Skip to main content
Free Delivery to UK Mainland: currently

Underfloor heating and rugs

What you should be aware of:

Autumn is coming: as the days get equally colder and shorter we all like to spend more time in our cosy homes. To keep your house or flat warm, underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular. Yet the myth that rugs and underfloor heating do not go together remains. However, we are of the opinion that there is absolutely no doubt that those two definitely do form a great team! Underfloor heating is convenient, but why leave the beloved rug in the attic to gather dust? It surely does not have to end like that! We want to let you know which rugs are suitable for underfloor heating and what other guidelines you should be considering when pairing rugs and underfloor heating.

Rugs and Underfloor Heating

In order to understand why single rugs or even laid carpeting cannot always be optimally harmonized with underfloor heating, it is necessary to know and comprehend how underfloor heating works. A classic underfloor heating system is operated with hot water and works with heat radiation that is emitted via the floor. Unlike heating with a heater, the room is warmed evenly over the floor surface. In order to avoid unnecessarily high costs, it is therefore important to first apply a floor that is best suited to under-floor heating.Cork and woven floor coverings are less suitable for heating with underfloor heating; tiled floors, on the other hand, are a good choice as they allow the heat given off to pass through best. However, tiled floors often appear cool and do not always match the rest of the interior. Individual, well-placed rugs can counteract this coolness, as they round off the overall appearance of a room and make it feel more cozy.

How to Heat With Underfloor Heating

Keeping your home warm and cozy featuring underfloor heating requires some patience and definitely more time compared to a normal radiator, so it should be initiated well in advance. Also, unlike a conventional heating system, which can be switched on and off in a short time, the heating should be continuous. You might think that constant heating leads to higher costs? In fact, permanent heating is more likely to prevent high costs. Constant regulation as with a radiator means more energy consumption and can therefore be quite expensive. The great advantage of underfloor heating is that it takes longer for the heat to evaporate from the room, as it is stored for a longer time. But underfloor heating has other advantages as well: Firstly, the heat is distributed evenly in the room and no unsightly radiators are visible. It also ensures a pleasant climate and is ideal for allergy sufferers.

What Kind of Rugs Should I Use on a Floor Heating System?

At benuta almost every rug is suitable for underfloor heating. In every articles' product details, you can easily look up at a glance whether the rug of your choice is compatible with underfloor heating or not. You can as well pay attention to the symbol "suitable for underfloor heating" to be on the safe side.

The Right Choice of Pile Material

Whether you prefer a natural or synthetic fibre material, you will find plenty of rugs that can be used! When combining rugs and underfloor heating, it is recommended to use a short piled on or even better a flat woven rug. Pro tipp: jute and sisal are the most ideal materials, as they have a flat weave that is very permeable to heat. At the same time those materials are extremely robust and super easy to clean.

Rugs which can be used with underfloor heating

Loading...
Loading...

The right choice of rug size

Not only material and pile height, but also size is important if you consider pairing rugs with underfloor heating. As a general rule one could bear in mind: the fewer areas you lay out with rugs, the better! Large areas of rugs or even laid carpeting let the heat through more impermeably, which means that you need to heat the rooms more excessively. Therefore, we recommend choosing a small rug that is placed correctly yet still strikes attention in any space. You may also choose eye-catching patterns, for example using the boho chic look. You might also want to check our blog article on how to determine the right rug size for your rooms.But even if you don't have underfloor heating (yet), you still have a chance to get warm feet this winter. And thereby there are no limits to your choice of rug! Our favorite? A particularly soft and snuggly feeling under your feet is especially assured by our shaggy rugs!

Your benuta Style team

Modern rugs

You might also be interested in