Underfloor heating water under the laminate. Can laminate flooring be installed on underfloor heating? Which laminate is suitable for underfloor heating How to lay laminate on a water-heated floor

Laminate is the most common floor material which is very popular in our country. In parallel with this, the technology of warm floors is also gaining popularity. Given this, some may have a question, is it possible to lay laminate on underfloor heating. The answer to this question will be positive, if we take into account several important nuances. In this article, we will help you figure out which laminate is best for underfloor heating.

Marking is an important selection criterion

Floor covering for electric heating

The ideal solution - laminate with built-in heating

There are many people who are afraid to combine this coating with underfloor heating systems. If you belong to this category, then you will be interested to know about the new development - laminate flooring with an integrated ALLOC Heating system. Relatively recently in our country it became possible to purchase such a system. By purchasing it, you simultaneously make the flooring and its heating. The heating elements are not located under the floor, but directly in the laminate. Consequently thermal energy easily released into the air. The heating element itself is located between the sound-absorbing insulation layer and the HDF base plate. Thanks to this, heat losses are reduced by up to 30%.

Below is a series specifications that make this product unique in its kind:

The cost of the product is 30% cheaper than electric underfloor heating.
The power of the slats is 60 W / m 2.
You can lay floors, dividing into heated and unheated areas.
Excellent inertial parameters: 10 min at 20°C room temperature.

The living area can be divided into several separate zones:

Bedroom.
Kitchen, office.
Corridor.
Bathroom, toilet, balcony.

In each case, the choice of a laminate for underfloor heating by class should be done individually. Consider the features of the choice for each room.

Kitchen

Several people can be present in this room at the same time. Given the constant movement, a high probability of falling of certain objects, greasy stains or water, the choice must be stopped on a moisture-resistant coating. In this case, the bar must have a special water-repellent composition, which should contain wax. Panel joints should be carefully treated with sealant, as the kitchen is a place with high humidity. Based on this, the appropriate class is 32-33. This type of product has low level thermal conductivity coefficient. But if you put a system based on water heating in the base and pour it with a cement screed, you can achieve the desired temperature of the floor and air, respectively.

Bathroom, toilet and balcony

In these rooms, the arrangement of the floor with heating is carried out very often. Here it is important to observe one requirement - maintaining a temperature of no more than 28 ° C. To control the temperature adjustment, a temperature sensor and a thermostat are installed. Such care will prevent overheating of the coating and deformation of the panels. As for the requirements for the laminate, here they are similar:

The presence of a moisture-repellent layer.
High quality laminated finish.
Treat joints with sealant.

The product of class 32-33 complies with such requirements.

Bedroom and corridor

The presence of sound-absorbing and antistatic effect.
Moisture resistance.
Fire protection.

For such premises, you can safely choose the 21st and 22nd class. Electric mats or infrared foil floor can be integrated for floor heating. To implement a warm floor, you will not need to make a floor screed. As a last resort, perform a finishing screed, which will eliminate all the irregularities of the base.

An important role is played by the method of connecting the lamellae. There are two of them: lock and glue. To lay lamellas on a warm floor, you can only use a lock connection. When using glue, the panels can float when the floor is heated and deform.

As for the lock connections, they are divided into two types:

click.
lock.

Lock lock works on the tenon-groove principle. The Click connection is more complicated. For laying on a warm floor, in principle, both of these interlocks can be used.

The Click connection method is more often recommended for underfloor heating. This connection has high strength. Therefore, when the temperature fluctuates, the joints of the lamellas will behave calmly and will not deform. Plus, such a laminate does not require a perfectly flat surface.

So, we learned about how to choose a laminate for laying it on a warm floor. The choice of substrate also plays an important role. This is a separate issue, but in short, its thickness should not exceed 3 mm. To do this, you can purchase a substrate made of extruded polystyrene with perforation. We would be interested in your opinion regarding the choice of laminate. Leave your comments at the end of this article.

Video

From the provided video, you can get additional information regarding the choice of laminate for underfloor heating:

Many have appreciated the laminate. This flooring won the hearts of connoisseurs and confused even professionals. Some textures are made so skillfully that at a glance it is difficult to distinguish laminate from natural wood. Everyone would like to have such flooring in their home. But up to a certain point, there were some limitations to this. I had to choose between underfloor heating and laminate. But manufacturers moved in this direction and developed a laminate for a warm water floor. How to distinguish it from other types and are there any nuances when laying it? This will be discussed in the article.

Read the label carefully

The limitation on the installation of a laminate on a warm water or film floor lies in the method of production of this flooring. The stabilizing base of the laminate boards used to be fiberboard. In the process of its manufacture, synthetic resins were used to bind the fibers. When heated from a warm floor, they could release toxic substances, which was a problem for installation on a warm water floor. Everything changed with the advent of MDF and HDF boards. By their structure, these are wood-fiber boards. The second type has a higher density than the first. Thanks to this, it was possible to reduce its thickness, and hence to increase the heat-conducting properties. By themselves, these plates are environmentally friendly if the manufacturer honestly follows the technology. The binding of fibers occurs due to the substance that is part of the wood itself. Natural resins are added. Further problems lay in other components of the laminate.

The front layer is responsible for the wear resistance of the entire material. Therefore, it must be made quite durable. This is easily achieved using various polymeric compounds. It can be acrylic or melamine composite resins. The constant effect of the elevated temperature of the warm floor on them did not bring great benefit. Additional pitfalls were layers of paper, which could be impregnated with paraffin or other chemicals, which provided additional protection from moisture.

Each package with laminate boards is marked with a large number of various designations. One of them has the preceding Latin letter E. She speaks of the level of emission or the allocation of various chemical substances. For a cold floor, this figure can be 2 or 3. But, if you plan to lay a warm water floor with a laminate, then there should be 1 or better 0. This means that the emission level is the lowest, which will not harm health or it is practically absent.

Note! Some manufacturers indicate the level of emission with the first letters of the Latin alphabet. If this is the case for your variant, then look for a product with an A or A+ value.

Additional identification marks that will tell you about the correct choice for a warm floor will be a temperature icon indicating specific values. They can be up to 30° Celsius. Typically, a laminate for a water-heated floor has a schematic mark of a curved pipe with a water icon or its chemical formula. Other pictograms, such as the heel of a lady's shoe, a shattering teapot, or the paws of an animal, indicate resistance to abrasion and other physical influences. The lightning zigzag will inform you that the laminate does not accumulate static electricity, which means it is safe for sensitive equipment and electronics.

How well does it give off heat?

If we take into account ceramic or porcelain tiles, then in relation to them there are no questions with thermal conductivity from the warm floor. It has a high value, which is good for a warm floor. This becomes apparent even with simple daily use. If you stand on a cold tile, then the sensations will not be the most pleasant. This is due to the fact that the area of contact with the surface of the foot is significant, and the density of the material itself is quite high. This means that he is able to quickly take heat and give it to the screed, which is located below. With laminate, the situation is different. If you tried to walk on it barefoot, then such discomfort did not occur. This suggests that its thermal conductivity is lower, which means that it will be worse to give the temperature from the water heated floor to the air.

In order not to get into a mess, it is also important to pay attention to the markings. The value of the thermal conductivity coefficient is indicated by a number followed by W/m×K. According to European standards for flooring that is laid on a warm floor, this figure should not be more than 0.15. But a laminate with such a value is also not worth taking. Look for the value below. This must be done, because it is necessary to take this coefficient from the substrate. In total with the laminate, the figure should not exceed 0.15 W / m × K in value. You can find out by adding them together. For example, 0.8 W / m × K will be written on the laminate, and 0.6 W / m × K on the substrate, in total you get 0.14 W / m × K, which is quite acceptable for a warm floor.

Why laminate

In principle, this is a matter of choice for everyone. But the laminate does have some properties that have not yet been replicated, for example, tiles. Of these, we can distinguish:

unique structure that repeats the surface of the tree;
a variety of prints with patterns;
a special way of laying;
ease of combination with the interior;
ease of cleaning and cleaning;
resistance to physical influences;
resistance to UV rays;
resistance of some types of laminate to moisture;
the possibility of laying by the deck method, observing a single contour;
long service life;
high environmental friendliness.

And now laying together with a water-heated floor makes this material ideal. Of the minuses, you can highlight the high price of elite models. It also requires special scrupulousness during installation on a warm floor, so some inexperienced craftsmen may not be able to cope with the task.

Advice! A wide variety of textured, color and dimensional solutions for laminate boards can be found in the collections of the manufacturer Tarkett. Be sure to take the time to evaluate some of them.

Each room has its own class

You may have noticed that the most abrasions of the floor are observed at the threshold, in the hall and in the kitchen. It is in these rooms that people are most often, which leads to wear of the coating. The same situation will occur with a laminate on a warm floor. If you plan to install laminate flooring in all rooms, then you should think about choosing its strength. Manufacturers distinguish several strength classes for laminate. If we are talking about laying laminate flooring in an office or the corridor of an institution, then you should look towards the 33rd or 34th. It will carry the highest load with the stated service life.

Note! The strength of the laminate is indicated by a pictogram with a house and a little man. The more people in this figure, the higher the endurance of a particular type of laminate.

For domestic needs, the twentieth grade is usually chosen, but if you plan to have a warm floor, then you will have to pay more for the 31st or 32nd grades. It is these subspecies that are allowed for installation on a water-heated floor. In the case when, according to the plan, the laminate should be in the bathroom and in the kitchen, on a warm floor, then make sure that it is with additional moisture protection. This can be expressed in the fact that the stabilization layer will be made of various kinds of plastics that are insensitive to water. It is important to observe this nuance so that the laminate does not swell and the seams do not open, which would lead to repair costs.

Laying type

The user may also be faced with the question of which method of fixing the laminate boards for underfloor heating to choose. So far, a couple of basic methods for processing lock joints have been used. One of them is called Click. Thanks to him, the connection of adjacent laminate planks takes place in a few touches without much difficulty. It is enough to bring one lath of laminate to another at an angle of 45 °, insert it into the groove and lower it to a characteristic click, thanks to which the lock got its name. No additional action is required.

Another method requires the use of an adhesive backing. It's connected with design features lock. If you look at it in a section, it becomes clear that this is an ordinary spike that goes into the groove. At the slightest deformation or displacement, the laminate spike can slip out and a gap is formed. To prevent this from happening, a special glue is used for the laminate, which tightly fastens the components. The benefit of using this method is to reduce the gaps between the laths of the laminate. But the main disadvantage is the impossibility of repairing a separate section, since it will be necessary to destroy the interlocks of the laminate. This method of fixing the laminate cannot be used for underfloor heating. When heated, a significant expansion occurs, and such laying of the laminate will not be able to play to the required dimensions. Also, in the process, harmful substances will be released from the glue.

Laying technology

When performing repairs and installing water heating, someone prefers the warm floor to be laid in a wet way, while someone wants the warm water floor to be without a screed. Which one is really better, everyone decides for himself. But to put it simply, laying a warm floor in a wet way implies a monolithic pouring of the pipe contour into a screed. This will not affect the laminate in any way, but it will affect maintainability, as well as the height of the warm floor. If the ceilings allow, then it is better to prefer this method of installing a warm floor, since the base is more reliable.

The dry method of laying a warm floor under a laminate is faster and does not require additional costs for Construction Materials. Such a warm floor is suitable even for those rooms where 20 cm of rise will already be critical. The advantages of such a warm floor is the ease of access to pipes from under the laminate, since they, in fact, are on the surface. Also, heat is released to the air faster, because the screed layer under the laminate does not warm up yet. But careful monitoring of the temperature is required so that its value does not exceed the permissible value for the laminate.

According to the reviews of users and craftsmen, laying a laminated coating on a warm water floor does not differ in its methodology from the usual one. After the question of which flooring to choose and all the materials have been purchased, you can proceed to the practical part. By the time of installation, the screed should already be well-aged and gain the required rigidity and strength. This may take about a month. It is worth waiting in order to reduce the level of humidity. Two weeks after filling, you can turn on the heating. Every day you will need to monitor the temperature of the circulating liquid of the warm floor and raise it by 5 ° once a day. This will allow you to evenly heat the entire surface without temperature distortion. Two days before laying, the temperature of the warm floor must be set to the permissible maximum.

Laminate is brought to the installation room not an hour before the operation. It is advisable to do this in a day, or even more. This will allow the laminate to reach the temperature of the warm floor and go through the process of deformation expansion. If this is not done in advance, then problems will begin after laying, when everything is covered with cracks. The first day of the laminate board, it is advisable to store it in a closed state, and then unpack it for another day. If the weather is not frosty, then you can unpack the laminate immediately.

First of all, ur is inspected the surface of the surface that was formed after laying the warm floor. Before installing lamps inata on warm floor after wet pouring, it is necessary to treat the area with a primer. This will hold the base together and prevent sand and dust from forming on the surface. The difference in area should not exceed 2 cm per 10 m. There is no need to use a waterproofing layer. The underlay is installed immediately. The latter for a warm floor must be used without a foil layer, otherwise heat waves will not pass sufficiently.

The substrate is laid over the entire area with an overlap of 5 cm on the walls. The excess will be cut off after the process is completed. Adjacent sheets are glued together using ordinary adhesive tape; metallized tape cannot be used. From each wall, it is necessary to make a gap of 1 cm. It will allow the laminate to take the required forms when the temperature changes without deformation. You can mark this space for the laminate using wedges or pieces of timber. Subsequently, it will be covered with skirting boards and will not be visible.

Everyone starts the installation of the laminate in the way that is most convenient for him. But professionals advise doing this from the far left corner of the door and moving to the right and down. Thus, it will turn out to lay the contour more efficiently. If in the first row the initial board was intact, then in the second row the laminate board must be shortened by 30-40 cm. This is necessary for dressing the seams. For a tighter arrangement, each row of laminate is tapped with a mallet through a bar. An additional skill can be obtained from the video on laying the laminate.

Conclusion

Laying laminate on a warm floor is a more responsible task than in the usual case. As you can see, the approach to choosing should be the most careful. This will be the key to a long service life of both the laminate itself and the rest of the system. You will also lay a good foundation for a healthy atmosphere in your home.

One of the prejudices regarding the laminate is that supposedly it is forbidden to lay a laminate under a warm floor. There are other warnings that laying is possible, but only if your floor is water, not electric.

I would like to say right away that all these prohibitions are purely prejudices. As for the truth, it is possible to lay laminate under warm floors, the main thing is to use the right approach, do everything carefully and take your time.

How and what kind of laminate to lay under a warm floor, and is it possible to mount it on a warm floor at all

Regardless of what type of underfloor heating you have, it is necessary that the laminate you choose has a specific icon that looks like this:

This icon means that this laminate floor heating is allowed to be used.

Of course, the laminate, like any wooden deck, do not like the situation with temperature fluctuations. For this reason, after the delivery of the laminate to your home, it is necessary that it be in the same room where you plan to install it for about three days.

Laying electric underfloor heating under laminate

What is it for?

The reason is simple: the laminate gets used and adapts to the conditions where you later use it. During this time, based on temperature regime and humidity, the laminate will pick up the right dimensions, and after you install it, there will be no contractions and expansions that create unnecessary difficulties for you.

Laminate under floor heating, important points

In the event that the room already has underfloor heating in the screed, the following steps must be taken:

1. To begin with, the screed warms up.
2. After warming up, you need to turn it off 2-3 days before the laminate installation process (to be more precise, turn it off just when the laminate was delivered to you).
3. And do not forget that after the work is completed, within three days the temperature regime of the room should be unchanged.

At the start of each heating season, the temperature of the warm floors themselves should be gradually increased every day (by about three times), until you get a comfortable floor temperature.

The same must be done after the heating season is over, gradually lowering the temperature to 15-18 degrees. After that, you can safely turn off the thermostat and enjoy the warm summer season.

How to install laminate on underfloor heating

To begin with, I would like to note that under the furniture the floor can have a higher temperature, therefore, during installation, it is necessary to carry out a more durable sealing of the joints.

Laying laminate flooring on underfloor heating

In normal mode, the laminate is laid on a substrate, which is designed to improve thermal insulation and sound insulation, for this reason, the heat coming from the heating element will not pass through it well, preventing the floor from warming up as needed. As for laying laminate without a substrate, in this case it will be noisy. But, of course, there is a way out of any situation.

In order for the laminate to lie well on the water-heated floor and warm the entire floor, a thinner screed is made for the heating element. Yes, and the substrate is taken the thinnest, for example, 3 mm, which later flattens another half-millimeter-millimeter, which will make it even more thermally conductive, while the noise-insulating properties will remain. There is nothing unusual in laying laminate on a substrate - everything is standard.

We lay the laminate on the film or heating mats

Since the screed is not needed in this case, you can literally finish the job in one day. When laying the heating film itself or mats under the laminate, you need to remember some features:

– heating film/mats are not placed under heavy furniture;
- on top of the laid film or mats, a thick polyethylene film (about 80 microns) is placed, the essence of which is to protect electrical parts in case of liquid ingress.

Choosing a laminate on a water-heated floor

What is the best laminate flooring for underfloor heating? Does this solution have significant drawbacks? How to independently make water heated floors under the laminate? Many people ask these questions, and therefore, let's understand.

First, let's define terminology. What is a water underfloor heating system?

This is a system of pipes that are laid with a small step under the finish coating and warm it up. The warm-up temperature will be slightly lower than the temperature of the human body. What is the essence of such a heating scheme?

1. You can connect water heated floors to any boilers that have circulation pumps, even to solid fuel.
2. In order to create a water heated floor, there is no need to remake an existing heating system- you just update it with another outline.
3. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact of adjusting the temperature, or adjusting the speed of water circulation, so that the temperature of the warm water floor is in the desired mode and does not go beyond.
4. Another plus - due to the fact that the heat source is located below, the air is heated throughout the volume.

Of course, we all know that the truth is in the details. So, what is needed in order for the underfloor heating to function normally? Yes, we are talking about the idea of good thermal conductivity of the floor covering mass surrounding the pipe. Just in order to ensure this requirement, the pipes of underfloor heating are usually laid in a screed.

Otherwise, the pipe will warm up only that section of the floor that passes above it, and the main part of the floors will remain cold. Among other things, the screed also performs the function of distributing heat. But here the question arises - what is the point in heating the screed if it is isolated from the room?

So the most traditional option for laying a water-heated floor is under a tiled or porcelain stoneware coating - they have good thermal conductivity. Another good option is homogeneous linoleum.

As for the question of which laminate to choose for underfloor heating, the answer is actually quite simple. Common sense must be followed. Since the laminate is made of pressed hardboard, its thermal conductivity is quite low, it serves as a heat insulator. Accordingly, the smaller the laminate boards are in thickness, the more efficient the heating will be. When talking about a higher class laminate, you need to understand that its density is higher, and the protective coating is thicker.

It is on this that its thermal conductivity depends. There are other reasons why you should purchase higher grade laminate flooring for your underfloor heating. The higher the class of the laminate, the less it will be prone to drying out and changing linear dimensions depending on temperature fluctuations and humidity. The more durable and durable it will be.

In addition to the laminate you have chosen, you should not forget about the substrate, because a lot also depends on it. We recommend that you choose a type of underlay for laminate flooring, which will be designed specifically for underfloor heating systems and have maximum thermal conductivity.

Laying the right laminate for underfloor heating (water)

So, as you already know, a water-heated laminate floor is reliable and safe. In this case, one of the advantages of a water floor is that the heating of the base, for example, a concrete screed, is carried out evenly, which leads to an increase in the service life of the laminate. Let's look at the main points of combining a warm water floor and laminate, depending on the type of floor.

We note right away that in order to ensure the required level of humidity of the screed after the water-heated floor is laid, it is enough to simply turn on the system. Thanks to this, the concrete will be perfectly dried and warmed up, you just need to remember about the gradual increase in temperature. Before you start laying laminate flooring, make sure that the substrate is in accordance with the conditions specified by the manufacturer in the recommendations for this flooring.

Features of installing a laminate under a water-heated floor

Installation of a warm floor Cement-sand screed

In order to carry out the installation of underfloor heating with your own hands in this case, you must:

- On the floor, which is already leveled to the horizon (i.e., has differences of no more than three centimeters), you need to lay polystyrene foam (its thickness is from 2.5 to 10 cm).

- The next layer will be either polyethylene or foil penofol (the second option is preferable).

- A reinforcing mesh must be laid on top, the cells should be no more than 1.5 cm. Thickness - 2-4 mm.

- It is necessary to lay a pipe on top (cross-linked polyethylene, aluminum-reinforced polypropylene or metal-plastic) and fix it to the grid with plastic clamps.

- It is also necessary to lay a damper tape around the entire perimeter of the room. Any elastic material will work for the tape.

- Then you need to fill the floor with a sand-cement screed with fine screenings. As for the thickness - no more than 5-7 cm. There should not be more than 3 centimeters between the floor surface and the pipe (taking into account the thickness of the laminate).

- It will take three to four weeks for the floor to gain strength.

- After the substrate is laid.

- Before you start laying laminate on a warm floor, you need to warm it up to operating temperature. As in the case of standard laminate laying, there should be gaps along the edges (from the edge of the board to the wall), the width of such a gap should not be less than 6-8mm. To do this, you can use spacers.

Installation of a warm floor on a dry screed

I would like to note right away that warm water floors under a laminate, with a dry screed, are an inefficient idea in terms of heat consumption.

The only impressive plus of this option is that installation is much faster, since there is no need to wait until the concrete becomes strong.

So how do they combine dry screed, water heated floors and laminate? It happens like this:
- To begin with, laying waterproofing on the floor

- After the floor is covered with bulk materials (it can be expanded clay screenings or ordinary dry sand).

- You need to set beacon profiles along the horizon, with their help you can level the floors under the laminate using a rule or just a straight rail.

- The next step is to lay a tape of porous materials around the perimeter of the room.

- The floor must be covered, for this you can use two layers of drywall (as an option, plywood or OSB), the main thing is that a mandatory overlap of the seams is necessary. The layers are fastened with self-tapping screws at the seams in increments of 5 cm for plasterboard and 15 cm for plywood and OSB.

- Everything else is exactly the same as in the case of a cement-sand screed. The floor needs to be warmed up, the substrate laid, and then the laminate itself.

Substrate under the laminate underfloor heating: which one is suitable for the water type, and which one for the electric one?

Warm floors, today, are no longer a luxury item and do not surprise anyone. The implementation of a warm floor is possible in various modifications, depending on how the heater is arranged. Important is the fact that with warm floors you can use any flooring, in particular, and laminate.

It is worth noting here that in this case the system “substrate under the laminate - warm floor” works. Let's see what properties a good substrate has:

The substrate has high waterproofing and heat-insulating qualities.
It has an extremely high reflectivity.
Resistant to various temperature changes.
Resistant to deformation.
Has soundproofing properties.
Good vaporizer.
Environmentally friendly.
Easy to mount.

Laying laminate on electric underfloor heating

Since laminate belongs to the category of natural flooring, it is natural that it has all the advantages and disadvantages of natural wood. This is precisely the reason why, when laying laminate boards on warm floors, it is impossible to do without a substrate. If you don't lay it down, the floors will be very noisy.

If the installation of a warm floor is carried out on a self-leveling floor or on a thin screed, then you will need the thinnest substrate, its thickness should be 3 mm. As already mentioned, since other layers will press on it, then under their weight it will flatten to the required 2-2.5 mm and will serve both as a good heat insulator and have high soundproofing properties.

Substrate requirements for water floors

The main condition in the underfloor heating system is to provide an increased degree of heat transfer. In this case, there will be no waste of heat. If the floors are based on pipes, then, at a minimum, if an accident occurs, then the substrate will perform the function of additional waterproofing.

Alternatively, sometimes you can use a special molded foam cover - you can easily fix the pipeline into it, and it will act as a substrate.

More often than not, the typical underlayment is foil, which helps to reflect heat, because this heat should not heat the ceiling of your neighbors on the lower floor. If the foil has sufficient thickness, then it can be both based on polymers (you need to glue a thin layer), and in pure form. In principle, the degree of waterproofing of the heat insulator is low. This protection must be taken care of and laid in a separate layer. insulating material.

No special fastening for the substrate is needed, since it is laid on a heater. When installing water-heated floors, a reinforcing screed is used, with which the substrate is pressed down.

Installing a floor heating system, whether electric or water, requires significant material costs from the consumer, so that he often cannot afford such expenses. At the same time, laminated panels are becoming more affordable for buyers at a cost, moreover, they have a number of advantages.

But if you combine the laying of flooring and heating, in general, everything seems not so overwhelming or impossible. Further in the material, we will talk about whether it is possible to lay a warm floor under a laminate on your own, and how to carry out these works without the involvement of specialists.

The optimal solution for combining the coating with heating

Although the laminate itself is durable, however, in combination with a water-heated floor, there are a number of limitations for it:

Laminate panels are very sensitive to high humidity, although they differ in sufficient strength. However, water-resistant laminate types are now on the market that are not prone to warping due to moisture.
Laying laminate on a warm water floor is possible only with a special substrate. Some types of substrates are unacceptable for use in such conditions, for example, cork material. However, there are a number of synthetic underlays that do an excellent job of protecting the laminate from moisture when laying it on a warm water floor.

Some buyers doubt whether it is possible to make a warm floor under a laminate, because:

installation of such a heating system is quite expensive;
in order for the warm floor to function correctly, it is advisable to take the help of professionals;
the need for autonomous installation of a warm floor with its subsequent integration into a common heating system, which includes a whole set of radiators, a pipeline with fittings and bypasses, a filter, a pump and a boiler.

The benefits of this combination

As for the cost of installing such a heating system, it is safe to say that all the costs incurred during the repair process will pay off already during the next heating season. And if you lay a water-heated floor under the laminate with your own hands, you can save even more on the cost of professional work.

How to lay a water heated floor

Most often, warm floors with water heating circuits are installed in one of four ways:

According to the wooden rack system. In this case, the water circuit is laid between the lags, having previously made grooves for the pipes in them. A layer of thin plywood is laid over the contours, on which the underlay for the laminate will be laid. Alternatively, instead of plywood, a rigid substrate can be used (more details: ""). Heat exchangers are not required in this situation.
Modular wooden structure . In this version, they are already on sale ready systems pipes with lags. With such a floor heating system, an additional layer is required for laying the substrate for the laminate, but you can also use a rigid substrate without a layer (read: ""). This design requires the installation of heat exchangers, which can be wide metal plates.
Underfloor heating from polystyrene- in this case, not metal, but polystyrene pipes are used.
Laying in concrete screed. This method of installing a water-heated floor is the most common, since the screed in this case serves as both a heat exchanger and waterproofing. With this technology, water heating elements sink into the thickness of the screed.

It is necessary to have:

a collector that distributes heat flows in cases where there are several circuits in the system;
the main collector, thanks to which the underfloor heating is connected to a common heating system;
integrated collector;
pump for warm water floorproviding the proper level of pressure in the circuit.

Detailed description of the laying process

As with any repair work, before starting the laying of a warm floor with water elements, a preliminary preparatory stage is required.

Choosing a styling technology

To determine whether it is possible to put a warm floor under the laminate, it is necessary to clarify the individual parameters of the room and take into account the following nuances:

The maximum length of the circuit should not exceed 100 meters, otherwise the pump will not have enough power to pump water in such a volume.
If it is necessary to split the water heating system into several circuits, it must be ensured that no more than 40 m 2 of area per circuit. The shorter each of the contours, the better.

Often, several schemes for laying heating elements are used:

snail;
snake;
corner snake;
double snake.

Note that the heating efficiency with a similar length of the circuit is practically independent of the scheme of its laying. Nevertheless, each of the professional masters chooses one or another scheme based on their preferences and the convenience of its implementation.

Carrying out work

The sequence of installation of a water-heated floor is as follows:

Prepare a rough concrete floor. They remove debris, close up all cracks and potholes, if necessary, plaster and grind the base under a water-heated floor.
The rough floor is dried to obtain the optimum level of humidity.
Lay a waterproofing layer. It is desirable to use a continuous sheet of insulating material for this purpose. If this is not feasible, the joints on both sides are glued with construction tape.
The water circuit is distributed over the floor surface, not forgetting about laying the water temperature sensor in the system.
After laying, the entire system is checked for operability by performing a test run.
A thin layer of finishing screed is poured over the pipes, after which it is well leveled.
As soon as the finishing screed is completely dry, another waterproofing layer can be laid on it.
Then lay the substrate under the laminated panels.
When everything is ready, you can start assembling the flooring.

Results

So, answering the question of whether it is possible to lay a laminate on a warm floor, we can say with confidence that such a tandem is currently becoming more and more popular and in demand, since it combines economic and practical benefits for the buyer.

The advantage of this system is that such a coating as a laminate can be easily disassembled completely or partially if the heating system fails and urgent repairs are required.

At the same time, we note that laying a laminate does not necessarily imply the simultaneous installation of a floor heating system. However, if you decide to equip such additional heating in your apartment, the laminate will become the best option as a finishing floor covering.

Underfloor heating can serve the owners for a long time and reliably if this heating system is properly installed and a suitable floor covering is selected. The floor can be made from various materials: linoleum, wood, concrete. But one of the best materials is a laminate for underfloor heating, which has many advantages.

The floor can be made from various materials, it depends on your understanding which one is better or more practical.

Advantages and disadvantages

It is possible to organize water heating, where the laminate will be on top in the future, on different kinds grounds. The most important thing is to choose a laminate for a warm water floor that can easily cope with sudden temperature changes.

To date, manufacturers produce a large number of collections of this flooring, which is characterized by an attractive appearance, affordable cost and long service life.

In this video you will learn how to lay laminate flooring:

Choosing the right laminate for underfloor heating, taking into account specific conditions, has a number of advantages:

good thermal conductivity ensures the creation of the required level of heat transfer, which is approximately within 50 degrees;
thanks to the use of high-quality materials, the consumption of thermal energy is reduced by 45-50%;
constant dryness of the coating does not allow the development of fungus and mold;
no magnetic field is formed, which adversely affects the human body;
under the laminate floor with water heating will last much longer, unlike other coatings;
almost instant floor heating is provided, which is all the more important for people living in a private house, since it is often necessary to ensure rapid heating of the premises;
today, manufacturers offer a material that has good quality and is completely environmentally friendly, so it is safe for regular use in living rooms.

The disadvantages include only the complexity of laying, because of this, many who decide to do this work on their own make many gross mistakes, because the system does not last long or the coating simply collapses.

Laying a laminate on a warm floor from water heating can only be carried out in private houses; such a heating system is prohibited in apartments, since for this you need to use a powerful pump equipment and tanks for pumping coolant, which occupy a lot of usable space.

Coating types

An important point is the acquisition of a reliable and high-quality floor covering that has the required parameters. You need to know how to choose the right laminate for a water-heated floor so that it can serve this heating system without any problems. To do this, you need to consider which room will be heated, how much you can spend on it.

Laminate marking

When choosing a coating, first you need to look at its marking. On any package there are corresponding symbols that determine the characteristics of the laminate. These marks are applied by the manufacturer, which makes it possible to produce right choice material that is ideal for the floor.

Do not forget to look at the labeling of the laminate before buying it.

The material may contain the following graphic symbols:

women's heeled shoe means that the coating has increased rate compressive strength;
plus with a degree means that this material can easily withstand elevated temperatures, and will not begin to crumble or release toxic substances;
a kettle falling to the floor - a material with this designation can easily withstand even significant mechanical shocks;
lightning - this coating does not accumulate static electricity;
flower - indicates that the laminate is environmentally friendly, that is, it does not contain any harmful additives;
dog - this coating is not scratched by the claws of pets;
zigzag pipe - the material is intended for laying on top of a water floor.

In addition, there are still a large number of different markings, all of which indicate a certain characteristic of the coating. Since the material will be laid on top of a warm floor, the main indicator is resistance to elevated temperatures. That is, the corresponding signs must be on the packaging. If you buy a simple laminate, then there is a high probability that during operation it will gradually crack and will not last long.

The manufacturer on the packaging also indicates which specific heating system is best suited for the coating, therefore only certain materials are used for the water system, and others for electric heating.

Thermal insulation indicators

The thermal conductivity of a laminate for underfloor heating is also an important indicator for choosing a coating. It is necessary to take into account not only the designations, but also the CTC (thermal resistance coefficient). The higher this indicator, the higher the thermal insulation characteristics. Since the coating is used for underfloor heating, the CTS should be no more than 0.15 m 2 K / W.

The coefficient is affected by the following coverage parameters:

the density should be small;
thickness must be minimal.

If you purchase a coating with a significant density and thickness, then the floor covering will constantly overheat, and there is also a big risk that the heating circuit itself will quickly fail.

Room based selection

Another important parameter is the coverage class. The larger it is, the floor will be more durable. It must be remembered that the material will be regularly exposed to heat, so it is best to purchase class 32.

Do not forget to take into account the area of \u200b\u200bthe room

It is also necessary to take into account in which particular room it is laid. For the kitchen, the main point is the resistance of the material to mechanical damage, as well as the ease of cleaning from various contaminants. You also need to select a moisture-resistant coating for this room, and after installation it is necessary to treat all joints with a special sealant. Laminate class 32 or 33 is best suited for the kitchen. It is also necessary that the coating has a sufficient thermal conductivity.

Bedroom and hallway. In these rooms it is best to lay a laminate that has a matte surface. Additional important parameters for this material are resistance to moisture and resistance to elevated temperatures. Good sound insulation characteristics and antistatic performance are also important. For the bedroom, you can purchase class 21 or 22, since people rarely walk in this room, but for the hallway it is advisable to choose class 33, since they walk here most often, while wearing shoes, because it is necessary that the material is durable and reliable.

Bath and balcony. In these rooms, the installation of a warm water floor is certainly required, as this can provide comfort while taking a bath or relaxing on the loggia. But the main point is to maintain the temperature, which should not exceed 35 degrees. To do this, during the organization of the heating system, sensors and thermostats are necessarily used, which makes it possible to avoid the likelihood of overheating of the laminate. All seams must also be treated with sealant.

Connection locks

When choosing a floor covering, it is additionally necessary to pay attention to the locks of the connection of individual plates. . There are main types of connections:

lock - this connection is most often found on end edges. The planks are locked by driving one plate into another, you can also put them on top of each other, but you must additionally use glue. In this case, each slab has a groove and a spike, and anyone with no installation experience can work with this flooring. Therefore, this laminate is most often chosen, since the owners of a private house can do all the work on their own;
click - this lock is usually used on long planks. The connection occurs by turning the inserted plate into the adjacent one;
uniClick - the connection can be made both by driving in the planks, and by means of a rotary mechanism.

Do not forget that the fastening of the laminate can be different.

During the purchase of a laminate, the method of attaching individual elements to each other is quite important. Moreover, not only the joints with which the plates are equipped during production, but also glue can be used. But for a coating that is above the water floor, the glue is not suitable, it can melt with strong heat, as a result, the seam may diverge and the floor may be deformed.

Professional craftsmen advise choosing Click locks for the water floor, as these plates will be more durable, they will not deform during exposure to elevated temperatures.

Using a backing

Another important parameter for the organization of flooring is the laying of a suitable substrate. It can be laid on a flat base, so you first need to level the floor.

After the substrate is laid, it also serves to level out minor uneven areas that remain after pouring the screed, improves sound insulation characteristics and is additional thermal insulation.

The most common substrate used for laminate flooring is cork or extruded polystyrene foam, but isoplats can also be chosen. Usually the underlayment is made with adhesive tape to prevent cavities during the joining of the material.

Installation instructions

After the preparatory measures, the acquisition of the material and the laying of the substrate, the installation of the laminate is carried out. The process is standard, but it is necessary to take into account certain nuances:

initially it is necessary to make sure that the assembled water floor system is working and there will be no problems during its operation;
before laying the coating, it is recommended to warm the base;
connections must be treated with sealant;
a small gap of approximately 7 mm should be left between the walls and slabs;
The plates are interconnected by locks, which the plates are equipped with during production.

That is, if you decide to make a water floor with a laminate, then the most important thing is to choose the material, while it must be of high quality and durable, and also designed for certain conditions, since the plates are constantly exposed to elevated temperatures, there is also a risk of mechanical shock and moisture.

Only in this way you will get a durable and durable floor covering, on which it will always be comfortable to move around. If you do the laying with your own hands, therefore you do not need to spend money on paying for the services of specialists, and taking into account all the features of the installation, you will receive a high-quality warm water floor.