The mat system is easy to install and works well for simple spaces with few angles. However, the cable-and-spacer system this project offers greater flexibility and is less expensive. Installing electric radiant floors must be done after the subfloor has been installed and before the tile has been installed. Radiant heating systems' cables are permanently embedded in the wet thinset mortar.
The tile is then laid on top of the thinset mortar. Hire a licensed electrician to bring electricity to the start point of the cable run, to install the thermostat, and to make all of the splices. Check the subfloor to ensure it's level. If you find any loose edges, use the cordless drill to screw down the edges. Drive the screws through the subfloor and into the floor joists. With the cordless drill, drive screws through the cement backer board and into the subfloor.
With the square-notch trowel, trowel thinset mortar onto the subfloor. Lay the radiant heating underlayment into the thinset. Check the underlayment instructions for installation details, as some underlayments may not require a bed of thinset. Hammer two nails temporarily into the surface of the underlayment as anchors for the chalk snap line. Use the chalk snap line to create visual reference marks for installing the cable straps straight and evenly.
Heat up the glue gun by plugging it in. Run beads of hot glue along the chalk lines created earlier. Quickly lay the cable straps in the hot glue before the glue hardens. Lay down only one strap at a time. Build the first cable grid by looping the floor heating cables between two cable straps.
Run the cable back and forth, following the marks on the cable straps, in a uniformly-spaced serpentine pattern. Keep the cables tight between the straps but not so tight as to pull the straps loose. Floor heating cables should never be cut. For this reason, be careful when you calculate the length of floor heating cable prior to purchase.
Expand the radiant floor heating by building additional cable grids. These grids can be as large or small as necessary to fill the spaces, as long as the system's power output is sufficient. Radiant floors can also be a good choice in large, tall rooms since the heat source emanates at floor level, where the heating is most needed. And particularly in rooms where you walk with bare feet the prime example is a bathroom , a radiant floor makes for unparalleled comfort. Radiant floor systems come in several styles, but one of the most popular is the electric system, in which a wire mesh or loops of individual wires run across the floor beneath the surface, creating warmth by means of the natural resistance occurring as electricity flows through the metal wires.
The principle of radiant floor heating has been around for centuries. In ancient Rome, for example, many public buildings had a system of tunnels beneath stone floors that circulated air warmed by wood-burning fires. In the modern electric adaptation, thin heating cables installed under surface flooring—most commonly ceramic tile—heat the floor much the way an electric blanket works.
Typically they are operated by their own or amp electrical circuit controlled by a wall thermostat. Often such systems are used to provide supplemental heat and are installed during remodeling projects. Most electric radiant floors involve laying strips of electrical matting across the subfloor, linked together and connected to an electrical circuit and line-voltage thermostat, and secured in place by a covering of thin-set mortar.
The surface floor covering is installed over the electrical matts. In these matt systems, you can cut pieces to size to fit irregular areas, although it is generally better to use full-sized mats. Ideally, the mats cover most of the floor, but it is also possible to confine the heating to areas where you usually walk. In other systems, individual wires are looped across the bathroom floor about 3 inches apart and secured by thin-set adhesive.
For ceramic or stone tile floors, the electrical mats or wires are installed over the cement board underlayment, over which the ceramic tile is then laid. Electric radiant heating systems buried within thermal masses such as between cement board and ceramic tile can retain heat for a long time, even after the power is turned off.
Electric radiant floor systems offer a discreet way of heating a floor. With the right temperature setting, it is difficult to even detect that the radiant heat is operating. Electric heat mats are typically laid in a bed of mortar, covered with more mortar, and then the tiles are immediately set in place. For this installation, however, I added a step to improve the performance of the radiant-floor heating: The heat mat was set in mortar and then allowed to cure overnight.
The next morning, I poured self-leveling underlayment over the mat, which is simply very thin, watery cement. Once the underlayment dried, the tiles were mortared down.
Now this extra step takes a bit more time, but the extra cement layer provided by the self-leveling underlayment creates a perfectly smooth, level surface for laying the tile and provides a bit more thermal mass for radiating heat.
Here are the steps to installing the heat mat:. Lay the mat down into the mortar, being careful not to crush the electrical cables woven into the flexible mat. Use a rubber grout float to press the heat mat down into the mortar.
Be sure to squeeze out all air bubbles and smooth away any wrinkles. Carefully fold the second half of the heating mat over the first half, spread mortar onto the backerboard and press the mat into the mortar with the grout float. Allow the mortar to cure overnight. Now, mix a batch of self-leveling compound to the consistency of a thin milkshake. Start in the room corner farthest from the door and pour the underlayment onto the floor.
Let the underlayment harden overnight. Now you can call in a licensed electrician to connect the radiant-floor heat mat to a dedicated electrical circuit, which is a circuit that provides power only to the heat mat. The electrician will also hook up the new radiant-heat thermostat, which should be placed about 60 inches above the floor. Once the electrician confirms that the radiant-heat mat is operating properly, you can begin tiling the floor.
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