Options on heating ceramic floor (after the fact)

Mar 31, 2006 4 Replies
V

OK, so I goofed. Was told by installers, tile sellers, that ceramic tile (in kitchen, on slab) would take the temperature of the house, and would be like anything else in the house. It's clearly not, and it does wastefully conduct heat to the slab. So I would like to do something about it. Here are the options I am considering:


  1. Cut the grout lengthwise, scrap under edge of tiles, make enough room for an unshielded wire to slip and be lodged under tile (tiles are

12" x 12") b. Run unshielded wiring in grout lines, pulling it under the tile edges. Then fill the grout lines with a mixture of cement and grout. So now we have wiring under tiles, spaced about 1 foot apart. Question: with about 8-10W running in the wires, will it still heat up the floor ?


  1. Option#2: Put a radiant/fan-driven heater panel on toe-kick all around the center island. The problem here is it will have to be customized to the measurements

  2. Install a radiant panel or two in the ceiling to hit the open floor area in a couple of spots
  3. Buy a small space heater, with the air directed downwards towards floor.
  4. Ofcourse I have rugs strewn all around, helps a lot!
  5. Install vinly flooring over ceramic.

Appreciate comments and feedback.



Thanks and regards, Vijay



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J

True. ,

Well, like anything else in the house that is as good a conductor.

I doubt if it is practical and it will cost more heat since part of the heat will go into the tile and the room, and part of it will go into the slab and then the ground.

Same as above.

Semi-practical, but it will eat energy, but not as much as #1.

I kind of like this one best.

Not practical the tile is not a good substrata. In addition while it will feel and be slightly warmer, it is not going to be all that much warmer.

Sorry I don't have a really good fix to offer. You could add some sort of underlayment under the vinyl floor. The best bet would have been to have proper heating put under the tile before it was put down. Really poor advice they gave you about that. Long term heating the tile floor is not all that expensive as once the tile and the slap is heated, it does not cost all that much more to keep it warm. It is just a big heat sink so it takes a lot to warm it up the first time. And if you are using electric and you have a cheaper fuel for the rest of your heating, it will be more expensive for that reason. (Electric is the most expensive source of heat in almost all locations, even after this years gas price increases.)

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D

You're obsessing Vijay! Learn to love your new tile floor. L:ike I said before: wear slippers like the rest of us do. After a few months the new feel of the floor will be normal if you just learn to accept it. A "cold" tile floor is normal, in an old-school, traditionalist kind of way. A warm tile floor is new-rich, yuppy nonsense! Learning to love your "cold" tile floor is like learning to like the taste of caviar. Why are you eating caviar? Because you've outgrown Cheese-Whiz (Sheet Vintl)!

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V

We can all use such advice, amen! (I mean it.) Good to have a Dr. Phil on the ng :)

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V

You mean it would be wasteful because there's no insulation under the tiles? That may be true, but it may still be the best option, provided the sparse mesh (wires strung 1 foot apart) can generate enough heat. As for it being practical, I concede it is labor intensive but cutting grout (as opposed to tile) may not be that hard.

Regards, Vijay

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