Underfloor Heating

Underfloor heating turns a cold tiled bathroom floor into the most comfortable surface in the house. In a small bathroom it can also free the wall space a radiator would have taken.

Mat or loose cable?

Heating mats come with the cable pre-spaced on a mesh — quick to lay in a regular rectangular room. Loose cable is spaced by hand, which takes longer but works around awkward shapes, fixed furniture and toilet pans. Most bathrooms have obstructions, so loose cable is often the more practical choice.

Calculate the heated area, not the room

You only lay heating where the floor is exposed. Deduct the bath, shower tray, vanity unit and toilet footprints. Buying a mat sized to the whole room means cutting it, and the heating cable itself must never be cut.

Primary heating or comfort?

Electric UFH in a bathroom is usually a comfort feature rather than the main heat source. Running it as primary heating all winter is expensive on electricity. Most people pair it with a towel radiator.

Insulation boards

Laid beneath the heating, insulation boards push heat upward rather than into the subfloor. They cut warm-up time significantly and pay for themselves in running cost.

Installation

The cable is laid by a tiler; the electrical connection and thermostat must be done by a qualified electrician.