It is common to hear that concrete floors in a home are cold under our feet. While this may be true in older homes that are not properly insulated, newer standards in custom home building have led to properly insulated floors.
Concrete is also able to absorb some of the air temperature giving an average temperature that is rather comfortable under foot. However, being a hard and dense surface without a heat source, it is reasonable to expect that area rugs or slippers may be necessary for certain people in certain living environments.
Everyone’s preferences are different and everyone finds different temperatures to be too cold or too hot. Another thing to consider is that the feeling of cold sometimes is humidity or dampness in the substrate or protruding through footings, foundation walls or the slab itself.
When a concrete floor is sealed, this will cut down on the feeling and transmission of cold from the substrate. When it comes to using concrete on top of radiant heat systems that are either electric, water based or glycol based, you cannot ask for a better thermal retainer to provide slow, steady and consistent heat delivery.
Architects and engineers for homes that will be green-builds or using LEED compliant construction often choose concrete. Using design principles including use of solar energy from south and southeast facing windows as well as position a home on the property in order to be exposed to the most sunlight possible leads to a warm and more energy efficient home.
As of late, these practices in design have included using concrete slabs to absorb sunlight and release it slowly to heat the home. Not only is this incredibly comfortable feel to the foot but it will also reduce the expense of the heating system.
In fact, in some cases, a home designed in such a way may use the term “secondary heat source” for the furnace rather than the thermal release systems in place such as concrete floors, stonewalls and Low E Argon double pane glass windows.
Concrete floors on their own are not warm but certainly feel warmer than ceramic floors due to their ability to absorb some of the room’s temperature. Once concrete is combined with other technologies to increase heat, as discussed above, it is unparalleled in terms of dollar per BTU of heat expelled.
For more information on concrete floors for the home or commercial location as well as tips on how to use concrete to heat and beautify your home, contact an expert today for a free consultation.
