Warm floor on wood with your own hands. How to make warm floors in a wooden house with your own hands

Today, there is a steady trend towards modernizing the equipment of each home, so owners strive to improve the performance of various functional parts and increase the free space in their home. The article will discuss how to replace the usual heating circuit in a private house with a water-heated floor according to wooden joists, having completed all the work yourself.

Features and nuances of water heated floors

A significant difference between a water heated floor and an electric one lies in the dependence on the coolant supply. If the electrical variety only requires connection to electrical circuit, then the water floor must be connected to the heating system of the entire house, which significantly complicates the installation and operation process. The important thing is that such a system is not visible on the surface, and therefore photos of the room will not be spoiled by protruding pipes and various fasteners that create discomfort during operation.

According to the standard, the structure of such a system includes:

water heating boiler that heats and supplies coolant;
a pump that circulates coolant in the heating circuit;
a pipeline network arranged in such a way that the coolant flows to all corners of the room and the heating is uniform;
a system of valves, gate valves and bypasses, each of which is designed to control and regulate coolant circulation. The bypass is very important in this list, as it allows the coolant to bypass the pump during repair work in case of malfunction;
controllers and sensors that allow you to monitor temperature, pressure, circulation speed and other system parameters.

Based on the above, the owner should understand that laying a high-quality water-heated floor under a wooden floor is a local task, but organizing a reliable heating system throughout the house is very important. Naturally, the emphasis is on styling heating circuit in overlap with logs, since this process is the most difficult to implement.

Preparing the base for heated floors

To install a heated floor along joists, it is necessary to prepare the base for laying all subsequent layers in the “pie” of the floor.

This process consists of the following stages:

the subfloor must be perfectly leveled: all cracks, potholes and other defects are eliminated by stripping, sanding and puttying. A surface slope exceeding 0.2% is unacceptable, which means: with a distance between certain sections of the floor of 4 meters, the slope should not exceed 8 millimeters;
a waterproofing layer of polyethylene film or special materials that protect floors from moisture penetration. It is important that the sheets of material used are securely fastened with adhesive tape;
Then the installation of wooden logs begins, and insulation is laid between them.

Now you can begin installing underfloor heating on a wooden floor using one of the methods described below.

The simplest installation methods

The following varieties are considered simple installation methods:

directly onto the heat-insulating layer of material laid between the joists;
on a thermal insulation layer, which is raised above the frame of logs using a rigid base.

The system design in both cases has the following structural elements (from top to bottom):

a water heating circuit made of pipes laid at intervals of 20 centimeters, but a different step can be chosen if the installation features of the log require it;
thermal insulation layer;
rigid base;

Complicated method

The system described above becomes more efficient, but also more difficult to install due to an increase in the number of functional elements.

It all starts with a heat-insulating layer, but the top is covered with aluminum foil. Usage of this material increases the degree of heat reflection, which determines the concentration of the generated heat and its direction into the room. If it is not possible to cover the entire surface with a single sheet of foil, then you will need to additionally use double-sided adhesive insulating tape to connect the cut pieces.

Next, a metal mesh is laid, usually used to reinforce screeds on wooden joists to strengthen the structure being created. A modern warm water floor on wooden logs involves the use of not only pipes, but also a heating cable. Using this element in combination with polyethylene pipes is highly effective. Such a heating circuit can be heated much higher than the temperature of the coolant in the main heating system of the house. Also sometimes they make a heated floor on the ground in a private house, which is a pretty good option.

Autonomous control of the temperature of the coolant in the heating circuit of the heated floor is carried out using its own sensor, installed in a corrugated tube and connected in a specially designated place. In addition to this, in common system There are a number of different heating sensors. They concern not only the warm floor, but also the main heating circuit.

The frame made of logs is specially processed for laying heating circuit pipes. By making slits of appropriate sizes, the owner will greatly facilitate the installation process. Next, the installation of the selected floor covering begins and upon completion of the work, you can supplement the system with an external temperature controller. The last element can be either automatic or manual.

Using Heat Reflective Plates

Regardless of which method of laying the water heating circuit was chosen, there is a problem of loss of heat generated. You can increase the efficiency of the system and minimize possible heat loss.

To do this, the water floor is laid on wooden joists using the following elements:

heating pipes;
a thermal insulation layer at least 10-15 centimeters thick;
frame made of logs installed horizontally, and not vertically, as with standard way installation Thus, it is convenient to place wings of heat-reflecting plates on the joists. Moreover, each plate has grooves corresponding to the diameter of the pipes being laid, which also facilitates the installation of the heating circuit.

Nuances of the water floor installation process

If a water heated floor is installed according to wooden beams, then you should know a number of rules:

the step between adjacent joists should be at least half a meter so that thermal insulation boards fit into it with a noticeable stretch, but without the need to apply extra effort. This can be controlled by the bending of the slab created when it is “pushed” into the space between the joists;
It is best to use pipes with a diameter of 1.6 centimeters for installation, since in practice the coolant circulates best in them;
regarding how to make heated floors on a wooden floor more efficient, experts say that wrapping pipes with foil will significantly reduce the loss of generated heat;
the length of the heating circuit should not be more than 100 meters, since a larger distance increases the heat loss generated by the coolant, which has to travel this entire route;
if a longer heating circuit is required, then it can be divided into separate sections with an area not exceeding 40 square meters individually (more details: " ").

When laying a warm water floor on a wooden floor, it is better to choose a separate option between a single 80-meter heating circuit and two 40-meter ones. You will have to spend 2 times more money on installation, but together the two sections will be more productive than a solid system.

There is no need to lay the system so that the contour area completely corresponds to the area of the room. It is enough to correctly calculate the efficiency of the system taking into account the floor covering used. For example, if a heated floor is laid under a wooden board, you need to glue the gaps between the flooring and the walls around the perimeter of the room. This will compensate for the expansion of the boardwalk when heated.

Bottom line

Laying a water floor is not as difficult as it may seem to someone inexperienced in construction work ah to the owner. When properly connected to the general heating system of the house, high-quality heating is guaranteed. It is important to carry out the work clearly, accurately and in compliance with all professional recommendations.

If any difficulties arise, you can always contact specialists who will take responsibility for all stages - from purchase necessary materials before testing and putting the system into operation.

Heated floors are one of the mandatory attributes of comfortable housing. The heat source most often used in such floors is plastic pipes with hot water circulating in it or a heating electric cable, filled with a cement-sand mixture screed. In houses with floors made of reinforced concrete slabs or with a shallow underground, such warm floors can be implemented quite easily, which cannot be said about houses with wooden floors.

The main problem is the impossibility of installing a screed on lightweight design made of wood due to the heavy weight of concrete and insufficient strength of wood. The secondary problem is the relatively low ignition temperature of wood, which excludes the possibility of strong heating of the constituent elements of the heated floor. Nevertheless, the problem is completely solvable and, despite all the technological difficulties, it is possible to install electric heated floors in wooden houses, and without excessive effort.

Heating elements for electric heated floors

There are several types of electric heaters designed for installing heated floors - moreover, they have a low dead weight and do not require concrete screed as a basis. This:

sheet infrared film heaters;
foil mats;
rod heating mats;
cable mats or cable laid on special mounting plates.

As a basic element of a heating system, it is advisable to use heated floors based on any of these heaters only in small rooms with permanent residence– they will be able to warm the air to a comfortable temperature in a large cottage only in a warm southern climate...

Film floors and foil mats

Film heaters are laminated strips of carbon-graphite mixture and can be used not only for underfloor heating, but also for hanging on walls and even ceilings. When the power supply is connected, each such “panel” begins to emit infrared radiation, which leads to heating of objects in the room, as well as walls and ceilings. From them, heat is transferred to the surrounding air.

The undoubted advantage of a film heated floor is the extreme simplicity of its installation and the ability to install it under any floor covering or even just under a carpet. Can be laid under large furniture. In addition, infrared radiation is the most quick way heat the room. But this is still a relatively expensive type of heating, quite “gluttonous” in terms of electricity consumption.

Foil mats are a type of film heated floor. More precisely, it is a hybrid of film and cable, having almost all the advantages of the first and devoid of the disadvantages of the second type of heaters.

Rod mats

A rod heated floor is a set of parallel-connected tubes filled with a special mixture - carbon. It has a small (less than 1 cm) thickness and high strength. The most economical in terms of energy consumption, but also the most expensive of the types of electric heated floors.

However, the high cost of rod mats is fully justified by their advantages: rods filled with carbon fiber have a self-regulating effect, and therefore are not afraid of being “blocked” by massive furniture, for example. In addition, such mats are practically not afraid of accidental mechanical damage - due to parallel connection with each other, failure of one rod does not cause failure of the entire mat.

Cable mats

Cable mats are the most common type of electric heated floors. They are a long heating cable laid and fixed on a mesh base. Laying is usually carried out using a “snake”, and the thickness of such a mat does not exceed 10 mm. Relatively cheap, but also quite difficult to use.

Such mats are laid on free areas of the floor, otherwise the cable is likely to fail due to local overheating. Cable mats are susceptible to mechanical damage and are practically unrepairable.

Dry installation in a wooden house

Installation of electric heated floors in wooden house Without concrete base can be carried out in one of two ways: on a solid plank rough (or even finished) floor or directly on the logs. The first method is much simpler, but is of little use for laying cable and rod mats due to their relatively large thickness.

Regardless of the choice of the “dry” method, without a screed installation device, it should be taken into account that the maximum permissible specific power of foil heating mats is 130 W per one square meter of heated area. The power density of infrared film can be doubled, for resistive cable the limitation is much stricter - no more than 10 W/m.

Finish coating

The ideal floor covering for heating cables and films is ceramic tiles. Unfortunately, laying it on a wooden base is extremely rarely practiced, since it is associated with great technological difficulties. However, modern floor heating systems work quite effectively even when laid under laminate, linoleum and even carpet - you just need to take into account chemical composition coatings: some of them, even with slight heating, can emit harmful, toxic compounds.

But, given that the maximum temperature of the heating elements of a heated floor almost never exceeds 50 degrees, the main requirement for the floor covering is good thermal conductivity. Laminated board and linoleum inferior price category do not meet this condition well, but with the proper skills they can be used.

Dry installation on a solid surface

On a solid wooden floor used as a base, film heaters or cable mats are laid as one of the “sandwich” layers. Directly on wood covering(board, plywood, chipboard or OSB boards), if necessary, apply a waterproofing layer of any mastic that has the appropriate characteristics. A heat-reflecting coating is laid on it, which simultaneously plays the role of thermal insulation; most often it is foil-foamed polystyrene foam. Then the electric floor is laid, and the finishing floor covering is installed on it.

If necessary (for a laminated board, for example), a substrate is laid between the heating surface of the heated floor elements and the finishing coating - but this is done quite rarely: such a gasket conducts heat very poorly.

Foil cable mats are laid in a similar way, only they do not require a heat-reflecting “sandwich” layer - this role is played by the foil base of the mat. You just need to take into account that almost all manufacturers of electric heated floors produce all the layers necessary for laying the “sandwich” - and guarantee compliance with the declared characteristics of the heaters only when using branded materials and recommended installation technologies.

Laying on joists

Installation of heated floors on logs is done a little differently. From point of view construction technologies it is somewhat more complicated than the previous one - it is difficult to use the main load-bearing joists of the floor or ceiling, and you have to lay additional bars on the subfloor as second joists. However, if the subfloor is hemmed to the main joists from below, they can be used as support points for laying mats or laying cables for electric heated floors.

Between the top plane of the joists and the subfloor, thermal insulation must be installed, and, if necessary, waterproofing in front of it. A mounting mesh is laid on the upper planes of the log, and a heating cable or heating mats are attached to it. The height of the space between the top plane of the thermal insulation and the mounting grid (that is, the height of the logs) must be at least 30 mm to avoid overheating wooden elements.

When laying the cable on mounting plates There is no need for a mesh - the plates are attached directly to the logs. The order of the remaining layers is preserved. When installing electric heated floors on joists, a heat-reflecting layer is usually not used - its role is played upper layer thermal insulation; however, laying such a layer will not be superfluous.

Cabling

In both cases, it is recommended to lay the cable in such a way that it does not intersect with the surface of the joist. If this cannot be avoided, at the intersection points it is necessary to make cuts to the top of the thermal insulation and cover the slots with a layer of foil. In this case, the cable should not have physical contact with the lower plane of the finishing coating - it should heat the air cushion formed between the lags.

The thickness of the finishing coating should not exceed 24 mm, otherwise the efficiency of the electric heated floor begins to decline sharply. Carpet is used only in cases of urgent need - its thermal conductivity is very low... linoleum is also recommended to be used as a last resort - there is a very high risk of mechanical damage to it and at the same time damaging the heating elements of the heated floor.

Installing a regulator for electric heated floors

The control of an electric floor in a wooden house, as in all other cases, should be carried out by an external thermostat. The location of its installation is selected so as to allow unhindered operational access, but at the same time as close as possible to the controlled area. This is due to the following considerations:

even an electric mat or cable heating a relatively small area of the floor is a fairly powerful consumer of electricity, and the shorter the wires going to it, the higher the reliability of the entire system as a whole;
the logic of the regulator’s operation is determined by the readings of a temperature sensor placed in close proximity to the heating element; the shorter the wire from the sensor to the regulator, the smaller the error in the sensor readings and the more accurately the set temperature is maintained;
It is more convenient to assess and adjust the temperature of the floor surface with direct physical contact with it - it will be difficult to do this from another room.

Electrical connection

The connection of the electric floor to the power supply line must be carried out by a separate RCD-protected line with the appropriate cross-section of the conductors - usually 4 square meters is sufficient. mm. When using a metal mounting grid, it must be grounded; It is recommended and, if possible, to ground the foil surface of the heat-reflecting layer.

When laying film sheets or cable mats in sections of fixed sizes, it is better to connect them in parallel - in this case, a malfunction of one of them will not affect the operation of the entire floor as a whole and will only lead to a slight decrease in its temperature.

Video on the topic

Among all types of heating, installing a water heated floor in a wooden house is perhaps the most complex and difficult. When laying, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the building, select the optimal type of flooring and strictly follow the phased installation plan.

Is it possible to water heat a wooden floor?

In fact, no matter what skeptics say, installing a warm water floor in a wooden house made of timber is not only a possible, but also a reasonable solution to the heating issue. Of course, you will have to take into account certain nuances related to the peculiarities of using a wooden house.

So, for example, heating floors above 30 degrees is prohibited. Wooden surface under influence high temperatures easily deformed and turns into dust. Therefore, a water heated floor on a wooden base must not be connected to the central heating circuit, but a separate heat source must be used for this purpose.

Cake of warm water floor in wooden country house greatly limits the possibility of using concrete screed. The heating system will have to be installed dry, which also creates certain inconveniences.

When choosing a floor covering, you should consider that some popular Decoration Materials: laminate, parquet board- when heated above 25°C, toxic fumes of formaldehyde begin to be released.

Most heating equipment manufacturers take into account the need for simultaneous use of two heating circuits with different intensity heating, providing customers with boilers with the ability to connect heating radiators and heated floors.

Options for installing a wooden floor with water heating

There are several options for installing heated floors in a wooden house. The choice of installation method is selected depending on technical characteristics building.

Common installation methods are:

Mats - represent ready-made structures with grooves for laying a water circuit. The mats can be laid on a flat floor base. To do this, first trim the surface using plywood or QSB boards. Modular type floor does not require use cement mixtures. Above polypropylene pipes close the DSP, lay the floor covering.
Installation of warm concrete water floors on top wooden structures. Before installation, ensure maximum insulation of wooden elements from moisture. All work is carried out exclusively with ready-made compounds with a short drying period.
Milling a wooden floor for pipes of a warm water floor system. Using cutters, machines cut out recesses for the passage of the pipeline. The wooden base begins to serve as mats. As a result, costs for floor components are reduced. The disadvantage of milling is the labor intensity of the process. But if you have specialized tools, installation time can be reduced to a minimum.

You can install water-heated floors on a wooden floor using other methods. There is the following method. IN wooden log house they simply lay the pipeline under the joists. The plank floor is dismantled, the water circuit is installed, after which the flooring is laid back.

To protect the wood as much as possible from moisture, the water circuit is laid in a special corrugation. The corrugation protects against the effects of water even in the event of leaks.

How to make water floors in a wooden house

Installing a warm water floor on a wooden floor with your own hands is practically no different from the structures used in other buildings. The exception is special measures safety necessary to protect wooden surfaces from moisture.

Practice has shown that the best option will use polypropylene pipes.

Installation work is carried out as follows:

The maximum length of the water circuit should not exceed 70 m. If this is not enough for the heated area, so-called water floor laying areas are created. To ensure uniform supply to each heating circuit, a water manifold is installed.

What floor coverings are suitable

The choice of material is limited both by subsequent operation and by the method of manufacturing the heating system.

Traditionally used following types flooring:

Ceramic tile– the advantage of ceramics is rapid heating of the surface and high heat transfer. Use limited to hallway, bathroom, kitchen and non-residential premises. When choosing ceramic tiles, heated floors must be filled with screed or covered with a cement bonded particle board.
Laminate and parquet boards– there are two types of installation of water heating according to wooden floors: on mats or prepared grooves. Laminate or parquet can be laid regardless of the method of installation installation work. The only drawback of the floor covering is the inability to heat the surface above 25°C.
Ordinary board - you can also lay a heated water floor on wooden beams with your own hands, laying the board over the water contour. The solution does not require serious material investments. This method is chosen if it is not possible to reduce the distance to the ceiling. Subsequently, it is possible to additionally lay linoleum or laminate.

Hammer.
Rules.
Angle grinder for cutting reinforcement.
Construction level.

To work with wooden surfaces A set of cutters and drills and a powerful drill will come in handy.

What mistakes should be avoided during installation?

Features of the design on a wooden base are that any violations and changes in step-by-step installation heating will lead to operational problems. The appearance of condensation and leaks is critical.

The pipe laying system does not allow the following violations:

Warm floors for a wooden house are a reasonable solution. If you follow the installation recommendations, you can avoid possible difficulties during future operation.

Warm floors are a very popular type of heating today, used both independently and along with other systems. When it appeared, it was used mainly on the first floors of buildings, using a concrete screed.

This screed is quite heavy (about 300 kg per m2) and cannot be used in most wooden houses, especially on the second and third floors, since the ceilings of the structure simply cannot withstand such a load.

Be the first to install heated floors without wet screed started by the Finns, who came up with a special technology using hypno-fiber sheets. Over time, more and more new styling methods have appeared that allow you to use this type heating system in any buildings, regardless of their strength and number of floors. They make it easy to lay pipes with coolant not only in full-fledged residential buildings, but even in such light buildings as a wooden sauna or bathhouse.

Today we will look at several ways step-by-step installation heated floors on wooden logs, although in this case there are much more of them, and some changes can be made to each depending on design features premises.

Warm water floor for wooden floors step by step

So, we are making a water floor on a wooden one step by step. If the latter needs to be done from scratch, then work will begin from the following points:

Logs are the basis of a wooden floor, and its arrangement begins with their installation. They are laid at a distance of 60 cm from each other, which guarantees high quality and the strength of the future surface. Fastening is carried out using special galvanized supports, which can be purchased at any hardware store.
After the logs are fixed, a subfloor is laid out of ordinary boards, which is necessary for laying waterproofing and insulation. Waterproofing film it is necessary to wrap the logs themselves. As insulation, you can use a mineral slab on a basalt base, laid in several layers so that its total thickness is 10 cm.
On top of the hydro- and heat-insulating layer, the main floor boards are laid and mounted on the logs.

If you already have a finished wooden floor, and you only have to install a heated floor, you skip the previous points and deal exclusively with preparing the base. It is thoroughly cleaned of debris and, if necessary, leveled to an acceptable standard.

IN step by step instructions for a heated water floor on a wooden floor, the next step is the installation of a dry screed in which the heated floor pipes will be located. It can be made from a variety of materials: gypsum fiber sheets, polystyrene foam, chipboard and others. In our article on how to make a water-heated floor on a wooden base step by step, we will consider the option with chipboard.

Pre-prepared chipboards are laid on the finished floor. To correctly cut out the fragments, a whole board is attached to the joists and a contour is applied to it along which the pipes will be located. The corners of the strips are made rounded in those places where the system will bend. We lay the finished fragments in the following sequence: first, one row along the walls, and then across the entire area of the room. We leave a gap between the strips, sufficient to lay the pipes in it, but not leaving too much free space.

Chipboard installation

2. We install heat spreaders - special metal sheets made of galvanized steel or aluminum, and having special profiles for pipes. They are necessary for the system to work more efficiently and for the heat to be distributed evenly over the entire surface of the floor. If you want to save money, you can use regular galvanized iron sheets, sold at any hardware store. Their thickness should be 0.5 mm. Metal sheets are attached to the laid chipboard using simple nails.

3. We lay heating system pipes into the grooves of the metal sheets, which are then connected to the collector.

4. The system is pressure tested (filled with water and maintained under pressure) to ensure its tightness and performance.

5. Sheets of plywood are attached to the laid structure using self-tapping screws. They must have a thickness of at least 1 cm. A gap of 0.5 mm wide is left between the plywood, which can be filled with sealant if desired. It is necessary to ensure that the finished floor does not deform if the wood absorbs moisture and expands.

6. In the step-by-step instructions for a water-heated floor on a wooden base, the last step is laying the finishing floor covering. Using the technology described, it can be made from any materials - tiles, laminate, carpet. If a laminate is selected, then a plywood backing is not used due to thermal insulation properties of this material. If you have to lay linoleum, you should not choose cheap options, as they can emit an unpleasant odor when heated.

Tips: 1. For heated floors, it is better to purchase pipes with a diameter of 1.6 cm, since it is in them that the coolant circulates in the most optimal way.

You should not make the length of the heating circuit more than 100 m, since when traveling longer distances the coolant will cool down, and in some areas the floor temperature will be significantly lower. If you need a longer outline, it is better to break it up into sections.
In order to make the heating system more efficient, experts recommend using foil pipe wrapping.
Chipboard modules, milled at the factory and ready for use, can be purchased at specialized construction stores. Such kits include all the necessary components - from fasteners to metal heat spreaders and pipes. The cost of such sets is significantly higher than the price of conventional sheets, but at the same time the labor costs and time for creating a dry screed are significantly reduced.
Select the correct contour along which you will lay the pipes - the “snake” is easy to lay, but is only suitable for small rooms, since the coolant has time to cool down along the way, and cold spots will form in some areas of the floor. IN large rooms It's better to use a "spiral".

The second option for installing heated floors using joists

There is another technology that many may like. It is done step by step as follows:

A false floor is made between the joists wooden planks, OSB and chipboard.
Insulation is placed between the beams, which is best used as polystyrene foam with bosses. He not only has excellent characteristics in terms of thermal conductivity, but also allows you to quickly and conveniently lay pipes and metal reflectors. The surface of the insulation should almost reach the top edge of the joist, but the underfloor heating elements should not rest against the substrate.
Grooves are prepared in the joists in those places where the pipes will cross them. The pipes themselves must be wrapped in corrugation in those places where they will pass through the groove so that, as a result of thermal expansion of the materials, they do not rub against the wood.
Metal heat reflectors and water pipes are laid.
The system is tested for functionality and tightness, after which you can begin manufacturing the substrate and finishing.

Warm floor with insulation

In order to shorten the work process, underfloor heating pipes can be placed directly on the insulation layer located on the raised floor. IN in this case Only polystyrene should be used as insulation, which will make the system operate as efficiently as possible. Mineral wool does not have similar heat-conducting properties.

At this method the pipes will be located below the log level. The space can be filled to the desired level gypsum mixture, or, if you want to completely avoid wet processes, fill it with regular sand. These materials will become a kind of analogue of concrete screed, although less effective, and will conduct heat to the main floor.

The simplest option for laying heated floors on joists

There is a very simple option for laying heated floors along joists, which does not involve creating a screed at all. It is much faster to install, but it has a significant drawback: due to the lack of heat-conducting materials, the floor heats up worse, and certain part heat goes down, not up. Using this technology, heat distribution elements are attached directly to the joists themselves, and the pipes seem to sag in their gutters above the raised floor. In this case, the metal plates also act as another leveling layer before finishing the floor.

Conclusion. A properly designed and installed heated floor can significantly influence the temperature and create a comfortable environment in the home. Installing a warm water floor on a wooden base is not as difficult a task as it might initially seem to a person who does not have much experience in carrying out construction work. If you strictly follow the instructions, you will be able to make a high-quality heating system that will last for many years. There are quite a lot of technologies for installing systems on logs, so everyone chooses the most suitable one for themselves, depending on the characteristics of the room and their own capabilities.

To make a home warm and cozy, they are often used modern technologies heating Among them we can highlight the installation of warm electric or water floors. The installation process is simple, but some general knowledge and skills are required. We will tell you what features of the work need to be taken into account when laying such a floor on wooden bases.

Types of heated floors - choose for a wooden house

Modern heated floors are either electric or water. For the first, industrial products of various models are used. Water pipes consist of pipes with coolant connected to the heating system.

Electric floors are distinguished by the use of current-carrying systems:

1. From a heat cable. It is bought by the metre, various models they have different heating levels and give off different amounts of heat: on average, per 1 m 2 - 150 W.
2. Matte heaters. The same heat cable is used, but already mounted on the base.
3. Infrared film heaters. Average power – 175 W/m2.

There are other electric floor heating systems; only those that are suitable for installation on wooden bases are listed above.

The most common system, not only in wooden houses, is water floors. They attract with their safety and the fact that the pipes are hidden under the floor. No one sees them, the interior does not suffer, unlike the use of radiators. The room is heated evenly, but weaker than with an electric floor. Significant disadvantage design is the likelihood of leakage.

Electric floor heating is less popular, especially in houses with wooden floors. There are several reasons:

higher cost of installation and operation;
fear of electric shock;
fire hazard, especially on wooden structures.

There is nothing to object to regarding the first point, but regarding the rest it should be said that the fears are exaggerated. Modern models Heaters are even less likely to be electrocuted than a power outlet. A fire can only occur when short circuit. Proper installation using modern circuit breakers and thermostats reduces this probability to zero.

Now about the advantages of electric flooring. It is much easier to install than a water one, and its dimensions are smaller. Dismantling of the old floor covering is required only if it is in poor condition. The rooms warm up very quickly, and modern automation allows you to regulate the temperature separately in each room. The products are designed for long-term use - up to half a century, which is quite enough.

Warm floors in a wooden house require taking into account the characteristics of the material. A new house shrinks the walls by up to 5% in the first year. If the floor is connected to the walls, this should be taken into account and the installation of heating should be delayed. Wood requires temperature without sudden changes, otherwise the material may swell and crack. Therefore, you need to decide whether it will be just heating or main heating. The power is selected to ensure a constant temperature.

The top finish plays an important role in the choice. Let us immediately warn you that the use of concrete screed wooden base pointless. A minimum of 5 cm of layer is required, and no tree can withstand such a load for long. For water-heated floors, any floor covering can be used. For film, parquet or carpet is suitable. Perfect for all types of electric laminate flooring.

Any type of heated floors is suitable for a wooden house, if everything is done in compliance with technology and safety measures.

Preparing the base - features of installing pipe heating

Wooden products must meet certain criteria so that they do not have to be remade later due to ineffective heat transfer or destruction. If the base has been used long time We check it thoroughly. The following indicators indicate unsuitability for use:

the beams are damp, traces of rot and mold are found;
gaps between the boards, no insulation;
the width between the joists is more than 60 cm;
uneven base slope, differences of more than 2–3 mm.

Careful preparation is required. If something can be fixed, we do it. We replace damaged parts, dry the wood, level it, and install it in a new way. Don't forget to process antiseptics. We fill the cracks with heat-insulating material.

If it turns out that wooden products have exhausted their service life, it is better to replace them completely. One of possible options making a new foundation with your own hands for warm water floors:

1. We start with a subfloor, which we lay on a flat base. We use any wood, ensuring there are no gaps. There will be thermal insulation on top, but it is better to eliminate the possibility of cold penetration under it.
2. We spread a water vapor barrier film over the raised floor. It is unacceptable to use ordinary polyethylene for this purpose: condensation will accumulate.
3. We attach special metal corners, which are sold in stores, to the opposite walls. The distance between them is 60 cm.
4. We fix the logs to the corners, aligning them horizontally with minimum distance between them and the raised floor. This installation allows you to achieve the ideal level.
5. We lay a 10-centimeter layer of insulation between the joists. There are many types of them, but basalt slabs would be an excellent material in this case. We lay a hydro-vapor barrier on top of the insulation.

We have several layers of base, for which it is very important to provide high-quality insulation from water, steam and cold, as well as leveling.

Laying heat pipes - several options for different tastes

We install the pipes on fasteners that we specially create or purchase. First, let's talk about modern methods:

1. Plastic rails "Rail" - have guides and an adhesive backing. Install directly on thermal insulation material. After installing the fasteners, we snap the pipes into the grooves.
2. “Tacker” – a set of heat-insulating, heat-reflecting layer and mounting brackets. Sold in meter rolls, thickness 2, 3, 5 cm. The pipes are secured with plastic elements.
3. “Profil” is an increasingly popular method of attaching plastic heat pipes. We lay sheets with special fungi over the heat insulator. Between them, with little effort, the pipes fit in and are securely fixed.

When using the traditional method, we first lay a base of boards or sheet material on top of the logs. In some cases, they do without this layer and immediately lay 20 cm wide boards or strips of chipboard. We leave a gap between the strips or boards, approximately 2 mm larger than the diameter of the pipeline. This option is acceptable if finishing we assume to fulfill enough durable material, otherwise individual strips of wood or chipboard may not withstand the load.

We adhere to the sequence:

cut to length, make the corners on each side rounded;
nail it to the joists with a gap equal to the pipe diameter plus 2 mm;
install heat reflectors,
we lay the pipes in the gaps.

About heat reflectors. Several options are possible. In the first case, we buy aluminum in the form of sheets with a pressed profile. The strip serves as a heat reflector, and the recess serves as a fastening element. We nail the strips to the boards, recessing the profile into the gaps between them. We place the pipes in the recess, they are securely fixed in it.

Such products cannot be purchased everywhere. Then ordinary galvanized sheets 0.5 mm thick, which are sold everywhere, will help out. We cut them into strips 26 cm wide. We draw lines along the length: the first at a distance of 20 cm from the edge, the second, third and fourth - after 1.8 cm, leaving 0.6 mm from the edge. Bend along the lines:

first down at an angle of 90°;
further at the same angle, but in the direction opposite to the wide strip;
the last bend is upward.

We succeeded homemade device– heat reflector with profile. We bend the remaining 6 mm inward, you can just use pliers. We make the profile at the top a little narrower than at the bottom to create a reliable fixation.

The least labor-intensive option is to use aluminum foil as a heat reflector. We wrap one edge of it around the pipe and place it in the grooves. We secure the second one with a stapler. To ensure reliable fixation, we additionally install plates. It turns out to be a solid radiator, heat is transferred to the foil, and from it to the room.

The next stage is connecting to the heating. There are many different ways, the simplest of which is through taps that allow manual control. To connect to your home system, it must have a pump. Be sure to check the tightness and performance, after which you can lay the topcoat. When installing it, care is required not to damage the heat pipe.

Easiest to use at home metal-plastic pipes 16 mm: they bend easily, are quite strong, no special tools are required, and whole piece will ensure reliable tightness.

Cable heating - we install it on logs

An electrical cable under the floor is not dangerous in terms of fire if you follow the rules that will ensure safe operation:

1. It is recommended to install a ceiling on top, the thickness of which depends on the type of wood. For soft breeds maximum height 22 mm, for hard ones – 24 mm.
2. The power of the thermal cable should not exceed 130 W/m2 to prevent fire. For the same purpose, it is necessary to use a thermostat. The maximum surface heating temperature allowed in wooden buildings– 40°.
3. It is prohibited to install furniture in the places where the heating element passes, so that it does not deform it with its weight. The cable is distributed evenly over the remaining area.
4. Lay carpets according to warm floor undesirable. They prevent heat from spreading throughout the room, leading to overheating of the heating cable and its premature failure.

Preparing the base for cable heating is practically no different from its installation for water heating. This is an inspection of structures in order to identify damage and eliminate it. It is necessary to have hydro- and vapor barrier. We pay special attention to high-quality insulation, without which there is no point in installing heated floors.

The top layer of the insulating cake is metallized foil, which plays the role of a heat reflector. You can lay it alone or use it with an additional insulating layer.

We draw up a diagram for laying the heating cable in the room. According to the logs, it is carried out in a “snake” parallel to them. According to the diagram we mark on wooden supports intersection points with heating element. Here we make perpendicular cuts of about 5 cm. We cover them with pieces of tin, which will protect the wood from overheating and at the same time serve as a heat reflector.

We lay out a metal mesh over the foil, the cells of which do not exceed a cross-section of 5x5 cm. We place the cable on top according to the diagram. We fasten it to the mesh in any way: knitting wire or clamps. We comply important condition: The heating cable should not come into contact with the sidewalls of the logs, but should be kept at a distance from them.

We place a thermostat on the wall, not high from the floor. We place its sensor under the floor, and protect the wire from it to the thermostat corrugated pipe. For a wooden house, only wiring made open method with protection. We install the thermostat on a substrate made of non-flammable material: metal, asbestos.

Of all types of electric heating in a wooden house under the floor, only cable heating can be used due to the characteristics of other heating elements.

Heating from ready-made sections - cable mats and carbon film

Warm floors for heating a wooden house can be arranged using infrared film or heating mats. The film is only 0.5 mm thick, but is capable of providing heat to any room. It has a black mesh, which is a heater, the ends of which extend to the edges in the form of metallized contacts. A heating mat is practically the same cable mounted on a base.

Before purchasing, we draw up a diagram of the area to be heated. We take into account the entire surface free from stationary furniture. We select heating mats based on power. For the kitchen, corridor it is 150 W/m2, bedrooms - from 100 to 150, bathroom - 180 W/m2. Usable area multiply by the required power and get the total. We buy a mat of this or slightly higher power.

Each section infrared heater has a length of 25 cm. We take into account that along the perimeter of the room you can retreat from the walls by 10–40 cm, and the gap between sections should not exceed 5 cm, otherwise this area will remain cold. Application of film is allowed only in places where there are no heaters. In order not to buy too much, we take into account that as the main heater you will need to cover about 70% of the surface with film, for heating - from 40%.

We lay the heat insulator on a clean and flat surface. For a heating mat, it must have a heat-reflecting surface. The use of metallized foil for infrared film is prohibited. Thermal insulation thickness is from 4 mm. In damp rooms, we additionally lay waterproofing underneath.

Both mats and film can be laid out on the base, changing their configuration. To do this, we cut the mats along the mesh without touching the heater itself. We cut the film into sections along the cutting lines marked on it. We lay the heaters on the surface according to the diagram and the cuts made. For fixation we use double-sided tape.

We mount the film so that the copper conductive strips face down. It is advisable to lay it out along the length of the room. This will reduce the number of connections and wires. But you should take into account the maximum possible length of one segment, which we specify when purchasing. We place the joints so that they are located next to the wall, or even better - under the baseboard.

Using the contact clips included in the kit, we connect the conductive tapes and wires. We connect individual sections in parallel. If one fails, the rest will work. All connections and unused terminals are insulated with bitumen insulation (included in the kit). We mount the sensor under the film on adhesive tape.

Before laying the coating, we check the heaters for functionality. Any material except plastic plates can be used as a finishing material. Linoleum with insulation is also undesirable. To lay the laminate, we use a floating option so that the section can be easily dismantled if any section turns out to be faulty. We additionally lay plywood, chipboard, then laminate, carpet, linoleum on the film.