Features Of Flooring Tiles In The Bathroom On The "warm" Floor System

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

Kit formation
Water heated floor
Infrared version
Features of electric underfloor heating
Installing a thermostat
Foundation preparation
Installation of an insulating layer
Heating cable installation
Installing the temperature sensor
Finishing with tiles

Any room should be comfortable for living. But to a greater extent this applies to the bathroom, when, after a warm shower, you want to step on the heated floor. To achieve this, you should make a high-quality warm floor under the tiles with your own hands. Otherwise, the tiles will be very cold. In addition, there are several options for underfloor heating for heating tiles, each of which has its own characteristics.

Kit formation

Until the moment you mount the warm floor in the bathroom under the tiles, you should prepare a set of materials, which is a set. It is formed from the main elements:

Cable (single-core or two-core). Moreover, this is not an ordinary electric cable, but a special heating cable.
Mounting tape.
Thermostat and temperature sensor.
Corrugated plastic pipe.
Heat insulating material.

In order not to search for each of the elements separately in the store, you can purchase a ready-made set for installing a warm floor under the tiles in the bathroom. This will be the best option, which is slightly lower in cost than purchasing each component of the set.

Water heated floor

Each type of underfloor heating has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as installation features. For this reason, it is worth paying attention to a specific option, choosing the best one. To begin with, you should stop at the water-heated floor. It has significant differences, for example, from the electrical counterpart. When it comes to the bathroom, then such a warm floor is most recommended to be arranged in country houses.

It is worth noting that a water-heated floor for a bathroom is a waste of money due to the fact that there is a need to connect the system to central heating. Some will think that everything is quite the opposite and the installation process does not take much time.

After all, you just need to connect a pipe of a certain diameter for the full functioning of the system. The diameter of the pipe will depend on the area of the room, represented in the form of a spiral or a snake. Hot water will flow through this pipe subsequently after installation.

This all indicates that the water can flow through the pipe, it should be built into the source. Not everyone can do everything efficiently. It is best to immediately seek help from a specialist. There are still more advantages to a water-heated floor than disadvantages. First of all, this concerns environmental friendliness, in comparison with other options for underfloor heating in the bathroom under the tiles. This also speaks of perfect safety for the health of a person inside the premises. There will be no harmful radiation during the entire service life.

They also highlight such advantages of underfloor heating, such as cost-effectiveness during installation, as well as when using it in everyday life. Energy will only be saved during operation. In the bathroom, the stay will be comfortable for everyone, as you will get warm floor tiles. In addition, you can independently set the temperature level, depending on your needs. It can be increased or decreased depending on the conditions in the room.

We must not forget that there are also disadvantages of underfloor heating that you should pay attention to. The main thing is the possibility of leakage of laid pipes in the bathroom. Elimination takes a long time and money.

For the underfloor heating to work, a water pump must be available in the bathroom, especially if pressure drops. When installed, the pressure will be normalized and maintained at the required level.

The quality of the system will completely depend on the condition of the water. If it contains a large amount of harmful substances and impurities, then the pipes will fail in a short time and will require repair. Not only repairs, but the installation of the system itself is very laborious.

Infrared version

Not so long ago, there was a method of installing a warm floor in a bathroom using infrared rays. It can also be called a modern version. The essence of the underfloor heating system is that infrared rays begin to appear after an electric current passes through special elements.

The used option of underfloor heating in the bathroom under the tiles is advantageous. It does not require special financial investments. In addition, the plate is heated almost instantly after switching on. In addition to the bathroom, it is perfect for children.

The installation process does not require much effort. The system can be arranged under any type of floor covering, including ceramic tiles. If there is a desire to independently carry out the installation of a system of such a warm floor, then you should only remember the sequence of actions:

Dismantle the old floor covering, if any.
Elimination of irregularities, even minor ones on the floor surface.
Laying of heat-emitting elements. This stage is also associated with checking the performance of the entire system.
If everything works fine and warms up normally, then you can arrange a floor screed or simply cover it with a protective film. Until the concrete is completely dry, infrared rays cannot be used.
Install ceramic tiles or other bathroom flooring.

Features of electric underfloor heating

The most popular is the electric underfloor heating for the arrangement in the bathroom under flooring such as tiles. It is on it that it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail and consider in detail all the stages of the installation. This will help to get an answer to the question of how to put a warm floor under the tiles.

The peculiarity of the electrical system lies in the fact that it is usually arranged in rooms that are small in area, to which the bathroom belongs. Some will think that electricity in rooms with high humidity can only bring negative and danger to the person himself. But this is all completely different. The warm floor is distinguished by increased safety, since water instantly evaporates, and with a large amount of it, it does not penetrate inside due to a well-arranged waterproofing layer. You can divide this version of the underfloor heating device into two subspecies:

From thermomats. They are placed in a layer of tile adhesive. The floor height will therefore remain pristine, without major deviations.
With cables. Also fits under the arranged floor screed. There is only one wire here, which distinguishes it from thermomats. This cable can be selected with one or two conductors.

Tile for warm floor in the bathroom

Installation requires some experience on how to properly lay a warm floor under the tiles. Otherwise, you will have to seek help from masters who are able to do everything on a turnkey basis. Installation of an electric underfloor heating includes sequential steps, which will be discussed below.

Installing a thermostat

The initial action to be taken is to install a thermostat. It is also called a thermostat otherwise. This element is considered very important, as it contributes to the automatic regulation of the heating level of the warm floor. If necessary, you can purchase a programmable analogue, where information about the maximum heating level, as well as the period of turning on and off the electricity, is entered.

The thermostat also includes a temperature sensor. From it, information is transmitted to the thermostat. There is a limit for underfloor heating, above which the system does not allow an increase in temperature. The thermostat is switched on again after the floor has cooled to a certain temperature.

Usually, the installation of this element is carried out in the same room with the heated floor being arranged. But if we are talking about a bathroom or other room with a high level of humidity, then the thermostat is mounted in an adjacent room. This will not create failures and problems in the operation of the automation.

To install the thermostat, first knock out a hole in the wall. The device box will be placed in it. This is usually arranged at a height of up to 1 meter from floor level. From the hole, grooves are made to the floor using any possible tools (chisels, hammer, grinder). They contain the power cable, as well as the temperature sensor wires. They are placed in special tubes.

Foundation preparation

Once the thermostat is installed, you can almost forget about the "dirty" work. Therefore, you will have to clean the room from foreign debris and dust. There should be no differences in height and cracks in the base. Otherwise, repair work should be carried out using a cement-sand mortar. The self-leveling mixture acts as an analogue.

After creating a flat base, priming is done with a roller. All subsequent actions can be started only after complete drying of not only the solution, but also the layer or layers of the primer.

Installation of an insulating layer

We must not forget about the thermal insulation layer. If this is not done, then all the heat from the cable or mat will be directed, including the lower floors or basements. There will definitely not be any result and effect from the work of the system. Energy will be consumed significantly, which will lead to high financial costs.

The thickness of the insulation is usually 2 cm. You can choose a specific option and material for work yourself or ask for help from specialists. The main ones are polystyrene, cork material, foil elements, penofol and others.

Heating cable installation

The beginning of all work on laying the cable for the underfloor heating system - from a strobe with a thermostat. An assembly tape is attached to the sheets of the heat-insulating layer, with which the cable being arranged is subsequently fixed. The fastening step is usually 50 cm. This will be enough for reliability. You should choose the option of laying the cable - "snail" or zigzag.

The cable is laid over the entire area of the bathroom. The only exceptions are the locations of plumbing equipment, as well as places directly at the walls of the room.

There are certain rules that should be followed when laying the cable, so that later there will be no questions about how to put the tiles on the warm floor.

The cable turns are spaced at least 60 mm apart. A discrepancy over the entire area between each turn of 10 mm is allowed.
A distance of 100 mm from the walls must be maintained to the cable.
There should be a distance of 200 mm to pipes or existing heating devices.
There is also a bending radius of each cable turn established by the norms, which should be more than 5-6 sizes of the diameter of the heating cable itself.

Tile for warm floor in the bathroom

Installing the temperature sensor

A temperature sensor is placed in the corrugated pipe between the laid coils of the cable. The pipe is usually made of plastic. To prevent the solution from getting into the sensor while pouring the floor screed, a special plug is attached at the location of the hole for the tube. From the sensor, the wires go to the thermostat through previously made strobes. After that, you can start sealing the strobe with plaster or putty.

As for the floor itself after installing a warm system, then you should choose a high-quality solution for work. It is worth deciding in advance what to fill in the warm floor under the tiles. After all, there are a huge number of options.

When all the points are completed and the technology is followed in full, it is worth checking whether the system is working correctly with heat transfer efficiency. To begin with, a system test is carried out to determine possible damage to the heating sections, the thermostat itself, together with the sensor. All that remains is to fill in the screed for the subsequent laying of ceramic tiles in the bathroom. But it's worth considering which tile is warmer on the floor. You can find the answer to this question on your own or consult with specialists.

Finishing with tiles

When installing tiles as a finishing layer in the bathroom floor, you should remember about its features when combined with a working floor heating system.

The tile can be installed on a concrete floor, which is covered with an electric floor heating cable or other system component. It can be called a classic version. But the process of installing the entire floor takes a long time due to the long drying time of the solution, as well as the drying of the laid tiles. Until this moment, the inclusion of the underfloor heating system should not be carried out in order to exclude premature drying out and damage to the areas.

The terms of work will be shortened when installing an infrared heated floor, which is placed in a special protective film. At the same time, you will not have to do any screed on the top. It is impossible to fix the tiles directly on the foil, as the structure of the entire system can be damaged due to the glue. A drywall sheet, cement-bonded particle board or glass-magnesite sheet is usually used under the tiles. The last two options will only reduce the distance from the floor to the ceiling in the bathroom.

If a warm floor is made of electric mats, then the installation of ceramic tiles is carried out immediately on it. The manufacturer only receives requirements for the rules for installing tiles. In the process of performing the work, special mixtures and adhesives must be used, suitable for working with warm floors. If you buy ordinary tile glue, then from constant heating and cooling it will lose its properties and qualities, and will begin to collapse.

Special glue contains plasticizers, or can be based on epoxy resins. It is best to entrust this process to a professional who has experience with the underfloor heating system in the bathroom under the tiles.