Few things are worse than the shock of getting out of a toasty warm bed and having your toes shrivel up thanks to the painfully cold floors they encounter. If you are like most people, you may not realize that this daily unpleasant surprise could be a thing of the past if you simply install natural stone or ceramic tile flooring over a radiant heating system.
What are Radiant Floor Systems?
In-floor radiant heat comes in two different types: water channels and electric channels. These channels are generally laid down as mats under your flooring. While this installation system is pretty straightforward, unfortunately, it does require pulling up your current flooring and replacing it, which is why it might be a good idea to wait until you are doing a floor remodel, or buying a new home to incur that expense. Working with a qualified designer from Mees Distributors, Inc., can give you some great ideas about the different flooring options available that will work with in-floor radiant heating.
Benefits of Radiant Heating
Aside from the obvious benefit of warmer feet, adding radiant heat to your flooring can also help you save on utility bills. Since heat rises, the warmth coming up from under your tootsies will warm up the room which means you can turn your thermostat down a degree or two in the winter. In-floor radiant heating is also very cost effective to run once it’s installed as it runs with a very limited energy drain.
Power to Be Choosy
Radiant heating is modular, so you can install it only in certain rooms where you are placing your natural stone or ceramic tile flooring, such as the bathroom and kitchen. This will help minimize your expenses and allow you to install a really special and unique flooring in those rooms. If you have been considering a natural stone or ceramic tile floor but hesitating because of how cold they can be, in-floor radiant heating may open up your options for these natural-looking options.
Drawbacks of Radiant Heating
While heated floors sound like an amazing prospect, they don’t come cheap and cost about as much as replacing a furnace plus the cost of the floor to go on top of them. The term “heated floors” may also be a bit of a misnomer. Although they do knock off the chill, the flooring is unlikely to be truly warm unless you have the system turned up on the highest setting.
Repairing Radiant Floors
While it sounds like repair would be expensive as you need to pull up the flooring to perform maintenance, in-floor radiant heating is incredibly durable and can easily last up to 35 years.
Ready for Radiant?
In-floor radiant heating is not for everyone, but this simple and efficient heating method is highly appealing and offers significant benefits. Allergy sufferers are aided from more limited use of the central heating system, which is notorious for pushing dirt, dust and pollen through the air. If you install radiant flooring systems throughout your home, you really gain the benefit of allergen reduction. The added bonus is that you can get rid of those ugly heat pumps and vents, too!
You deserve toasty warm floors that are beautiful and durable, too. The sales staff at Mees Distributors, Inc. can help with our Nuheat Electrical Radiant Heating System. Contact us today or stop by our tile store to learn more.