Turning a Chore into a Luxury: Radiant Laundry Room in Oak Lawn, IL

Doing laundry doesn’t have to be a cold, utilitarian task. For this homeowner, Liz Dineen, the goal was to transform a standard laundry mudroom into a warm, welcoming entry point for her Oak Lawn, Illinois home. By installing WarmlyYours electric floor heating, the homeowners turned a 41-square-foot tiled space into a cozy retreat, proving that functional spaces can also be luxurious. This project perfectly balances high-end comfort with energy-efficient design.

Project Details

Location: Oak Lawn, IL
Room Type: Laundry / Mudroom
Heated Area: 41 sq. ft.
System Voltage: 120V
Wattage / Amps: 608 Watts / 5.1 Amps
Flooring Surface: Tile
Product Used: TempZone™ Flex Roll
Thermostat: nSpire Touch Programmable Thermostat

The Warmth of Innovation: Laundry Room Transformation

Banishing the Chill in Illinois

In Oak Lawn, Illinois, winters can be unforgiving. For a room that serves as both a laundry area and a mudroom entry, cold drafts and freezing tiles are common complaints. The homeowners faced the challenge of keeping this high-traffic area comfortable without cranking up the central heat for the entire house. The solution was a targeted radiant floor heating installation designed to provide heat exactly where it is needed most.

Precision Installation with TempZone™

To achieve maximum coverage, the project utilized the TempZone™ Flex Roll. This product is specifically designed for straightforward installation, allowing installers to "cut and turn" the mesh fiberglass roll to fit the room's layout.1 For this 41-square-foot area, the system delivers 15 watts per square foot, ensuring the tile warms up quickly and maintains a consistent temperature.2 The heating elements were embedded in thinset under the tile, a method that protects the cable while providing excellent thermal conductivity.

Smart Control for Efficiency

The system is controlled by the nSpire Touch Thermostat, a sleek, programmable device that allows the homeowners to set specific schedules. This ensures the floor warming system is active only when the room is in use—such as laundry days or morning departures—maximizing energy savings while delivering premium comfort.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is electric floor heating safe for a laundry room where water is present?

Yes. The TempZone™ heating elements are fully insulated and grounded. When installed correctly with a GFCI-protected thermostat (like the nSpire Touch used in this project), radiant floor heating is perfectly safe for wet environments like bathrooms and laundry rooms.

2. Can this system replace my laundry room’s main radiator or vent?

In many cases, yes. With 15 watts per square foot, this system produces significant heat output (roughly 2074 BTUs for this specific room). For a reasonably insulated room of this size, the in-floor heating can often serve as the primary heat source.

3. How much does it cost to run heated floors in an Illinois Laundry?

It is very efficient. As calculated above, running this system costs roughly $0.09 per hour of active heating time. Because the floor retains heat well, the system doesn't run continuously, keeping monthly costs very low.

4. Why is tile the chosen flooring for this project?

Tile, marble, and stone are excellent conductors of heat. They transfer the thermal energy from the heating cable to the surface quickly and retain it for a long time, making them the most efficient flooring choice for floor warming systems.