Radiant floors provide an easy DIY means of custom floor heating that are great for bathrooms. Now that we are moving into the summer months, many of our AC units will be cranked to the tilt. I love a cool house on a hot day, don’t get me wrong. One thing I don’t love? A cold floor when I get out a hot shower. Installing radiant flooring is relatively easy to do and gives any bathroom the feel of a spa bath.
Here are some quick directions to make your own radiant floors. You’ll need: a radiant heat mat, NuHeat thermostat, and materials associated with tiling a floor (grout, mortar, and tiles.)
1. Make sure the heat mat will fit properly in the floor space. Advisably, test the resistance of the heat mat with a multimeter before installing to insure a long working life. You don’t want to replace these too often.
2. Apply a layer of thinset in the same manner that you would use to tile a floor.
3. Lay the mat down carefully starting in the farthest corner of the room and working your way to the back. When finished, apply another layer of thinset to the top of the floor mat. Lay the tile on top of the floor mat in normal fashion, and plug in the floor mat to the Nuheat electric floor thermostat.