To date, the laminate is not inferior in popularity to linoleum when it comes to home flooring. With its pleasant appearance and low price, this easy-to-lay material has appealed to millions of people around the world. However, nothing is perfect. Everything has its drawbacks and there are also those at the laminated flooring.
If you put a similar coating on bare concrete - the floor in the house will be cold. Heating can raise the temperature in the room, but the flooring will not get warmer. However, this drawback is very easy to get rid of. All you need is an infrared insulation of the laminate.
How is the infrared floor
There are several types of floor insulation in the house:
- Heated by electricity.
- Water heating.
- Infrared film.
What is the difference between the two? How is infrared heating? The technologies underlying each type of heating will be understood by anyone. The water floor, for example, is heated by hot water flowing through pipes located under the coating. Heated by electricity using heating cables.
Infrared heating is somewhat similar to electric in principle. The difference is that special heating elements are used instead of cables. They emit safe infrared radiation, the wavelength of which ranges from 5 to 20 microns. In fact, this heating principle is very similar to ordinary sunlight.
The heating elements consist of two sheets of polyester film, between which there are strips of carbon paste. It is they who radiate heat. They are connected to copper conductors with silver-plated contacts. Since the connection is parallel, even if one tape breaks, the others will continue to work.
Do-it-yourself installation of a warm infrared floor under the laminate
The installation of infrared heating differs little from the installation of any other insulation, but everywhere there are their own nuances. Usually a work plan looks like this:
- A drawing of the arrangement of the films is created. A standard roll is laid only in clearly defined places, so it is important to measure the room and correctly place the elements.
- A thorough cleaning is carried out, thermo-reflective material is laid. Energy and heat should not be wasted, and therefore bare concrete should not be heated. In order to avoid this, foil insulation is needed.
- Heating sheets are laid, unused contacts are isolated, contact clips are connected.
- A thermoregulation unit is installed, wires are connected, a trial run is performed.
In appearance - nothing complicated. However, there are a few points that inexperienced installers often forget about. Sheets can not be placed close to walls and stationary appliances - at least 25 cm indentation is mandatory. The film cannot be laid under furniture, and the distance between the heating elements must be at least 5 cm. It is also advisable to lay a waterproofing material between the laminate and heating tapes.
ATTENTION! The rolls are designed for a well-defined pattern that cannot be broken. Cutting the film in other places or just messy, you can easily damage it and render it unusable.
The benefits of infrared flooring
So what are the benefits of infrared heating? After all, such a system is more expensive than water or electric, which means it should pay for itself. And it pays off, because it has a number of different useful properties and advantages that distinguish this type of heating from others.
The main advantage of the infrared floor is its compactness and convenience. The film takes only a couple of millimeters, it does not need a screed, which means that the surface level will hardly rise. This is a significant plus, because such a system can be safely installed in multi-storey buildings.
In addition, the infrared floor is very economical. It consumes much less electricity than other options. In addition, it is easier and faster to install, the heat is distributed more evenly, and the tapes themselves can serve you for decades.
To summarize, infrared heating has the following advantages:
- Profitability.
- Easy installation.
- Uniform heat distribution.
- Durability.
In contrast to the pluses, only the high price acts, which quickly pays off after a couple of years of use. The benefits are obvious.
Which laminate to choose for subsequent installation
However, when installing infrared films, it is important to remember that coatings differ in characteristics and not everyone can withstand heating. Different types of laminate have different classes of wear resistance, chamfers, thickness. All this must be taken into account during installation.
IMPORTANT! Remember that there are coatings that are not at all intended for laying heating under them. Even low temperatures can accelerate their wear.
Naturally, the most successful options would be thick, unvarnished coatings with high heat resistance. Otherwise, the material will quickly become unusable. Although usually this is not a problem, because the temperature of the heating elements is already low.
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