Engineered wood — the default
A cross-bonded core stays dimensionally stable through the heating cycle, and fully bonding it to the screed gives the best heat transfer. This is what we specify for the large majority of UFH projects, and it's why our engineered oak sits at the centre of extension and new-build work.
LVT and SPC — good, within limits
Vinyl conducts heat well and is comfortable underfoot, but every product has a maximum surface temperature. We check the manufacturer's limit against the system design at survey. The usual constraint isn't the vinyl, it's the flatness of the screed underneath it.
Parquet — yes, in engineered form
Engineered herringbone and chevron are fitted fully bonded over heated screed. Solid blocks are not something we'd put over a wet system: too many small pieces, too much cumulative movement.
Solid wood — no
Solid timber moves too much over wet underfloor heating. If a survey finds heating in the screed, our quote comes back as engineered rather than solid. This isn't a preference — it's the difference between a floor that lasts and a callback.
- Commission and run the heating before the floor goes down
- Insulating underlays cut output — build-up is part of the design
- Ramp the system up gradually after installation, not straight to full
Build-up and thresholds
Every layer between the pipe and your feet slows the system down. We keep the build-up as thin as the acoustic and levelling requirements allow, and we check door and threshold heights on survey so nothing has to be trimmed later.