Underfloor Heating
A correctly-engineered wood floor is the only rational wide-plank option for use with underfloor (radiant) heating. This is because, as any well-informed architect or contractor will tell you, underfloor heating tests a wood floor to its limits by in essence turning it into a large radiator. In such conditions non-engineered (solid) wood or poor-quality engineered wood flooring products regularly fail. Only a correctly engineered premium product should be specified.
Floated floors are inadvisable in such cases because they leave an air gap, which (as with double glazing) acts as an insulator, significantly inhibiting heat transfer. Instead, to maximise heat transfer, floors should be fully adhered on their undersurface to the sub-floor. The superior engineering technique and thermal properties of Element7’s wide planks make them the most discerning choice for radiant heating.