Radiant heat under Bamboo floor
We are renovating a house and are thinking to put in radiant heat and bamboo floors. I think this applies to any hardowwd floor, but is and “engineered” floor better to use then “solid”? I was told at iFloor that I am better off with a engineered bamboo…Anyone know better?
We are renovating a house and are thinking to put in radiant heat and bamboo floors. I think this applies to any hardowwd floor, but is and “engineered” floor better to use then “solid”? I was told at iFloor that I am better off with a engineered bamboo…Anyone know better?
I have 3.25″ red oak hardwood over hydronic radiant in 2 rooms with no problem. As someone pointed out, the target floor temp is not high – 82 degrees I think. The floor gaps are minimal and less from the temperature than the low humidity. They disappear as the humidity rises.
Here’s a link to the Radiant Panel Assoc http://www.radiantpanelassociation.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1. Lots of good info poorly arranged. If you search enough you’ll find a manual with an entire chapter on different floorings.
Dunno. The only backings I’m aware of for engineered flooring are plywood and high density fiberboard. This is what gives it its selling points for stability, which is why it’s recommended for radiant heating, basement and damp room applications.
If I didn’t have big dogs my engineered floors would be in a lot better shape. But even hard drops will leave a dent. For instance, I accidentally dropped a hammer on the floor and it left a depression. That might sound unremarkable except it was less than a one foot drop. Unlike a solid hardwood floor where you can occasionally fix a dent with a damp towel and a steam iron, this won’t work on an engineered floor.
Another problem I had with the floor (and this may be peculiar to Mannington) was something that happened to the finish. I have a hard plastic mat under my office chair. That’s saved the floor from dents but it appears that some liquid got under it — possibly Diet Pepsi from a poorly cleaned up spill. It attacked the finish leaving it dull and rough.
All in all, if I had it to do over again I’d go with solid hardwood. No question about it.
3:07, As I understand it, plywood is not the only option for the backing. There are also engineered woods with bamboo backing that are supposedly much hardier and just as efficient with radiant floor heating. Does anyone have experience with bamboo-backed engineered woods?
Slow day, Stoner?
I’m gonna say it as bluntly as I can: avoid engineered flooring. I installed a high-end Mannington engineered oak floor in the hallway and all rooms in my second floor and I’m so freakin’ sorry I did so.
Ignore the glowing praise about the 20 year finish warranty. The problem with engineered flooring isn’t the finish. It’s the underlayment — the plywood backing under the veneer layer. Like any softwood plywood it compresses so the floor dents and gouges like crazy. It took about a month before my large dogs started making the floors look shabby, especially at the top of the stairs where they do their racing turns. Meanwhile, the six year older solid oak floor at the bottom of the stairs looks fine.
My neighbor installed an engineered floor in his basement just before his daughter’s wedding reception. The next day there were divots all over the floor from womens’ high heels.
Bottom line, a solid plank floor costs about the same as an engineered floor. The only thing you buy with engineered flooring is an easier installation.
You just reminded me that I need to write an article about this for BrooklynRowHouse.
10:04,
I think I will go with the engineered…I have seen this stuff in wide planks (6 inches or so), and thisnner planks (3 1/2 inches or so). Is it correct that I am better off with the thinner planks of 3 1/2 inches?
Also, I assume I need to float the floor? But I read that I can also glue it…is that true also?
Lauren Walsh,
Quite a risky move to go with a solid maple floor over radiant heat. You could not have chosen a more unstable wood. The fact that it is only a 2 1/4 wide certainly helps prevent too much expansion and contraction but still I would be very surprised if you tell me that you do not see gaps between the boards in the winter time.
To the OP, bamboo should work okay, engineered bamboo would be more efficient and give you much less of a problem with gaps between boards.
It’s not that hardwood is “no good,” MP’s response clearly shows why engineered wood is better (more efficient.)
And probably not true about hardwood flooring being 90%, I’d say most mass produced houses have ply sub with carpet, or sheet. And radiant heating itself is not all that common.
…well what type of flooring is recommended with radiant heating then? I know probably 90% of all people I know both here in NY or out of state have hardwood…so I dont understand why there would be such a thing as radiant heating if it was no good under hard wood.