Radiant Heating on Cement Slab

can'tdecide · 09-05-2005, 05:56 PM

]We would like to remove carpet in our family room (room size is 17 x 25) and replace with a tile floor with electric radiant heating as the room is horribly cold in the winter. This slab looks like it was an attachment to the house, but it is not. The house is 40 years ago. The way the house is built is that the outside patio, garage, laundry room and family room are all located on this this concrete slab and there is no basement or crawl space underneath and an attic above the celing. I swear the floor feels damp wihen there is a heavy rain, but husband thinks I'm imaging it. The room has baseboard heating vents, the furnance is an oil burning and is a winter/summer hookup. I don't think the vents are working in the family room as the laundry room is comfortably warm and it is freezing on the other side of the wall.

My question is, would this be a good thing to do in this room? My thinking is that the slab will be to cold for any heat to penetrate the flooring thus resulting in going back to carpeting. Thank you for any input you may have regarding this

KenTheHandyMan · 09-06-2005, 11:18 PM

Radiant floor heat is generally a great solution. It feels terrific. I'm thinking about installing it in our kitchen. Check out this link

Steven62 · 08-21-2007, 01:59 PM

Electric radiant heat on a slab with carpet is do-able, but you must consider a couple things:

Carpet, and padding are somewhat insulative. The thinner the padding, the more you will feel the heat. Also, use non rubber based pads as the natural rubber will break down with the constant heat, and turn to powder.

Slabs are an attractive, large cold mass for heat to travel to. Provide for an insulating layer between the Electric radiant heat and the slab.
This can be cork or synthetic acoustical isolation membrane, or a sandwich type "Blue board" with fiber re-inforced cementious facing (Google "Wedi board" to see what I mean)

Also, I have heard one report of the smell of the carpet being obnoxious when the heat was on. I have only heard of this once, but feel it may be worth mentioning if you have sensitive sinuses or respiratory problems.
Look for products that are tested by the TCA (Tile Council of america) and fully warranteed!