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Overall Rating: 4.7 stars - 59 reviews

By:
Date: December 7, 2023
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Thank you so much for your article! We are self-building our home and youve provided so much detailed information. It provides more than a starting point to help us navigate planning flooring for our hydronically heated basement slab as well for our main floor. Thank you again!
By:
Date: August 8, 2023
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
you are saying : "I ALSO DO NOT RECOMMEND DIRECT GLUING DOWN ANY WOOD FLOORING OVER A BRITTLE LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE. ", and this is what I have now over Radiant Heat (so-called mud job). what should I cover it with (any lacquer, or varnish), before engineered Hardwood Flooring installation (direct glued)? thank you!
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Lightweight concrete is not a very strong substaight if wood flooring is directly glued down over it it "May" break apart if the wood expands/contracts pulling the adhesive. 
By:
Date: July 31, 2023
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
About 30 years ago, I installed a floating hardwood floor from Sweden in my home because I have hydronic pipes in the concrete floor at ground level. I am looking to patch in some areas that are damaged, and I am looking for a good match. Would you be able to help find a matching floor if I sent you some photos?
By:
Date: May 11, 2023
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
I have hydronic radiant heat under floating engineered hardwood. I want to update to bamboo. Can I lay over the existing flooring or do I have to remove the existing flooring? Thank You
Reply by HoskingHardwood : We would suggest removing your existing flooring.
By:
Date: January 26, 2023
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
1st time with radiant heat awsome artical
By:
Date: October 19, 2022
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very informative. However, I have a question as we have a "different" type of install. We are installing 1/2" engineered hardwood over a radiant floor that is created by using: PEX (1/2") between the original subfloor (plywood) and a new subfloor (Advantech) in a space 16" OC on 3/4" thick "stringers". Note: The reason for this is that we need to raise the floor level to be even with the other rooms. So, can we staple (understanding to make sure we miss the PEX, or glue (preferred), or float (the flooring is NOT "snap and click")? Under all the flooring is closed-cell spray foam over a semi-heated space. We are also doing an area of original hardwood. Should we: staple (preferred), glue, or float)? And also over particle board which I understand should only be floating. Note: This is an older home with three different constructions. Hence the different floorings - not my doing....
Reply by HoskingHardwood : You have a lot going on there and would suggest contacting the installer and/or the manufacturer of the flooring who will be warranting for their recommendation. 
By:
Date: November 22, 2021
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Quick question. I have two floors of radiant heat. Lower floor is in concrete and upper floor is in light weight concrete over plywood. Do the warm floors need to be operating before I install the engineered wood flooring? This is a problem because project is new construction and I do not have my utilities (gas) installed to operate the system.
By:
Date: May 25, 2021
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
I am installing Owens engineered natural white oak over radiant heat and the tubes are exposed. Some of the tubes protrude above the plywood because they used 5/8" pex tubing and 5/8" plywood. They plan on gluing down and will use extra glue to account for the difference. You state never glue down to the exposed radiant heat piping. Could you please elaborate?
Reply by HoskingHardwood :

We do not recommend gluing directly over radiant heating piping. If the flooring or the tubing has to be repaired or replaced it may cause damage to them when trying to pull the boards up.

By:
Date: December 15, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very helpful information. However, my problem is due to some water damage in front of double french doors where there was a leak and several feet of floating flooring have to be replaced. There are some U-tube videos that are very helpful for floating floor damage. I was also interested in your recommendation as to glue type and product to use on the tongue and groove when repairing the damage with new material. Fortunately I have some flooring left over from the original installation. Thank you for your help and suggestions. I hope I do not ever have to go through this again.
Reply by HoskingHardwood : We use Tite Bond exterior grade carpenters wood glue.
By:
Date: October 19, 2020
Page Rating: (4.0/5)
Comments:
Any suggestions on end grain flooring 4x4 or 4x6 -- 1/2 inch thick bonded to 1/4 inch ply with 1/8 grout" gaps. looking at recycled 100 yr old lumber.
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Here is a great source - Kaswell  Flooring systems
By:
Date: September 1, 2020
Page Rating: (3.0/5)
Comments:
Any advice on the glue for engineered floor and how rough the surface needs to be?
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Manufacturers usually recommend using a particular adhesive you should check with the one your using, Bostik adhesives are usually recommended. There is  really no need to have a smooth or rough surface when applying any adhesive when going over concrete or plywood.
By:
Date: August 2, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very informative and easy to understand. Great suggestions to do prior to buying new floors for Radiant heating.
By:
Date: July 1, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
GREAT EXCEPT YOU NEED TO SHOW A NEWLY INSTALLED RADIENT FLOOR OVER A PRE-EXISTING CONCRETE FLOOR.
By:
Date: June 28, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very informative. I am buying a home where they installed radiant food heat under prefinished Brazilian cherry. There is cupping but my sellers will not disclose the issue. Can radiant floor heat just be turned off and a humidifier installed to rectify cupping?
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Brazilian Cherry is not a very stable wood species and is not recommended to be installed with radiant heat systems. Since many variables exist with wood flooring and radiant heat you may want to have a certified hardwood flooring inspector come in to see and test what is exactly going on and to see if there is any remedies.
By:
Date: June 21, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
We are building a new engineered-log home. This article expanded my flooring options considerably, for I had thought I could only use porcelain tile.
By:
Date: February 28, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very concise but well organized and detailed presentation.
By:
Date: February 5, 2020
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Excellent info on wood grain - quarter sawn lumber.
By:
Date: January 21, 2020
Page Rating: (4.0/5)
Comments:
Id like to see options to soften what feet feel when using wood flooring over the concrete slab and radiant heat.
By:
Date: December 27, 2019
Page Rating: (3.5/5)
Comments:
I was expecting to see how solid hardwood could be installed over in floor radient heat systems, with the creation of a sleeper-like system. What sleeper system options are preferred? For example, slab + 6 mil poly + 2x4 on sides (1.5" thick spaced about 10" on centers to get proper fastener spacings) + 0.75" plywood + .75" solid hardwood.
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Hi Clayton Thank you for taking the time to review our article. Our short articles are only meant to give consumers a brief description or overview of project situations, they are not  meant to explain an in depth fix all to anyone's particular project because each project can require slightly different methods.  Some projects should require a trained professional to evaluate the jobsite first prior to any work being performed.  You may find help from our other articles listed on our SiteMap page.
By:
Date: December 19, 2019
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Question: Ive recently installed 1/2" pex pipe in aluminum transfer plates. Above this is the 1/4" subfloor, and above that is an engineered wood floor with an oak veneer on top. The floor is acceptable for use in a Radiant system based on the manufacturer. It does not heat the room. The floor is only mildly warm to the touch. Supply line is at 140 degrees F at the boiler, and the return line is 135 degrees. Circulator is running. Any suggestions, or did I waste my money trying to employ Radiant heat in this application?
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Gene you should have the company that installed the radiant heat come in and evaluate the situation. There are thousands of installations of hardwood installed over radiant heat that perform very well so I am not sure what's going on with your particular situation.
By:
Date: November 1, 2019
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
excellent article. Easy to understand, and concise.
By:
Date: October 14, 2019
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Great article Jeff. Can you elaborate why you recommend a 3/8" plywood layer (underlayment) between the subfloor and the non-floating engineered floor, when using a plywood radiant panel (type 2 in your list; Warmboard product in my case)? Is it to buffer the heating cycles reaching the flooring, or simply to prevent glue from contacting the radiant pipes? if the latter, then can i place masking tape over the pipes as protection from the glue? I would like to glue and nail the engineered flooring but nailing would obviously not be possible if an underlayment is used. Also, would the 3/8" underlayment be floated or glued; Im assuming not nailed.
Reply by HoskingHardwood : It is not recommended to use adhesive directly over the radiant heat tubes primarily the adhesive could over time deteriorate the plastic/copper pipes. Also would make any repair on those pipes tough later on if ever needed. We would suggest spot gluing (avoiding the pipes) the underlayment plywood down.     
By:
Date: September 22, 2019
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Hi! Do you need subflooring for floating engineered wd. floor over concrete with hydrolic radiant heating within it? Or can you out the wood floor directly over concrete? Radiant tubes will be a few inches below the conc. surface. What is your recommendation? Thank you!
Reply by HoskingHardwood : This article may help
By:
Date: April 15, 2019
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Excellent overview of the issues that need to be addressed if radiant heat is proposed under a wood floor. Use hydronic, not electric. Consider species of wood, thickness, and how sawn. Maximum recommended operating temperature. Operation so as not to shock the wood floor at the beginning of the heating season. Seasoning the wood floor in the space before installation. All good information, although I see from comments there are some quibbles with certain issues, such as the recommendation of quartersawn over plainsawn.
By:
Date: January 2, 2019
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
David "White" Oak" flooring is "generally" more durable and more stable than "Red Oak:. The more common plain sawn cut expands more across the width of the board because of the horizontal grain directions cell structure. Because the Quartersawn cut cell structure is "vertical" it is less apt (but still can) to expand across the width of the board and can expand more vertically. (Both will dent and scratch) . No two pieces of wood are the same and can react differently under the same moisture levels.
By:
Date: January 2, 2019
Page Rating: (3.0/5)
Comments:
Howdy, Quartersawn wood is tougher and more dent-resistant on the top than plain-sawn wood, but less stable in the horizontal direction. The article has them backwards. Best, David
By:
Date: December 18, 2018
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Very helpful detailed information about temperatures used for radiant depending on installation
By:
Date: November 12, 2018
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Great article, thank you. I live in Northen Michigan with extreme cold winters. Before I poured concrete I used a 6 mill vaper barrier, followed by 2 inch thick foam, radiant pex pipes on top of foam and then poured concrete. I now want to install hardwood flooring. Do I need to use a vapor barrier on top of concrete ? I would think plastic would not do well with radiant heat underneath. Can someone comment please !
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Personally I don't think you would need and plastic vapor barrier with all you have done.
By:
Date: October 7, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Read this and you have the basis for all you need to know
By:
Date: September 14, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Will oiled floors like DuChateau and Castle Combe need to be re oiled every 2-3 yrs? Between Reclaimed wood, oiled and Mannington which wood be best radiant heat?
Reply by HoskingHardwood : I would recommend contacting them.
By:
Date: September 14, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Excellent article. A huge help in determining what flooring I could use with radiant underfloor heating
By:
Date: July 14, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Excellent work and study. Thank you
By:
Date: April 2, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Thank you, your article answered many question I had for an uncoming project.
By:
Date: February 4, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very interesting I have radiant which I just installed and are looking at engineered hard wood flooring.
By:
Date: January 31, 2018
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
What about herringbone? Assume the floating floor would allow even herringbone to move as a unit.
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Not sure i have ever seen a herringbone bone pattern wood floor from any manufacturer being able to be floated
By:
Date: December 12, 2017
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Would like to use three quarter red oak natural over radiant new house r28 walls 48 attic. Could you recommend a brand ? Thinking of doing walnut inlay any problem with that? Thanks
Reply by HoskingHardwood : I would review the section in the article above - Can 3/4" Solid Wood Flooring Be Used Over Radiant Heat Systems?
By:
Date: November 2, 2017
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Great article, answers a lot of my questions. I recently installed hickory engineered wood by gluing. I was wondering how hydronic heat would affect the gluing and the wood. The subfloors are not perfectly flat so if the glue releases due to the heat then some boards may pop up. Good to know about the max floor temp being 80. Thanks
By:
Date: August 31, 2017
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
4.5 Because it doesnt say what the best thing to use between a subfloor and wood floor over radiant. If nailed? If Floated?
Reply by HoskingHardwood : Hard to use any type of underlayment over the subfloor when nailing flooring down over radiant heat, you wouldn't be able to see if your nailing into the radiant heat tubes. Floating floors always require and underlayment pad.
By:
Date: March 27, 2017
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Great info, I learned quite a bit.
By:
Date: December 11, 2016
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
good info
By:
Date: August 25, 2016
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
I was interested in radiant heat over wide plank solid wood flooring and you gave me good information - not what I wanted to hear, but thats okay.Thanks.
By:
Date: August 18, 2016
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Well done Thanks
By:
Date: August 3, 2016
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Excellent article
By:
Date: January 22, 2016
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
What is the recommended underlayment for floating engineered hardwood over hydronic radiant-heat floors?
By:
Date: December 8, 2015
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Interesting reply to "some homeowners think floating floors to be noisy".
By:
Date: December 5, 2015
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
I have a floooring that im installing on top of radiant heat and they want to glue it.can i glue it down without any type of issue for the future?
By:
Date: November 28, 2015
Page Rating: (4.0/5)
Comments:
what are the solutions to the cupping, or splitting problem??? if you have it??
By:
Date: May 6, 2015
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Thank you! Very good information that will help us move forward with the right purchase decision on wood flooring & heat in our new home. Will be verifying our contractor works to these kinds of specs as well.
By:
Date: March 30, 2015
Page Rating: (4.0/5)
Comments:
While the article shows three radiant floor heating systems appropriate for new construction, it makes no mention of electric heating pads or underlayment. This has become very popular for remodels, and should also be addressed in detail.
By:
Date: November 22, 2014
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Very good info. Helped me a lot with heat transfer.
By:
Date: October 5, 2014
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Clear, concise and to the point. Thanks
By:
Date: August 27, 2014
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
What type of vapor barrier product would you use over a hydronic floor heating system using a Hickory Plank Floor by Owens Flooring). We have dry cupping throughout the floor system and we are trying to figure out why. There are no leaks in the hydronic system, as we eliminated that issue. It appears from the records that the planks were delivered about the time that the hydronic system was started up, which was in the middle of winter, and there was snow on the ground. The planks were stored inside. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Nancy
By:
Date: August 6, 2014
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Found the article to be helpful. Understood that engineered wood is best with radiant heat
By:
Date: February 26, 2014
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Excellent article. This site has the best info re: manufactured flooring and installing over radiant in-floor heat. Weve been looking for this info for along time and finally found it!
By:
Date: October 3, 2013
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Very interesting and most helpful as we are building a new home and our builder is recommending radient heating
By:
Date: November 6, 2012
Page Rating: (3.5/5)
Comments:
What is the ideal tempt. for supplying hot water through radiant pex tubing under quarter sawn wood?
By:
Date: September 25, 2012
Page Rating: (4.0/5)
Comments:
It would be helpful to have some sort of cost estimate.
By:
Date: September 24, 2012
Page Rating: (4.5/5)
Comments:
Good article with good advice thank you.
By:
Date: September 10, 2012
Page Rating: (5.0/5)
Comments:
Thank you for making this clear in your article. We were almost going to purchase wide solid maple floors good thing we read this.