There is nothing quite as jarring as stepping out of a warm bed onto an icy cold floor during an Illinois winter. This Kildeer homeowner decided to eliminate that morning chill by installing an electric floor heating system directly under their new laminate wood flooring. By adding invisible radiant warmth, they transformed a standard master bedroom into a high-efficiency retreat that offers luxury you can feel every step of the way.
Project Details
- Location: Kildeer, IL
- Heated Space Type: Master Bedroom
- Total Room Size: 370 sq. ft.
- Heated Area: 270 sq. ft.
- Flooring: Laminate Wood (Click Together Floating)
- System Used: Environ™ Flex Rolls (240V)
- System Specs: 3227 Watts, 13 Amps, 240 Volts
- Operating Cost: $0.22 per hour
The Chill of the Floor vs. The Warmth of Home
The Challenge: In Kildeer, Illinois, winters are long and cold. While laminate wood flooring offers a beautiful aesthetic and durability, it often retains the cold temperature of the subfloor, making a large 370-square-foot master bedroom feel drafty and uninviting. The homeowner, Julia, wanted to ensure that her master suite was not just visually appealing, but also a source of physical comfort. The challenge was finding a floor warming solution that worked safely with floating click-together flooring without requiring messy cement or thinset.
The Solution: To solve this, the project utilized Environ™ Flex Rolls, a foil-based heating element specifically engineered for carpet and floating wood floors. The installation covered a massive 270 square feet of the room, ensuring consistent, even heat distribution where it matters most—around the bed and throughout the walking areas. The system was paired with an nSpire Touch Thermostat, allowing the homeowner to schedule the heat to rise right before the alarm goes off.
The Result: The result is a seamless integration of technology and comfort. By choosing electric floor heating, the homeowner eliminated the "cold shock" of the morning. The system provides gentle, radiant heat that doesn't just warm the floor, but radiates upward to warm the objects and people in the room, offering a level of coziness that forced-air systems simply cannot match.
Featured Products
- Environ™ Flex Rolls (240V): These foil-encased heating mats are the ideal solution for floating floors like laminate. They provide uniform heat without raising the floor height significantly and require no adhesive or mortar, making installation incredibly fast.
- nSpire Touch Thermostat: A sleek, programmable thermostat with a 3.5” touchscreen. It includes a floor sensor to strictly monitor temperatures, ensuring the laminate flooring never exceeds manufacturer heat limits while maximizing energy efficiency.
- Circuit Check (SS-01): An essential installation tool that monitors the circuit during the flooring process. It sounds an alarm immediately if the heating element is damaged during installation, ensuring a perfect setup before the final floor is laid.
"Curious how it works? Watch the complete installation process to see the transformation in action."
