Some easy solutions to this for many natural stone flooring owners include wearing a warm pair of socks or house slippers, or strategically placing about several throw rugs.
However, some homeowners with stone flooring are taking it a further step by installing a radiant sub floor heating system. Such a system consists of a series of “warming blanket” mats which are set just beneath the tile, resting on the sub floor. These mats contain electric resistance wires, which are hooked up to a 120 volt GFCI circuit.
Using an attendant thermostat, homeowners can adjust the amount of heat that is radiated throughout the floor.
Installation of a sub floor warming system is easiest if performed during the initial tile installation. This is because often the tile is adhered directly to the warming mats, to ensure that the system is as efficient at heat distribution as possible.
The heating pads should be installed directly onto a concrete subfloor. If the home has a wooden sub floor, it may be necessary to install cement board over this before installing the sub floor warming system.
Often, a small heating system can be wired directly into an existing GFCI circuit. However, if the total area being warmed is large or if the particular tile thickness requires more warming heat output, it may be necessary to install a dedicated circuit for the sub floor heating element.
A very important safety aspect for these systems is to be sure that the installer performs resistance checks on all of the wires to ensure these wires were manufactured properly and were not damaged during shipping. Installers should also follow any manufacturers instructions regarding power limits, installation, and use.
Some summary notes on the sub floor heating system for natural stone floors:
- sub floor heating system is not used as sole source of heat in rooms
- usually made up of a series of flat mats with electric resistance wires; mats warm up, and send heat through the stone floor tiles
- mats usually wired to a 120 volt GFCI circuit
- adjustable thermostat controls the heat
- mats laid over a concrete sub floor, do not install heating mats directly on wood sub floor
- adhesive added to mats to adhere to cement sub floor, then these are thinset to the tile placed on top
- perform a resistance check on the heating wires to ensure that they were properly manufactured, and weren’t damaged during shipping
- the size of the installation determines whether the system needs to be hooked to a dedicated GFCI circuit, or if it can patch into an existing one.
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