Bamboo flooring is hardly ever appropriate for anything. Too many issues with the adhesives used. Tile is always the best choice for radiant heated floors, with engineered wood a distant second and carpet not really getting on the list at all.

Sophie is quite right. The bamboo manufacturer has to ALLOW ITS FLOOR to go down over radiant heat. THEN you have to have THE RIGHT type of radiant system to suit the floor (most wood floors will NOT ALLOW install over electric).

So long as the bamboo is of very high quality AND you have the right system AND the bamboo is ALLOWED over the radiant heat...this is OK. Tricky. Could go to hell in a hand basket in the wrong hands...but OK.

We regularly heat all sorts of wood floors. Bamboo can be tricky, make sure the manufacturer says it will be ok and follow all install instructions.

As for alternatives. Tile, stone, engineered wood, hardwood, floating floors, and yes even carpet can all be heated effectively. I would encourage you to choose the floor you want, and then look for a system that can heat it before you make any purchasing decisions. Happy to answer any additional questions.

Actually, it depends on your heat source and the kind of radiant heat you are using. Some radiant systems run very high water temperatures and can age the flooring quickly, and unevenly, damaging the flooring itself. We have instructions on how to install bamboo over our products. Also, check out a product called 'Plyboo' – they have pretty great stuff that may work for you (they are warrantied over our products) .

Wide plank hardwood (when properly acclimated), and engineered wood are generally not a concern with radiant any more. Carpeting has traditionally been unwise because systems did not have the power to generate enough heat to penetrate carpeting and into the home. Some newer products (ours for example), do not struggle with carpeting at all. In fact, we are regularly used under hardwood with thick carpets and have no issues heating the space.