Installing underfloor heating

Underfloor heating is becoming increasingly common in households and business environments. You can choose to have underfloor heating installed by professionals or do it yourself. Installing underfloor heating is not very difficult, it is easier if you are technical / have DIY experience and have at least acquired prior knowledge. You will acquire the prior knowledge by reading this article, so you can definitely check that off! Good preparation is of course very important, as with every project. Do you want to know how to install underfloor heating and what you need to take into account? Read all about it in this article.

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Types of underfloor heating

Before you start installing underfloor heating, it is wise to determine what type of heating you want. There are two main types of underfloor heating systems, namely 'electric' or 'water-based'.

Wet construction or dry construction

There are two situations where you can best use underfloor heating. Choose between wet construction or dry construction.

Wet construction:
Wet construction is most often used in combination with underfloor heating. With this method, pipes of the underfloor heating are placed in the cement. Wet construction is cheaper than dry construction.

Dry construction:
With the dry construction method, the underfloor heating is placed on the floor. This is mainly used in existing homes, such as renovations. It is possible to lay the floor 24 hours after laying and installing the heating. Dry construction is more expensive than underfloor heating with wet construction.

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Preparing to install underfloor heating

Good preparation is, as with all projects, important to make the installation of underfloor heating easy and smooth. Below are a number of points to take into account with regard to the preparation.

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Preparing to install underfloor heating

• Make sure the floor structure is good. This depends on the type of underfloor heating you have chosen.

• Use the right insulation and make sure that the height of the insulation is correct for your chosen underfloor heating.

• Make sure that the connection of your underfloor heating to the electricity grid/central heating/heat pump is installed.

• If you are going to use hot water underfloor heating, you must take into account the milling of the floor.

• Choose the right finishing floor for the underfloor heating system you choose.

• Prepare the floor before you start laying the underfloor heating. The floor must be flat and free of unevenness. This will guarantee even heat distribution. Make sure there is a clean base for the heating system.

• Make a 'laying plan' for your underfloor heating. This is especially important if you are using a water underfloor heating system. Place the pipes in a meander or snail shell pattern (see the image below for the differences). If you make a good laying plan, this will ensure that the floor is heated evenly everywhere. Choose a snail shell pattern if you want an even heat distribution. This ensures an even floor temperature.

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Underfloor heating as additional or main heating?

Determine whether you are going to use the underfloor heating as additional or main heating. This is important because it affects the distance between the pipes. For main heating, the distance between the pipes is 10 cm. For additional heating, this is 15 cm. Keep in mind that additional heating elements may be needed to meet the heat demand in cold periods.

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Installing underfloor heating

Underfloor heating can be laid with two different systems, these systems both have different methods for laying and connecting. The two systems are a tacker plate underfloor heating (heating by means of hot water) and a wire mat underfloor heating (heating by means of electricity).
Tip: do you want to know how to:

• Installing underfloor heating using tacker plates? Then read this article: 'tacker plates underfloor heating'.

• Installing underfloor heating using wire mats? Then read this article: 'wire mats underfloor heating'.

• Installing underfloor heating using stud plates? Then read this article: 'studded plates underfloor heating'.

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Costs of installing underfloor heating

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to install underfloor heating yourself, you can choose to have it installed by a certified installer. A specialist always uses professional materials, so you are assured of a high-quality end result.
The average cost of milling is approximately €35 to €50 per m².
The average cost of installing underfloor heating that is heated by hot water is approximately €750 for a floor area of ​​up to 10m², increasing to €2,400 for a floor area of ​​up to 80m².
The average prices for electric underfloor heating, on the other hand, are only €50 to €75 per m². As you can see, this variant is already a lot cheaper than the hot water variant, plus the enormous advantage that no milling is required. That not only saves a lot of money, but milling also causes a looooot of dust! And we all know: dust really does end up on and in everything. In our opinion, milling is actually only an option in an empty house. Then you still have enough work to make the house dust-free afterwards, but then at least the dust is not in your wardrobes and in your (expensive) equipment!
Please note: The above prices are only to give you a rough idea of ​​what it costs to have underfloor heating installed and are of course only guide prices, these can of course deviate.

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