How to make underfloor heating under laminate

Popular types of underfloor heating and their features

Most often, floor heating in the bathroom is carried out in two ways - using electricity or water coolant. Each type copes equally well with the assigned functions, therefore, first of all, before installation, you need to calculate the financial costs for their maintenance, as well as your own strengths and skills for the work.

A warm electric floor in the bathroom will require more electricity costs, but it is much easier to install than a water floor, and practically does not require skills for this. Typically, such systems are mounted in apartments.

Unlike electric, a warm water floor in the bathroom can significantly save money even with round-the-clock operation for a long time. It can operate autonomously from the mains, since an ordinary solid fuel boiler or radiator often acts as a heat exchanger.

Additional constructs

For better heat dissipation in warm floors without screed, special panels are used. This is an aluminum alloy profile. It has a straight recess for the tube. These constructs are located in the straight zones of the contour and work as an effective reflector, distributing heat over a larger area.

The use of diffuser panels improves the performance of underfloor heating without screed. This is especially noticeable if the surface is covered with a top layer with high thermal conductivity, such as ceramic tiles.

Be careful when working with diffuser panels.

They perform well (do not move, do not creak) on a solid base surface. When mounting heating circuits without a screed on prefabricated structures made of wood-containing materials or a lath structure created from boards, diffuser panels can be fixed with self-tapping screws.

Warm floor electric

When there is no individual heating in the house, such a solution as underfloor heating in the bathroom from hot water should be abandoned. You can stop at another option - the arrangement of electric heating of the coating.

In this case, the heating elements will be under the concrete screed, so direct contact between the residents and the electric cable is impossible.

Heating the floor in the bathroom using electricity can be implemented in one of two ways. The first of them is associated with the laying of an electrical cable, and the second with the installation of a film infrared (IF) underfloor heating, which is a canvas having a width of 40 centimeters to one meter.

When current passes through a heating electric cable, heat is released into the surrounding space. The fact is that in this case it is a conductor with high resistance. By all means, a heat insulator is laid under the cable so that the heat flow is directed upwards, and does not heat the ceiling in the neighboring apartment.

Of the advantages of such a system, one can distinguish ease of installation, and of the minuses - the presence of electromagnetic radiation and significant consumption of electrical energy.

When installing the floor IF, the heating element will be graphite. All components of the system are sealed in polyethylene. It is called so due to the fact that it operates in the infrared range. The films are heated to a temperature not exceeding +45 °C.

The film version differs from the method of how to make a warm floor in a bathroom with your own hands using a cable in that it is not necessary to equip a cement screed during the installation process. As a result, the level of laying the flooring will not rise, and the work will be cheaper.

As you can see in the photo, the strips of the film are placed in parallel over the entire heated surface, and then connected to each other.In the event that one of the paintings fails, the floor in the bathroom still remains warm. True, to connect an electric heating floor, it is imperative to specially lay a 25 A line from the shield with an RCD.

Choosing the type of floor for the bathroom

Warm floors can be divided into several types, selected by the user according to the criteria: the specifics of installation and operation. Each of the installed types of underfloor heating with their own hands performs its functions, but still there is a difference and here you need to calculate well the cost of maintaining the floor during operation, and also take into account all the nuances when installing it. If there are no great skills in construction and there is no time to repair the bath, it is better to make the floor electric.

A water floor will take a little more time, which will also not require a lot of expenses. And the youngest type of floor heating for the bathroom is considered infrared, but its use is not so popular in comparison with electric or water.

Electric

Electric underfloor heating in the bathroom consists of a set of electric mats made of a special film and a cable responsible for heating. Cables are made single-core and two-core. The cost of twin-core is higher due to the high level of security. Together with the mats, the kit includes a thermostat for determining and setting the temperature you need, as well as wires for connecting the system to the mains. It is advisable to separately purchase an insulating film, and if not included, buy adhesive tape and corrugated pipes.

The following steps are being taken step by step:

1. Before installing the electric floor with your own hands, you must definitely prepare the surface, demolish the old coating. After that, the base should be perfectly flat and free of dirt and dust, bumps and potholes. The last defect is sealed with concrete mortar and leveled with tools, and the tubercles are removed with special sandpaper.
2. After preparing the place for applying mats, the area for installing the thermostat is determined. And it is already possible to conduct electrical wiring to connect to the floor heating network.
3. The first layer is applied to the leveled cleaned floor with an insulating film, with the shiny side towards the ceiling. The joints are sealed with tape. Thermal insulation boards should not reach the walls.
4. Electric mats are produced mainly in rolls and sometimes with a ready-made mesh for laying and tape for fastening, if this is not the case, the mesh will have to be bought and the cable laid out with a certain distance.
5. The bathroom is very small, so the mat will definitely have to be turned at an angle, for this you simply cut the mesh and the cable is installed in the desired position.
6. The sensor, which is usually included in the complex, is located in a well-accessible place so as not to destroy the floor during breakage or maintenance.
7. The thermostat on the wall is installed in accordance with the rules of operation and safety with electrical wiring. Almost like a socket with a sensor is hidden in the wall under the box.
8. After laying, the operability of the system and the power supply is checked. You can check the current supply with a tester.
9. If the system works, a floor screed of a certain thickness is made, where a tile or other floor material is applied.

Water

The water heated floor in the bathroom consists of installed plastic, copper or PVC pipes with a small diameter. They are mounted on the floor surface in the right order and warm it up with supplied hot water, the temperature of which can be controlled by a thermostat. The same pipes or material are used for radiators, so the system resembles a floor battery of a peculiar kind. Pipes are covered with tiles, concrete screed or wooden flooring.

The best option for a bathroom is a tile laid on aluminum material and cardboard flooring for better heat dissipation.The wooden covering over the installed water heating system is laid if the room has good ventilation. Nearby is a place for a collector, necessary to control the temperature in the system.

The cost of a do-it-yourself warm water floor is relatively inexpensive, and the installation of the system is simple and safe. Specialists involved in the professional installation of underfloor heating recommend laying pipes below the floor level in the house, this is done to prevent water from entering the apartment in case of emergency situations in the system. How to make a warm floor in the bathroom if the apartment or house has individual heating? After installing all the necessary materials, the system is connected to a source of hot water supply, that is, to individual heating.

Flaws

Like any installed system in the house has its drawbacks:

1. The cost of the system for the buyer will cost not a small amount. But it will be justified after the first applications, because you simply don’t want to leave a comfortably equipped bath.
2. Not all floor coverings that one would like to use in a bathroom can be used as a floor. The most practical will be ceramic tiles and self-leveling floor. It is rational to install a wooden floor only if there is good ventilation in the bathroom, otherwise such flooring will soon have to be changed.
3. Electric underfloor heating requires electricity. Therefore, before installing any type of underfloor heating, you need to calculate all the pros and cons to choose which one is better, otherwise the floor will simply not come in handy, because it will be very expensive to use.

Installation of underfloor heating, electric or water, which is better, has to be chosen only by the owner of the house or apartment. The cost of any system will not be cheap, but it will require much less cost when installing the floor with your own hands. If the electric one can be turned on even in the summer, then the water heating of the floor will only work with the start of the individual heating system. The system sensor shows a temperature not higher than 40 degrees, but with the help of a thermostat, heating can be changed.

How to make a warm floor in the bathroom from electricity with your own hands

Underfloor heating electric in the bathroom means laying single or double-core heating cables under the tiles. Specialists attach them at a certain distance to a pre-prepared subfloor. Distance indicators vary depending on the power of the cables and the size of the room.

For beginners who do not have experience in carrying out such work, manufacturers offer to purchase special mats (Nexans, Devi, Exxon, Profitherm, Shtoller and others). This design consists of a cable system and a mesh, it greatly simplifies the installation of a warm floor in the bathroom.

Electric heating mats are laid out over the entire floor surface of the room from the corners to the thermostat. Areas where it is planned to install a shower cabin or a bathroom must be bypassed. To do this, the mesh is cut into the necessary parts, but this must be done carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the cable.

Important: When installing under tiles, heating mats must not be laid in several layers. In addition, a certain distance must be observed between the cables (from 5 cm) and between the wall and the cable (from 10 cm)

Work sequence

To lay the electric floor heating in the bathroom under the tiles with your own hands, you must strictly adhere to the sequence of technology points:

• Training. Before you make a warm floor in the bathroom from heating, you need to dismantle the existing finish coating and examine the condition of the subfloor. If cracks, chips and irregularities are found, it is cleaned off and a new one is laid. If the level check revealed a slope between two walls exceeding 5 mm, then it is necessary to fill it.
• Thermal insulation laying.This will significantly reduce heat loss through the floor and reduce the ongoing costs of maintaining a certain temperature in the bathroom. For these purposes, experts recommend using penofol - rolled material with a foil coating. It is lined around the entire perimeter, the joints are connected with mounting tape.

Particular attention should be paid to insulation on the first floors of private buildings. The thickness of the insulating material is selected based on the average annual temperature in the region during the cold season

An electric underfloor heating for a bathroom under a tile implies the obligatory presence of a wall-mounted thermostat in the system, with the help of which the heat supply mode you need is set. Choose a place for it near the outlets so that it is convenient to connect the device and the system from the mains.

A temperature sensor is installed between the turns of the heating cable, which must be reliably protected from the pressure of the screed and the finish coating using a strong corrugated pipe. The sensor is fixed with tile adhesive.

Before you make a warm floor in the bathroom and fill it with a concrete or cement-sand screed, you need to check the electrical system for operability. The disadvantage of the tie is that in the presence of cable faults it is impossible to remove it in fragments for repair.

The resistance of the underfloor heating cable to the bathroom under the tiles should not deviate from the norm specified by the manufacturer by more than 10%.

To see how to make a warm floor in the bathroom from electricity with your own hands, the video below will tell:

Creating an electric floor heating

Before insulating the floor in the bathroom until the installation of the system, the electric cable is specially brought to the thermostat and, finally, the screed is poured under the rough base.

Then proceed to the laying of heat-insulating foil material. If the insulation does not have a reflective film, aluminum foil is used. A reinforcing mesh is placed on top of the heat insulator layer, and then the cable will not overheat.

Mount the heating system according to the designed scheme. The cable is fixed with tape or with special clips, making sure that it does not cross. It is advisable to connect the electrical cable to the heating cable in a place as close as possible to the thermostat. In turn, the thermostat is located at a distance of 80-100 centimeters from the floor surface.

The corrugated pipe plus the temperature sensor should protrude above the surface of the screed. Re-measure the resistance of the cable and wait until the solution hardens. No voids are allowed in the screed, otherwise it is likely that the cable will overheat. The system is not turned on earlier than 28 days, until the concrete reaches its maximum strength.

Sex Varieties

1. Electric heated floors.

For their installation, heating cables, IR films or thermomats are used. What do manufacturers and sellers “forget” to warn about?

• Regardless of which circuit is selected, it connects to a 220/50 source. So it will have to be grounded. If for a private house this is not a question, then for an apartment such a warm floor is a problem.
• Taking into account voltage fluctuations in the line (especially for suburban buildings), the efficiency of the laid products and the uniformity of heating raise some doubts.
• Constant growth of tariffs for en/carriers.

2. Water heated floors.

They are still more common and fit more often. In relation to an apartment, the technology is somewhat more complicated. Firstly, without a screed, unlike a wooden floor, concrete cannot be leveled. Secondly, permits must be issued for such a warm floor. You will have to mount additional equipment (for example, a mixer assembly). Therefore, a water heated floor will be more expensive. But for a private house - the best solution.With proper organization of work, you can do without a screed by laying the pipes of the circuit directly on the wooden floor.

Do-it-yourself warm water floor under the tiles in the bathroom

Underfloor heating in the bathroom under the tiles with your own hands, heated by water, will be the best choice for detached cottages or apartments with individual heating.

In suburban buildings in which permanent residence is not planned, in order to protect the water-heated floor system in the bathroom from heating from freezing, it is necessary to use polyethylene pipes into which water with antifreeze is added.

Do-it-yourself installation of water-heated floors in the bathroom: sequence

Laying a warm floor in a bathroom with a water circuit from heating is a rather laborious process that requires engineering skills and strict adherence to the instructions:

• Preparatory stage. The old floors are removed, the preparation of the base is carried out (cleaning and bringing to a smooth state).
• Waterproofing is laid on the surface. The outer edges are wound onto the walls, and the inner ones are overlapped and fastened with mounting tape.
• The installation technology provides for the laying of a damper tape, which will "quench" thermal expansion, movement of the building structure and protect the floor from deformation.
• Styrofoam or polystyrene mats are laid on the waterproofing.

The process of waterproofing is an important part of installing underfloor heating in the bathroom under the tiles. It performs a dual function. Firstly, it protects the insulation, preventing the formation of condensate. Moisture significantly increases the thermal conductivity of the material, especially when using mineral wool insulation, and to maintain a certain temperature in the room, you will need to increase the power of the underfloor heating system in the bathroom with your own hands.

Secondly, in the event of a leak, the liquid will remain on the film, which will significantly reduce the cost of future repairs. A heat-reflecting foil screen is laid on top, which will prevent overheating of the lower part of the floors.

Over the entire surface of the insulation, heat-distributing plates are laid, which are attached to the channels. It is in them that the pipes are laid. The choice of a specific scheme (snail or snake) depends on a combination of a number of factors, which includes the geometry of the heated room, the material and thickness of the walls (which determines heat loss), the diameter of the pipes used and similar factors.

The next major node of the heated floor in the bathroom under the bath is the collector. It is mounted in the same room, in a special cabinet located in a convenient place, so that the owner always has the opportunity to shut off the water supply or adjust the temperature.

After arranging such a "pie", it is necessary to carry out a "run" to make sure there are no leaks. To do this, air is injected into the system at a pressure of about four atmospheres. If the check did not reveal microcracks, the pipes are filled with water under a pressure of 0.6 MPa, which is held for half an hour. After that, the pressure rises to 1 MPa and is maintained for two hours. In the absence of moisture outside the heating circuit, the floor of the room is poured with concrete and covered with tiles.

How to make a warm floor in the bathroom in an apartment with a small height?

The thickness of the floor can be different and depends on the layer of insulation, the base, the diameter of the pipes and the type of screed. The dry screed height can start from 35 mm, so it is a good choice for rooms with low ceilings, while the concrete screed is at least 80 mm.

Tip: for a high-quality screed, it is better to use mixtures of the M-300 brand and higher, which are characterized by high strength and allow you to create durable concrete structures.

There are two more options for how to properly make a warm floor in the bathroom of private houses - a dry screed.To increase its efficiency, a minimum step is taken between the pipes, and therefore, cold and warm spots will not form on the tile. Another more complex and expensive solution to the problem is to install deflectors that will help raise the heat to the top.

How to make a warm floor in the bathroom from heating in the apartment will independently tell the video:

Which warm floor for the bathroom is better - it's up to you. The main thing is to strictly follow the sequence of technology so that it creates comfort for decades. But the easiest way is to turn to professionals who will evaluate the amount of work and make an estimate.

which we are. To call a measurer who will evaluate the scope of work and make an estimate, call us at the indicated phone numbers or fill out a special form.

How to install underfloor heating in the kitchen

Separately, it must be said that before laying the heat-insulating material, the surface must be cleaned and leveled as best as possible. Only after that, strips of thermal insulation are laid, the seams of which are fastened with adhesive tape. Mounting tape is attached over the thermal insulation. For these purposes, you will need dowels. The mounting tape must be fastened at intervals of 0.5 m. It is necessary in order to subsequently be able to fix the loops of the section for heating.

Underfloor heating pipe layouts.

The cable must not be crossed. Loops, in turn, should be smooth and not have kinks. Do not forget that the distance from the wall must be at least 50 mm. There are special tabs on the mounting tape, to which you need to attach the ends of the cable. After you lay the heating section, it must be filled with a screed, which includes cement and sand. Its thickness should be no more than 5 cm.

In fact, your floor is ready for laying a decorative coating. The first time you need to turn on the heating no earlier than a month after pouring the screed.

Water and cable electric floors without screed

The device of water and cable heating structures without a concrete layer is similar in many respects. The answer to the question of how to make a warm floor without a screed will contain a listing of the same surface requirements for flooring, a description of similar laying structures, consumables, and control systems. Therefore, the general technology will be considered, without focusing on a specific type of heat source (pipes with water or electric cable).

To equip an underfloor heating system without a screed, you will need:

• strong and relatively flat base surface;
• insulation layer;
• support structure for tube or cable placement;
• elements for better heat dissipation;
• finishing flooring.

Depending on the characteristics of the house or apartment, namely the degree of their insulation, the laying step is selected. Depending on the availability for sale in the region of work, certain components are selected.