Winterize Any Bedroom with Heated Laminate Floors

Welcome to our webinar. My name is Julia Billen, and I'm the owner and president here at WarmlyYours. I have my sidekick Scotty with me. Scotty, introduce yourself. Hi, I'm Scott. I hope you can hear us. Sorry about the delay there, and thank you for staying with us. Today we're going to be talking about winterizing any bedroom, really any bedroom that needs new flooring, specifically with heated laminate floors. Scott is in charge of everything technical at WarmlyYours, and he's the guy who's going to be answering all the tough questions. I'm here for my good looks. But today is all about you, so we really do want you to participate. Please ask us questions; there is an area for that. Don't ask us why we had those technical difficulties; we have no clue. Throughout the presentation, feel free to ask questions. We do have some help off-camera, so if you hear a strange voice in the background, it's not my dual personality. We actually will have someone helping us with those questions.

Let’s dig right into it. Why would we heat a laminate floor? To back up for a second, why did we even do a webinar focused on laminate flooring? Well, laminate flooring is a very popular choice, and the product that you can use to install this type of heat is very easy to install. It’s a great combination. A lot of times, this type of flooring goes into bonus rooms or rooms above unheated areas. This type of flooring and heat is perfect for a floor that's over an uninsulated space, like a garage in the Midwest. Usually, these rooms experience a lot of heat loss from the floor, out the walls, and through the ceiling. What you normally have to do in a room like this is turn up your furnace and get the rest of your house up to 80 degrees to make this room comfortable at 70. We know that's quite inefficient, and you will definitely feel it in your gas or electric bill.

By heating the floor, you can leave the house at a regular temperature or even lower the temperature for the rest of the house. This localizes the heat where you really need it, which will positively impact your heating bill. The project we’re discussing today is exactly that. We have a bedroom over an unheated garage, which experiences tremendous heat loss. Traditional HVAC solutions could not solve this issue. The other bedrooms were very hot for this bedroom to be even comfortable, and it's not actually good to sleep in a hot bedroom; it can hinder sleep quality. By including radiant heating, we were able to achieve a comfortable temperature, which is why we love this combination. Laminate flooring is very popular, and heating it, especially over hard-to-heat rooms, is the perfect combination.

Now, let’s do a project overview. We will discuss the products we used, the size of the bedroom, and more. In this application, we used two products, both of which are designed to be installed under floating wood laminate flooring but come in different varieties. The great thing about these products is that they can also go under carpet. If you're considering carpeting, we’ll discuss that in a different webinar, but the installation will be similar with the Environn EZ-Mats and Environn Flex Rolls. The EZ-Mats are like large blankets that you can lay out quickly to cover the subfloor. They are pre-wired, and you just need to connect the cold lead to the thermostat. This allows for very rapid installation in large, rectangular areas.

If you have an area that is a bit irregularly shaped, you can use the Environn Flex Rolls to fill those smaller spaces. The Flex Rolls take a little longer to install because you have to roll them out, cut them, and turn them. When cutting and turning, you must ensure you're not cutting the wire—only the aluminum. This allows you to fill those smaller spaces. These products may look a bit sci-fi due to the aluminum, but there’s a reason for that layer of foil sandwiching the heating element. It helps spread the heat out and keeps the heating wires spaced evenly, so you don’t have to worry about them getting too close or too far apart.

It's important to note that if you're considering using one of these floors, we often get calls from people wanting to use a very thin foam underlayment because it's inexpensive. However, it doesn't pair well with this product because it lacks sufficient R-value and doesn't provide the necessary height off the subfloor to allow the cold leads from these products to reach the wall and connect to the thermostat. Let’s talk about R-value for a moment. Why is that something we should consider when dealing with hard-to-heat rooms? First of all, you want to isolate the warm area from the cold area. You should do this with a good R-value subfloor covering, like cork. This will uncouple the heating wire from the cold subfloor. When you place cork over a cold subfloor and then put the wire on top, it will make the final product much warmer, directing the heat upwards rather than downwards.

So, you're addressing this with the third product here, which is the cork underlayment. Why choose cork over other types of underlayment? While we discussed R-value, there’s also the need to accommodate the cold leads, which are about a quarter of an inch thick. You need to ensure that these leads can run from the mat over to the wall. These products typically don’t sit flush against the wall, so you need a way for the wire to be lowered so that the laminate doesn’t teeter-totter over it. The way to achieve this is to cut the cork out, recess it, and create a nice flat surface for your laminate.

We have three products here, but you wouldn’t normally use all three at once. You could use either the mats, which don’t get cut, or the rolls, which can be cut. The cork could be optional, assuming you’re willing to route into your subfloor if you have a wood subfloor. You would need to mark where your cold leads are going to travel and then take a router to create the necessary recesses. If you’re working with a concrete slab, you might have to chisel out the path for those wires, which sounds quite labor-intensive. That’s why we prefer using cork, as it simplifies the process and serves multiple purposes.

Now that we know the products being used, let’s talk about the bedroom we’re heating. It’s over an uninsulated garage, which gets very cold during the winter. We’ve shown you the two products along with the size of the room to give you a general idea of the challenges we face. This is a large bedroom, measuring 370 square feet, which is likely harder to heat than most. We installed approximately 258 square feet of heating in that room. You don’t cover edge to edge, as you typically don’t walk into that final foot against the wall.

With the combination of heating mats, the wattage for a large room isn’t excessive; we’re looking at a little over 3,000 watts, which is just under 14 amps. All of this could be on a dedicated circuit. Regarding operating costs and how they connect to power requirements, whether you're using 240 or 120 volts, we opted for 240 volts for this larger area. It allows you to cover a larger space. It’s a common misconception that 240 volts is more efficient than 120 volts; that’s a myth. By using 240 volts, we can cover this area with one control. If we had opted for 120 volts, we would need two controls for this amount of space. Both options are available in 240 or 120 volts, so this is a great tip for larger areas: go with 240 volts if possible. For spaces under 120 square feet, stick with 120 volts, as that’s all you need.

The total wattage is 3,227 watts, which is 3.2 kilowatts. This is what you’ll be charged by the electricity company. Doing the math, this costs about 26 cents per hour to operate. The thermostat we used is programmable, so this floor isn’t at this temperature all day long. It costs 26 cents an hour to operate when it’s on, which might only be for four to five hours a day to reach the desired temperature. After that, it’s in and out, so you can reduce that cost by about 60%. For a large bedroom, this is a great, affordable option regarding both operating costs and product costs to get those bedrooms winterized and comfortable.

Now, let’s walk through the installation process. The first step is to know some particular details about the room. What do you love to see on a sketch being sent in? Dimensions. We need to see the size of the room, areas you want heated, and areas you don’t want heated. We also want to know where you’d like the thermostat located. If we don’t hear from you, we usually place it by a door, as that’s where most people want their thermostats. Additionally, if you’re in the United States, heating in closets is against the National Electric Code, so you’d want to label those small areas as closets. If you’re in Canada, you can heat a closet as long as you put a thermostat in there.

In this particular room, we have an area shown where the bed will be placed. Most people tend to keep their bed in the same spot once they move in. If you know your bed will remain in the same location for as long as you live in this house, we should not heat under it, as that would be wasted energy. For those who frequently move their bed, we could place a pad under it and disconnect it. If you do decide to heat under the bed, ensure there’s at least a two-inch clearance between the dust ruffle and the floor to allow air to circulate and prevent heat from getting trapped.

You also want to show any permanent fixtures in this room, especially box-bottom type dressers or anything flush to the floor. These should not be heated, as the heat will be trapped, and your feet won’t be there, making it a waste of electricity. It’s essential to consider your footprint. For example, between those two closets, there’s likely a walkway leading into the master bathroom, so you’d want to heat that area since you’ll be walking there frequently. Please let us know about any large fixtures or furniture in the room, and always check those dimensions.

Now that we have our sketch, it gives you a general idea of what this bedroom looks like. If anyone has questions about floor plans, you can easily send those to us. You can design it online, fax it, or email us a picture of your drawing with dimensions.

Moving on, we return this SmartPlan to you. We want you to check those dimensions to ensure nothing has changed. In construction, dimensions are always fluid. If someone decides to install a big bookcase in the bedroom or a permanent fixture in the corner, we don’t want to heat under it. If the available space shrinks, the mats may not fit. It’s crucial to verify dimensions before installation day to avoid any issues.

Now that we have the SmartPlan, let’s review the installation from a big-picture perspective. We start at the bottom and work our way up. When installing floor heat, it’s all about the layers. We need to know what your subfloor is and what your choice of flooring will be. In this case, we have a wood subfloor, and we prefer not to route into it. Therefore, we’ll cover the entire floor with cork, which will lay loosely on top since this whole system is floating.

The Environn system doesn’t get glued to anything; it’s all floating. We have the subfloor, the cork or Cerazorb if we decide to use that, and then the Environn system, followed by the laminate on top.

Let’s go through the process step by step. We start with a clean subfloor. The first thing to do is test, test, test. You want to perform this testing before you get to the job site. As soon as you receive the package, test it right out of the box to ensure it’s in good condition. If something happened during shipping, it’s better to know the day you receive the box rather than discovering a problem at the job site. Use an ohm meter to test the mats, and I recommend testing before, during, and after installation.

Imagine if you installed your floor and discovered one of the mats was damaged during transport. You’d have to lift the entire floor to redo it, which is something you want to avoid. An ohm meter costs about $8.99, making it a worthwhile investment. Once you’ve tested and confirmed everything is fine, you can put a circuit check on the mats as you lay them out. This way, if someone accidentally drops a piece of laminate on a wire and causes a short, the circuit check will alert you immediately.

Once everything is tested, we can proceed with the installation. The first thing we’ll put down is the cork underlayment. You’ll notice an interesting pattern here; it’s important to follow this pattern. Since the cork is floating and not adhered to the subfloor, interlocking it like bricks helps prevent movement and sliding. You can also use duct tape to secure the seams together. The cork will isolate the wire from the subfloor, allowing your floor to be four to eight degrees warmer than it would be without it.

This isn’t just a sales tactic; it’s essential for achieving a warmer floor, faster heating, and providing the necessary underlayment to channel the cold leads from the product to the wall. You’ll create grooves in the cork for the return power leads and the sensor location.

Now we’re ready to install the Environn system. With the cork down, the mats are laid out according to the plan. There are no adhesives or thin sets; you simply lay them out and ensure there are spaces available as indicated in the plan. After laying them out, you’ll make your cuts and turns, moving them toward the center of the room to eliminate any cold areas between them.

A common misconception is that if someone buys just one mat and places it in the center of the room, the heat will radiate across the entire space. This is not the case; heat only travels about an inch and a half to two inches from the edge of the wire. Therefore, it’s crucial to lay out all the products and push them together to ensure the center part of the room is contiguous with heat.

We want to get the cold lead as close to the wall as possible, running it from the mat over to the wall and then up to the thermostat or junction box. Regarding the large mats, there is no right side up; you can orient them any way you want. This flexibility allows you to have the cold lead coming out of any of the four corners. However, the cut and turn product does have a specific orientation, so make sure the aluminum foil is over the top of the wire.

The Flex Rolls are designed for smaller areas where you need flexibility. When cutting and turning, you can only turn in one direction, either left or right. If the wire is on the left side of the roll, you can only turn left, and vice versa. It’s essential to ensure that the wires are not touching each other, as heating wires resting on heating wires can create issues.

Now, let’s discuss the sensor. You’ll be controlling the floor heating with either floor or ambient temperature. With laminate, it’s crucial to control the floor temperature, as most manufacturers have a temperature restriction for their products, usually between 82 and 84 degrees. Therefore, you always need a floor sensor when using laminate or carpet.

In this case, we didn’t cut the aluminum mat to fit the sensor; we used Photoshop to show where it sits. The sensor is placed about six to eight inches between two runs of the electric heating wire, ensuring it’s not running over one of the heating wires. You can tape it on top, but if you do, be cautious when installing the laminate to avoid moving the sensor onto the wire, which could cause the system to short cycle.

Once you place the sensor, you can recess it a little by pulling out some cork to create a flat surface for the laminate. The sensor wire is thinner than the heating wire, so you can channel it easily. This wire will travel over to the wall to connect to your control, allowing you to manage the temperature of the floor and stay within the manufacturer’s warranty.

Most localities don’t require low-voltage sensor wires to be in conduit, but if you’re in a city with strict codes, you may need to follow those regulations. Just remember to never run the sensor wire in the same conduit as your cold leads.

Now that we have the sensor location figured out, we’re ready to install. Remember to test before, during, and after installation. The laminate flooring we’re using is a click-in-place type. However, you can’t just buy any laminate; you need to ensure that the laminate company will warrant the application with the flooring.

If they specify that their laminate cannot be used with radiant heat, it’s not a good match for your project. There are many companies that do allow it, and we can provide you with that information. Additionally, avoid laminates with pre-attached pads, as these are often made of cork or foam, which act as insulators. The ideal laminate is 3/8 inch thick without a pre-attached pad. If you do have a pre-attached pad, check with the manufacturer about its R-value.

Once we’ve installed the laminate, we move on to wiring. The junction box will house all the leads from the mats, as there won’t be enough room to connect all the wires directly to the thermostat. Many people place this junction box in a discreet location, like behind wood trim, so it’s not visible. Inside the junction box, each wire is color-coded: red, black, and green ground.

We connect all the reds together, all the blacks together, and all the greens together. This makes for a plug-and-play setup. We then send a wire from the thermostat down to this junction box and connect the wires accordingly. If you’re working with just two or three mats, you can likely skip this step and wire directly to the thermostat.

Keep in mind that these leads are typically 30 feet long, so you can trim them as needed. Local codes will dictate how much lead is required to extend outside the box for connections, so check your local regulations. The return power leads go to the junction box, and the sensor wire runs up to the thermostat.

Now we’re at the thermostat, where you’ll wire the back of it. This part is generally handled by a licensed electrician, as many states require that any work involving the main electric circuit be performed by a professional. You’ve done most of the work up to this point, so the electrician will only need about an hour to complete the job.

In this case, we used a Wi-Fi thermostat, which is indicated by the cloud icon in the upper left corner. It also displays the outdoor