DIY: How to install electric underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating is effective, efficient and relatively easy to install under tiles, carpets and wood flooring. Here's how to DIY your heated floors.

 

Electric underfloor heating is relatively quick and easy to install if you’re a competent DIYer, but you’ll still need a certified electrician to attach the heating system to the thermostat.

The fundamentals are the same in laying an electric underfloor heating system beneath tiles, carpets or wood flooring, however the exact installation steps depend on the floor you choose. For tiles, you'll need the Warmup StickyMat system, while the Warmup Foil Heater is designed for laminated floors and carpets. 

There are, however, some universal steps for both systems.

5 Essentials when installing underfloor heating...

• Remember the golden rule: Read the instructions first.
• Work out the exact amount of heating mat you need by measuring the floor area where you’re laying the system. Electric underfloor heating systems can’t be placed under fixtures such as baths, cookers and counters, so you’ll have to subtract these spaces from your calculation.
• Next, prepare your working surface by sweeping and cleaning the floor. Then mark out the placement of the fixtures on the floor with pencil.
• Use a multimeter to test both types of matting before, during, and after installation
• Lay the heating mat

Underfloor heating for tiled floors

Warmup Foil Heater: Is laid on top of Warmup Insulated Underlay, a thin polystyrene insulation barrier that reflects the heat upwards, and improves the floor heating system efficiency. Foil aluminium tape is included in the pack, which is adhered across the mat strips to cover any exposed wires and to connect mat strips, to create a continuous earth grid.

Do's and don'ts when laying underfloor heating mats

When laying either of the Warmup products, the four points to remember are:

• Do: If you are using more than one pack of heating mat, make sure the power cable for each reaches the electrical connection, before you start fixing them to the floor them.
• Don’t run heating mats under fixtures
• Don’t allow heating wires to cross. Don’t cut the wires
  

Both systems use a floor sensor to monitor the exact temperature of the floor. This is placed at least 300mm into the heated area and equidistant between two heating wires. You may want to chisel a channel into the subfloor so the sensor sits flush with the heating mat.

Connect thermostat and floor probe to the system. This is where the electrician comes in. 

Lay the flooring over your newly-installed underfloor heating, then sit back, relax and enjoy a cosy, efficient home.

Things to note
For tiles, check that the adhesive and grout is suitable for underfloor heating. Lay as normal. Don’t use the underfloor heating to speed up the drying process. Leave the floor to cure for at least seven days, before turning the underfloor heating on. 
When installing under carpets leave a 300mm gap between the Warmup foil heating system and wall for carpet stretcher and gripper rod installation. 

World of Tiles is the exclusive distributor of Warmup electric underfloor heating systems and accessories in Ireland. For more information on heated floors, visit Warmup.