In many installation situations these days, UFH is the preferred method of heating because it remains hidden away from site, unlike wall-hung radiators, whilst being very efficient.
The problem that arises with this is that most companies will only recommend a maximum floor thickness of 15mm to allow for good heat 'through-flow' and low thermal resistance, which helps the efficiency of the UFH system.
Because the maximum wear layer of oak on a 15mm engineered oak floor board is 4mm, when people want more durability they struggle to find a suitable product that will perform well whilst allowing their UFH to work efficiently.
That being the case, and after receiving many enquiries for 21mm oak flooring to be installed over UFH, we at Oak Floors Online have designed and produced our unique and exclusive 22 x 189 ThruFlow Brushed & Natural Oiled board that has a pattern of pre-drilled holes within its Birch plywood underside, thus reducing the thermal resistance and yet keeping a full 6mm wear layer of oak.
Oak flooring for installation over UFH has been limited to thinner boards in the past but because of our ThruFlow product now becoming available, no longer is this the case.
The ThruFlow UFH Efficient oak flooring is constructed of a 6mm wear layer of solid oak that's heat bonded with ThermoStabile adhesive to a pre-drilled 14mm Birch plywood underside that then has a 2mm stabilising veneer applied to strengthen the whole structure.
So you can now have a structural grade engineered oak over your UFH system that still allows good levels of efficiency and performance.
Currently the ThruFlow product is only available as Brushed & Natural Oiled but various finishes are planned when more market research regarding demand has been completed. Oak Floors Online are already considering the introduction of an Unfinished ThruFlow product to allow for finishing 'on site', which will enable the end user to choose the finish they desire.
Obviously the same requirements apply to the ThruFlow as any other natural oak flooring when installed over UFH;
- Correct and sufficient acclimatisation
- Correct installation procedures
- Gradual increase in UFH output after installation
- Ongoing maintenance of the surrounding humidity and temperature
We welcome any questions that you may have about this unique product.
