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When looking at new floor covering, it can all become a little confusing since there are so many choices. Between materials, processes, and even purposes for the floor covering, trying to determine the best option can be tough. For some people, hardwood floors are installed but for other people, they prefer carpeting or natural stone. However, if you are looking for high efficiency floor covering, it is important to learn about the best materials and even brands so your money is well spent.
Today, energy bills are skyrocketing around the country. For this reason, we find people keeping the home too cold simply to lower the cost. Instead, you could invest in new flooring covering, choosing something that actually improves heat. For instance, ceramic tile is by far one of the best types of floor covering for radiant heating. With this, heat is conducted extremely well. Then, because of the floor’s high heat capacity, it actually helps by adding thermal storage. Although you could choose floor coverings such as linoleum and vinyl, which are also decent choices, you cannot beat radiant heat with ceramic tile. Wood and carpeting are also better than a bare floor but they do not have the same radiant heat abilities as what you would get with ceramic. If you spend some time shopping around, you will find beautiful ceramic tiles at a great price. For this, check out your local home improvement store or even a salvage yard where pieces of tile often end up. If you want to use carpeting to make your home more efficient, then be sure you go with a thick padding. Even if you choose top of the line carpet, unless you have dense padding beneath, it will not be as effective with the floor insulation. Keep in mind that for rooms where you need more heat, you could choose your floor covering but have a separate tubing loop so the spaces would be heated for efficiently. In this case, water flows beneath the floorboards that are heated. This heat then radiates upward, making the room nice and toasty. If you plan to use hardwood flooring rather than carpeting, we highly recommend you avoid solid wood. Although beautiful and popular, solid wood does nothing for heat. Therefore, laminate floor covering would be a much better option. With this, the material retains heat in the room. Additionally, you could use a below the floor radiant heating system without concern with shrinking, warping, or cracking from the moisture, something you would struggle with if you chose solid wood. More and more, people are choosing floor covering that works with radiant heating. You will even find this type of heating system added to showers. Regardless, you can reduce your monthly heating bills by choosing the right floor covering alone, or floor covering with a radiant heating system. |
Carpet and Coverings