FlashGIV

I have been flirting with the idea of replacing tile floors in my bathrooms and adding in-floor heat to them as well. What I am wondering is, what would the difference in height be with the in-floor added? I don't want a step up into my bathroom from the hallway. Right now there is just typical underlayment over the subfloor. As far as I know the only way to do it is to have a mortar bed under the tile with the heating elements contained in it. Is there something else that might work better?

Thanks much.

Superpack

I would suggest to you using low voltage. I certainly don’t want to go with a low quality solution but it seems that with just about any job there is one great budget product that works just about as well as the highend equipment.

Best Regards,

FlashGIV

So with that option, does the equipment sit directly underneath the tile in the mud? Or do you mud over the equipment? If any, how much height change will there be if I go this route? Also, what are the electrical requirements of some typical equipment?

Bud Cline

Suntouch is what I use. Suntouch is a quality matted-wire product that installs easily. I then embed the system in Self Levelling Compound which also serves as the tile underlayment. All systems of this type require a "thermal-mass" for best effectiveness. The SLC becomes the thermal-mass.

They have a system that operates on standard 120v house current with a programmable thermostat for pennies a day. Once installed, the floor is raised 3/8" ahead of the tile. I have never had a customer complain about the minute elevation change required to install the product and they all seem to love the product. Never one complaint in about ten years of using this type system.

I know this sounds like an ad for the product but it really isn't. I have nothing to do with the Suntouch company other than being a customer of theirs and a professional tile installer.