Warmboard flooring for Heating your Home

http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42078We've begun a renovation of a first floor bath and kitchen and eliminated an adjoining wall between the dining room and kitchen, that had two large baseboard raditors. In our quest to find a solution to heat the kitchen without radiators, we decided to use a product known as warmboard.



Warmboard is a subflooring material that is 1 1/8" thick and has grooves for 1/2" PEX tubing routed into it in different patterns corresponding to different ways you might wish to heat a floor. It also has a layer of aluminum that helps spread the hear evenly. In terms of raw cost per sqft. it cannot compete with standard 3/4" tng plywood but it has some interesting properties that make it far superior to all other staple up radiant options and in some jobs superior to radiant slab a well. This was one of those projects where it really did make sense.



In order to keep the finished tile floor flush with the existing wood floor, we had to remove the original subfloor to be replaced with the thicker warmboard. We then ran the 1/2" PEX tubing in the preformatted grooves and terminated the beginning and end of the tubing at the existing boiler so that we can add a manifold system at a later date.

While we were doing this we took the liberty of leveling the floor joists so that we have a level floor for the new kitchen to be installed later. We then layed 5/8" durock over the warmboard for our tile installation. This application will not only give us heat for the space but also provide a nice warm tile to walk on in the cold winters.

There is a cost increase in working with the warmboard system, but now that we have done it, we really believe that is the way to go and will strongly encourage clients to consider it. For example a typical 4x8' 3/4" sheet of plywood is about $35.00 and a similar warmboard sheet is $225.00. Factor in the cost of manifolds, tubing, and miscellaneous labor, the overall costs can add up. But when we are dealing with a $100,000 kitchen we sure don't want to see radiators.


visit www.warmboard.com for more information on there products.