How to Insulate a Floor

Now that winter is here your feet might start to feel a little cold underfoot, even when you have wood floors. Instead of spending a fortune on heating bills you could instead look to better insulating your floor to keep your home safe and warm. Despite the initial cost, in the long run this helps you save money and is a much more eco-friendly alternative. Depending on the type of floor you have, you might have to insulate it in a specific way. This post explains you how to insulate three kind of floors which by themselves are quite good at retaining heat.

Solid wood floor

Because it is made of wood, hardwood flooring will always be able to retain heat better than other floors. However, there are always ways of further insulating and with wood floors this is done by adding a rigid insulation layer to the top of the floor. This is then followed by a chipboard for that little bit extra. Doing this will cause a raise in the level of the floor and in turn an extra layer that all further trap that heat. Make sure you keep in mind door and entryways when doing this.

To insulate your solid wood you can either call a professional or do it by yourself. Either way, insulating this way will add a little more height to your floor, so make sure you consult an electrician if needed when working with electrical sockets.

Engineered wood flooring

Engineered wood is made of layers of plywood that is then topped with a surface layer made of real wood. Because engineered floors are made from mostly porous plywood, it traps heat beautifully. There are ways however or further insulating your floors to maximise the use of your heating.

Engineered flooring is a floating floor, so if you want to insulate it you can use an underlay. This is a sheet of material that you install underneath the boards of your floor. You can find different levels of thickness in an underlay and the choice is up to you as to which you’d prefer. In the case you have underfloor heating, it is recommended you choose a thin underlay to allow the heat to pass and circulate efficiently.

Laminate flooring

Laminate flooring his made of four layers, all of them synthetic. However, they manage to retain heating similarly to wood floors. This is possible because the bottom layer stops moisture from penetrating the floor. The second layer, the core, reinforces the resistance to moisture and water. The wear layer not only protects the layer where the image of wood is printed, it is also an additional protection. The thicker the laminate floor, the more effectively the heat will be retained. Like engineered wood, laminate is a floating floor so in this case you will need an underlay too if you want to insulate your floor.

So there you have it, how to insulate the most common floors. As you can see they are good insulators by themselves, but you can always further reinforce that and enjoy of a warm house during the cold winter.