heat extremely well. This reduces the energy (and time) needed to warm up a room. Tile will also retain the heat longer than other types of flooring, increasing your efficiency even more.
Then, because the tiles don’t contain any organic ingredients, they won’t rot or degrade if a hydronic radiant heating system leaks water.
And regardless of whether you have an electric or hydronic system, tile will never expand as the floor warms or contract as it cools. This is important, since expansion and contraction could cause cracking otherwise.
Porcelain and ceramic floors come with other benefits, too, such as their durability, versatility, and easy maintenance.
Natural Stone Tile
As with porcelain and ceramic, stone tile can withstand the temperature changes of radiant heating without expanding or contracting. In fact, stone tile will retain the heat even longer than other types of tile. Stone can also handle moisture from a hydronic system leak without suffering any damage.
Stone tile conducts heat wonderfully, as well.
You might associate stone floors with cold feet, but with a radiant floor heating system in place, you won’t have any problems padding around barefoot in the dead of winter.
Laminate
Laminate flooring can mimic the look of hardwood flooring at the fraction of a price. It can also mimic tile or stone. In either case, it’s one of the better options for radiant floor heating.
Laminate’s thinness is the first obvious advantage—and unlike real hardwood, laminate won’t expand or contract due to temperature changes.
However, laminate is vulnerable to moisture. If your radiant heating system is hydronic, a leak could cause permanent damage to the floor.
Plus, most varieties of laminate flooring can only be exposed to a maximum temperature of 80–85 degrees Fahrenheit. This would limit your ability to turn your radiant heating system up too high, whether electric or hydronic.
Luxury Vinyl
Certain types of vinyl can work well with radiant heating, such as sheet vinyl, tile vinyl, and luxury vinyl plank. These will be water-resistant and won’t expand or contract.
On the other hand, vinyl is a much better insulator than a conductor, so your vinyl flooring will probably end up working against your radiant heating system. And like laminate, vinyl always has a maximum temperature limit.
So before you start installing any vinyl over your radiant floor heating, make sure to check the manufacturer’s specifications, and only choose a type qualified to work with radiant heating.
Engineered Wood
Like vinyl, engineered wood flooring can be a suitable choice for radiant heating. Engineered wood is made with high-quality for a base and a hardwood veneer on top. Because of that plywood base, engineered wood isn’t threatened by temperature spikes or drops.
Unfortunately, it’s also a poor heat conductor. And if you install a hydronic radiant heating system, a water leak could warp and damage the floor.
Choose the Right Flooring for Your Radiant Heating System
Radiant floor heating is one of the best ways to heat your home, but it’s important to pick the right flooring. Any of the options we listed above could serve you well, but most experts agree that the best choice for underfloor heating is ceramic, porcelain, or natural stone tile.
The right tile floor can even increase the resale value of your home.
If you’re ready to lay tiles over your radiant floor heating system—or anywhere else—we’d be happy to lend a hand. At Downright Tile and Renovations, we’ve spent years helping homeowners in the greater Kansas City area with their remodeling projects.
We specialize in installing, repairing, and replacing tiles for a variety of applications, including:
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Floors
- Walls
- Fireplaces
- Basements
We even offer in-home custom design services. Just contact us, and we’ll come to your house and help you make the right decisions for your unique needs and preferences.
Click here to schedule your free, in-home consultation.
client Reviews
Ann Butler
Cody was very professional, he was very good at advising us what would work well together. He showed up when he said he would , and never left a mess. We were under a time crunch , and Cody came through. The bathroom turned out beautiful. We are very happy with the end result.
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Stillwell, KS.
Read moreCharlton Latta
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Weatherby Lake, MO.
Read moreMardi Mahaffy
Not only did DownRight Tile do an excellent job, but Cody and his team went above and beyond to complete the job within a tight time frame.
Read moreNicole Galemore
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Shawnee, KS.
Read morePatricia Landwehr
My husband and I contracted with Downright Tile and Renovations to tile our basement laundry room and bath. Our house is 100 years old and the basement floor is not flat in places. They were able to level it out before installing the tile. The walls are not perfectly square, so we had lots of discussion about the best way to lay the tile to minimize the issue. They were very professional, arrived when they said they would, cleaned up the area daily and did a great job installing the tile. My husband is an engineer and very picky and was very pleased with the work. We highly recommend them. They are true craftsmen.
Brookside, MO
Read moreDonald White
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Independence, MO
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Overland Park, KS
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Overland Park, KS
Read moreJon Sestak
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Overland Park, KS
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Independence, MO
Read moreAlexzis Thomson
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Blue Springs, MO
Read moreBrian Joy Wilhide
We hired Downright Tile to install new tile in our fireplace. Our old tile was pretty dull... we replaced it with Jinshan Coffee tile. They advised us as to the condition of the new tiles (some chipped, some cracked, etc.) and we were able to request a new batch before we start our bathroom tiling project. They were able to select some very nice tiles for the fireplace and it is quite beautiful now. As soon as we have our ducks in a row with the new tile, we will be happy to bring Downright Tile back to replace our bathroom tile.
Lenexa, KS
Read moreAngie's List Customer Review
We hired Downright Tile and Renovations to re-tile two fireplaces and our master bath floor. We picked our floor tile and when it arrived, found a lot of surprises. It was the last tile of it's kind from the quarry and there was a lot of variety. Downright Tile came up with a unique design which made great use of the variety and the final product is truly beautiful. They also re-tiled our family room fireplace with the same tiles. They suggested stacked stone tiles for our bedroom fireplace. Both fireplaces were transformed from boring to beautiful. Downright Tile took on our project where others might not have. It required a lot of extra cutting of tiles. They enjoyed the challenge and we are very happy with the outcome. We would confidently hire them again for any future tile work.
Kansas City, MO
Read moreDaniel J Lopez
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Overland Park, KS
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Shawnee, KS
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Kansas City, MO
Read moreAngie's List Customer Review
Downright Tile and Renovations were excellent to work with. They clearly understand their craft. They were professional, clean, and conscientious. I'll hire them again when I need more tile work done and refer them to others.
Kansas City, MO
Read moreBeverly Bellinger
The project went beautifully. There were several areas around the tub and where the tub meets the floor that needed to be re-caulked; Downright Tile noted wherever new caulk was necessary within the shower/tub area and took care of it all. The amazing difference is in the floor. White tile with white grout can become discolored and hard to clean after a decade. Now it looks as good as when first installed, plus they offered care tips to maintain it. They also very graciously looked at a couple of loose kitchen backsplash tiles and provided advice on those. They're meticulous, professional and probably something of perfectionists—color matching was of critical importance to them. Our minor restoration project was clearly unworthy of their talents. Their charge was exactly as estimated ($300 plus materials). Imagine what a wonderful job they'd do on a start-from-scratch tile installation! If I had another tile project, Downright Tile is the only supplier I'd call.
Kansas City, MO
Read moreAngie's List Customer Review
We were very satisfied with Downright Tile and Renovations' services. They were very responsive via text and were able to schedule us quickly. We had a very positive experience working with Downright Tile and love our new tile. We highly recommend them and would use them again if we eventually need tile work again.
Kansas City, MO
Read moreDavid Duffield
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Overland Park, KS
Read moreDan Lopez
Our house sold opening weekend. I’m sure the bathroom was a key contributor. We’re in a brand new house now so we’re set but I will definitely pass along your info to anybody who is looking. You did great work.
Overland Park, KS
Read moreJames Densmore
We recently remodeled our basement bathroom. We had multiple bids and they were all about the same. We chose to go with Downright Tile and Renovations as they warrantied their work more than the competitors. We picked out the tile and materials and then Downright Tile installed. They were on time and finished the project as expected. They explained various things when asked. We would use Downright Tile for a future project.
Mission Hills, KS
Read moreAnna Challacombe
We hired Downright Tile to re-tile our guest bathroom and they did a phenomenal job. We've never hired anyone with more integrity or attention to detail. They always showed up when they said they would, communicated expectations, did a really exceptional job on the tile itself, and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with the finished project and that it met their exacting standards. I would highly recommend Downright Tile to anyone looking to have tile work done.
Merriam, KS
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