Installing Mats Below Sub-Floor

• 1). Ask a licensed electrician whether your home's power source can handle the additional load and whether a new circuit will need to be run. Electrical radiant systems consume 8 to 12 watts of energy per square foot.
  
  
• 2). Cut sections of radiant heat electric matting so they will fit between floor joists. Matting comes in rolls, so it can be unwound and cut with a pair of scissors at the point of installation.
  
  
• 3). Place the mat against the sub-floor between a set of floor joists. Make sure the end that will be connected to the radiant heating power source is positioned near that source. Do not connect to the power source yet. Staple the matting in place by driving staples into the sub-floor.
  
  
• 4). Cut two pieces of wire leads (one black, one white) and strip off a section of insulation from them. Slide a crimping sleeve onto each lead and insert the corresponding lead from a run of matting into each crimping sleeve. Crimp the joints and wrap with electrical tape. Connect the other ends of the two leads to the next run of matting.
  
  
• 5). Cover all matting with batting insulation once all the runs are made and all the electrical connections between matting is completed.
  
  

Installing Mats Above Sub-Floor

• 1). Make certain your existing floor and joist system can handle the extra weight of concrete material on top of the sub-floor. A licensed building contractor can help determine how much weight the floor can bear.
  
  
• 2). Cut sheets of matting to cover the floor and staple them into place on top of the sub-floor.
  
  
• 3). Spread thinset with a trowel to cover the matting, or pour a self-leveling gypsum mixture and spread it across the floor.
  
  
• 4). Let the thinset material dry and cure thoroughly before making electrical connections and laying down the finished flooring.
  
  

Installing Hydronic Components Below Sub-Floor

• 1). Drill holes with a Forstner bit that is about 1/8-inch larger than the diameter of the PEX tubing. Drill into each floor joist that the tubing will need to pass through.
  
  
• 2). Push the tubing through the first hole and run it down the length of the floor to the next hole. Repeat this back-and-forth process until tubing is below the sub-floor between each set of floor joists. Make sure the tubing has some slack between joists.
  
  
• 3). Install an aluminum "V" plate over the tubing and staple it to the sub-floor. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for how often to install a V-plate, which is usually about every 2 to 3 feet.
  
  
• 4). Place batting insulation between joists once all the runs are made and all the electrical connections between matting is completed.
  
  

Installing Hydronic Components Above Sub-Floor

• 1). Lay down sheets of channeled plywood over the subfloor. Channeled plywood has grooves cut in it to accept PEX tubing.
  
  
• 2). Nail the sheets in place by hammering nails through the plywood, sub-floor and into floor joists below.
  
  
• 3). Run PEX tubing along all the grooves in the plywood until the floor is complete.
  
  
• 4). Place PEX tubing onto the existing sub-floor as an alternative to using special plywood. Tubing should come with hold-down tabs that can be stapled to the floor to keep the tubing in place.
  
  
• 5). Trowel thinset over the tubing until all of it is covered. Let the thinset cure before installing flooring.