$$$$ extra. Plus you still need all of the ducts and air handler for air conditioning.

I'm not seeing and cut lines in the photo. That makes me feel like this *MIGHT be linoleum. Of course the pics might be doctored to LOOK continuous. Concrete MUST have fracture lines cut into them. The flat, continuous floor that you see above is not possible with concrete. You MUST have cut lines. Must.

And your hydronic product must be embedded into the concrete slab. The slab then must be FINISHED with a high-end (aka high PRICED) micro topping. That micro-topping will be either coloured (the mix itself will have your colour in it) or it will be STAINED once finished. Then the micro topping will be ground down/polished. If you need a stain, it will be applied at that time.

But you're not done yet. You will need a protective topping added or else your maintenance will be VERY high. Concrete needs maintenance. It needs the SAME maintenance as linoleum. Unless you pay the EXTRA to have a high-end epoxy finish applied.

Now that you have paid $15-$25/sf for your finished concrete (not including the hydronic heating...that's extra), you can spend some money on the upper level floor.

No...I'm not kidding. A well prepared stained concrete floor that is polished AND finished in epoxy = $15/sf without much effort. If you go with a pretty multicolour stain = $$$ on top of that.

And please be aware that many wood floors do NOT allow for underfloor heating. The one's that do are engineered.

Please have your HIGH-END flooring expert (who is WELL TRAINED in concrete flooring applications) give you some quotes. And have them show you what stress cuts look like and how often they should occur. You may not like what you are seeing.

https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/concrete

We have been using them for several years.

Thank you for your detailed explanation. I know it will be pricey but not that pricey. So the alternative may be concrete looking tiles or porcelain tiles which better conduct heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Or something can achieve contemporary look and more economical.

We do got a quote from warmly yours. They are very responsive and great people to work with. Only problem is they only have electric heating which use 2.5 time more energy than the hydronic system which will add more load to the title 24.

Hi Iris,

typically electrical systems are more energy-efficient than hydronic since there is no heat loss as the floor is being warmed. With hydronic, you have tubes with hot water, as the water moves into the room, the entry point will always be warmer than the other side of the room since the water has a chance to cool slightly as it moves throughout the tubes. For wood floors, this is especially problematic since they often need a consistent temperature to maintain the integrity of the floor.

But depending on electrical availability, each system type will definitely have its pros and cons. We hope that either way you're able to find what will work best for this project to help you have warm comfortable floors!

@ Iris...is there a reason why you want in-floor radiant heat? Where do you live? Do you have a plan for COOLING in the summer months? Are you working with heat pumps as well? Air exchange? Humidity control? How are you going to keep the indoor Relative Humidity (RH) to STAY at 40% for your wood floors?

Some locations do VERY WELL with in-slab hydronic tubing and tiled floors. Other areas not so much (because of the extra effort to get in A/C). Let us know where you are located and maybe we have other suggests that are not so LIMITING.

In-floor radiant heat is one of the most limiting forms of heat you can have in a home. There are MANY flooring products you cannot use. The in-floor heating companies will tell you that ANY floor can be placed over top of their systems.

But the truth is they have NO SAY in what floor is allowed over the heat. The flooring manufacturer is the one and only authority when it comes to appropriate use/installation types. Once the heating system is in, you will be pulling your hair out trying to look for flooring that ALLOWS install over radiant heat.

@SJ McCarthy, thank you for specific questions. We live in San Francisco Bay Area. Not particularly hot or cold. I can not tolerate the heater noise, and it is really nice to step on the warm floor. It is a new construction , I think is easier to put the radiant heat from the ground up. We will use ductless A/C system since it is a contemporary home which has no space for the duct. I know will cost a lot but still didn’t come up with a realistic idea how much will cost and what flooring to use.

I am removing wall to wall carpeting in a first floor condo. It has been recommended to install radiant heat under the new vinyl plank flooring. Any advice for this situation? Recommendations please!

@ Suzi - In-floor-radiant heat underneath vinyl can be tricky. Vinyl doesn't like heat. You would have to go with a top-of-the-line Korean vinyl that can handle heat. That doesn't come cheap. And in a condo, I'm guessing you were told to use electric heat. This is NOT optimal for vinyl. The best option for in-floor radiant heat + vinyl = hydronic (water/oil/gel). It works at a lower heat range = better for vinyl.

I would be VERY suspicious of electric radiant heat + vinyl. The technical aspect is tough to get right and super easy to get VERY wrong.

Who suggested the in-floor heat under vinyl?

A non-professional made the suggestion. Thank you for responding. obviously I have much to consider.

@Suzi Highberg You actually can safely heat Luxury Vinyl Tile/Vinyl flooring. We've worked with many manufacturers who state in their warranty and installation manual what the limitations are. You typically just need to keep it underneath the suggested max floor temperature. It can vary between manufacturers, but on average it's about 82 degrees fahrenheit.

As for installation, you would just need to embed an electric floor heating system in self-leveling cement. Once that's cured you can install almost any flooring on top that's rated for radiant heating and it will be safe to use. Always check if backing on the LVT is allowed or what the r-rating for it is (insulation rating) - the lower the r-value the less heat it will trap in between the SLC and the floor.

Also despite what was stated above, it is actually safer to use electric floor heating for any flooring material that requires structural stability. Hydronic floor heating variates in temperature based on where it enters the room. By the time it gets across a room, it can be much cooler than the entrance to the room, making for floor temperature differences that can negatively affect the floor. Electric is constant and is more responsive to changes you make on your thermostat.

We have a page on our website dedicated to this type of flooring since it's so popular: https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/luxury-vinyl-tiles

Hope that helps!