Oak Flooring For Underfloor Heating

Due to dramatic temperature fluctuations, not all types of wooden flooring can be laid over underfloor heating.  The heat can dry it out causing shrinking, which creates gaps in the floor. Contrary when the heating goes off, the wood reabsorbs moisture and expands. That is why the best type of wooden floor for underfloor heating systems is engineered timber flooring. It performs well with changes in floor temperature.
 

What do you need to consider when choosing engineered wooden floors for underfloor heating?
 

There are two main factors to consider when choosing the best engineered oak flooring for underfloor heating projects:

  1. Construction stability, which reduces flooring swelling and shrinking due to varying room temperature.
  2. Thermal conductivity, which described as a material's ability to conduct heat. The wooden floors' thermal conductivity depends on wood density (kg/m2). As a result, oak wood has the best thermal conductivity comparing with other types of wood.
     

 Engineered oak flooring manufactured by us is ideal for underfloor heating
 

  1. Our symmetrical, true balanced 3-layer construction is engineered to achieve maximum all-dimensional stability
  2. As mentioned before, the main rule for conductivity is that the timber has to be hard enough. Our 3-layer construction has 7 mm of oak hardwood and 7.5mm of birch plywood. This construction made from hardwood materials offers you low resistance to heat conductivity allowing maximum efficiency of the heating system.
     

Underfloor heating for Ecohardwood oak floors installation tips

Please remember that the installation of the sub-floor for heated floors and the use of such floors can be complex.

The main rules are: 

  1. When installing the flooring, the humidity of the concrete sub-floor should not exceed 1.5% MC.
  2. Heating elements in the sub-floor should be placed equally and at the same level. The temperature of the whole area of the floor should be even and not exceed +27°C.
  3. The heating of the sub-floor should be switched on at least 4 weeks after laying the leveling layer.
  4. After turning on the heating, the temperature of the sub-floor should be increased every day by +2-3°C until the maximum heating capacity is reached.
  5. The heating period during the drying of concrete should not be less than 24 days. Before laying the flooring, the sub-floor should be heated for at least 5 or more days.
  6. For laying heated floors you should choose the glue very carefully. The suitability of glue for heated floors should be indicated in the instructions.
  7. To ensure maximum stability, our recommended installation method is to glue planks all the bottom down to a sub-floor.
  8. 2-3 days before installing the floor, the temperature of the sub-floor should be gradually reduced to +18°C - +21°C and it should be maintained during installation. The temperature of the room should be the same.
  9. After installation of the floor, the temperature of the sub-floor should be maintained (from +18°C to +21°C) for at least 3 days. Then the desired temperature can be set gradually.
  10. It is particularly important to maintain proper environmental conditions for heated floors during use: relative humidity should be 40-60%; room temperature +18°C - +24°C, floor surface maximum +27°C. Otherwise, gaps may appear in the floor due to the natural qualities of the wood noted above.
We purchased some beautiful engineered oak flooring from Ecohardwood about 6 months ago. When choosing the suitable flooring we received friendly and professional service. We brought our old floor board and were able to choose the matching colour and design. The delivery was very quick and trouble-free. The floor looks amazing, 6 months later, no issues with it. I highly recommend Ecohardwood to anyone that is looking for excellent quality flooring.
We popped down to the showroom last year and ordered 2-layer Ivory, brushed character planks which we saw online. It was worth the journey as the planks are as beautiful as we thought. We also wanted flooring that the builder would enjoy working with as there is a lot of floor. Fircim Bici (our builder) was really impressed with the quality. But most of all, we have lived with this floor for five months and had many comments as it how beautiful it is.
Highly motivated approach to customer service, exceptionally high quality flooring, delivered exactly on the day that was first estimated, extremely pleased and satisfied with the whole experience and will be placing another order in the next month or two for phase 2 of my flooring project.
We recently collaborated with Ecohardwoods for our project in Ealing, and I must say, the experience was outstanding. A special thanks to Irmantas for his invaluable assistance. His expertise in engineered wood was evident in the quality of materials we received. The precision and quality of their engineered wood contributed immensely to the aesthetic and durability of our project. Our clients were extremely pleased with the results. Kudos to Irmantas and the Ecohardwoods team for their exemplary service and top-tier products. Highly recommend them for anyone in need of premium engineered wood supplies.
Hamilford Design have used Ecohardwood floors across multiple projects. The product is incredible and the team are extremely professional and efficient. We look forward to working with them in the future!
Ecohardwood Ltd - Hardwood Oak Flooring & Engineered Wood Floors London
(68) 5/5