Heating mat under floorboards better than heating film
Electric underfloor heating works well in combination with floor panels. The high comfort of use and the remarkable efficiency of this solution encourages more and more people to install heating mats in living rooms and rooms. Find out how to do it correctly and avoid costly mistakes.
In addition to effective heating mats under floor panels, you can also find heating foils on the market. Both solutions are seemingly very similar, but the differences between them have a huge impact on the performance of the heating system.
- The mat consists of a heating cable connected to a self-adhesive mounting grid. This significantly simplifies the installation of heating in the floor.
- In the case of heating film, sold as thin infrared heaters, it is aluminum mass combined with carbon layers. Everything is enclosed in a thin PET film.
Why is a heating mat a better solution?
Among the advantages of heating film is mentioned their mechanical strength. However, it is laid directly under the floor panels, which are not rigidly fixed to the subfloor. This means that the individual layers naturally move relative to each other during use. Despite the greatest strength, this leads to rapid wear of such a solution and damage to the joints. The floor must be removed in order to replace the heating film with a new one. Heating foils therefore have shorter warranty periods.
The situation is different for heating mats. The heating mat is not installed directly under the panels, but is poured into the self-leveling screed. This means that such an installation does not wear out mechanically at all. For this reason, the lifespan of the mat is much higher, which is also reflected in the warranty given for each of these solutions. The encapsulation of the mat in the screed still has the advantage that the heat is evenly distributed throughout the floor, which increases comfort.
Selecting the heating power of a mat under floorboards
Heating mats are available in different versions. In the case of floor panels, you need to carefully select the parameters of floor heating. This is because too high a temperature can cause discoloration and even bend the panels and thus damage the entire floor. However, this is not a cause for concern. After all, it is enough when buying to look for a model with information about possible installation under floor panels. This is usually found in the description or in the product sheet. Such heating mats have a power of no more than 90 - 100 W/m2, which does not pose a threat to panel floors. See our QuickNet-90 heating mats with a power of 90 W/m².
Mounting the heating mat under the floor panels
Before installing the heating mat, the substrate should be properly prepared. After vacuuming and cleaning it, priming is necessary. Then the heating mat is laid in such a way that it will not be under any large furniture in the future.
- Floor panels
- Soundproofing insulation
- Self-leveling screed 12 - 15 mm
- QuickNet-90 heating mat
- Grounding agent
- Concrete substrate
The entire installation is poured with a self-leveling screed about 12 to 15 mm thick. Finally, the panels can be laid according to the recommendations of their manufacturer. Most often, directly under the panels it is recommended to lay soundproofing insulation. When laying the panels, also remember the expansion gaps from the wall! Otherwise, at higher temperatures, the floor can strain and damage.