Wooden flooring and underfloor heating
— a perfect match

You want to live in style and comfort. Then both underfloor heating and a beautiful wooden floor are a logical choice. Did you know that, with Lalegno multilayered wooden flooring, you can combine the two perfectly? That way, you can enjoy your cosy home to the fullest.

Maximum width and thickness for wooden flooring with underfloor heating

There are no strict rules for this. However, wide boards are more subject to movement than narrow boards, so they also need a larger joint in case of shrinkage. Taking into account the "slenderness factor" S is a good guideline :  the ratio between the width and thickness of the plank. We recommend a value between 8 and 11. Slender floorboards (wide and thin boards) show a higher risk of deformation than less slender boards when performing the same movement.

The floor structure

Despite existing misunderstandings, the cosiness of an authentic wooden floor and the warm glow of underfloor heating go well together. What is important, however, is that the floor is built correctly and contains all the necessary floor elements, in the correct order:

1.    Wooden floor
2.    Decking
3.    Reinforcement mesh
4.    Heating element
5.    Moisture barrier
6.    Thermal and/or acoustic insulation
7.    Moisture barrier
8.    Bearing floor

Which underfloor heating system is recommended for wooden flooring ?

If you install a wooden floor on underfloor heating, it is best to limit the maximum water temperature to 45 °C and to keep the surface temperature at a maximum of 25 to 28 °C. This way it is still pleasant for your feet and it is more than enough for a comfortably warm home.

Tips for easy installation  

Especially in combination with underfloor heating, we recommend using a professional to install your wooden floor. With these important guidelines and tips, you will get a sustainable result:

  • Let the wooden floorboards acclimatise in the room for at least 48 hours in closed packaging. Turn the heating off or on a low setting (max 15 °C) at least 48 hours before starting the installation.
  • Allow the screed to dry out sufficiently. The mass moisture content should not exceed 2 % for cement-bound screed and 0.6 % for an anhydrite-bound screed.
  • Glue the wooden floor for optimal heat transfer from the heating system to the interior. Choose a wooden flooring adhesive suitable for use in combination with underfloor heating.
  • After installation, do not cover the wooden floor with materials that are not air- and heat-permeable. This can cause serious damage to the floor.
  • Keep the relative humidity between 45 and 55%. A wooden floor shrinks when dry and swells when moisture is absorbed. The right humidifiers and dehumidifiers will help you keep your wooden floor in top condition.

The correct heating protocol

Did you follow all the guidelines and have you installed the wooden floor? Then it is important to start up the heating system correctly. First check if the screed is sufficiently dry (at the earliest 3 days after installation). Then let the water temperature increase by 5 °C per day, until it reaches 45 °C, or until the screed has reached a surface temperature of 28 °C. Do you switch off the installation? Then follow the procedure in reverse order.

Also avoid large temperature fluctuations, as they can cause cracking. This is why it is not recommended to turn the thermostat low in the evening and high again in the morning for underfloor heating with a parquet floor.

Important: if there is damage to your floor due to inadequate adherence to the heating protocol, your warranty will be void.