Alternatively, you can sandwich the tubing between the subfloor and your finished floor. A variety of new underlayment panels are available that both hold the tubing in place and incorporate aluminum transfer plates to improve heating performance. A radiant heat system needs to be professionally designed and installed as a network appropriate to your particular house. Another important element in radiant floor heat's effectiveness is the flooring itself. Tile over a concrete slab embedded with radiant tubing is the ideal choice.
Tiles conduct heat well and water temperatures can be lower.
Wood and carpeting are trickier as they act as insulators and can block heat transmission all together. Heat will always go to cold and will always take the path of least resistance. Radiant heat systems use lower water temperatures to heat the building so they need less energy than conventional systems. This Old House and the This Old House window and This Old House Online are trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation. Neither WGBH Educational Foundation nor PBS endorses any product or service mentioned within This Old House Online or any web sites linked to or from This Old House Online.