Radiant Heat Floor Mat?

[wahoowad]

Just saw a product at Lowes - Radiant Heat Floor Mat. I'm wondering how well it might work for my cold cold living room on a slab. I guess this would go underneath my carpet pad? It is suprisingly low wattage - draws 2.5 amps (300 watts). Do you think I would need to cover my entire room floor? My room is 15x21 and this pad is 10'x30".

Does it just heat the area of the pad? My downstairs is about 50/50 carpet/wood flooring.

What do you think? I get this room plenty warm when I fire up the woodstove, but it is at the other side of the house from the heatpump and ends up being a cold room when not burning.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=195285-29411-12001030R&lpage=none

 

[wahoowad]

UPON FURTHER REVIEW I SEE IT IS FOR TILE AND OTHER HARD FLOORING AND NOT CARPETED AREAS. I NEED TO READ EVERYTHING FIRST. I AM CHASTISING MYSELF BEFORE DYLAN DOES IT WITH A BIT MORE STING.

 

[Sandor]

Why don't you remove the carpet, lay the electric floor mat down, and put laminate flooring over it ?

 

[Mike Wilson]

FYI, when I was at the NAHB's International Builders Show last year in Orando, they had a similar product. It was electric radiant heat for retrofitting under your floor joists. You basically go into the basement, staple this stuff under your floors, install a reflective paneling, and bingo, quasi radiant flooring with a huge electric bill.

-- Mike

 

[wahoowad]

Well, Sandor, I just had the carpet installed! I would have put hardwood floors down but the estimate was over 10,000 to get that done. I have a lot of older parquet wood flooring and ripping that up is supposed to be a real groan. I put down laminate wood flooring in one room and hate it hate it hate it. Anyway, I digress...

 

[SeanD]

I put a Suntouch electric radiant floor heating element in when I tiled my Mom's bathroom. It will keep the floor warm but is not designed to heat the room. It is actually very nice. She loves it. Uses about the same electric as a light bulb. Costs about $3 per square foot.