Can You Carpet Over Tiles With Underfloor Heating

The assumption is that because a carpet insulates it will prevent an underfloor heating system from adequately heating a room and while wood engineered floors are all the rage lots of people still like the comfort under their feet that a carpet provides in a bedroom.

Can you carpet over tiles with underfloor heating. More on tiles with ufh. The combined insulating factor prevents the heat from escaping and causing a localised hot spot which could damage the mat and flooring. The least suitable flooring for underfloor heating is any type of carpeted flooring in fact if you have carpet laid throughout you probably don t need underfloor heating anyway. Carpet is a wonderful choice for your underfloor heating as its cosy warm and soft underfoot however there are other options available.

According to research from and the underfloor heating manufacturers association uhma and advice from the carpet foundation you should be looking for a combined tog rating of less than 2 5 for your carpet and underlay for underfloor systems to operate efficiently. Also try to use furniture with an air gap underneath for the same reason. The typical carpet is 1 0 to 2 tog but you should always check with the manufacturer the suitability for underfloor heating and ensure that the overall tog value including any underlays or overlays does not exceed the 2 5. Surface temperature must not exceed 27 c with karndean flooring either.

You can use a few area rugs over the flooring but avoid large rugs or wall to wall carpeting. The heat may discolor the vinyl or cause the off gassing of chemicals. Carpet has insulation value so it will prevent some of the heat from transferring through into your home. The best flooring for underfloor heating is flooring with good conductivity as it heats up quicker gives more heat output and is more efficient to run.

Due to the insulating nature of carpet you shouldn t use a rug or bean bag on top of electric underfloor heating. You can lay carpet over the tiles and under floor heating however check the tog rating of the carpet and the underlay as it could do a good job of keeping the heat out if to high in short yes you can but your underfloor heating will not run at it s full potential as the carpet will help prevent the heat from radiating through the room. It is not recommended to install underfloor heating with carpet if the limits below are not met. Concrete is less so and you may find that your floors will be cooler with this material than with resin or porcelain.

Use a decoupling membrane over the underfloor heating before you fit the tiles this allows for any movement in the sub floor and protects the tiles from the risk of cracking.