What is the best flooring for underfloor heating?

Imagine getting out of bed and feeling a lovely warm sensation under your feet – having cosy feet on a cold winter’s morning is just one of the incredible benefits you can get from underfloor heating! It may seem like one of these incredible inventions from the future, but the concept of underfloor heating has been around for 2,000 years!

Keep reading to find out more about underfloor heating flooring options. We’ll explore why it’s such a great way to keep your home snug, which flooring it works best under, as well as some answers to the most common queries we get about flooring for underfloor heating. 

In this guide:

• What is underfloor heating?
• Does underfloor heating work with all flooring types?
• What is the best flooring for underfloor heating?
• How does flooring affect underfloor heating?
• Compare flooring for underflooring heating
• FAQs

What is underfloor heating?

Underfloor heating is the use of heated pipes or wires directly underneath the top layer of your flooring, which allows heat to radiate through the flooring and warm up your home. Early signs of underfloor heating begin as far back as the Roman era. They created spaces underneath their flooring using pillars and moved hot air through the passage to warm up the stone flooring in their villas.

Luckily, we don’t need to create cavernous gaps underneath our homes to achieve this anymore, thanks to modern technology. However, the concept remains an efficient and cost-effective method of warming up homes to this day.

Today, there are two different methods of underfloor heating that are used – electric and water:

Electric underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating uses thin heating wires that are placed under the floor surface to warm an area. Whenever you switch on the wires, they heat up, radiating heat upwards through your flooring. These are best used in smaller areas and can be more expensive to run than wet underfloor heating.

Wet underfloor heating

A wet underfloor heating system consists of pipes that are filled with warm water and powered by a boiler or heat pump. The pipes are concealed within the floor, so if you are planning a whole-house heating system or are building from scratch, this is the best type of underfloor heating. It’s generally cheaper to run than electric heating and is best for large areas and rooms.

Does underfloor heating work with all flooring types?

Most flooring types are compatible with underfloor heating, though some are better at conducting heat than others. We recommend avoiding high-tog carpets, which are designed to be thick and cosy to retain warmth – which can prevent the precious heat from your underfloor heating system from warming your space.

What is the best flooring for underfloor heating?

When it comes to selecting the best flooring for underflooring heating, which flooring option you choose may depend on the type of room and your interior style preferences. Laminate, vinyl, tile and engineered wood are all great heat conductors, making them suitable underfloor heating floor options for kitchen, living room and bathroom spaces.

Let’s dive into the benefits of each option below.

Laminate

Made from high-density fibreboard (HDF), laminate delivers the timeless appearance of genuine wood and tile flooring options, but without the added cost and potential maintenance. It’s a popular option for kitchen, living room and hallway spaces for its hardwearing properties, but it also makes ideal flooring for underfloor heating.

Explore some of the key benefits below:

• Laminate is less prone to warping from changes in temperature than genuine wood.
• Laminate flooring has a protective top layer, making it more resistant to wear and tear.
• Choose from a wide range of styles, from grey slate tiles to traditional oak-effect planks. 

Read our helpful laminate buying guide for a more in-depth look at this lovely flooring option.

Vinyl

If you’re looking for a cost-effective flooring option for underfloor heating in your kitchen, utility room, or bathroom, you might also want to consider vinyl. Though it doesn’t conduct heat quite as well as genuine ceramic tiles, it’s still suitable for underfloor heating.

Here are the main takeaways for using vinyl with underfloor heating:

• Vinyl is highly water resistant, hardwearing and easy to clean.
• It’s an affordable option for moisture-prone spaces.
• Vinyl is available in a wide variety of styles, including printed wood-effect and tile designs.

Luxury vinyl tile

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) offers the versatility of laminate and vinyl, but with added water resistance. Attractive and hardwearing with a soft, warm feeling underfoot, luxury vinyl also offers you a cost-effective alternative to genuine wood and tile. Made from various layers of PVC, it’s a great option for open-plan spaces with underfloor heating.

The top benefits of using luxury vinyl tile with underfloor heating include:

• As well as being resistant to warping, luxury vinyl flooring is very thin, making it a great heat conductor.
• Like laminate, LVT is highly durable with a protective, scratch resistant upper layer.
• Wood and tile-effect luxury vinyl flooring is textured to look and feel like the real thing.

Tile

Often considered the best flooring for underfloor heating, tiles are an excellent heat conductor. They’re ideal for kitchens, utility rooms and bathrooms. Using tile with underfloor heating in areas like conservatories, which can lose heat the quickest, can also make them a cost-effective heating option.

Explore the key benefits and considerations for tiles below:

• Tiles allow heat to pass through easily, quickly heating the space through the floor.  
• Though tiles are available in a range of colours, styles and designs, they’re less common in living room spaces.
• Tiles are longwearing and sustainable, but are often more expensive than laminate, LVT and vinyl options.

Engineered wood

Engineered wood flooring is another great heat conductor for underfloor heating. If you want to keep the communal spaces in your home cosy, opting for engineered wood in your living room is a great route to go down. 

Advantages of using engineered wood for underfloor heating include:

• The durable, multi-layered design makes it less prone to temperature warping than genuine wood.
• Engineered wood feels almost identical to genuine wood underfoot.
• Though engineered wood options may be less water resistant than tiles and luxury vinyl tiles, they’re hardwearing and often more affordable than solid wood.

Carpet

While you can use carpet for underfloor heating, it’s often less efficient than other flooring options. If you have a carpet and underlay combination with a tog rating higher than 2.5, then it will only serve to block the heat from getting in, because it’s such a good insulator.

It’s best to check with your flooring manufacturer first that you are safe to use underfloor heating with any material you use just in case it damages your flooring.

How does flooring affect underfloor heating?

Your choice of flooring can make a significant impact on the efficiency of your underfloor heating. If you’re investing in underfloor heating, it’s important to make sure your home is heated properly and economically, as you don’t want to be losing more heat than you’re producing. For example, some flooring options are better heat conductors than others, while larger spaces may lose heat quicker and require more efficient flooring.

Compare flooring for underfloor heating

Browse the table below to compare flooring options for underfloor heating.

FAQs

There are plenty of questions that we tend to get asked about underfloor heating, so here are our answers to some of the most common frequently asked questions:

Can you have carpet with underfloor heating?

Yes. Carpet can work well with underfloor heating. Carpet naturally retains heat, so you wouldn’t have to use as much electricity or hot water in a room with carpet as it will hold the heat for much longer. However, always remember that a combination of underlay and carpet over 2.5 togs will not allow the heat to pass through.

It’s also a good idea to check that your underlay is not too high a tog too, as this will also prevent heat from passing through and make your underfloor heating ineffective.

Can underfloor heating go under laminate?

Yes – it’s worth double-checking with your flooring provider or manufacturer. You can speak to one of our Tapi flooring experts at your local store if you want to find out more about which of our laminate floors work best with underfloor heating.

For more helpful flooring tips and interior inspiration, explore our carpet vs laminate guide and find your perfect fit today.