New build houses are built with underfloor heating as standard these days. This is due to the fact that underfloor heating provides comfortable warmth, but also because underfloor heating consumes less energy than traditional heating and is therefore a sustainable alternative. But does this mean that you have to compromise on your wood flooring?
In short, no.
Piera have a range of Engineered Floors that were designed specifically to be as efficient as possible when laid over the top of UFH. Most Engineered wood floors work on the premise of being 15-20mm thickness. However, Pietra don’t do normal! We have a Radiance range of engineered floors which combine a 9mm birch plywood sub base and a 4mm wear layer of oak.
What does this mean?
Our Radiance Range influences the heat that the underfloor heating can give off. This resistance, also called thermal resistance or Rc value, is expressed in a number of m²K/W.
Each material and also each type of wood has its own Rc value. A low resistance gives a shorter, and a higher resistance a longer warm-up time. To explain, our Range of Engineered Oak floors have a Rc Value of around 0.094m2K/W. This means lower resistance equal a saving on energy use! Also, some materials with a low Rc value cool down very quickly, so that the floor immediately feels cold after turning off the thermostat. Our range of floor retains the heat much longer and therefore gives more comfort, for longer.
Our “Radiance Flooring” range has been developed to be as efficient as possible over UFH systems without compromising on the construction of the floor. A 9mm Birch Plywood base has a 4mm wear layer, typically oak, (other wood species can be supplied). The 13mm thickness allows your UFH to warm your room as quickly as possible and with rising energy costs, efficiency is vital. The 4mm wear layer gives you the flexibility to sand and refurbish your floor several times during its lifespan.
