Installing Electric Floor Heating under Luxury Vinyl Tile with Self Leveling Concrete
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- This video shows the installation of electric underfloor heating for vinyl flooring. This particular project used luxury vinyl tile over electric floor heating mats embedded in self leveling concrete.
For more information, visit www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/flo...
If you've purchased TempZone Flex Roll, be sure to review the checklist before installation:
www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/pub...
One of the main reasons that electric radiant heating should be embedded in an adhesive like self leveling compound is that the heat from the wires can cause thin LVT flooring to conform around the cables. This is not only unattractive but it can also cause unnecessary wear on the cables, which in turn can eventually lead to system failure.
The heating elements used in this video are TempZone Flex rolls from WarmlyYours. These products have been our most popular method for heating a wide variety of flooring types, including tile, marble, stone and of course vinyl plank since they were launched. In fact, they make up nearly half of all our floor heating sales. Flex Rolls feature the heating cable secured to green mesh and already woven in a perfectly spaced serpentine pattern which provides a heat output of 15 watts per square foot. This also allows the installer to simply roll out the heating element and cut and turn the mesh when needed. For rooms without pillars or other obstacles that would require free forming, this is about as easy as installation can get.
If you encounter any issues while installing floor heating feel free to give us a call at 1-800-875-5285 and our 24/7 Technical Support team would be glad to help. - Наука та технологія
National ELECTRICAL Code. Good video on an important topic. The Ohm rating is the Resistance test on the meter.
Super video thx from Denmark!!!
Great video. Thanks.
The best video on UA-cam
My cats love the heated floors.
Excellent video
Great. Thank you
Great teacher
What is the best way to attach to a concrete floor vs wood subfloor?
Well Dunn follows 👌
Related to heating performance, would be nice to read some comments about the difference between using ceramic tile vs LVT.If for example the difference is not that much, of if indeed there a big diference
Hi there, for LVT there is typically a temperature limit of about 82 degrees Fahrenheit put in place by manufacturers. LVT is often made of materials that can not be heated as high as tile can without voiding the warranty by the flooring manufacturer. Tile floor can be set to the maximum temperature on floor heating thermostats, providing more warmth for the space.
Can you use this product on an existing concrete floor? If so how do you attach the mesh to the concrete before adding the self leveling concrete? thank you very much.
We typically recommend using an insulating underlayment between the concrete and the floor heating system to help make sure the concrete does not absorb the heat. The underlayment helps direct the heat upwards through the floor and ultimately saves on energy usage. This will also make it much easier to attach the floor heating system to the underlayment rather than the concrete floor which could be tricky. You can find out more here: www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/underlayment
can I install floating engineered hardwood on top of self leveling concrete instead of luxury vinyl tile
You can install almost any type of flooring on top of an SLC installation like this one, but be sure to check with the engineered wood manufacturer if there would be any other insulation or barriers needed to help protect the floor. You can also opt for our floating Environ floor heating system which goes directly underneath floating wood floors. You can learn more here: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/floating-hardwood
I'm thinking about placing this in my master bath, there is (1) 10 amp circuit, will I need to make a separate run for the flooring?
We recommend that the floor heating be on a dedicated line/breaker. That breaker will need to be sized accordingly depending on the size of the bathroom. Please feel free to reach out to us if you need any help (800) 875 5285 or at info@warmlyyours.com
Thank you for your great video. One question: How long do I have to wait for the floor to dry before putting vinyl tiles, please? Many thanks.
That would completely depend on the instructions listed on the self-leveling cement bag that you use for the installation. Always go with manufacturer instructions when it comes to cure time.
I'm assuming the 240V system uses less amps than the 120V?
Is this system viable and affordable as a primary heat source?
Yes Austin, 240V would use less amps with Amps = Watts/Voltage. These systems are definitely viable as a primary heat source, depending on the space it is installed in. We have an online calculator to help you determine this here: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/heatloss-calculator Thanks for watching!
Excellent video. I clicked through and found the dealer near us. Since my folks did this project on their house, their heating bills went down and the basement is the most comfortable place to be. Walking around barefoot in the winter now.
I'm most interested to know how, if you don't need to install heating element throughout the whole floor - for example, our laundry room, storage rooms, utilties area, or areas where there is no traffic like the perimeter of a room - how well does the self-leveling cement actually work? And do you need to install underlayment on top of the entire slab, or just where the heating element will be? The underlayment will add significant cost to our project since we have about 1,100 sf basement.
Hi Joe,
I checked with our tech team and they advised the following:
The surface needs to be leveled before tile installation. Either it's even layer of CeraZorb (our synthetic cork underlayment) or self-leveling in the spots without CZ. You may need to compare what will be more cost effective for you to cover all with CZ or spot-fill with more SLC.
An alternative option would be to have CZ under the floor heated areas, and some cheaper but same thickness underlayment for rest of the areas to stay at the same thickness.
If you need any more help, please feel free to give us a call at . (800) 875 - 5285. Our tech support team is available 24/7!
Thanks for watching!
Builder sweeped up the concrete floor and fixed 6mm insulation boards with screws and washers 300mm apart but did not primer the floor. Is this fine? Is primer necessary?
If this is regarding an installation you recently had done with floor heating, I'd recommend giving our tech support team a call so that they can get more details and better assist you. You can reach them 24/7 at (800) 875 -5285
Depends on the brand of leveler, some have a built in primer. Some just use the additive as a primer. As long as your floor was clean and was able to get a mechanics bond with the leveler it should be fine.
you can have the hot wires touching the wood subfloor? shouldn't there be a layer of protection there like concrete board?
Most of the heat will dissipate down too
I'll only have heating mat in half of the room. What can I use to level the high on the other half without using self leveling. I'm going to use laminate floor.
while the floor heating system does add minimal height to the floor, there will be a slight difference between the two areas. For laminate, you could use our floating floor system (environ) if you were using it throughout. If you plan to only have it in part of the room, you would need to install it as seen in this video and you would have to use self-leveling cement to help make sure the top layer is completely level before installing flooring.
Hi a very helpful video thank you. I just wondered why no moisture barrier was used. Is it not recommended with underfloor heating or did the vinyl planking have foam backing?
Hi Meater, No moisture barrier was installed because the installation was on the second floor above a conditioned space. Thanks for watching!
@@Warmlyyours so if i want to put lvt on floor in ground floor (beneath is concrete and soil) i need moisture barrier?
Also, manufacturers here in eu they say it is not allowed to put lvt on top of floor heating. Is this some kind of special lvt or...? Is there restriction on highest temperature?
I was planing to do same as you did in this video but everybody is telling not to do it
If it's a concrete subfloor, you would at least need an insulating barrier to help direct the heat up through the floor rather than down into the concrete. We typically recommend our CeraZorb synthetic cork which is adhered to the concrete before the heating system is attached and the SLC poured.
As for restrictions in the EU, we would recommend going off of the information that is provided by the flooring manufacturer. They will have restrictions listed for floor heating, in most cases the temperature does need to be kept around 82 F and cannot go past a certain threshold which can be programmed into the thermostat. For more info on LVT with floor heating, read more here: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/luxury-vinyl-tiles
Hope that answers your questions!
How do you fix the heating wires if they malfunction? Do you need to cut the concrete? How often do they brake? What is your experience?
If the wire ever malfunctions, we rent out tools that can help you identify what may be causing the issue. If it is due to a broken cable, then a portion of the floor will need to be excavated, along with the cement. You can then make a localized splice repair after removing the damaged portion of cable. Then the patch is covered up with more self-leveling and a section of flooring.
In our experience these systems have never been naturally defective, it is usually as a result of a faulty installation or damage during installation to the heating cable.
The repair can be made by a licensed electrician or by one of our technical support specialists. You can learn more about this process here: www.warmlyyours.com/services/troubleshooting
Great video thank you! Can vinyl flooring planks with cork backing be used with radiant floor heating?
Hi Derek, This will completely depend on the backing's r-value. This value determines how much insulation it provides for the floor. If this layer is well insulated and sites between the floor heating and the vinyl floor, it will prevent the heat from getting through to warm the floor. For best results, we'd recommend using flooring without the backing so the heat can properly travel up through the floor and continue to be energy efficient. Thanks for watching!
@@Warmlyyours that makes sense, hmmm what about a vapour barrier? I've read different things on this on the Internet about this, some articles recommend a vapour barrier when installing on concrete but I question this due to potential moisture coming out for the concrete. Would you recommend using a vapor barrier with radiant floor heating and vinyl? Or does it make more sense to install directly into concrete, with no VB?
If you're installing ON concrete, we usually recommend an insulating underlayment like our cork or cerazorb. I believe for concrete subfloor and installing LVT on top, you'd use cerazorb which is a synthetic cork. It is resistant to mold and mildew, making it ideal for these types of high moisture areas. Since LVT is almost always installed with SLC, it will be a layer of concrete subfloor > thinset > cerazorb > tempzone flex roll or tempzone cable heating system > Self-leveling cement > lvt flooring. I haven't come across projects that use a VB with this set up.
If you do want to do IN concrete, we also offer slab heating systems that help take the chill out of polished concrete flooring.
Hope this helps!
@@Warmlyyours thanks, that's very helpful, much appreciated.
Great and educational video, however it does not seem that the house you work on is the same that as shown as finish as the wood finish around the house has changed from brown to white?
Self leveling floor did not look leveled.
It is in fact the same house - the room was painted and updated after the flooring was installed. While SLC does need to be spread around for best results, it will level off pretty well if mixed properly. We know the installer of the system/flooring as well as the homeowner and neither reported any issues with getting the SLC level. You may just be seeing it before it is completely level and cured in the video.
Thank you for this cool video, can I ask what was the total costs including heating, flooring?
We don't have a breakdown of costs up on our website for this specific project, but we do have it for another LVT project that was done shortly afterwards. You can review it here: www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/basement-luxury-vinyl-tile Total costs are at the very bottom. Thanks for watching!
Hey, i have this question, is it necessary to put that self leveling cement before putting down the plank, etc?! Or can u just put down the temp zone system down and then the plank?!! Please respond!! 💯💯💯
Hi Jose, Yes you do need to put the self leveling down whenever you are using our TempZone system with a non-tile floor. LVT is not rigid enough to be paired with our floating floor heating system, so it must be installed over an embedded system. The flooring manufacturer will often have their own requirements that match ours to make sure the warranty is covered for both products when installed correctly.
So you installed Quickset Concrete Leveler ($32) yet you showed a bag of Custom Levelquick RS ($28) in your ending comments. Do you use both? Is the Quickset product perform better for you? Also since this is cement is there an issue with flex in the floor? Good video. Thank you.
We grabbed a stock photo of a bag of self leveling when editing the video for instructional purposes, but the installer used Rapid Set. Any high quality self leveler should work fine as long as you follow the installation instructions. The issues with flex in the floor should not affect LVT since it is not as rigid as tile. Thanks for watching!
Odd that the left the baseboards and then caulked them. What happens when you need to pull them up and you pooped self leveled down?
Every pro has their own way of installing things. This one chose to leave the baseboards to act as a kind of dam for the SLC and then corner cut it out later. As long as the floor heating step is installed correctly, the baseboards can be removed or left depending on the installers preference. Thanks for watching!
Can you put heat reflecting layers under the wire?
CeraZorb (synthetic cork) or Cork are rated as underlayments for floor heating. Reflective products (bubbles, aluminum foil, etc.) usually are not rated as floor underlayments and should be avoided.
Thanks for the video. If I'm not mistaken the Levelquick requires wire mesh when used over a wood floor. I noticed you didn't use that. Is there a reason why? Thanks
Electric heating wires cannot come in contact with metal lath according to the National Electric Code. We have had excellent results in the past with a 3/8" layer of SLC over a structurally sound subfloor, and we have never seen a product failure caused by the lath not being present.
Can you install the temp zone mat on top of basement cement floor? is it recommended or not. Thanks
You can but you will need an insulating layer between the tempzone and the concrete subfloor. We typically recommend CeraZorb synthetic cork which helps in high-moisture areas like basements to mitigate mold/mildew issues. The insulating layer will prevent the heat from sinking into the concrete and helps direct it up through the floor instead. You can learn more about where tempzone can be used here: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating
I am doing s renovation on a home that already has radiant heat floor with tiles.
Can I install vinyl tongue and groove flooring on top of the tiles without having molding issues or tremendously decreasing the efficiency of the heating system??
Would you be installing the vinyl over the tiles as a "floating floor" essentially? Or is it adhered at all? Are you modifying the tile floor in any way? Also be sure to check if the vinyl manufacturer has specific instructions for installing over existing floors.
@@Warmlyyours I don't plan on altering the tiles in any way. And yes. I plan to simply lay the vinyl planks on top of the tiles maybe after laying padding...
Would that be ok? How will it affect the heating? Will mold be an issue between the tiles and the vinyl planks??
The layer of padding may be an issue. In some cases, padding has some aspect of insulation - this could prevent the heat from transferring up through the vinyl flooring. I don't think mold would be an issue, but it does depend on the material the padding is made of - usually synthetic materials are good with preventing mold.
Another thing to keep in mind is most floor heating has a recommended distance from top of floor/surface to the cables. You'd need to know how thick the tile is, the layer of thinset beneath that and then add the padding and the thickness of the vinyl floor. Compare this measurement to what the floor heating manufacturer AND the vinyl floor manufacturer recommends.
If you still have questions, feel free to give us a call and our tech team can try to help you figure out what the best type of install would be. 24/7 availability for all tech calls - (800) 875 5285 .
Please note, we handle electric floor heating, if it is hydronic, I'd recommend trying to find the manufacturer and giving them a call.
@@Warmlyyours Thank you so very much! I appreciate you!
How would you secure the heat mat over concrete with self leveling compound over the mat? I'm thinking liquid nails.
So you have a few options for securing the mat: staple gun on mesh only or a hot glue gun to help affix it to the wood subfloor. It's best to install the mat, cable side down so that the mesh will keep everything in place when pouring the SLC. Thanks for watching!
@@Warmlyyours He's asking how to secure the mat to a concrete floor, not wood. Staples would not work. Some adhesive like liquid nails seems to be the way to go but I'm curious what the pros think.
Our advice would still apply since the system should never be directly installed on top of concrete as a subfloor. Concrete is a heat sink and the floor heating system will not work as efficiently if there is no insulating layer between it and the concrete. We recommend cork or cerazorb (dependent on flooring material). Cerazorb is often adhered using thinset and once cured, the floor heating roll or cable can be attached to that layer. Once everything is secured, the self-leveling cement would be poured over it.
@@Warmlyyours So you would have the concrete, then add wood subfloor, then the mesh, embed in SLC, then the floating floor?
No it would be the concrete subfloor, thinset, cerazorb, then the heating system attached to the cerazorb. It's important that the cable is face down and the mesh is well secured to the synthetic cork (cerazorb) so that when you then pour the self-leveling cement, nothing floats up to the surface. Once that is cured. You can install LVT or almost any flooring type directly on top. No need for adding wood subfloor!
can this be done directly on concrete
It could be but we typically recommend using an insulating underlayment between the concrete and the floor heating system to help make sure the concrete does not absorb the heat. The underlayment helps direct the heat upwards through the floor and ultimately saves on energy usage. You can find out more here: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/underlayment
How far should staples be. Every foot or so?
Yes, every foot or so should be enough, as long as the staples are put in the mesh only, not the cable.
Nice video. But that flat self leveled floor does not look very flat at all ;]
Love comments from people who have never used a particular product. It’s called self leveling and not self flattening. Once poured you will always have minor inconsistencies. The holes that you see are most likely not enough product used in that area but trust me the floor will float right over it. You can also go back and pour just a little bit more product or some floor patch into those areas once the floor has dried. 👍🏽 job
How do you prevent the self leveler from cracking over the playwood subfloor from the house settling and winter/summer cycles.
That would up to the manufacturer of the self-leveling you use. Typically primer is recommended so it can better bond to the subfloor or the room.
I am wondering about this too, only on a tiny camper. It's a very small space that needs to be heated without an open flame and heating the floor is the most efficient way to do it, but it will be flexing alot during travel.
For something mobile, we usually recommend Environ Floor Heating is possible. It is not as rigid and can be installed under a floating floor like laminate or carpet (in the US.) We have plenty of tiny homes that have used this system for their first floor and it has held up well!
Can you put carpet tiles over that?
If the carpet tiles are rated for floor heating and have minimal insulation layer on the bottom, then they should work on top of the heated SLC layer. Thanks for watching!
The heating mats I work with all that tape the white lines going through the mats all of that is meant to be removed
The tape helps keep the cable affixed to the fiberglass mesh, so it actually should not be removed in most cases. Our product can be laid out as is or the mesh/white tape can be cute to freeform the cable. Hope that helps!
How do I install on basement concrete floors?
For concrete slab in a basement, you'll need to use an insulating underlayment to prevent the heat from the floor heating system from getting absorbed into the concrete. Concrete being so naturally cold, it saps the heat energy whenever possible. We recommend using cork or synthetic cork underlayment: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/underlayment
Once that layer is down, you can then install the floor heating system according to the type of floor being used.
We have more info here on our floor heating for basements page: www.warmlyyours.com/floor-heating/basement
Thanks for watching!
@@Warmlyyours Thank you so much for responding. Much appreciated.
My issue is that the baseboard wasn’t removed prior to the leveling cement, and therefore cemented in place. Not the greatest idea. 🤷🏽♀️
Every pro has their own way of installing things. This one chose to leave the baseboards to act as a kind of dam for the SLC and then corner cut it out later. As long as the floor heating step is installed correctly, the baseboards can be removed or left depending on the installers preference. Thanks for watching!
how to get this in indonesia
You put heat cable directly onto wood?
Yes, with a wood subfloor you do not need to put anything underneath the floor heating cable since its getting embedded in self leveling cement.
@@Warmlyyours ok, the whole idea of using this was that I already have a concrete floor. How to I imbed the sensor into concrete that already exists?
If you have a concrete instead of wood subfloor, you would be using an insulating layer first, like synthetic cork (cerazorb) and that is where the sensor gets embedded, not the concrete. If you need more info, I'd recommend calling our customer service team who can answer more specific questions: 800 875 5285
@@Warmlyyours thanks. It seems all the sellers recommend not to put a layer down underneath but I’ll call you guys and find out! I know that some vinyl flooring comes with a cork back side already but others do not
Awesome. Can you just put tile adhesive (for tiling) instead of self levelling concrete?
If installing tile, yes you can use thinset. For LVT we recommend self-leveling since it helps make sure the surface is as flat as possible with such a flexible flooring type. You can learn more about installing our systems with tile here:
www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/tile-marble-or-stone
Thanks for watching!
You can put any type of floor, except ones that nail through the electric wires!
Hi Tim, you actually can install our floor heating system with nailed-down floors. The only trick is to use wooden sleepers that act as the anchor for the flooring, while the cable can loop around the sleepers. The whole thing is covered with an even layer of self-leveling cement before the flooring is installed. Here is a video showing how this is done: www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/video-media/how-to-install-tempzone-cable-under-hardwood
Aaaaaand after installing(or after 5 years) one of the heated elements has a problem. Oopsie!
It's actually very easy to fix these systems without tearing up the whole floor. With the right tools, you can spot the area that may have damage and simply do a splice repair once you've removed a single tile or board. This is also something we're offering now as a service and guarantee a warranty on the repair itself. You can learn more about it here: www.warmlyyours.com/services/troubleshooting
Thanks for watching!
That's a really hard floor....
You put concrete over plywood??? This does not compute for me. How is this possible?
So what you see in the video is self-leveling cement. This is commonly used in floor heating installations for less-rigid flooring like LVT. The plywood is sealed with a primer, floor heating system attached to plywood and then the SLC is poured over to create an even solid layer. Once it's cured the flooring can be installed as usual and the floor heating system turned on.
@@Warmlyyours What prevents the concrete from cracking underneath?
This is possible because we sealed the holes in the subfloor and used primer for the self leveling cement. This is a very common practice in the construction industry. Really, if the SLC does happen to crack (which it won't if the subfloor is adequate and the SLC is mixed and applied correctly), there's nothing to worry about, the flooring is vinyl, not tile. No one will never know if the SLC cracks or not, since it is covered with Luxury Vinyl Tile.
I am considering going this route when I renovate my bathroom, rather than doing regular tile. I hadn't realized that you could put anything other than regular tile down over a heated floor. One comment on video: you should make it clear that you are cutting the fabric mat ONLY and not the heating wire. The video makes it look an awful lot like you are cutting all the way across.
We do make it very clear that the cable should not be cut if you look at the text on screen at 3:34 and watch the full video. There is a warning in the install manual as well as in all our videos that it is only the mesh that should be cut and not the cable.
@@Warmlyyours I didn't catch the text, but I was also more listening to the video than watching (I apparently suck at multitasking). I knew it would be in the instructions as well.
Why is self leveler required? Please be as specific as possible. Thank you
Most LVT/LVP floors are flexible/can mold to what's beneath them over time since they're essentially a vinyl product. Because of this they cannot be installed like laminate or floating wood floors would be - hence they must be paired with our TempZone floor heating system and be embedded in self-leveling cement. The SLC ensures a smooth level surface so the flooring will stay consistent over the years. Hope that answers your question!
@@Warmlyyours I think it basically does and I appreciate the answer. Just to make sure I have it correct…..IF you did install LVP directly on top of the rolled out mat you would ultimately feel and maybe even see the ridges. Is this correct?
Lastly, if that is the case, would use of rigid floor prevent that? The reason I ask is that I am considering a unique stone composite core plank product for flooring…..curious on your opinion. Thanks again for answering.
Yes that is correct to your first part of the response above. Any LVP/LVT will settle over time eventually and it can not only mold to the system beneath it but it could put pressure on the cable and possibly cause issues for it working properly. Even when we recommend a floating system with floating floors that are solid, like laminate, we still add an underlayment (like cork) that helps cushion the system for this reason.
If you don't want to do an embedded system, you can use laminate or floating engineered/natural hardwood with our Environ system. You can learn more about it here: www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/laminate
Stone composite core flooring is usually still a mix of materials that may require an embedded system beneath it. It also is just our recommendation you start with, but it will ultimately be up to the flooring manufacturer since they have their own warranty - so always go off their advice when possible. Our tech team can even talk to them if you need us to help dive into the details of what would be best for this specific case.
@@Warmlyyours Awesome! Thank you!
why didn't you remover that base before you did this? It's ugly.
Every installer has their way of doing things! This one preferred to keep the baseboards to help act as a dam for the self-leveling cement.
Vinyl is not luxury
lol… TRUE