Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - heated bathroom floor

I would like to have a heated bathroom floor. I plan to use vinyl. I have read that there are electric heat mats for use under a tile floor but I can't find any other information about them and where you could purchase one for use with vinyl. I am adding a new bathroom on a concrete slab. Do you know about electric heat mats?

Hello
I have used both electric and hot water radiant heat. I do not know of a heat mat that can be install right under vinyl
and if you use them under tile you will need to cover both
with a protective concrete base over the mat for the tile.
They do have radiant heating that can be install under the floor and secured to the subfloor but slab I do not know of any...

I appreciate your response. I was hopeful but not optimistic that there was such a thing.

Hello
Now don't give up you can lay down the electric and use a 3/4 to 1 in. morter bed and instll the vinyl over it would only bring up the finish floor about 1 1/4 inches max. Sorry I did not say that before..If I can help you find what you need let me know...Good Luck...

As a homeowner who lives in a slab-on-grade home, I would consider the energy consumption ramifications of such a modification...

Any heat you put into or on top of a slab gets sucked, to a certain degree (depending of how it's insulated), up by the slab itself...

Add to that your choice of flooring material, which would be considered an insulative material, and it would be, in my book, an unproductive marriage.

We had considered this very idea for our bathrooms and decided, in light of the uncertainty of energy costs these days and the capital expenditures involved, to figure out another way to keep toasty in the bathroom *G*

I figured around 500.00-600.00 per bathroom, not including flooring, for the heating equipment, electronic timers, electrical additions and misc. items...that was if I did the work..

We'll stick with the 30.00 space heater for now...*G*

BTW..I'm a firm believer in radiant heating and will incorporate liquid radiant heated floors into the house I design for our retirement...but it definitely won't be built on a concrete slab...

Good luck with your project!

Pat

Since I can't dig up the slab, maybe I will wait till my next house! You put it in context for me. I have just always had a dream of a bathroom with heated floors....I'll probably just get a big rug!!

After surfing the net for about 3 hours for information on heating my basement remodel bathroom floor, I didn't find much. Stumbled upon this site, found the posting on radient floor heating, and LIT UP! Only to find discourging words about heat loss to the slab. Does anyone out there know for sure the percentage of heat loss to the slab? Most radient floor heating companies deny any heat loss to the slab, and most testimonials RAVE about the warmth they generate. In my situation, I will be installing ceramic tile directly to the slab and would also be installing electric baseboard heat into the bathroom as well. Any input?????? Also - found a sight WarmlyYours.com, that manufactures heating wire secured to a fiberglass net that comes on a roll. It's only 1/8" thick and is installed in thinset cement at the same time the flooring is installed.

Hello
mom of sam
you should put this in the forum as your question it will get much more people looking at it rather than at the end of a question some one else has ask
then it will get right back to you.
Good Luck

Most erectric floor warming/heating systems are easy to install. the thinset mat we use is MFG's by Alcatel in Norway, they have been making this stuff for 70yrs, you can have a 120v or 230v system, mats or cables, infloor, under floor or ceiling heat. if you can add a thermal break by using 1/8 or 1/4 inch cork installed first then the heat mat or cable. at least you will help lower the operating cost of your system. just enjoying the feeling of warm feet is great, if you want more info http://www.WarmFloorCenter.com
Rod

Norway is where I first experienced a warm floor. It was wonderful. Thanks for the information - it was just what I was looking for.