Underfloor/skirting board heating & wooden floors

[diddyman]

Underfloor hearting: has anyone done this with wooden floors? I have heard that if you use new timber it warps and buckles all over the shop, but if you use reclaimed timber (which we plan to do) it is OK. We hope to use extra wide reclaimed oak timbers in a new sitting room 25 x 15ft...

Skirting board rads: the only ones I can find are rather unattractive and office/industrial looking (Smiths Sureline Perimter range)

Any advice from the PH massive welcome!

Cheers!

[vetteheadracer]

Can't you loop the hot water pipes around under the flooring to generate enough heat to warm the floor?

[diddyman]

I was thinking of that, but my concern is whether the boards warp to bu66ery...

[stainless_steve]

Have a chat to this bloke,he knows his stuff.

www.pistonheads.com/members/showProfile.asp?memberId=29558

[LRdriver II]

Eh..? theyve been doing that for years in Scandinavia, so cant quite see what the problem is, but maybe the build technology isnt quite as advanced in the UK than it is in Scandinavia.

Seriously though, it can be done and my parents house in Denmark was finished a year ago by a Swedish builders and it has no radiators at all, as the underfloor heating is computer controlled and keeps the house and your toes toasty. (but then again that requires your house to be well insulated as well..)

[plug]

Using second hand boards is better than new, but you will still have to leave the boards unfixed in the room for several weeks to let them acclimatise to the moisture content of the room. I have seen new oak boards fitted over underfloor heating but the flooring company would not guarantee the floor wouldn't move, which it did.
Found these people www.heatprofile.co.uk

>> Edited by plug on Tuesday 3rd January 17:42

[diddyman]

Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging!

[vixpy1]

diddyman said:

Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging!

No, get a builder in to do that

[diddyman]

plug said:

Found these people www.heatprofile.co.uk

Hmmmm, that looks interesting! Cheers plug!

vixpy1 said:

diddyman said: Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging! No, get a builder in to do that

Maybe I can borrow your jack hammer after you've finished with it?!

[Simonelite501]

These people did the oak floors in my house www.treeworkflooring.co.uk/
I'm sure they will know whats required.

[Parrot of Doom]

You want naturally dried timber, and not kiln-dried timber. Thats generally the difference between the old stuff and the new stuff.

Personally, I think you'd suffer big losses of heat as wood is a good insulator, and downstairs timber floors tend to be T&G as well.

[towman]

diddyman said:

Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging!

Thats my job! Same rate as last time?

[LRdriver II]

Yes they are right in that the boards have to be COMPLETELY dry. Also the prep work is very important. Also an underfloor system runs around a constant 25-30c so not quite subject to the same temperature fluctuations as a normal radiator.

[diddyman]

towman said:

diddyman said: Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging! Thats my job! Same rate as last time?

Yes, but clean the tracks before you drive in through my French windows...

[diddyman]

LRdriver II said:

Yes they are right in that the boards have to be COMPLETELY dry. Also the prep work is very important. Also an underfloor system runs around a constant 25-30c so not quite subject to the same temperature fluctuations as a normal radiator.

This is why I was thinking of relcaimed timber. Should be all nice and dried out already.

[nel]

We have underfloor heating so I did some research on suitable coverings. In terms of wooden/parquet type finishes, only special thinner & more conductive parquets were acceptable. I finally used granite tiles instead, so no problem, but a friend is taking up his solid wood parquet because it stops the underfloor heating from doing its job. I don't think that "real" floorboards would be any better, so get professional advice.

Be aware of the downside of the underfloor heating systems - because the floor isn't cold you can't get your kids to wear slippers/shoes, the bunch of slobs. Suppose that I could try broken glass and drawing pins as a solution...

[towman]

diddyman said:

Yes, but clean the tracks before you drive in through my French windows...

OK

[plug]

The timber should not be just dry, they should have the same moisture content as the room they are being installed in that way, they will not shrink or expand to much once installed.
Last time I fitted a new oak floor we left the boards in the room with the heating on at a normal level for six weeks.

[LRdriver II]

nel said:

Be aware of the downside of the underfloor heating systems - because the floor isn't cold you can't get your kids to wear slippers/shoes, the bunch of slobs. Suppose that I could try broken glass and drawing pins as a solution...

why is that a problem? you dont wear shoes indoors anyway do you?

[Cossie.]

vixpy1 said:

diddyman said: Thanks for the advice chaps! I'll do some digging! No, get a builder in to do that

Do you know any fit ones, I want a big extension?!