Vinyl tile and underfloor heating. It is possible or not?
If you prefer to watch, below is a video. Below that, a detailed text transcript.
Installing (quartz) vinyl tile on a warm floor is a very common situation. Sometimes there are a number of questions that are hard to find answers to in the official instructions. In this video we tried to reflect the answers to the most common questions.
The very first answer. Any vinyl tile, no matter what technology it is made of (lVT, SPC, Rigid, bonded or glued), can be installed on a heated floor. And now for the details.
Why is the maximum application temperature in the instructions 27 or 28 degrees? Can it be heated above? The temperature of the maximum heating of vinyl tiles is related to the sanitary standards (SANPiN). According to Russian norms, the floors in the premises can not be heated above this temperature. Walking on a hot floor all the time is harmful, but the material itself won’t do anything. There are tests where the tiles are heated to 65 degrees and above and nothing comes out of it. Т.е. In fact, if you need to heat above 27 degrees, for one reason or another. Heat. There will be no harmful emissions. In the sun, it is sometimes naturally warmer than 50 degrees.
Ecology. As already mentioned above, use the floor heating with vinyl without any problems, nothing should stand out. The only exception. It has to be a quality product. The definition of quality should be dealt with laboratories. This raises the question of confidence in the certificates. From our practice, we trust all European and Russian products, there is strict control. Products from China are certified a little differently, this does not mean they are bad. There’s probably nothing wrong with them. But, there’s a little less confidence here.
Do you need thresholds? You never need one for adhesive tile. For lock tiles, if you’re using underfloor heating and there are two adjacent rooms where the temperature may be different (in one room turned on the warm floor, the other does not, or in one room it is, and in the neighboring does not), then you definitely need a threshold. If the temperature is the same everywhere, it depends on the type of tile and the specific manufacturer. It is impossible to describe all situations. Ask questions in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев or WhatsApp. https://wa.me/78462060530. We’ll try to answer.
Carpet pad There is no special carpet pad for vinyl tile underfloor heating. Anything designed for vinyl tile can be used. It is better to look for 1 mm thickness, it will retain less heat. If you plan to use a warm floor as a heating system, glue the tiles at the floor. it’s perfect
What type of floor heating can be used with vinyl tile? In short, the regulations allow only warm floors, recessed into the screed. And any underfloor heating, laid over a screed, you can not. This is due to the lower uniformity of heating in such systems of warm floors and some safety regulations. However, in practice, very often such warm floors are used. For example, infra-red. In 95% of cases nothing terrible will happen. In the remaining 5% may separate seams, or vice versa tiles will stand a house. Usually a complex of reasons lead to such an outcome (laying area, unevenness of the floor, hard fixation of the tiles under the weight, etc.).п.). In this case, it’s your personal risk.
How to choose a quartz-vinyl tile
Choosing vinyl or quartzvinyl tiles. it is not an easy task, because it is a relatively new material for the Russian market and repair we do every 10-15 years and it is hard to be in this specialist. In addition, there is no established terminology. Producers, retailers, and marketers use different names for similar products and, conversely, the same names for completely dissimilar products. In this review tried to clarify the choice based on the requirements of the buyer and the five existing production technologies.
Adhesive LVT is a flexible vinyl tile. How to understand what you have in front of her? It’s simple. there is no lock on the die and it is easy to bend, you can easily bring one end of the die to the other. As a rule, the thickness is 2 to 3 mm.
Locked LVT. to understand that you are facing tiles made with this technology, take a single board in your hand. there should be a lock on the edges of the tile, and if you grasp the middle of the slab, the edges should sag on their own. it will look like a rainbow in shape. Thickness is usually 4 to 4.5 mm.
Multilayer Rigid or multilayer LVT. the peculiarity of this tile is that it consists, like the previous ones, of pure PVC, but it has several layers of glass fleece (2 or 3), thanks to which it remains warm and soft, but its edges do not sag under their own weight. How to identify it? Thickness of 5 mm and more. production at 2021. Belgium. It has Rigid in the name, dark gray on the cut. Currently available from Pergo, Quick-Step, Moduleo, FineFloor. Expensive.
Single-layer Rigid. a tile made with a small addition of calcium (chalk), up to 30%. The rest. raw PVC. Thickness of about 4.5 mm. On the cut is gray color, it does not sag. Currently only produced by Tarkett.
SPC technology. white or light gray on the cut, thickness from 3.2 mm to 4.5 mm, lock on the ends. Little deflection, quite brittle. Production, China, Poland (expensive), appeared Russia. Composition 70% chalk (calcium) and 30% PVC
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In case the floor is uneven, you will NOT be satisfied with Lock LVT and Adhesive LVT
For adhesive tiles you need a quality filler floor. For a perfect look, it should also be sanded: then you will have no problems with laying.
Good subfloor quality is also required for laying LVT. A drop of 2-3 mm per 2 meters. Such a floor is laid on a specialized subfloor. But the substrate is not to level the substrate, but to reduce impact noise, increase shock absorption.
Multilayer and single-layer Rigid, and tile made on the technology SPC have less stringent requirements to the base. A good quality screed can also be sufficient, but one must realize that the flatter the floor, the less likely it is that the locks will diverge under high loads (e.g. a very heavy sofa). The use of subflooring in this case is not 100% mandatory, but we always recommend its use, because it is very expensive.к. it greatly reduces impact noise. It also should be specialized for vinyl tiles, substrate for laminate should not be used categorically.
One of the most common questions is: “can quartz vinyl be installed without thresholds”?”. There are many nuances, and it depends not only on the material and the method of laying, but also on the presence of underfloor heating, their location, layout of the apartment, the presence of stained-glass windows and other parameters. It is very important to realize that if it says in the instructions or in an advertising booklet that you can lay up to 300 m2 (or other big numbers) without thresholds. it’s marketing and we are talking about laying in such areas in one room. Т.е., it may be some office, it is unlikely that the apartment has such an area. Below. in detail on each production method
The best option for laying without thresholds. it is an adhesive PVC (LVT), there are no restrictions, in fact, for any area.
Next we are talking about multi-layered Rigid (sometimes you can see the spelling “Rigid”, it’s the same thing). At the moment, a limited number of Belgian manufacturers make such material. Their instructions indicate up to 64-70 m.qv. you can do it without thresholds. while maintaining the same temperature regime in different rooms. What it says. if you have a heated floor in one room and not in another, or there are in all the rooms, but each room has its own temperature control circuit, then you need to put the threshold. If there are no heated floors, or the circuit is one for all rooms, then up to 70 m.sq.m. can be laid without thresholds. It is clear that the manufacturer lays the safety factor and nothing can really happen at the laying and more than 100 meters square. Or when combining rooms with different temperatures. That’s why we have laid as many as 150 m.square. Rigid single loop and have not seen any problems, but in this case, you lose the warranty from the manufacturer. Т.е., you take responsibility for yourself.
Now about the other lock technologies (single-loop rigid, spc, lock LVT). They are slightly less resistant to temperature changes than laminated rigid. Responsible manufacturers immediately write between each room threshold. Not very responsible write laying without thresholds to 600 (or other figure) m.sq. Little depends on what is written in the instructions. It all depends on the laws of physics. you can’t cheat them. So just to be sure. we put the thresholds. If there are no underfloor heating, south-facing stained glass windows without curtains, the maximum length of up to 12 meters, you can take a chance on areas up to 100 meters with a tile thickness of 4.5 mm. we have not encountered any problems. With a thickness of 3.5 mm tiles. 4 mm. do not recommend such experiments.
Well and it happens so: I really liked the design, there is only in the castle tiles, the area is large, or there are warm floors, but do not want to put thresholds. The output is. Glue the castle tile to the floor on the glue fixer. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also a way out.
The vinyl tile itself is not afraid of water, you can put it in water, hold it there for a week or two, take it out and lay it. She won’t be hurt. The main danger is if water leaks between the locks or over the edge and then you have a swamp under the floor, which is not really needed there. So, now in detail.
Adhesive. No problem. Nothing can get under it
Multi-layered Rigid. The locks won’t let water in. But can overflow over the edge of the web. Need to seal around the perimeter.
All other types. can not (or put on the glue).
In general, with vinyl tiles, a warm floor is not very necessary. Especially made with fillerless technology. Adhesive and interlocking PVC and multilayer Rigid. It’s warm enough by itself. Nevertheless, this is a very common issue. The first and most important: the floor heating must be recessed into the screed. Application with the membrane floors over screed is not allowed by the construction regulations (with glue tiles, and technically it is impossible). Is it possible to lay on a film floor in practice? It is possible and laid, but we do not recommend it. There are several reasons. The warm floor itself will quickly come out of operation, the uneven heating of the floor covering will quickly put it out of operation (here you can write another article on why this happens). However, people install film flooring under the vinyl lock and live with it, but this is at their own risk. That is why further information is only about laying on underfloor heating, embedded in the screed. And an important point that is often asked about. Why you can not heat the floor above 27 degrees (sometimes they write 28)? Nothing will happen to the material itself. It is without warm floors in the summer on the sun heats up to 40-45 degrees, especially the dark. Limitations due to sanitary regulations. They say you can’t heat any floor above that temperature (it will be uncomfortable for you to walk on and is bad for your health in the long run).
Adhesive LVT tiles. no problem. The best option. the tile is thin, it transmits heat quickly. the best option if you plan to use the floor often, or at all, as the main heating system. An important point: you have to use the right adhesive. There is a reactivatable adhesive that becomes liquid when the temperature goes up, you should not use it.
All lock options are also suitable for use with underfloor heating. They’re a little less efficient in terms of energy savings (they’re thicker, and usually have a carpet pad that also traps heat), but they’re fine. Also, don’t forget about underfloor heating sills (read point 2 above)
Comfort requirements
Comfort. is how pleasant it is to walk on such tiles barefoot.
Multilayer Rigid and Lock LVT. is the maximum comfort. The warmest and most pleasant to the touch.
Adhesive LVT is slightly inferior to the first two in terms of cushioning because it is thinner and glued to the floor, but otherwise there is no difference with them.
Single-layer rigid is okay with cushioning, but it’s a little stiffer and a little less warm than pure PVC tiles.
SPC vinyl tile. Least comfortable of all, but it still feels more comfortable than laminate.
The least quiet options are pure PVC (doesn’t matter if it’s glued or bonded).
The more chalk, the stiffer and more humming the tiles. Т.е., Single layer rigid loses to all LVT materials, but wins against pure SPC. BUT. Any of them is considerably quieter than laminate.
Eco-friendliness does not depend on the production method. All tiles must meet environmental standards. It is certified for this purpose. Unfortunately not all certificates can be trusted, so we have developed certain rules.
European and Russian manufacturers. always yes: in Europe and quite tightly controlled.
Manufacturers from China. always a question mark. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means it’s not properly monitored. Maybe these are wonderful products. This is just our approach, because we do not know any other way to determine environmental friendliness.
Manufacturers who pretend to be Germany, Belgium, South Korea, but are actually made in China. do not trust. If you cheat in one, you cheat in the other.
As for the types of production in the summary table at the multilayer Rigid. because everything is made in Belgium so far, and they all have a bunch of extra environmental certificates. Without this, the serious manufacturers in Europe can not.
The glue tile requires at installation except for flat floors also neatness from the handler. Nothing particularly difficult there. You need an A1 trowel, glue, ruler, tape measure, trimming knife and a lapping roller or board. All can be installed by yourself. Need time, care, and a little practice.
Locked tiles are even easier to install and there is no wet process, you will not get any glue on anything. There is practically no difference between the different types of lock quartzvinyl when installing. In colder areas, it is somewhat easier to work with the LVT bonded, it is more plastic and “knocks” at lower temperatures.
Glue tiles out of competition. A child drew something on the tile or you scratched it badly. cut it in the middle with a knife, pick up the edges and remove it from the floor. If it is hard to remove. heat with a hair dryer, it will go easier. You wash the floor, apply glue and glue a new tile. It’s done.
Locking LVT. with experience and the right tools, you can replace a damaged strip without taking apart the whole floor. It is not easy to do, but it is possible. the lot of professionals.
All other locking options only dismantle from the wall to the place of damage.
Also, there are special mastics (such as forbo 898), which can mask the damage, reduce the rate of their appearance, to simplify cleaning. Typically used in offices.
The question of price is always acute. In addition, in fact, similar tiles may cost differently from one manufacturer to another, and there is always a seller’s margin, and it varies from store to store. Therefore, I give only what it should look like on average
Adhesive tiles. the most budget-friendly option
And finally, the multilayer Rigid is the most expensive
In this article I do not consider the technical characteristics of manufacturers and collections. The article should help you choose exactly the type of coating.
Quartz vinyl tiles on a warm water floor: compatibility
Quartz-vinyl tile. it is a cladding material, in the manufacture of which several layers are used. The finished material has a reinforced layer, for the creation of which fiberglass is used. Thanks to it it is possible to obtain a single whole cloth. In the production process involves hot pressing, there are no harmful components.
The composition of quartzivinyl tiles can be called unique. It is a floor covering, for the manufacture of which the river sand and shell rock are used. They are present in the composition of up to 70%. Also the composition contains PVC, which is not harmful to the environment and human health.
Tile
Ceramic tile for underfloor heating is ideal for the heating system in question. It has a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, and well tolerates multiple heating-cooling cycles.
- Wear-resistant. Practice has shown that even a cheap ceramic coating can last at least 20 years. The surface of the tile perfectly withstands the impact of hard objects, contact with household chemicals and other substances;
Construction of underfloor heating
Installation stages of under-tile water heating
- Complicated installation procedure. Even experienced finishers often make mistakes when laying. For example, the slightest unevenness of the floor (a hump or frozen pebble in the screed) leads to a decrease in the quality of masonry;
- Low thermal insulation. Ceramic flooring transmits well, but does not hold heat well, so manufacturers of water flooring do not recommend walking around the house barefoot when the heating system is operating at its maximum capacity.
What is the tile made of??
Quartz vinyl flooring consists of several firmly bonded layers. In the mixture for the base layer, 60-80% quartz sand is added, the remaining share of 20-40% is taken by polyvinyl chloride and various additives.
On a decorative layer is applied a photo print, the picture is very realistic imitation of natural materials. wood, marble, granite, pebble, etc. A core layer of a mixture of vinyl and quartz makes the tiles strong, resilient and give a perfect geometry.
Function of the protective layer. prevent chips, abrasion and color fading.
Is it possible to lay a warm floor under quartz-vinyl tile and what is the best choice
Quartz vinyl tile and PVC laminate are universal coatings with a wide range of applications. Without a doubt, manufacturers have also provided for such a case, as installation over floor heating systems. But there are a few important things that both professionals and users need to know.
Underfloor heating for quartz vinyl tile. can or can’t
Quartz vinyl flooring is a synthetic surfacing material with a high calcium mineral filler. Like any other polymer product, it has certain requirements for operating conditions. The list of restrictions does not include low-temperature base heating systems. Simply put, quartzvinyl can be installed over three types of “warm floors”:
Let’s dispel some myths about the compatibility of composite materials and heating systems. No matter where quartz vinyl flooring is installed, in a private home bathroom or hotel lobby. If the process is carried out correctly, following all the recommendations of the manufacturer (which will be discussed below), the low-temperature heating system will not spoil the appearance of the coating over time, will not contribute to the bending plates, the formation of gaps between them, etc. п.
Of course, if you ignore the requirements of technology, there is a risk of overheating and damage. But this is true for any kind of flooring materials, including parquet, classic laminate, linoleum, etc. п.
nuances of installing quartzvinyl on underfloor heating
The instructions, as a rule, have sections devoted exactly to systems “warm floors”. A number of requirements manufacturers have defined, under which normal and durable operation of PVC-finishing products.
The first and most important rule: quartz vinyl can only be installed on a rigid, even surface. No soft subfloors!
Secondly, the maximum temperature of the heating systems is 28 degrees. This is true for all types of flooring, from parquet to linoleum.
Some manufacturers allow to raise the heating level of infrared mats or cables up to 40 º C, but with the condition of a gradual increase during a fixed time interval.
Thirdly, when working with different types of substrates need to follow the manufacturer’s recommended schemes of “floor pie. In particular, for wooden flooring, the best option is as follows:
- Wood base.
- Log joists, between which the water heating circuits are laid.
- Plywood 10-16 mm thick. It is laid on top of the joists and fixed with self-tapping screws. The metal studs should be “sunk” into the flooring, and the seams. putty. If you plan to use composite laminate, the gaps between the sheets can not be touched.
- Vinyl or quartzvinyl tile adhesive, locking.
If you have concrete as a base, the method of work is slightly different. The main condition. before the installation of the finish coat the substrate must be mature (age at least 21 days), cool (up to 18 º C) and dry. The norms of residual moisture content. not more than 1.5% for the cement screed and up to 0.3% for the anhydride screed. A preliminary check of the performance of “warm floors” is mandatory.
Recommended sequence of assembling “floor pie”:
- Concrete flooring.
- Waterproofing.
- Water/electric tube floor heating.
- Cement-sand screed. After drying and hardening, the surface should be sanded or covered with a thin layer of finishing screed to get the smoothest base possible.
- Quartz finishing material.
Installing Vinyl Tile Over Existing Vinyl Floor : Flooring Help
Let’s talk about a type of heating called infrared film underfloor heating. It can only be installed under glue-locked tiles and vinyl laminate with an adhesive-free assembly system. The installation scheme is typical:
Tip! If you are using tiles that are less than 5 mm thick, try to hollow out the floor for connectors, terminals and other protruding components.
- Heat-reflective lavsan carpet pad that is resistant to mechanical pressure (compression level. not less than 400 kPa).
- Infrared mats.
- PVC flooring.
IMPORTANT! In the area of arrangement of infrared mats it is impossible to lay carpets on top of quartzvinyl, install heavy furniture without feet. This can lead to overheating of the coating and its deterioration.
The fifth rule. the observance of technological gaps of 5-7 mm and the use of expansion profiles. Manufacturers insist not to exceed the allowable size of a single leaf. up to 8 linear meters or 64 square meters. When working on large areas, as well as in inter-room openings, it is recommended to install thresholds or expansion joints.
And the last important point. the heating system should be turned off 1-2 days before starting the laying work. Turning on the heating system is recommended after 24 hours after finishing work. In the rest, the installation of composite coatings is standard.
Do you think you can lay quartz vinyl tiles on underfloor heating?? Or take no chances?! Share your thoughts on this topic in Комментарии и мнения владельцев.
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Vinyl tiles with locks
Vinyl laminate as well as vinyl glue tiles. soft, becomes even softer when heated and is sensitive to dimensional changes with temperature fluctuations.
Tarkett states that the Dream House lock collection can be installed on underfloor heating, including a water system. In this case, the heating system should be connected and working at least 4 weeks before installation. The maximum temperature on the surface of the base of 27 ° C. A temperature gap of at least 5 mm is mandatory. For this purpose, when installing spacers 5 mm thick between the wall and the first row of vinyl laminate.
Requirements for an underfloor heating system under SPC or LVT
LVT tile and heating
PVC vinyl and quartz vinyl tiles can be installed on electric and film systems, subject to a maximum tile surface temperature limit of 27 degrees. Water systems have this limitation is problematic, so they are not used.
Adhesive vinyl and quartz vinyl tile options are recommended for creating electric heat underfoot. Adhesive installation allows you to fix the coating, while any floating floor tends to expand when heated and the humidity increases. It is possible to lay quartz vinyl locking on electric and film systems, provided that the installation requirements of the manufacturer are strictly adhered to:
Gap width to walls and fixed objects;
Breaking coverage with a threshold in the doorways and every 8 meters of the length of the laying;
Surface heating does not exceed 27 degrees;
Mandatory acclimatization of tiles in unopened packages for 48 hours or more;
Turning off the heating system 5 days before installation of flooring, its gradual inclusion in 3 days after the laying with a steady rise in temperature by no more than 5 degrees a day.
SPC laminate flooring and heating
Manufacturers call SPC laminate the most stable coating with minimal dimensional deviations even when heated to 80 o C. Length stability is 0.07%, compared to 0.13% for quartz vinyl. SPC is recommended for all heating systems, including water heating systems used as the main source of heating in the house.
Also many brands in the descriptions of SPC products indicate the possibility of laying without thresholds in the doorways and with the laying area up to 200 m2. Many customers have already taken advantage of this tempting offer to embody a warm flooring without thresholds in a simple locking installation. But unfortunately we have already received a couple of complaints, indicating that the heating and installation without thresholds floating floors. difficult things. Customers complained that the SPC laminate began to rise in waves at the joints. One site had a water heating system.
Another facility, confirming that the stone-polymer composite is not as stable as the specifications state, had no heating system at all. Throughout the apartment flooring was laid in a single sheet without thresholds, respecting the technological gap to the walls of 1 cm. When we looked into it we found out that all the windows of the apartment faced south in a city in southern Russia. Having invested money in the repair, the mistress did not have time to order curtains, so through the windows in the apartment has always received a lot of light. The sun’s heat for one month (also in summer), caused expansion of the strips to such an extent that they have risen in the joints.
Requirements driven by customer feedback
We can not ignore these complaints, so we recommend installing underfloor heating under the SPC with the following recommendations:
The clearance to the walls and fixed objects is at least 0.8. 1 cm;
Obligatory technological joints in doorways and every 10 m of the laying length. And while many manufacturers indicate the possibility of a threshold-free installation for areas up to 200 sq.m, we advise to skip this option if we mean heating the coating. over, that the European brands (Arbiton, Salag) indicate in the requirements of the temperature joints in the doorways and the length of the laying of 10 meters;
Obligatory acclimatization of the dies in closed packages with the heating system turned off for 48 hours or more;
The heating system is turned off 3 days before installation of the flooring, it is gradually turned on in 3 days after installation with a gradual increase in temperature by no more than 5 degrees a day.;
Use a special peorized substrate. Or drill holes in a special substrate for SPC 1.5 mm, if it does not have them.
Is it possible to lay a warm floor under quartz-vinyl tile?
Since there is polyvinyl chloride in the composition, many people ask such a question. The answer is very simple: it all depends directly on the quality of materials and manufacturing methods, that is, on the integrity of a particular manufacturer. Quartzvinyl. rather expensive finishing material and no wonder that some industries may decide to save money on manufacturing. This is how recycled material can be used in its creation. Then the use of such a product in the underfloor heating system can have a negative impact as a result of harmful compounds in the air from heating the surface. As a rule, these are cheap options, which do not meet the characteristics of quality products. Coating should be made in compliance with all necessary standards, then it will not release into the air any substances that are bad for the body, when strongly heated. It is used for finishing floors in children’s rooms and medical facilities. It is also non-combustible and dielectric.
