The Top Flooring Options for Underfloor Heating 

If you’re thinking about updating your home’s flooring, then now’s a great time to also consider installing a floor heating system with your new floor finish. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most popular flooring types to use with both water and electric heating systems. You’ll discover: 

• The best UFH systems for stone and tiled flooring 
• How concrete floors are perfect to heat within new-build homes 
• Which kind of wooden floor finishes are most suitable to use with underfloor heating 
• Whether you can install a floor heater with laminate floors   
• How to specify floor heating with softer floor types such as carpets and vinyl 

Can you use any floor finish with a floor heating system? 

Underfloor heating provides a discreet, energy-saving method of heating for both single rooms and entire homes and we offer systems for use with almost all floor finishes.  

The best flooring types to use with floor heating are those with high levels of conductivity, by which we mean materials that transfer the heat produced by the system through the floor’s surface most efficiently, allowing your home to heat up to your optimal temperature with speed. You should always check that your chosen flooring is suitable for use with a UFH system and can be heated to the necessary temperature to produce enough warmth. It’s also worth noting that insulation should always be installed when installing a UFH system with your new flooring. Good quality floor insulation reduces heat-loss and improves the energy performance of the heating system.  

As a general rule of thumb, a water underfloor heating system can be used with any floor covering. Electric systems, however, offer compatibility with specific floor finishes based on the individual system. 

What are the most popular floor finishes to use with underfloor heating? 

From hard surfaces such as stone and concrete to softer finishes such as carpets and vinyl, Warmup systems are available for all floor types. Let’s look at some of the most common flooring options to use with underfloor heating. 

1). Stone and tiles are a perfect for UFH 

Stone and tiles are a very popular flooring choice to use with a UFH system and both floor types can be heated up to 29°C (84°F). As a natural material, stone has low thermal resistance with a high thermal mass – making it ideal for conducting radiant warmth across your home. The conductivity of floor tiles is dependent on which type of tiling you select: the thicker the tile, the longer it will take to heat up.  

A great UFH option for stone and tiled floors is the DCM-PRO Heated Decoupling System. At only 5.5mm deep, DCM-PRO is perfect for use in all rooms but is especially popular in bathrooms and kitchens with wider ceramic or stone floor tiles due to its decoupling attributes, which prevent cracking and damage to the tiled floor finish due to lateral subfloor movement.  You can find out more about how to prevent your floor tiles from cracking in our expert guide.  

2). Concrete is a great choice for water UFH systems in new-build homes 

Polished concrete flooring is a beautiful way to bring contemporary flair to interiors. Typically, concrete floors are installed as part of the construction of a new-build home, but installing this kind of flooring in renovation projects through use of a thinner layer of concrete screed is also becoming a popular trend. Designed for installation into load-bearing structural floors, the Forte Grid System is an ideal water UFH system for new-build construction projects where there is a large, concreted floor space to be heated.  

3). Wooden floors work excellently with underfloor heating 

Wood offers a stylish, more traditional flooring option for homes of all styles and much like stone, the natural properties of wood provide great heat conductivity for a UFH system. Wooden floors are available in a range of options: from solid wood flooring – sold as either boards or parquet – to engineered wood to a property’s original timber floorboards and all types will perform well with underfloor heating.   

A great water system to install with wooden floor is the VLo Ultra-12 Low Build System. With its ultra low-profile design that adds only 18mm to the floor build up, the Ultra-12 System is an ideal underfloor heating solution for both home renovations and new-build projects.  

Looking for more information about installing floor heating with timber flooring? Check out our in-depth article. 

4). Laminate flooring works well with floor heating systems in home renovations 

Laminate flooring is a great idea for refurbishment projects, offering a quick and easy installation. To ensure that a new UFH system will work well with your laminate flooring, you should ensure that the laminate’s thickness does not exceed 18mm and that the floor temperature never rises above 27°C.  

Warmup’s Foil Heater is the perfect electric underfloor heating system to use with laminate floor finishes. The Foil Heater comes in prepared rolls, with the system’s heating wires pre-spaced within a slimline reinforced aluminium foil matting and because it offers a ‘dry’ installation – with no need for adhesives or screed – it can be fitted alongside your laminate floors with ease. 

5). Carpets fitted over electric floor heating provides a cosy option for your home 

The Foil Heater is also an ideal electric floor heating solution to use with carpeting. When installing this system with softer floor types such as carpets, it is recommended that you install it alongside two layers of insulation materials: our Insulated Underlay and Dual Overlay System.  

Warmup’s Insulated Underlay sits between the subfloor of your room and the Foil Heater and helps to push the system’s heat upwards and into the space. The Dual Overlay System, meanwhile, is fitted above the Foil Heater and protects the heater from any potential damage caused by heavy load points on the carpet, such as large pieces of furniture. 

Discover the differences between using floor heating with carpets vs. wooden floor finishes in our in-depth article.  

6). Vinyl flooring installed with UFH is ideal for bathrooms 

Considering vinyl floors for your bathroom or kitchen? Our StickyMat System offers a great floor heating solution for this type of floor finish. Featuring a 1.8mm heating wire ready-spaced on to pre-sized mats, the StickyMat is a low-profile system that will not raise floor levels and with its self-adhesive backing, this system can be installed with vinyl floors in a matter of hours.  

If you can’t decide between fitting vinyl flooring or tiling in your bathroom, read our blog post to discover everything you need to know to help you make this choice with confidence.