At Every Exhibition We Get Asked Can You Have Underfloor Heating With Carpet? Hopefully here we explain why the answer to that is YES.

With carpet providing a soft, luxurious feel to your home many people ask whether underfloor heating and carpet can go together. It is well-known that underfloor heating matches perfectly with tiles and laminate, but can the trusty carpet fit in with your next project? There are a few considerations that are worth taking into account.

Underfloor heating and carpet compatibility

Underfloor heating can be effectively used with carpet, but there are a few important factors to consider for optimal performance of your system. The combined tog rating of the carpet and underlay should not exceed 2.5 to ensure efficient heat transfer, as a higher tog rating can act as an insulator, reducing the system’s efficiency. Thicker carpets may feel luxurious, but they’ll slow down the heat transfer from the underfloor heating system to the room above. When selecting carpet, it’s worth ensuring the carpet type has a low tog rating, with thin material. Additionally, it may also help to look into underlays designed specifically to improve the output of an underfloor heating system under carpet.

What are the benefits of underfloor heating under carpet?

Carpet can offer various benefits in a home, contributing to the comfort and aesthetics of your lifestyle. Carpet brings about comfort and warmth, with a soft comfortable surface underfoot, especially during colder seasons whereby tiles can be almost unbearable when the temperatures drop. They also work in a part to reduce noise, absorbing sound and reducing the decibels of day-to-day life such as footsteps, moving furniture or children playing.

Carpets are also great at insulating your home, providing an additional layer of warmth to your floors. They work to retain heat and are known to contribute to energy efficiency by reducing the need to whack your radiator up a further notch. Like underfloor heating, carpet is a very versatile material, it can be installed in almost any room or area of any size, and so is a go-to flooring option for installation in tight corners or rooms that require a bit more of a quicker installation.

High-quality carpets when properly maintained can be durable and long-lasting. With regular cleaning and care, carpets can last for over a decade without needing replacing. When it comes to replacement, they are also a very cost-effective flooring option and are a budget-friendly choice for homeowners.

Carpet suitable for underfloor heating

When using carpet with underfloor heating, it is important to look at the type of carpet that is to be laid on top and to assess whether it will 1) be safe with your system and 2) will work well with your system.

Very thick carpets, known in the industry as ‘high pile carpets’ or shag carpets can be detrimental to an underfloor heating system, as they work to keep your floor extremely insulated. Although insulation via carpet can be very efficient in keeping in heat, they will also work to prevent heat from an underfloor heating system from rising through the carpet and into your room. Look for carpets that are under 2.5 tog to ensure that your system will still be as powerful with carpet.

The backing of the carpet itself will also come into play when it comes to picking the right carpet to work with your system, carpets with rubber backings are seen as one to avoid as they will trap heat under the carpet and could result in mould.

The material that the underfloor heating pipes are encased in also makes a big difference. By having them within a screed, as oppose to within a board system, allows you to have a lower flow temperature in the pipes meaning it is easier to keep to the maximum floor temperature of 27°C.