Laminate flooring
Underfloor heating is no longer an element of luxury and comfort available for units. In connection with the development of the building materials market, today anyone can install a warm floor at home, which will help reduce heating costs. Its obvious advantages are:
- Maintain a comfortable temperature in the room.
- The availability of laying in any room, whether it is an apartment, private or country house.
- Laying under the floor canvas. It is possible to use a warm floor in any interior, since the wires and unaesthetic fixing elements are hidden from view.
- Ability to choose the flooring to your liking. Linoleum, tile, parquet or laminate can be laid on the heated floor.
Laminated flooring firmly established at the top of popularity among all other finishing materials. That is why many people prefer laminate for underfloor heating, despite the erroneous view of its instability to high temperatures due to the wood component of the lamellae.
Skeptics say that during the operation of the board will behave capriciously: they will begin to crack and deform. In order to avoid such troubles in the future, you need to choose the right laminate flooring, and also know which slats can be laid on the water floor and which ones on the electric floor heating system.
Choosing the right material is the key to success.
It turns out that not all brands of laminate can be used when installing a heated floor. But which laminate is best suited for this purpose? How not to make a mistake, so that later you don’t have to spend energy and money on rework?
Firstly, you need to carefully examine the label and instructions from the manufacturer, which should indicate that this type of laminate is suitable for a floor heating system. This is usually labeled "Warm Wasser". You can also ask the seller about the characteristics of the brand you like, he must have accompanying documents and certificates for the products.
When choosing a laminate, many people make a mistake - first of all they pay attention to the strength class of the coating, preferring the most wear-resistant fabric of the 31-33 class. But it is important to take into account the thermal resistance of the lamellae and their resistance to heat, since they will be in contact with the heating elements.
Note! The maximum permissible thermal conductivity coefficient should not exceed 0.15 m2kW
For each type of heated floor has its own kind of laminate. Laminate on a warm water floor does not fit any, but only specifically designed for this. It should not be laid on the floor with electric heating system, and vice versa. Failure to comply with this rule results in damage to the laminate and the heating system. Appropriate markings must be present on the packaging.
Another point that is important to consider is environmental friendliness. The fact is that in the production of laminate used resin based on formaldehyde. It is known for its negative impact on human health and in large quantities can lead to dire consequences. Of course, the degree of its release when the laminate is heated is small, but it is better to choose a material labeled with E1 or E0.
Note! It is not recommended to lay laminate on the warm floor, marked with signs E3 and E2. By the way, in Europe it was generally forbidden to release.
Laminate is an excellent option for finishing the room when arranging a heated floor system. The method of its installation will directly depend on the selected heating element - water, electric or film.
In addition, some laminate manufacturers began to produce a two-in-one system. It is a laminate and a heating system specially designed for it. By purchasing such a system, you save yourself from having to re-buy other components, since everything necessary for organizing a heated floor is already included. The only negative is the high price, but let's hope that this is a matter of time.
Video
This video also describes the features of the choice of laminate for laying on a warm floor.