Wet underfloor heating

[LordFrederickIII]

Our house is a massive drafty old Georgian house. We've done a lot in terms of insulation (new double glazing windows, loft insulation, sealing drafts etc). That already has made a massive saving to the gas bill.

The main lounge has parquet flooring. This looks like is been installed on top of existing floorboards. Underneath this a crawl space with the external vents making it an airy and cold place. Obviously this means we get some of the cold draft coming through the flooring.

We were thinking of insulating through the crawl space anyhow and someone mentioned we might want to put wet underfloor heating in. It looks like the systems aren't that expensive and a competent DIYer should be able to do the install (bar the connection to the main boiler which I'd get done professionally).

So my questions are:

1. What BTU is required for a room that is 8m x 8m x 3.5m. I assume the fact there is a wooden floor plus parquet on top is immaterial as there are plenty of gaps for the warm air to come through

2. We'd want a system that is well above average. Any recommendations? What would a budget of 1k buy?

3. What insulation is recommended with underfloor heating? I've read horror stories of mould growth and damp with certain insulations.

Thanks

 

[GrahamPearce]

I would not advise underfloor heating under a parquet floor, or any 'real' wood floor.

 

[LordFrederickIII]

I just Googled why

I guess I'll just insulate unless there are other options that don't involve lifting the floor boards up.

However, the original questions remain as our kitchen is laminate and we'd want to do the same there

 

[GrahamPearce]

'Engineered' wood flooring does not move as 'much' as solid wood.....

....but it still moves.

Regardless, a few square yards of laminate is unlikely to be as expensive to replace as 20 square yards of Parquet....

 

[dcawkwell]

Underfloor. No.
Expensive and over rated.
Stick with radiators.

 

[bolshy]

Get under the floor and pack some space blanket insulation between all the joists, right up to the edges of the floor. Use single core wire strapped across it and a staple gun to hold it in place. Takes a while, but I did my house, makes a big difference. Seal round any drafty gaps between the skirting and floor with a thin neat bead of clear sealant.
Bang some insulation on all your CH/water pipes while you're under there.