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I love heated floors. In fact, I love them so much that if I had one in my kitchen I'd probably never leave the room! Until then I'll just have to live vicariously through the writing process. Here's a look at the installation stages for a heated tile floor:
1) Rip up the old floor & put down wire mesh
2) Install the heating cable
3) Pour the floor leveler
4) Install the ceramic tile
5) Grout the tiles
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Here is a view of the finished heated kitchen floor. |
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1) Rip up the old flooring & put down mesh
After moving out the fridge and stove, the first step in our kitchen floor project was to lift up the old flooring. The old floor consisted of one layer of sticky tiles installed over a layer of linoleum flooring.
In order to strengthen the floor, we needed to add either a layer of 1/2" plywood or a wire mesh with a cement scratch coat. One of our concerns was adding to much height to the floor. We decided to go with the mesh. Next, instead of applying the scratch coat, we installed the insulated heating cable directly to the mesh. Now, when we applied the floor leveler over the heating cable, it served the dual purpose of leveling and strengthening by bonding with the mesh. Doing it this way saved us the time of waiting for cement to dry twice and kept the height increase to a minimum.
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The kitchen was prepped for the new ceramic tile by removing the old layers of flooring right down to the plywood. |
We nailed down the wire mesh. This also served to pull the existing layers of plywood together, making for a more solid floor. |
2) Install the heating cable
Next, from our starting point - the thermostat - we had to plan the layout of the heating cable carefully because the wire can not cross over itself nor can it be cut. The heated floor kit from Danfoss provided everything that was needed for the installation, including the metal strapping that holds the cable and detailed instructions.*
Before doing anything with the cable we needed to measure the resistance with an Ohm Meter. This is required for any warranty claims. If there was no reading we would have had to contact the manufacturer and we would not have been able to install the cable. We recorded the results. We repeated this reading right after we installed the cable. Finally, we did it a third time, after we had covered it with floor leveler to ensure that we had not damaged the wire.*
*It is important to follow the manufacturers guidelines and instructions when you undertake a heated floor installation.
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Our contractor is preparing the heated floor kit from Danfoss. The kit includes instructions and strapping to hold the wire. |
The heating cable is locked into place with the metal strapping. |
3) Pour the floor leveler
While the floor leveler was primarily needed as a scratch coat for the mesh and to cover the heating cable this floor really did need some leveling. Using a 4 foot level and long roofing nails (the head has a larger surface area) our contractor drove in the nails at random points and used the level to determine how much to either drive them down or leave them raised up. At the high points in the floor the nails would be driven to just above the height of the cable while in some of the lowest areas the nails protruded up to 3/4" above. The next step was to pour the floor leveler over the cable. We mixed a full bag at a time. While this product is for the most part self-leveling, we used a trowel to guide the flow so it came to the height of the roofing nails. We had to wait longer than we expected for the floor to cure due to the thickness in some of the low points. This set us back a day but it was worth it to have a perfectly level floor.
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This view shows the the cable layout for the kitchen. The wire for the thermostat is seen on the left. |
Floor leveler covers the wire to protect it, while at the same time providing a smooth, level surface for installing the floor tile. |
4)Install the ceramic tile
Now having a fresh level floor we were able to lay the ceramic tile just like any other project. To add visual interest to the floor we installed the tile in a bricked pattern and alternated the color of the tiles between caramel and coffee.
Tip - Bricking the tile can help make a relatively cheap tile appear more expensive.
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The tiles were installed in a bricked pattern, alternating light and dark tiles. |
The day after the tile was installed we cleaned out any protruding thinset from the grout lines. |
5) Grout the tiles
In preparation for grouting we cleaned out any thinset or cement that was visible in the grout lines. Grout lines will look amateurish if the gray cement is allowed to peak through the colored grout.
The grout color we chose was an espresso brown, which pulled out similar shades from both tile and served to tie the color palate together. Our tile contractor used a grout float to push the grout into the grout lines as he moved it across the tile.
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The tile contractor spread the grout over the kitchen tile using a grouting float. |
Wiping the tiles in small circular motions keeps the grout lines level and consistent. |
Special grouting sponges were used to clean the grout off the tile. The first wash is the key to good grout lines. Here are some things you don't want to happen when you're grouting:
- Grout drying on the surface of your tile - seems obvious, but just keep in mind that grout is basically cement. Don't spread a larger area than you can wipe.
- Inconsistent lines, fat, skinny, fat - this can make perfectly set tiles appear crooked.
- Grout lines that have dips or holes - dirt will collect here and leave your floors looking permanently dirty.
To prevent these problems focus on the grout lines and not the tile in your first wash. Circular motions or wiping on a 45 degree angle with the tile will prevent the sponge from digging into your lines. Make sure your sponge is not too wet or you'll end up with bubbles which become holes when the grout has dried.
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The final wipe was done on a diagonal to avoid digging out the grout lines while still cleaning the surface. |
The floor in this picture has been grouted and washed. All that is left is to move in the appliances. |
The finished floor looked great and the homeowners were pleased with the results. The thermostat and new painted baseboards were installed and the appliances were moved back in. They are now cooking in comfort and style.
Aaaaah .... warm feet!! |
