Underfloor Heating: Laminate or Vinyl flooring?

Choosing the right flooring is particularly important in homes with underfloor heating. Many homeowners face the question: should you opt for laminate or vinyl with underfloor heating? Since there’s no simple one-word answer, we’ve put together a few advantages and disadvantages of both vinyl flooring and laminate flooring to help you make an informed decision for your home.

Laminate or vinyl: A question of your preferences

Laminate or Vinyl with Underfloor Heating? At the end of the day, it really comes down to your personal preference. Both laminate and vinyl flooring are generally suitable for use with in-floor heating. However, it’s important to check the specific requirements with the flooring manufacturer beforehand. Most vinyl flooring—whether glued, click-fit, loose-lay, or self-adhesive—is suitable for installation on water-based floor heating systems with a surface temperature of around 27–28 °C.

With electric underfloor heating, which is more commonly found in older buildings, some manufacturers completely exclude the possibility of installing their flooring. Others may allow installation, provided the heating system has a separate control unit that lets you regulate the temperature. It’s therefore essential to check in advance whether—and under what conditions—you can install your chosen flooring over in-floor heating.

So, if you already have laminate and vinyl flooring in your shortlist and are wondering which to choose for use with underfloor heating, it’s worth taking a close look at the manufacturer’s specifications.

Underfloor heating: The key arguments

When asking yourself whether to choose laminate or vinyl for floor heating, several factors come into play. It’s not just a question of suitability—most vinyl and laminate floors are compatible with in-floor heating. Rather, you should pay attention to the following aspects:

• Suitability for wet rooms: Underfloor heating is particularly valued in bathrooms.
• Thermal conductivity: How efficiently does the heating work with vinyl or laminate?
• Installation height: The thicker the flooring, the slower the heat passes through.

The LVT click flooring with integrated acoustic underlay, Gerflor Virtuo Rigid Acoustic 55 "1457 Bohem Dark Grey (Eir)", is suitable for wet rooms and water-based underfloor heating systems.

Vinyl flooring and floor heating: A dream team?

When it comes to deciding between laminate and vinyl for floor heating, vinyl is generally the better choice in terms of thermal resistance. Whether it’s rigid vinyl or glue down vinyl, vinyl flooring usually offers lower thermal resistance, meaning the floor poses less resistance to the heat, allowing it to spread more efficiently. This also relates to the thickness of the flooring: vinyl is particularly valued for its slim profile, which is advantageous when installed over underfloor heating.

However, a note of caution: vinyl floors also release heat relatively quickly. Yet even without underfloor heating, vinyl is often perceived as pleasantly warm underfoot, as our body heat is released to the floor more slowly, keeping our feet warmer for longer compared with laminate, engineered wood flooring, or tiles.

Pros

• Excellent thermal conductivity
• Low installation height
• (Usually) suitable for wet rooms

Cons

• Releases heat relatively quickly
• Sensitive to large temperature fluctuations

The concrete effect vinyl click tiles, Gerflor Senso 20 Lock "1119 Brickell Dark", is ideal for a cohesive interior design in homes with water-based floor heating.

Underfloor heating and laminate flooring

Laminate flooring can usually be installed without any issues on most water-based underfloor heating systems. However, when deciding whether to choose laminate or vinyl for underfloor heating, it’s important to note that laminate is generally thicker than vinyl and has higher thermal resistance. This means it offers more resistance to the passage of heat. Additionally, laminate is less frequently suitable for wet rooms, whereas bathroom vinyl floor tiles are usually fine for use with in-floor heating (except in the case of HDF vinyl). That said, bathroom laminate flooring is now also available. On the other hand, laminate often retains heat in the room better than vinyl.

Pros

• Retains heat in the room for longer
• Less sensitive to temperature fluctuations
• Releases heat more slowly

Cons

• Higher thermal resistance than vinyl
• Generally thicker than vinyl flooring
• Not always suitable for wet rooms

Conclusion: Laminate or Vinyl for underfloor heating?

Both laminate flooring and vinyl flooring can generally be installed without any issues on water-based underfloor heating systems with a maximum surface temperature of around 27–28 °C. However, be sure to note the limitations regarding electric heating systems and always check with the manufacturer or the technical specifications to confirm whether installation over floor heating is possible. Most vinyl and laminate floors available at BRICOFLOR can be installed on water-based underfloor heating.

In general, vinyl flooring heats up more quickly under the system but also releases heat faster. Conversely, laminate takes longer to warm up, but retains heat in the room for longer.

Ultimately, whether you choose laminate or vinyl for your underfloor heating is a personal decision: do you prefer the wide range of designs offered by vinyl or the natural feel of laminate? Do you want to install the flooring in a bathroom or kitchen, or are you prioritising ease of installation?

Whichever option you choose for your underfloor heating, you’ll find your dream floor at BRICOFLOR, the expert in walls and flooring!