Rigid Vinyl and Laminate over Underfloor Heating
Why vinyl is often held to 26 °C, what one laminate maker sets, why conservatories need care, and how the vinyl and laminate in our range are listed.
Rigid vinyl and laminate are the two floors most often laid over new underfloor heating, and for good reason: they are thin, they click together as a floating floor, and heat passes through them without much fuss. The limits that apply to them are lower than many people expect, though, and they are set by each manufacturer for its own floor. This guide sets out the published figures, what they mean in a room, and how the floors in our range are listed.
On this page
What the range says
All 36 rigid vinyl floors in the range, the BML collection, are listed as compatible with underfloor heating. They have a solid polymer core, the SPC in their name, click together and come with their underlay backing attached; 24 of them are 6.5 mm thick and 12 are 5.2 mm. All 5 laminate floors in the range are listed as compatible too; they click together and are rated AC4.
The temperature, and why vinyl is lower
BEAMA, the UK underfloor heating trade association, says vinyl works well over water-based heating because the heat passes easily through the thin layer, but that most vinyls should not be heated above 26 °C, so the floor temperature should be restricted. For one well-known luxury vinyl brand it gives 27 °C, and for linoleum and vinyl in general it notes that most manufacturers state 27 °C. The MMFA, the association for click vinyl, allows 29 °C. The safe reading of all of them is the same: the figure that counts is the one in the instructions for your floor, and for vinyl it may be a degree lower than for the rest of the house.
A floor temperature sensor wired to the thermostat is what holds that limit in practice. A room thermostat on its own reads the air, not the floor.
Laminate: one manufacturer's rules
Quick-Step, one of the largest laminate makers, publishes its rules for its own floors over heating: a maximum contact temperature of 27 °C at the surface, a total thermal resistance of no more than 0.15 m²K/W for floor and underlay together, the laminate always installed floating, and one of its own underlays, Thermolevel, excluded. The laminate in our range is not Quick-Step, so these are not its rules. They are a fair picture of what a laminate maker asks, and the instructions in the box are where your own floor's rules are written.
Conservatories and other cold rooms
A lower surface temperature means less heat from the floor. BEAMA warns that in rooms with high heat losses, such as conservatories, it may not be possible to heat the room sufficiently with a restricted floor temperature. A vinyl floor held at 26 °C in a glazed room on a winter day can be comfortable underfoot and still leave the room cool. That is a question for the heating design, and it is best asked before the floor is chosen.
Fitting over a heated floor
Both floors float, so the subfloor beneath them still has to be dry and flat, and the heating still has to have been through its full heating-up and cooling-down cycle before they go down; the Contract Flooring Association puts that at usually around 21 days. The boards need their time in the room as well: the MMFA, the European association for multilayer modular floors, asks for at least 48 hours in the same conditions as the installation area, flat and cross-stacked in unopened boxes, at roughly 15 to 25 °C and 35 to 65 % relative humidity.
Common questions
Can rigid vinyl go over underfloor heating?
Yes. All 36 rigid vinyl floors in our range are listed as compatible with underfloor heating. BEAMA advises that most vinyls should not be heated above 26 °C, so set the floor temperature to the figure in your floor's instructions.
What is the maximum floor temperature for vinyl over underfloor heating?
BEAMA puts most vinyls at 26 °C and gives 27 °C for one luxury vinyl brand. The figure that counts is the one the manufacturer of your floor states.
Can laminate go over underfloor heating?
Yes, where the manufacturer lists it as suitable, and all 5 laminate floors in our range are. As an example of what a maker asks, Quick-Step sets 27 °C at the surface, 0.15 m²K/W for floor and underlay together, and a floating installation.
Is vinyl a good choice for a conservatory with underfloor heating?
It can be, but BEAMA warns that in rooms with high heat losses, such as conservatories, a restricted floor temperature may not heat the room sufficiently. Check the heating design against the floor's temperature limit first.
How long should the boards sit in the room before fitting?
The MMFA asks for at least 48 hours in the same conditions as the installation area, flat and cross-stacked in unopened boxes, at roughly 15 to 25 °C and 35 to 65 % relative humidity.
Rigid vinyl and laminate go out on the same pallet network as the rest of the range. Browse by town and region.
What the published standards say
Who publishes this guide
- Samples £1.99 each
- UK-wide delivery
- Advice before you order