Foil Underfloor Heating
Underfloor Heating – Laminate or Engineered Wood Floors
Underfloor heating in a room with a laminate or engineered wood floor can provide an economic means of heating a room.
Foil Underfloor Heating Mats
BN Thermic foil heating mats are a very simple means of heating a laminate or engineered wood floor. The mats consist of heating cables sandwiched between two layers of aluminium foil ensuring excellent heat distribution.
The mat is pre-terminated with a 3m power lead and the web is installed onto a layer of I-Board insulation/underlay. The I-Board helps to limit downward heat loss as well as providing a non-abrasive surface for the mat to rest on. The final floor surface is applied directly onto the foil mat without the need for compounds or adhesives.
Foil heating mats can be installed in any room including bathrooms.
Selecting a Suitable Mat
When selecting a mat, the objective is to cover as much of the free floor area as possible. Mats should not be installed under fixtures such as kitchen cabinets and shower trays. As a rule of thumb, we suggest selecting a mat with an area approximately 10% smaller than the free floor area.
BN Thermic supplies foil mats covering areas up to 14m². However, for larger rooms, it is common practice for two or more mats to be used. Generally, the mats are connected in parallel and controlled by a single thermostat.
Thermostatic Control
Each room will require its own programmable thermostat. BN Thermic offer a range of suitable thermostats to meet different aesthetic requirements, tastes and budgets. However, all BN Thermic programmable thermostats share the same key features.
For most rooms, primary temperature control is by means of the thermostat’s built-in temperature sensor. The thermostat’s floor probe, which is installed at the same level as the foil mat, will then act as a safeguard ensuring that the floor does not become uncomfortably warm.
In some installations, notably bathrooms, it is common for the thermostat to be located outside the room being heated. In these circumstances, the thermostat’s built-in air sensor should be passed and temperature control should only be by means of the floor probe. The adjustment from ‘air and floor’ to ‘floor only’ is simple to achieve and detailed instructions are provided with the thermostat.
FAQs
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Foil heating mats such as BN Thermic’s F-Series are designed for use under floating floors such as laminate or engineered wood. For tiled floors, we would suggest using a cable mat system such as BN Thermic’s M-Series. Installing foil underfloor heating mats under floating floors does not require adhesives or self-levelling compounds.