Hardwood Floors Over Radiant Heat

bigtick

Can anyone share their experience with me of installing 3/4" solid hardwood floors over a staple-up radiant heat system.

Radiant heat contractors claim that you can install solid hardwood over the heat because the new systems operate at lower tempratures. Hardwood manufacturers (most of them) say not to.

What else could you use for flooring in a high end house? I can't tile the whole thing.

Thanks.

Floorwizard

I would wonder how the wood can be nailed into an in floor heating system.

I would buy an engineered wood and float it over the top.
Let's not forget that the heat will dry it out, so humidity will be key.
50% sounds about right.

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

Donedat

If the tubes are attached to the underside of the subfloor, you can install hardwood flooring. Use Quarter Sawn flooring and use shorter nails. The longest 45 degree nail should be 1 3/4". I have used 1 1/2" on systems like that. Vertical nails should be no longer than 1 1/2" nails for your starting and ending rows...a spot of construction adhesive on these rows will help hold them in place.

This is not for the homeowner diyer though. A mess can be made of this real quick.

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Marco

Lots of harwood gets installed over radiant. Search google. The Canadians do plenty. Id use a more stable wood such as oak and stay away from maple and the exotics. Quarter-sawn is a good choice. A thinner milling would help too. A floating engineered is another, easier option.
If you are worried about nails, lay more plywood and use shorter nails. A typical tube-in-concrete system get a 2 layers of 1/2" ply floated with harwood nailed.

kneel_eh!

Your right Marco, we do install a lot of h.w. over radiant up here.The important points have been noted already.
Unless you can see it, you gotta err on the side of caution and assume that the heat is right against the underside of the subfloor.
Do a test with a piece of subfloor and a couple of boards. That will tell you what length of staple to use. You certainly don't want to puncture a line.
Starter rows are glued down with an approved adhesive, angle tacked with a 11/4 brad nail on the tounge and weighted overnight. No top nailing required. Humidity is set appropriate. Never had any problems doing it this way.
Had a couple where I was able to access the heat tubes and lower them down and then go nuts!

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bigtick

Thank you for the replys. Can any of you recommend a specific (solid floor preferably, or and engineered floor that looks solid, ie 1 strip) manufacturer of prefinished that you have used in the past and have faired well over radiant?

Donedat

Some products are regional so what state are you in?

__________________
I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Donedat

Kids, don't try this at home. Only for seasoned professionals. And if you do, make sure you put them back or the homeowner might freeze to death.

__________________
I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Floorwizard

If you want a good engineered that looks like real wood strips, then visit
www.mannington.com

for wider strips visit

www.kahrs.com

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

bigtick

I will check out Mannington and Kahr.

I live in PA.

Thanks again for the quick responses.

StonewoodSP

Go with a quartersawn or edgegrain. I just worked on a project with a customer and we got them Edgegrain First Grade Canadian Maple and it will not only be very stable for him, but it has a great look to it.