Radiant Heat and Existing Parquet Floors
We recently converted two floors of our brownstone heating from oil burner to radiant heat on the recommendation of our plumber. The first floor was a gut renovation and we have not installed a new floor. The second floor where the radiant heat also exists has a 100 year old parquet floor which was recently restored. My wife was recently in a flooring store and what they told her was quite concerning about placing radiant heat under existing parquet flooring. We would like to know if anyone has experience with this. Will it damage the Parquet floor? Some of the wood putty has recently popped out of the crevices it was placed. If anyone knows anything about this please comment. Thanks
julian03
in Heating 13 years and 5 months ago
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7 replies
restorationcontractor | 13 years and 5 months ago
I have a radiant heating system installed using pex tubing, heavy guage aluminum reflectors, foil bubble wrap, and R-30 (mostly for soundproofing) etc. under the parquet flooring of my own 1926 tudor. We installed the system two years ago with with no problems. That said, we restored the floors before the radiant heat installation. All loose pieces were properly secured. Restoration involved sanding using palm sanders, and screening to both preserve the character of the floor and not reducing the thickness of the parquet. We also installed new parquet in one room and a hallway to match the existing where there was extreme water damage, and over plywood on top of my radiant slab in the basement. All repairs on the original floors were done with salvaged antique lumber we milled as required. There has been NO movement whatsoever in either the new wood or the old. Is it possible your floors were overly sanded, are too thin and move when they are walked on, or is your subflooring loose in areas? If the cracks were just filled with a solid filler, it is going to pop, radiant heat or not with the movement of your flooring. We use a softer wood filler made for wood floor applications. I have had no problems with this. Radiant heat is the best way to go and I recommend radiant heating systems to my customers where it is feasible. That said it is going to be more expensive than baseboard or freestanding radiators, and you would have to open up all your ceilings in a retrofit. As far as comfort and not having to see radiators and have them in the way it can’t be beat. I would not worry about advice given to you by a “flooring store” who would like to sell you new flooring to replace your “bad” parquet.
housepoor | 13 years and 5 months ago
For gut rehabs of brownstones, is radiant heating more energy efficient/cost effective than hot water baseboard or steam? I always thought of it as a luxury (and a nice one at that) and not necessarily very economical. Anyone have an idea of the cost per sq feet to furnish and install, either coming from below or with a new floor (in lightweight concrete or Warmboard) vs. installing new hot water baseboards/steam?
greenmountain | 13 years and 5 months ago
Please continue to tell us how this works out. If nothing happens in a year or two, I would like to know that. After 100 years, your floors may have been sanded a few times and are thinner than they were. Can you tell us about how thick your parquet is now? What is the surface temperature when the heat is on and what is the temperature directly under the floor when the heat is on? Is this a long time hot-water heating system previously used in radiators, or did you install it for the purpose of radiant heated floors? Why won’t they survive this? Heat is rising through the floors of every house, and not so evenly distributed. Floors expand and contract with changes in temperature, humidity, though the seasons. Your floors survived an original heating system (forced air?) far less even than what you probably have now and maybe with concentrations of intense heat where uninsulated pipes pass under and through. Steam pipes run under my parquet floors. The gaps and loose nails have allowed them to move with uneven expansion and contraction without buckling or cracking. I couldn’t sleep without the noise. If you lose some wood putty between the cracks, don’t replace it. Don’t firmly screw it down everywhere.
Master Plvmber | 13 years and 5 months ago
Yes, the ideal wood floor for radiant heat is quartersawn planking, but it doesn’t have to be. You’ve got to have some kind of mixing device on the supply tubes (polyethylene cross-linked, or PEX) that will limit how hot the tubes, and thus floor surface get. This can be a tempering valve, an injecton pump, a heat exchanger….there are all kinds of stuff. Where it really matters most it can get complicated, but don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done or you shouldn’t do it. It just has to be thought about or, yes, you can ruin your floors. Radiant floor heat under masonry floors is usually less of an ordeal.
julian03 | 13 years and 5 months ago
The radiant heat system was done with the pecks tubing which heats the water. The tubing was placed in the ceilings- basement ceiling and first floor ceiling to heat the two floors respectively. The second floor has the 100 year old parquet. The cavity where the tubing was placed was insulated in one inch relective foil foam board and R-19 insulation. The flooring store said special wooden floors need to be used with radiant heat- enginereed wood or quartersawn solid wood flooring. They said the radiant heat would dry out the parquet floor eventually destroying it. It would begin with cracks and gaps, warping etc. We have invested so much in those floors and we love them so we are freaking out. Any comments and help are much appreciated. I hope that was clearer.
Master Plvmber | 13 years and 5 months ago
What did they tell her at the store that has her concerned. There’s no problem putting heat under a parquet floor as long as you can control your surface temperature. Need more info.
Augustiner | 13 years and 5 months ago
I don´t quite understand;
“The second floor where the radiant heat also exists has a 100 year old parquet floor”
Which system did you use to put radiant heating under 100 year old wood floors without destroying them in the process?