Many homeowners who remodel or add on to their homes choose the warmth and comfort of radiant heat for their new concrete basement floors. Its wonderfully comfortable, but what type of flooring to choose? Radiant heat is installed below the surface of the concrete and makes the entire floor surface a heating element, without having to add baseboard or venting.
While the warmth of the floor makes it a pleasure to walk on and play on, often homeowners look for a floor covering to place over it to dress it up. The best are thermal conductive and include natural stone and porcelain or ceramic tile. However, a better option exists that conducts heat more effectively without having to add a covering to make the floor more visually appealing.
RenuKrete® Engineered Concrete Flooring (ECF) uses proprietary technology and experienced craftsmanship to transform existing radiant concrete floors into designer quality floors in the fashion of reclaimed barn-style planks, slate and tile.
Engineered concrete flooring is a better choice for radiant floors.
Placing carpeting or vinyl coverings over a radiant concrete floor defeats the purpose of having radiant heat in the first place. Part of the attraction of radiant heat is the warmth underfoot and that there are no baseboard radiators lining the walls of the basement and using up valuable floor space.
From wall to wall, RenuKrete® ECF is crafted from the existing concrete slab. The application gives the appearance of wide-plank barn-style hardwood, slate or tile and is available in a variety of grain styles and stone colors to match the homeowner’s design aesthetic. Perhaps best of all, RenuKrete® doesn’t reduce the heating efficiency of the radiant coils underneath so the homeowner gets maximum warming from their heated floor. For a bare concrete floor with radiant heat, RenuKrete® takes a boring surface and makes it incredibly more attractive so that the homeowner and their family can enjoy their new living space more fully and comfortably.
Energy efficiency—even more reason not to cover your radiant floor.
One of the biggest benefits of radiant heat in the basement floor is energy savings. Radiant heat in your floor is more efficient, why make it work harder by covering it when RenuKrete° can help you maximize its thermal value?
In fact, the standard warm water radiator system needs to be heated to a high temperature in order to warm a room, as much as 150° F or higher. In a radiant system the water is only warmed to the mid-80s F, depending on the finish of the floor. Obviously that requires much less energy output to achieve a comfortably warm basement. Plus, rooms heated by baseboard are susceptible to cold spots away from the radiator. Your radiator is either working too hard to impact the thermostat across the room, or not working hard enough if the thermostat is located nearby the radiator. For a radiant heat system, cold spots are virtually eliminated because the heating coils below the floor heat the slab in its entirety. As warm air rises directly upward it achieves the desired temperature set by an on-wall thermostat and remains there more consistently.
In a basement there’s always the chance of a flood. Your floor is safe with RenuKrete®.
If you install a floor covering over your basement concrete floor, whether or not radiant heat is present, if a flooding event should occur, such as when a frozen pipe bursts or a hot water heater ruptures, chances are good the floor covering will have to be ripped up and hauled out of the basement. With RenuKrete° and a wet vacuum and mop, you’re good to go. Because RenuKrete° is crafted from your existing slab, there is no subfloor or covering to be removed. RenuKrete° cleans up fast and easy and is low maintenance all four seasons.
Thinking about covering your radiant heat basement floor? Call RenuKrete first at (800) 406-5010.
Radiant heat is popular because it is efficient and non-intrusive when it comes to your design choices in the basement. RenuKrete can show you how to turn what seems like a boring, dull basement concrete surface into a designer inspired floor that the whole family will enjoy.