You Deserve a Heated Bathroom Floor: A Guide to This Luxury Upgrade

A heated bathroom floor can be a remarkable antidote to cold mornings. As you brush your teeth, dry off after a shower, or otherwise get ready for the day, a heated floor can provide cozy comfort and a true sense of luxury.

Radiant heating systems have a heat source beneath the flooring material, providing a gentle warmth underfoot. This warmth may seem subtle, but it can transform the feel of your bathroom while delivering other important benefits.

In this post, I’ll go over the key information that you need to know about heated bathroom floors. I’ll delve into the advantages of heated floors, the different types of radiant heat systems, and the practical considerations of putting this luxury feature into your bathroom.

The Benefits of Electric Underfloor Heating in Your Bathroom

Regardless of whether it's for your master bath, family bathroom, or a small powder room, turning your bathroom floor into a heated surface offers a number of benefits.

• Warmth: Warming up the floor serves as a heat source not only for your toes but also the rest of the room. Although you notice radiant heating more immediately on your feet, it can have a noticeable effect on the overall temperature.

• Even heating: A heated floor system offers uniform heating, which can be a nice contrast with forced-air heating that often feels concentrated around air vents.

• Energy efficiency: Since heat naturally rises, radiant floor heating systems can make your home more energy efficient. As the floor temperature increases, heat moves upward throughout the bathroom, with comparable less heat loss relative to hot air coming through a vent near the ceiling.

• Indoor air quality: Forced-air heating systems can contribute to the circulation of dust and allergens in your bathroom. While radiant floor heating won’t clean your air, it can keep contaminants from being blown around in your home.

• Dry floors: Bathrooms are often humid environments, and it’s easy for moisture and drops of water to wind up on the floor. Radiant heat lets the floor dry faster, reducing moisture buildup and helping to make your floor feel less slippery.

• Quiet operation: Compared to a forced-air system, radiant floor heating is extremely quiet. Along with the warmth underfoot, this quiet operation can promote a spa-like ambiance in your bathroom.

• Home value: Heated bathroom floors are a popular feature and can allow your home to stand out among prospective buyers if you decide to put your house on the market.

Types of Heated Floor Systems for Your Bathroom

Heated bathroom floors depend on radiant heating, which involves a heat source under the floor. There are two main types of heated floor systems: electric and hydronic. Identifying the best system depends on the specifics of your bathroom, including its size and shape.

Electric Floor Heating Systems

With electric underfloor heating, there are dedicated heating elements beneath the flooring material. The heating elements are designed as either thermal mats or individual heating cables.

Mats cover more space and have integrated heating elements. Mats can be a solid choice for larger spaces with a standard shape, and in these bathrooms, mats are the most cost-effective way to install electrical heating.

With heating cables, you have more flexibility in arranging the heating elements. This can take longer to install, but it works well in smaller bathrooms or those with an abnormal size or layout.

With either electric system, you can expect quick heating so that your floor gets up to temperature quickly.

Hydronic Floor Heating Systems

Hydronic heating systems involve pumping heated water through plastic PEX tubes under the flooring. The primary heat source is water that comes from a water heater or boiler.

Hydronic systems can cost more upfront, but they tend to have lower energy consumption overall. That can mean cost savings over the long term, especially for larger bathroom spaces.

Features of Bathroom Floor Heating Systems

If you decide to install a heated bathroom floor, you'll have the ability to choose certain features that some homeowners find essential.

• Timers: Many heating systems include timers that trigger an auto-shutoff function, which can help regulate your energy consumption.

• Programmable thermostats: These controls go beyond the basic timer and let you schedule specific times for your floor to be warmed up. For example, you can set it up so that your underfloor heating activates close to your morning alarm. That means you encounter already warm tile when you first go to the bathroom in the morning.

• Smart thermostats: Some radiant heat systems are WiFi-enabled and connect to smart home devices.

• Zoned heating systems: This feature lets you set different temperatures in different areas of your floor. It tends to make more sense in very large bathrooms or when you use radiant heat in multiple rooms or in your entire house.

Installing Bathroom Floor Heating Systems

It takes knowledge and experience to correctly install heated floors. Every type of flooring has certain challenges. Electric mats can make floor tile installation more difficult. Heated cables require careful placement to optimize heating and efficiency. Hydronic systems have more precise mechanisms and plumbing connections that must be set up properly. And installation must account for the electrical requirements and hookups. All of these issues make professional installation a must.

Choosing Flooring Materials

Another consideration when installing a heated bathroom floor is the type of floor surface that you want. Most homeowners opt for a material like natural stone or tile flooring.

Natural stone transfers heat well. It's also visually appealing and durable. Tile options, such as porcelain tiles, also do a great job of transferring heat. Like stone, porcelain tiles are durable. With stone or tile, heating up won't cause warping or cracking.

Some other materials can also work for a heated bathroom floor, but from the standpoint of aesthetics, functionality, and energy efficiency, I usually recommend stone or tile.

Is Heated Bathroom Flooring Expensive?

Heated floors aren't extremely expensive, but they obviously cost more than standard flooring that isn't heated. In my opinion, heated bathroom floors are easily worth the cost because they improve your bathroom experience and increase the resale value of your home.

The exact price of heated floors depends on things like the shape and total square footage of the bathroom, the type of system, and whether you want extra features. As you'd expect, installing heated floors is more expensive in larger spaces than in small bathrooms.

The overall cost of installing heated floors is lower if you're already planning a full remodel of your bathroom. If you are going to pull up the bathroom floor anyway, it's an ideal time to make this upgrade.

Another consideration is that there can be long-term cost savings from improved energy efficiency. It may only be a small amount each month, but that can add up to significant overall cost savings over time.

Other Heated Elements to Upgrade Your Bathroom Experience

Along with a heated bathroom floor, there are other cozy features that you can consider to amp up the luxury of your bathroom:

• An overhead heat lamp

• A heated toilet seat

• Heated towel racks

• An electric resistance wall heater

• A steam room or sauna adjacent to your shower

Read More: Timeless Bathroom Design Ideas

Maximizing Luxury in Your Bathroom Remodel

If you're tired of walking on cold tile, a warm floor can be just the upgrade you need to make your bathroom a more comfortable environment, especially during the winter months.

Compelling Homes specializes in custom remodels that can transform your home. For more than 15 years, we've been helping our neighbors in greater Des Moines bring their remodeling dreams to life. And we know how to optimize every remodel with luxury touches like heated bathroom floors.

For your next project, don't settle on a standard remodel; make it truly compelling. On our website, you can learn about our bathroom remodeling services, our team, and our process. And when you're ready, get in touch to schedule an appointment.