Can You Put Carpet On Underfloor Heating?

Underfloor heating is a cost-effective and energy efficient method for heating your home. This is because it only requires low water temperatures to create an even distribution of heat throughout the property. However, some people might be put off by the prospect of underfloor heating, due to concerns that it will disrupt the visual look of their flooring. One of the main (and very important) questions that we get asked regularly at Pipelife Eco is “can you put carpet on underfloor heating?”. 

Comfy, cosy and soft under your feet, you can see why carpet is such a popular choice of flooring. So, the great news is that you definitely can put carpet on underfloor heating. In fact it’s a very suitable choice, and one of the most popular floorings to pair with this type of home heating system. 

How and why can you put carpet on underfloor heating?

In order for flooring to be suitable for use with underfloor heating, it simply needs to be a good conductor. This is so that it does not prevent the heat from circulating effectively around the property. Carpet is a suitable choice for enabling an efficient heat output. It’s just important to ensure that you use a high quality thin carpet, where the tog does not exceed 2.5. The thicker the carpet, the less effective it will be at conducting heat from your underfloor system. You will also need a good quality underlay to ensure the heat is circulated as efficiently as possible. Our expert team will be able to advise you on the most suitable choice of carpet for your heating system, including information on the right tog level. 

Some underfloor heating systems may require a screed to be installed before the carpet or other type of flooring is laid. Floor screed for underfloor heating is a thin layer of concrete that covers the heating pipes under the floor, providing a smooth foundation for top layer flooring to be applied. Again, our team at Pipelife can advise you on whether or not this is appropriate for your individual property needs. 

So we’ve established that the answer to the question of “can you put carpet on underfloor heating” is a definite yes. However, it’s important to emphasise that there are plenty of other flooring options that you may also want to consider for your underfloor heating. These include:

Tile & Stone – these materials have excellent thermal properties making them a great choice for transferring heat quickly from the pipes to the floor surface.

Timber – Wooden flooring is another suitable option, particularly if it is thin. However, heat changes the moisture content of wood and so it’s important to select wood that responds well to temperature changes, such as engineered wood. 

Laminate & Vinyl – These materials heat up quickly and cool down quickly making them good conductors, however it’s important to note that some vinyl is limited to a temperature restriction of 27 °C. 

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Pipelife Eco for more information on our underfloor heating services. You can also explore our FAQ section, which answers popular questions, similar to “can you put carpet on underfloor heating”.