On chilly mornings, waking up to a cold bathroom floor can be a shock to the system. Even worse is when you get up in the middle of the night and icy tile wake you – and then you struggle to get back to sleep. A perfect solution is to install heated tile. It is an investment in comfort that can be well worth the money.
Here’s a look at why you should consider heated tile and the benefits you’ll enjoy
How does heated tile work?
Heated floors are nothing new – they’ve been around since the days of Ancient Rome. Back then, it was called a hypocaust. Wealthy Romans built floors above open spaces with a fire or furnace providing the heat. Posh patricians kept their toes toasty in their homes and public baths with heated tile.
Today, the technology for a heated floor is compact, energy efficient, and uses radiant heat rather than fire or furnace. Radiant heat is cost-effective and noiseless. Not only does heated tile keep your feet cozy, but it heats the entire room gently from the floor up for uniform comfort.
Most heated flooring systems are electric and use thin mats with electric resistance cables or single electric wire. The latter is better if you have a tricky layout. A more expensive option is hydronic heating which uses heated water circulated through polyethylene tubing.
Where can you install heated flooring?
Most people start with heated tile flooring in the bathroom. We do a lot of installations in master bathrooms. Outside of the bathroom, you might want heated tile in your kitchen, mudroom, or throughout your home. You can use an inlaid heating system anywhere you have solid flooring.
Why install heated tile…
Enhanced comfort and warmth
Some people use heated flooring as their only source of heat throughout their house and abandon their HVAC system. Hot air blows naturally upwards – that’s the science phenomenon called the stack effect that says hot air rises and cold air falls.
Central heat blows are out and up. If you have ceiling vents, all the warm air is above your head. Conversely, in-floor heat allows the warmth to gently radiate upward to keep you toasty from floor to ceiling. You’ll find more comfort and warmth with radiant heat over central heat.
Fewer allergens in your home
Central heat systems circulate dust, dust mites, allergens, mold spores, pet dander, and other microscopic irritants. If you or a family member has allergies, switching to radiant heating brings many health benefits over forced air systems that circulate allergy triggers.
Central heat causes other health problems such as drying sinuses and nasal passages which can lead to sinusitis. If someone in your home has asthma, central heat can aggravate symptoms unless you also have a whole house air filtration system. Radiant floor heat avoids these triggers.
Choose your energy source
If you’re looking for ways to heat your home using sustainable energy, radiant heat can be an excellent choice. Radiant heat systems work with a variety of sources. You can power your heated tile system with electricity, natural gas, solar power, or even geothermic if it’s available in your area.
You may be eligible for a tax credit or energy grant for your heated floor system. Check out this roster of clean energy financial incentive programs to see if you qualify. You can also use sustainable flooring materials over your heated system to be even more green in your home.
Heated floors are scalable
One great thing about heated floors is that the system is scalable. You can start with heated tile in your master bathroom and enjoy the benefits as a test case. If you find (like most people) that it’s your favorite room in the house because of the foot-warming comfort, you can expand from there.
You can upgrade one room at a time with radiant heated tile. After the master bath, a high-traffic guest bath might be your next project or your kitchen, mudroom, and family room. Anywhere you have hard floor surfaces is prime for efficient and comfortable radiant heat.
To find out more about installing heated tile in your home, contact Corvus Construction for a free in-home estimate. We’re family owned, committed to the community, and one of the top independent full-service general contractors in the greater Snohomish County area. Call Corvus at 206.355.4981 and let’s talk about your project.