Indoors

Hardwood

The best wood choice for radiant heat flooring is engineered hardwood. Other good choices include oak, cherry, ash, walnut and hickory. Boards that are up to 3” wide produce best results. Wood that is kiln dried will minimize the change in dimension. The preferred and recommended moisture content of the wood should be 4% when installed. 72 hour wood conditioning is recommended before installing over radiant floor.

Carpet

Thin carpet with dense padding is preferred. Most carpets are compatible with radiant heating but not all. Contacting the carpet manufacturer is recommended.

Linoleum

Although not frequent, there is a possibility that the linoleum will discolor or give off bad odor.

Ceramic

Ceramic tile is most effective and most common floor covering for radiant heating system. This is due to the fact that it conducts heat well and has high heat capacity.

Stone

Just like ceramic tile, stone conducts heat well.

Pex Tubing

While installing radiant heating inside your home or business, 1/2" or 3/8" Oxygen barrier Pex tubing is used. Oxygen barrier Pex tubing keeps radiant heating system free of oxygen and other harmful infiltrating elements. PEX pipe is produced with cross-linked polyethylene, which greatly enhances the properties of thermoplastics. It's also very durable and long lasting material. As compared to copper or rigid plastic pipe, Pex tubing is much more resistant to freeze-breakage. Water flows through Pex tubing quietly. Instead of transferring heat like copper, Pex tubing conserves energy.