Is it easy to put hardwood in later?

11 years ago

Hey everyone, we may be buying a fairly costly house and are contemplating doing carpeting or some other cheap flooring initially and doing hardwood (engineered) later. Is it easy enough to make that switch or do you think we would regret it? Also do people know how much more expensive is in-floor heating? Thanks!

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PRO

Champion Floor Company

11 years ago

There are a few things that you will want to address... but most importantly, are you setting yourself up for a successful floor later on.

If you plan to go engineered, there is a smaller checklist. But, if you are are planning on a solid hardwood (3/4" thick) then you want to address transitions and in-floor heating. There are systems that will not work on solid hardwood - so do your research.

Also, if you install the floor heating system now, but plan on swapping to real hardwood later, you will want to be sure that you give all the floor heating system information to the new installer. He will need to be careful not to tap the heat.

The other big item that may come back to haunt you are the transitions. If your transitions are set up too low, you will always have a reducer at the hardwood. So, lets say you are installing solid hardwood in the living room, but your adjoining foyer has a ceramic tile. The ceramic tile may or may not be flush with the new hardwood height. What you want to avoid is a noticeable transition that will become a tripping hazard (or is just unsightly). It is typically not a huge deal to set the tile in the foyer at the right height so that you can come back later with your solid hardwood. So the idea is for you to make the right underlayment choices NOW for the possible hardwood later. Anything that is adjoining should be set with the hardwood in mind.

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Comments (7)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
11 years ago
If you will be using engineered flooring you can make the switch later.
As the floor heating goes there is quiet a few systems on the market and pricing is different, call someone local to price it out.

Good luck
Maureen Sullivan
11 years ago
We had engineered wood installed when we bought a house that had previously been carpeted. We installed about 1200 SF and it cost $11,000. But, I would hate to do it after we moved in. It is very messy (even with a good crew) and the fumes are nasty in places that were glued.
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marilynellis
11 years ago
It's much less stressful to do new flooring when house is vacant. Adding floor heating will most likely double your budget.
PRO
User
11 years ago
If you install and use Electric Radiant Floor Heating as a primary heating source, temperature levels in your home can be maintained, on an average of 5.6% lower than any other form of heating. That means, for every degree you lower your thermostat, you can save 5% off your current heating bill which is 25-30% in annual savings!

To get a better idea of how much floor heating cost in individual rooms, check out our weekly FloorPlanFridays on our Facebook page! Here's an example: https://www.facebook.com/WarmlyYours/photos/a.444183141500.237312.21445931500/10153214259051501/?type=1&theater

Also, on our website we offer an instant quote tool and energy use calculator if you want to check it out! http://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/

Hope this helps!
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
11 years ago
Adding in-floor radiant heat after the build can be very very costly. Most flooring producers (wood flooring especially) ONLY allow Hydronic (water/gel/oil heating tubes). These are VERY expensive to install later because they normally require being sunk in several inches of cement. This can be done during the time the concrete slab is poured to keep costs down...but adding it later is a major cost/project.

If you work with the cheaper electric heating mats you are limiting your flooring choices. The expensive heating mats can have some forms of wood flooring to be installed...but not all. The electric mats have a tendency to over heat and scorch wood flooring. For this reason the low end heating mats normally work well with ceramic/porcelain tiles.

If you want wood flooring, and you have an expensive house, you may want to install it at the time of the build. It is easier and often a snick cheaper for the installation. You don't have to pay someone to remove "cheap" carpet later on in your life. Adding cheap carpet now and then paying to have the cheap stuff removed is going to increase the total costs of the build....by $1-$2 per square foot for removal plus the $2-$4 per square foot carpet + labour to install. In essence you will waste $5-$7/sf (all total) just to add then remove "cheap" carpet. That $5-$7 could have gone to a much desired wood floor.

There is nothing happy about paying for a floor twice in 10 years!
PRO
User
11 years ago
There are many misconceptions of floor heating out there. Here's a bit of what we know and have learned from these past 18 years. Going off of what Cancork Floor Inc's post, there are some flooring companies that require EMBEDDED radiant heat. Electric heating cables can be embedded in thinset or Self Leveling Underlayment. These heating wires can be covered in 3/8"-1/2" of self-leveling underlayment, minimizing floor height issues and resulting in a quick and easy installation. These electric systems can be easily controlled using thermostats utilizing floor temperature sensors. These controls can be used to maintain floor temperatures to manufacturers' required maximum floor temperatures, if any. In fact, electric heating cables can maintain steady flooring temperatures around the clock, even if the homeowner sets back the air temperature at night.

Most thermostats used to control electric floor heating utilize a floor sensor embedded directly in the flooring, this allows the user to use the electric heating systems that provide a gentle, gradual heating that warms the floors with no overheating. The thing to remember with any wood flooring is that the relative humidity control in the room is very important. If you are thinking of installing wood flooring, check for any maximum temperature requirements AND any relative humidity requirements mandated by the flooring manufacturer. There are many wood flooring types that can be heated by simply learning and conforming to the installation requirements. A simple search of the flooring manufacturers' websites will state which of their products can be used with radiant heat.

We hope you find this information useful!