Hardwood Flooring Over Radiant Floor Heating
Comfort for Your Feet
Parquet floors have proven their reliability for years when installed over hot-water underfloor heating systems. It is crucial that specific installation instructions are followed and that the maximum surface temperature of the parquet floor does not exceed 29°C, even in the edge zones. In new construction, higher temperatures are not required. Failure to comply may result in damage to the parquet floor (such as warping, including convex deformations, cupping, lifting, and delamination, as well as dry cracks, etc.).
Bembé Parquet can be installed over nearly all standard hot-water underfloor heating systems.
Newer systems require specialized consultation. For more information, please refer to our technical bulletin “Parquet on Underfloor Heating” at www.bembe.de/downloads. Due to potential gap formation, smaller parquet planks are more suitable. Wood species such as beech and maple, due to their active expansion and contraction behavior, are prone to increased gap formation and warping. If a parquet floor is extensively covered with carpets, heat buildup may occur. To maintain the room temperature, the temperature in the underfloor heating system increases. The consequences are rising heating costs and damage to the parquet and the subfloor.
The indoor climate
Wood breathes and is durable
Wood is a natural material that continues to “live” even after processing and reacts to changes in indoor climate: If humidity remains very high over an extended period, the hardwood floor absorbs moisture and expands. When the air is too dry—which can happen especially during the heating season—moisture is drawn out of the wood. Its volume decreases; gaps form—a natural reaction that must be accepted. This is a quality indicator of genuine parquet.
However, these natural phenomena can largely be avoided by maintaining the proper indoor climate. The ideal conditions are a room temperature of approximately 20°C with a relative humidity of about 50–60%. If the air is too dry, appropriate measures must be taken to humidify the air; this is particularly important with the now widely used ventilation systems. Various types of humidifiers are available in specialty stores. We recommend the top-rated humidifier in Europe, the Venta humidifier, which we are happy to demonstrate and offer in our showrooms. Since relative humidity is difficult to estimate, it makes sense to install a standard hygrometer in the rooms. This allows for effective monitoring and timely humidification. Excessively dry air can also damage furniture, wallpaper, and carpets.
Shape changes
Swelling and shrinkage behavior of the wood
Wood reacts to changes in indoor climate. Especially during the heating season, excessively dry air can lead to increased joint formation and warping, as well as surface cracks caused by drying and, in some cases,
the detachment of the parquet from the subfloor. Uneven joint formation, known as block joints, may also occur. In this case, some areas have almost no joints, while they appear more frequently than average in other areas. It is also possible that, particularly when sealing dark woods, white discoloration may occur in the joint areas. Such phenomena (block joints and white discoloration) can be virtually avoided with oiled or factory-finished surfaces.
Color deviations
Light as a key factor
Within a single wood species, there are natural variations in color that we cannot completely eliminate, even with careful grading. These variations cannot be entirely avoided during parquet installation either. These color variations are particularly pronounced in exotic woods. Please also note that colors may change when exposed to light.
Product photos typically depend on the camera, printing, and lighting conditions. That’s why we recommend visiting one of our studios to see how the items actually look in a room.
Samples viewed or received, as well as our brochures, serve as non-binding samples of color and quality—as is typical for a natural product—and therefore do not reflect the appearance of a fully installed parquet floor. The provisions of the applicable DIN/EN standards apply.
Living with parquet
The right load for maximum service life
Never put weight on your freshly sealed or oiled/waxed hardwood floor too soon. If possible, wait at least 8 days before using water for cleaning. Wait about 14 days before laying down rugs, runners, and similar items. Give your new hardwood floor some time to settle. While the surfaces are walkable after 24–36 hours, the more careful you are at the beginning, the more durable the surfaces will be later on.
Never put weight on your freshly sealed or oiled/waxed hardwood floor too soon. If possible, wait at least 8 days before using water for cleaning. Wait about 14 days before laying down rugs, runners, and similar items. Give your new hardwood floor some time to settle. While the surfaces are walkable after 24–36 hours, the more careful you are at the beginning, the more durable the surfaces will be later on.
Sand and small stones are the enemy of any floor, whether it’s carpet, vinyl, tile, stone, or hardwood. That’s why it’s important to place appropriate, sufficiently large dirt-trapping mats or runners at entrances.
Please fit table and chair legs with appropriate felt glides. For casters on armchairs and office chairs, only hard-floor casters compliant with EN 12529 and featuring a wide contact surface (possibly double casters) are suitable. For this application, we also recommend transparent floor protectors—made from high-quality polycarbonate.
Materials containing plasticizers—such as those found in carpet underlays, furniture legs, tires, and chair casters—can cause floor discoloration. Additionally, using unsuitable adhesive tapes on the finished flooring can lead to peeling of the surface layer, residue, and/or floor discoloration.
Surface treatment
Sealed or oiled/waxed parquet floors
Surface treatment, combined with regular maintenance, protects the hardwood floor, largely prevents dirt from penetrating the surface, and makes cleaning and maintenance much easier. Of course, this does not make the hardwood floor “waterproof.” Moisture can still be absorbed by the floor and released again, though at a slower rate.
Parquet floors sealed or finished on-site
Surface treatment with emulsion paints creates a film-forming finish; however, this finish should not be considered waterproof, as micro-cracks can form due to the wood’s natural shrinkage and swelling. These are not visible to the naked eye and are sensitive to excessive or standing water. However, through proper cleaning and, above all, maintenance at the correct intervals, this “sensitivity” can be drastically reduced.
On-site oiled/waxed hardwood floors
Another option is treatment with an oil-wax system. This treatment also makes the floor largely resistant to water stains and dirt and allows for spot repairs. In addition, it enhances the wood’s natural grain and color.
If the finishes are applied on-site to the sanded hardwood floor, this is done by hand. As a result, surface irregularities—such as the presence of dust particles and similar contaminants—cannot be completely avoided.
Factory-finished surfaces
A distinction is made between:
- Sealed/Coated ››› UV Coating Systems
- Oiled ››› UV Oil Systems
- Oiled ››› oxidatively oiled surfaces (similar appearance to surfaces oiled on-site)
Factory-sealed and factory-oiled parquet floors feature high-quality surfaces made from UV-cured or oxidatively cured materials. The advantage of factory-finished parquet floors lies in the significantly shorter installation time; once the adhesive has dried or in the case of a “floating” installation, the floors can be used immediately. Please refer to the corresponding care instructions for the various surface systems.
