How to Build a Radiant Heat Floor
- 1). Make a scale drawing of the room's floor plan, making sure to identity the area where the cable will run. Do not position cable under or against cabinets, tubs, showers or near any wax seals for toilets. The cable should only be located in the areas where people are most apt to walk.
- 2). Send a copy of your floor plan to the company that is providing you with your system. Many, such as Sun Touch, use heating cables that are woven into 1 to 2 foot wide plastic mats.
- 3). Arrange the plastic mats on the floor in their pre-determined locations, making sure to push them down as far as they can go. Don't overlap the mats; line up the seams so that they butt up against each other.
- 4). Hook up the wiring. Run the wiring off of an already-installed GFCI receptacle, or run new wiring from your circuit breaker. Contact an electrician for help with this step. Test the radiant flooring mats to ensure that they're working before you start tiling.
- 5). Carefully tile directly on top of the plastic radiant flooring mats. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to adhere the tiles to the mats; this process varies depending upon the manufacturer.
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