Replies

1. 
   ballymore | Jun 14, 2002 11:54am | #1

   Do you mean a hardwood laminate?

2. 
   Piffin | Jun 14, 2002 04:59pm | #2

   vice engineered flooring?

   not familiar with your terminology

   I've done a few wood floors over and it can be tricky...

   Try a search here, too.

   Excellence is its own reward!
3. 
   Mongo | Jun 14, 2002 05:51pm | #3

   I'm presuming Jason is referring to an engineered 3- or 5- ply strip harwood flooring vs the more traditional 3/4" solid hardwood strip flooring.

   In a nutshell? The engineered floor (a quality one, at least) will be more stable than a solid 3/4" strip floor when applied over radiant floor heat.

   Still, both can be used. There are some woods that move more than others, you may want to discard thses from your list of possibilities...but it's all in the design. Incorporate the idea of a solid strip floor in yout radiant layout, and your radiant designer will design a system where the heat is even enough, and gentle enough, so that temperature differentials are moderate.

   Tubing not spaced to far apart...low water circulation temps...an outdoor reset...all these things will help product even heat distribution across the floor. Your goal is to avoid the opposite of the above, which can produce uneven heat distrubution, thus "heat striping" on the floor.

   While I love "real wood", over radiant I'd have to say that my first recommendation for best radiant performance would be a quality engineered, or ply-constructed strip flooring. Not a plastic laminate, but an engineered flooring with a show layer of real wood. Be careful that you get a usable layer of real wood...ne that can be screened a few times. Not one with a 1/32" thick layer of wood on the top. Plastic laminates, in my eyes, are simply a blight in the construction industry.

   I still much prefer the ability to repeatedly sand/refinish a solid 3/4" flooring over the life of the house, as well as the warmth of real wood. You can recapture some of that in a good quality ply product...as well as maintaining a bit more stability over the radiant heat.

   In the end, solid 3/4" strip can be used, and used successfully, over RFH. It needs to be a well designed layout to achive optimum performance while minimizing wood movement. If you want that "warm and fuzzy", then consider an engineered product.

1. 
   blackcloud | Jun 17, 2002 11:12am | #4

   Mongo,

   You are corrrect that I was referring to a bonded material Hardwood (engineered) vice a laminate.  I would not use the laminate in my home as I want the long life and ability to resurface the floors.  I plan on using a Budarus Boiler with a outside temp. monitor, and 1/2 pex o2 tubing. Thanks for your help.

2. 
   TurtleBoy | Apr 10, 2003 06:47am | #5

   Mongo,

   I just did a search on this topic and you seem to be right on with the information that you have provided in the post. You mentioned two things in particular that jump out at me and would like some more info If you don't mind.

   1. You said quality engineered flooring. I like what I see in Mirage for both hardwood and engineered flooring. Do you recomend Mirage, or do you know of some other companies with products of the same quality?

   2. What hardwood would you recomend as being more stable if I were to use a 3/4" material? My wife and I would like to get either maple or birch.

   Thanks for the help, Turtle boy