A Step-by-Step Guide to Heated Luxury Vinyl Floors

All right, I think we are all set. Can everybody see me? I can see you. Awesome. I can see you. Can you see me? Okay. I can. I think we are all set. All right, let me just get this all figured out here. Slide show. All right. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, everybody, for joining us. My name is Lynn. I am a customer service rep here at WarmlyYours. I am joined today by the ever-wonderful Scott, and thank you for joining us, everybody. Absolutely.

So today we're going to be going over really a step-by-step guide to heating luxury vinyl floors. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to type them either in the chat or there's an "ask a question" module or feature usually near the bottom of the screen. Just type them in there. If we don't see your questions right away, we'll definitely get to them by the end of the presentation. Today, we're going to cover some general information about our floor heating products, and then we're going to take a look at an actual example project. We'll discuss the Flex Roll product that was used in this project, go over the installation process and steps, and then at the end, we'll look at the costs as well.

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is obviously becoming incredibly popular, and as it gains popularity, people are really interested in heating underneath it. Scott, can you tell us what the draw is to LVT and why some would want to add heat to that space? I think because every store you walk into is just loaded with LVT. Things have definitely changed. It's a shiny new object. I guess it's a combination of durability and cost, along with the ease of installation. It's easier to install LVT than it is laminate because of the tools involved and that sort of thing. So it's just taking over the marketplace.

Because of that, LVT has special requirements that you need to follow when installing it, and we're going to go over those today. There are things you need to look for and questions you need to ask because it's a great product, but it does have installation requirements and limitations. Even though it's scuff, stain, and scratch-resistant, just like it says here on the slide, you do have to take special note of things that you need to consider during the installation. LVT warms up nicely, and it's nice to walk on a warm floor when it's cold outside. So LVT looks great, it's easy to install, and the cost is attractive, making it a good-looking product.

Looking at the different types of floor heating products on the market, there is one that tends to be the best paired with LVT, and that's our TempZone systems. Scott, can you tell us why that's the case or why TempZone is what you should be looking for? A lot of people come to our website, which is kind of broken down by whether they want to do a tile or some sort of floor that they're going to install within set, or if they want to do a floating floor, like laminate. People often think, "Well, the LVT I'm going to buy is going to be floating, so I’m going to choose the Environ because that's the product used for floating floors."

However, the Environ Flex Roll is used for floating laminate floors and for stretch-in carpet if you're in the United States. So just because you see the word "floating" doesn't mean it's the right choice for LVT. We're going to discuss the differences between laminate and LVT, and why they install differently. This is crucial because we receive calls every day from people saying they want to use Environ with LVT because their LVT is going to float, and that’s not the product you want.

Looking at this cross-section, I think this is a great way to understand how you'll be putting heat in the floor and the steps involved. If we're going over a concrete slab, Scott, can you explain what this underlayment is and why it comes into play? Concrete subfloors love to pull the heat down. That's why you should never install the floor heating cable directly on the concrete, as the heat will go down into the concrete slab before it goes up to your feet. You are going to the trouble of installing this product because you want your feet warm, not the slab warm under three or four layers.

What we do is isolate the wire from the slab to ensure the heat goes up into the room, not down into your concrete slab. The ThermalSheet underlayment is a synthetic cork. Notice how we don't use cork here; we use synthetic cork because cork will absorb some water. If cork absorbs the water, it will expand, and you don’t want that under your floor. The ThermalSheet does not expand when it gets wet, making it the perfect product to attach to the concrete subfloor. You use regular modified thin set to attach it to the subfloor.

On top of the ThermalSheet, you put the TempZone product, either the cable or the flex roll. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose. The TempZone cables must be affixed to the ThermalSheet very well, or they will float to the top. Self-leveling cement is very dense, and almost anything that it pours over wants to float to the top. Therefore, you have to hold the TempZone down, and the best way to do that is with hot glue.

People often ask whether they should attach the mat with the wires facing up or down. You want the wires facing down because if you turn the mesh over and the cable is sitting on top, the cable will want to go up, causing the loops at the ends to rise to the top. That's why you have to put it under the mesh, as it will hold everything down. It’s very important to install it cable side down if you're using our TempZone Flex Roll and cover it with half an inch of self-leveling cement. This will provide a nice flat surface, which we will discuss the importance of later. Then, you can lay the luxury vinyl tile or planks on the flat surface.

Here is the slide we've promised, discussing why you want to embed that heat in the self-leveling cement. This is a great picture illustrating what we call drape, which is an issue with vinyl that makes it different from laminate. That is correct; the vinyl starts to conform to whatever is underneath it. If you've ever walked into an old business with square vinyl tiles and then seen someone put a new vinyl tile floor on top, over a year or two, you'll start to see the lines of the old tiles working their way through the top of the new tiles.

What happens is that the vinyl drapes over whatever is below it. If you put our Environ product, which is wire and reinforced mesh, eventually that will sink and conform, leading to visible lines in the flooring. You don’t want that, and you will feel the lumps. The big difference between laminate and LVT is this drape, and you can see what happens over time. This is a picture we took ourselves over the span of a day, illustrating the difference between laminate and LVT.

When looking at heating beneath LVT, you obviously want to be talking to your LVT manufacturer. There are several things you need to consider specifically. Can you walk us through what you want to look for when picking out LVT for over floor heating? You don’t want to put something on top that has a high R-value, which will block the heat from getting up to the floor. We're looking for an R-value of that plank to be less than one. An R-value of one or less will allow the heat to pass through and get into the room itself.

We had a question from Connie asking about the best backing for LVP when installing a heated floor. The answer is whichever one has the least amount of R-value. A lot of times, slab rubber conducts more heat than cork or other foams. You don’t want to put anything between the LVT and the heat. Many people ask what pad to use between the LVT and the heated subfloor. The best option is no pad; just use the backing on your plank. The more material you put on top of the heat, the more it keeps the heat in the subfloor rather than allowing it to come up to the flooring itself.

You also have to ask the manufacturer if this LVT or LVP is okay to use with radiant heat. Most of them are now, but you need to check the warranty card or the installation instructions. It will also tell you the maximum temperature they allow. Is it 82, 83, 80, or 87? That information will be in the installation instructions. Pam had sent us a question about what brands or product lines by company allow this. It changes every day, Pam, so I can’t even begin to tell you.

However, I can tell you that if you find the product you like and go on their website to download the installation instructions, usually in the first paragraph, you can search for "radiant," and nine times out of ten, it will say it's okay. It will state that it has to be embedded or needs to be separated from the heat by half an inch. That half inch of self-leveling is crucial for two requirements: the flatness requirement and the separation from the heat. Those two reasons explain why we do this installation this way.

Pam and Connie, thank you for sending those questions; they remind us to discuss these important topics. When you're interested in a floor, talk to the manufacturer or visit their website, look at the installation instructions, and do a Control F or Command F search for "radiant." Nine times out of ten, their instructions will provide the necessary information regarding radiant heating.

The temperature limit is determined by the manufacturer of the flooring, which is why we recommend reaching out to them, discussing it, and carefully reviewing the manual to ensure you know any temperature maximums. Can you explain what your options are when setting a temperature limit on a thermostat? You can set it to whatever you want. You can do custom settings, allowing you to set it to 81, 83, or whatever it is. If the LVT manufacturer says 82, then you just check on laminate because it will be 82. This means that no matter what temperature you try to set in the room, it will reach 82 and stop, preventing overheating of your LVT.

One question you want to ask the manufacturer is whether they allow setbacks. Setbacks are what a programmable thermostat allows you to do: lower the temperature when no one is home and raise it when people are going to be walking on it. Many people turn it down during the day and then raise it at night when no one is around. Some companies say you only have a deviation of two or three degrees per day. If that’s the case, you can’t buy a programmable thermostat and use it to program because you can’t set it any lower than that.

Looking at this example project, I think this is one of our most beautiful projects in a while. It’s a great example of a TempZone Flex Roll heating system over a concrete slab in a basement bedroom/office space in Toronto, Ontario. You can see the SmartPlan that started the whole thing. This layout plan gives you a good game plan going into the installation.

The first thing that stands out is the size of the product being installed. In the lower left-hand corner, you can see roll number one, which matches up with the circle on the plan. The triangle indicates the start point, and the square in the upper left-hand corner is the endpoint. Notice that we don’t heat 100% of this area; there’s a one-foot perimeter around the entire space. Most people don’t stand right up against the wall, so the idea is to get the heat where people's feet hit.

Heat travels laterally, side to side, about an inch and a half. That’s why you don’t put a warm strip down the middle and expect it to spread out. The heat travels an inch and a half and then stops. You may see a temperature of 82 in the center and 72 on the edges of the room, illustrating the difference. Typically, we only heat about 80% of a space, not 100%. This helps save money on the product and operational costs, which we’ll discuss later.

The total area of that room was 164 square feet, and we heated about 129 square feet of that area. The power requirements will be listed on that SmartPlan, allowing you to see exactly what the required breakers will be and what the amperage and wattage will be for your system. We’ll also provide the operating cost based on your location or an average of about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. For this system, we were looking at just about 8 cents an hour to heat the room, which means if you were using it for 8 hours a day, it would cost about 67 cents.

The cost of this plan is zero; it costs you nothing to get this plan done. This plan is usually completed the next day, depending on holidays and weekends. If you send us a sketch on a napkin today, you'll probably have it tomorrow. You don’t have to wait a long time or pay for it. The best part is that it tells you what product goes in, how many watts it is, how many amps it is, and how many breakers you’ll need.

It’s a great tool, and we suggest that everyone gets it because you really need to verify your dimensions. If you don’t verify your dimensions and buy too much, you may start cutting and turning things, which can lead to issues. You can’t cut the heating cable or shorten the roll; removing heating wire from the system will cause it to overheat and fail. It’s crucial to ensure you have the correct size before starting the installation.

You would be amazed at the number of calls we get every week from people who say, “Yeah, my dimension says 15 feet, but really it’s 12.” If you change a dimension by three feet, the product won’t fit anymore. That’s why it’s so important to verify the dimensions ahead of time before you start cutting and turning. We can send you the correct size and redo the drawing for you.

The thermostat's location is also important. The T in a circle at the bottom indicates the thermostat, which should be near the beginning of roll number one. If you move your thermostat to a different corner, we’ll need to redo that plan for you. The system will be embedded in self-leveling concrete, so you want to ensure that you’re installing a working system since it will be a permanent feature in that home.

To ensure that the system you’re putting in is working properly, you need to get a digital ohm meter. The one you see in this picture was under $20 at a big box store. Many people own them; I have several at home because I forget where I put them. Digital ohm meters used to cost hundreds of dollars, but now you can get them for under $20. Please don’t use the old-fashioned one with the two probes and the needle on the front; that will cause you nothing but pain and misery.

With a digital meter, you want to be able to set the value on the front. You don’t want an auto-ranging meter because they’re difficult to use. You need one setting for the heating product, usually around 200 ohms, and another for the thermostat, which tests at 20,000 ohms. Your self-ranging meter may work for measuring the product, but when you test your floor sensor, it won’t see it.

So, get a meter where you can set the knob to 200 for your floor heaters and then to 20A for your sensor. Test it the day you get it. Don’t wait until installation day to test it; test it when you receive it. If it’s good, you can set it aside until installation day. When installation day comes, test it again to ensure everything is still good.

You can’t test and lay the product out at the same time because you don’t have enough hands. Test it, make sure it’s good, then use the circuit check on the wires. The circuit check will test for an open circuit and shorts. If you accidentally damage the cable without creating a short, it won’t alert you, but if you drop a tile and create a short, it will sound an alarm.

You can’t keep your hands on the meter the whole time, so test it, put the circuit check on, and then when you’re done laying the product out, take the circuit check off and test it again. The last thing you want to do is cover a non-working system with self-leveling. Test it, make sure it’s good, then put the circuit check back on before applying the self-leveling. At the end, do your test again and write those ohm numbers in your installation manual as a record of a good install.

Looking at the actual installation process again, this was a TempZone Flex Roll underneath LVT over a concrete subfloor. First, we start with preparing the subfloor. We want to ensure it’s not cracked or dirty; it should be level and clean. The toughest thing on a job site is to get it clean because there’s dust and dirt everywhere. You really have to degrease it, especially if you’re going over concrete.

You need to ensure that the concrete will accept a coverage, meaning it’s not too wet to accept thin set over the top. One difference between a basement and the second floor of an old house is that the middle of the room may sag. If you put the heating cable directly on a sagging floor and cover it with self-leveling, the center of the room may have three inches of self-leveling while the edges have only an inch or three-quarters of an inch.

People will then say, “Hey, the edges of my room are really nice and warm, but the center is cold.” That’s because the cable is sitting lower in the center compared to the edges. Therefore, it’s crucial to level the floor first so that the cable and heating product are at the same height from the top of the surface across the entire floor.

Once that is done, we’ll move on to putting down the ThermalSheet underlayment. We generally recommend dry fitting this first, just laying it out to ensure you have enough coverage before getting any thinset involved. Scott, can you share some tips for laying out the ThermalSheet? You want to set it up like brickwork, ensuring that seams don’t run in the same direction. This helps avoid cracks going all the way down.

When pouring self-leveling, if it’s not mixed correctly, you may see feather cracks or slight cracking. This is usually not a big deal and often results from mixing with too much or too little water. The ThermalSheet needs to be adhered to the subfloor very well, and you can see in the picture that it’s done with modified thinset.

Once you lay it down, use a 30 or 50-pound roller to push it down. Occasionally lift it to ensure you have good adhesion underneath before