How To Lay The Infrared Floor Heating Film Under The Laminate

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Necessary materials
• Temperature limits
• Planning
• Power calculation
• Preparatory work
• Laying the film floor
• Laminate Flooring Tips

Laminate can be installed on any floor heating option. But to achieve the highest efficiency of the heating system, it is necessary to choose the most demanded and optimal one. It is here that an infrared warm floor occupies a leading position. In this case, the heating of the base of the floor is carried out evenly, and the installation itself can be done very quickly and efficiently on our own. In most cases, the choice falls on film floors, since they do not have any negative impact on human health. It is worth noting that here you just need to know how to correctly and according to the instructions to install the infrared floor under the laminate.

Necessary materials

To work with the underfloor heating system and the subsequent laying of a laminate on it, you should stock up on materials and equipment that will allow you to lay the entire "pie" efficiently and quickly.

Directly for an infrared heated floor, it is best to purchase a whole set of all components, where everything will be there to the smallest detail. It includes the heating film itself, a special adhesive tape with a bitumen base, clips for connecting elements, thermostats in the required quantity and temperature sensors. According to the instructions, all this is cut, divided, connected to each other. The main thing is to look at the consecutive points and not deviate from the technology of installing and installing floors under the laminate.

Under the heating elements, a flooring of thermal insulation material should be made. Also useful in work and plastic film, which plays the role of waterproofing. Depending on the volume of work carried out and the operating conditions of the infrared underfloor heating under the laminate, contactors can also be used.

As for the tools, the set is very simple: a screwdriver, pliers, wire cutters, knife, hammer, tester, etc. A specialized tool can also be used, for example, for clamping the contacts of an infrared film floor under a laminate.

Temperature limits

Any floor covering can only withstand certain temperature peaks. For a classic laminate, a temperature of 25-26 degrees will be acceptable. This is due to the fact that the maximum limits are 27 degrees. From this it follows that certain requirements are imposed on the thermostat, which sets the temperature depending on the temperature sensor. In this case, the sensor itself is not located on the surface of the room, but under the floor covering. So there must be certain restrictions on the thermostat, according to the attached table.

There may be rooms with poor thermal insulation. Achieving a comfortable temperature may not always work. But there are requirements for it. For intermediate floors in a building without an installed heat insulator, in the presence of a 15 mm thick wooden covering, the temperature of the floor covering in relation to the room temperature should not be more than 6 degrees.

This all suggests that if it is necessary to achieve a comfortable temperature in the room for the intermediate floor (between heated ones) and without a thermal insulation layer, a heater power of 80-100 W per square meter will be sufficient to end up with a floor temperature of 26 degrees.

It can use a heat insulator 20 mm thick. In this case, the difference in air temperature and coating can reach up to 8 degrees. This causes an additional reduction in the cost of heating the air inside the room.

Planning

Before installing the film floor under the laminate, you should draw up a diagram on a sheet of paper according to which the heating elements will be laid. If infrared underfloor heating is used as the main source of heat in the room, then the film should cover the subfloor within 65 to 85 percent of the total area. This should not include areas with built-in furniture, bulky objects, since the heat will not warm up the air, but will return back. This will lead to overheating of a separate area of the infrared film underfloor heating under the laminate.

The infrared floor under the laminate can also be used as an additional (comfortable) heat source. Then it will be enough that it covers about 40% of the entire area of the room. Between the heating elements and the wall in the room, an indent should be made within the range of 10 to 30 cm.

But a gap between the laid heating strips of more than 40-50 mm must not be allowed. This will create cold spots on the floor.

When drawing up a plan, it is worth considering the factor that the film should not overlap each other. Only the flooring of the area that does not have a heating element is allowed according to the instructions.

Depending on the manufacturer and the choice of a specific version of the infrared floor under the laminate, the length of the sections will also differ. They can be cut at random for efficient distribution over the sub floor.

Power calculation

Another important step when laying an infrared warm floor under a laminate is calculating the power of the heater, calculating the required number of thermostats, and also checking the electrical cable in the apartment. The latter does not always meet all the requirements for a floor heating system.

The permissible current will also differ from the cable used (cross-section and material). The larger the cross-section of the electric wire, the higher the maximum current level. It is best if copper cables are arranged under the underfloor heating system, which is reflected in the table.

Preparatory work

This includes the stage of preparing the base for the subsequent laying of an infrared warm floor. It must be smooth and free from defects. This will help the initial rough screed (in the presence of serious surface errors), as well as the finishing pouring from self-leveling mixtures.

In some cases, it will be sufficient to prepare the mixture and distribute it in thin layers to reduce floor level differences.

As soon as the filling layer is completely dry, you can proceed to the device of two very important layers - heat and waterproofing. However, waterproofing is not always carried out. It is necessary only when installing an infrared floor under a laminate in rooms located on the ground floors, as well as above damp rooms, which include the basement.

As thermal insulation, you can choose roll materials (Izolon) with a thickness of 3 mm for an infrared heated floor. They are highly efficient, which saves energy during the operation of the heating system. If you make a high-quality thermal insulation layer, then you will not have to waste energy and heat to warm up the ceiling of the neighbors from below or the basement.

There is a reflective film on one side of the substrate. It is she who serves to direct heat into the room, and not somewhere like that. Additional properties of the material for thermal insulation are resistance to moisture absorption, which to some extent can also be used as waterproofing.

Laying the film floor

The infrared underfloor heating film should be cut and laid according to a previously prepared plan (scheme). As soon as it is ready, you can distribute it over the surface, and then fix it with adhesive tape (scotch tape). The foil must be placed on the thermal insulation.

There are certain requirements that prohibit certain actions when installing heating elements. The film should not be attached around its entire perimeter. It is enough to choose only a few places, and for gluing, choose an adhesive tape with two sticky sides.

As for the heat insulator, it should not have a foil base. Installation of infrared underfloor heating under the laminate should be carried out with copper tapes that conduct current to the heat insulator. Heating elements should be laid along the entire length of the room. There will be fewer wires and connections if the length of the film reaches the maximum. At the same time, distributors of warm floors should take into account the maximum length of one piece of film. According to the plan, it is best to arrange the wire connection points close to the walls, or ideally - under or near the baseboard.

Also, all sensors of the warm floor are connected to the mains. Before installing laminate flooring, the heating system should be checked to ensure that it does not dismantle the flooring in the future. It will not be superfluous to measure with a system ohm tester.

Before installing the laminate, a layer of waterproofing in the form of a polyethylene film should be laid on top of the infrared underfloor heating. The overlap of each subsequent row should be 30-40 cm. The joints are glued together with adhesive tape.

Laminate Flooring Tips

If the work is carried out with film warm floors arranged under the laminate, then you should pay attention to certain subtleties that will be very important:

• If the room has a high level of humidity, then it is best to refuse not only the infrared flooring laminate, but also the laminate flooring.

• The maximum length of the underfloor heating film is 15 meters.

  

• The fixation of the film material cannot be carried out using fasteners such as screws or nails.
• The heating system must be grounded without fail.
• Do not bend the underfloor heating film at an angle of 90 degrees in an area with a length of less than 50 mm.
• An infrared warm floor cannot be installed near other heating systems (radiators, stoves, fireplaces).
• It is forbidden to carry out installation at negative temperatures in the room.
• There shouldn't be any amateur performances. This applies more to the punching of holes in the film.

Installation of laminate on a warm infrared floor can be done in different ways, depending on the location of the flooring panels. The simplest and least costly in terms of material can be considered options for the parallel and perpendicular arrangement of the panels, relative to the entrance door and the windows located in the room. Particular attention is paid to the diagonal arrangement of the laminate, since there are significant differences - the beginning of work is carried out from the central part of the room to the walls, the consumption of panels increases in comparison with other methods.

In some cases, it is possible not to purchase separate laminate and floor heating components, as there is a two-in-one system. Individual manufacturers have decided to go ahead and create a homogeneous structure that can be immediately applied to the subfloor and thermal insulation layer. It takes much less time, and efficiency only increases. The article was written specifically for

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