Tile Underfloor Heating
As flooring, tiles are very beautiful to look at, very hardwearing and are perfect for places where there may be water spillages such as in bathrooms and kitchens. However they do have the disadvantage of being very cold to the touch.
Although this can be rather pleasant on a hot summer's day during the colder months it can be quite the opposite. It's amazing how chilled your feet can get when standing on a cold surface even with a pair of slippers on.
In the bathroom it's even worse stepping out of a nice warm bath and then coming into contact with cold tiles. It's enough to send a shiver up your spine.
What would be much better is having the all the advantages of tiled flooring with the added luxury of them being heated. These days' heating your tiles is actually quite easy and doesn't have to cost the earth.
The type of underfloor heating that will go underneath your tiles largely depends on when you are having your heating installed. If you are building your house or you are having major renovation work done on it then using warm water pipes is ideal. The water is passed through plastic tubing embedded in the floor above the insulation layer. This is cheaper to run than electric underfloor heating but is costly to install unless done before the floor has been completed. Electric heating cable can also be imbedded in the concrete floor if you don't like the idea of running water pipes under your floors.
As most of us aren't building our own house or wanting to have major building work in our home, electric underfloor heating that is laid on top of the floor is usually the best way to go. This is done using either heating cables or heating mats. The tiles are then laid on top of the mat or cable, although a thin screed layer is sometimes laid over the heating cables first.
As you can see, by using this method you can have tile underfloor heating installed at the same time as you are having the tiling done with probably only a day or two extra added to the work schedule.
In fact it's so straight forward to do that it's well within the capabilities of the average DIYer. You will however need to have a qualified electrician in to do the final connection work to comply with current laws (important if you want to sell your house later on).
But of course it's not just your feet that will appreciate having underfloor heating. The gentle heat that radiates from the whole surface of the floor will heat the whole room. Unlike radiators underfloor heating won't dry out the air which can be uncomfortable for any members of your family who suffer from respiratory problems like asthma.
So don't suffer from cold tiles opt instead for tile underfloor heating and enjoy that luxurious but practical warmth that will make you the envy of all your friends.