Luxury vinyl transfers heat readily, but it also requires a particularly flat subfloor and strict control of the maximum floor temperature. We specify the heating and floor as one build-up so that the element, protective layers, overlay or adhesive system and selected LVT are compatible.
The precise construction depends on whether the LVT is a click product or a gluedown product. We confirm the manufacturer-approved method for the chosen floor before quoting.
Carbon film under vinyl and LVT
The heating element is a carbon film 0.
Because so little sits between the two, the specification matters more than it does under wood. The insulation below the film has to be continuous, the film has to be sized to the room rather than cut, and the vinyl above has to be a range rated for use over heating. We supply all three together.
You love warm underfloor heating. We love installing it.
Carbon Underfloor Heating, Edinburgh
How the job goes
Getting the subfloor flat
Luxury vinyl is thin, and a thin floor shows what is underneath it. A ridge in the insulation, a proud screw head or a dip in the boards will read through the finished surface once the light crosses it. Before anything is quoted we check the subfloor for level and for moisture, and levelling compound goes down where it is needed.
This is the step that separates a vinyl floor that still looks right in five years from one that telegraphs every fault beneath it. It is also the step most often skipped.
Holding the floor below its limit
Vinyl has a surface temperature it must not exceed, and it is lower than wood or tile. Our own Select Registered electrician makes the final connection to a fused spur and issues the certificate.
Where a vinyl floor earns it
It is also the floor to choose for a room used in bursts.
Subfloor preparation
LVT shows ridges, proud fixings and dips more readily than a thicker floor. We inspect the base for level, moisture and movement, then complete the preparation specified for the selected floor and heating construction.
Book a free consultation
Give us the room dimensions and the floor finish, and we will tell you exactly which system to order and what it will cost.
Or call 0800 756 6862
What we supply and install
Carbon film is a dry-lay system. There is no adhesive, no screed and no wet trades, so the floor goes back down the same day it comes up.
- Carbon film heating element, sized to your room
- Ecomax thermal insulation for beneath the film
- Polyester vapour barrier for above it
- Touch floor sensing thermostat and probe
- Quick-Step and Parador LVT rated for underfloor heating
- Subfloor levelling and moisture checks
- Insulation, film and vapour barrier
- Luxury vinyl and LVT over the finished build-up
- Electrical connection by a Select Registered electrician
- Beading, door bars and thresholds to finish
Element thickness, under the floor finish
Per square metre of heated floor
Guarantee on every film system
Years fitting floors in Scotland
Why Choose Us?
What every order includes
Free next-day delivery
On every underfloor heating system, anywhere in mainland UK.
Ten year guarantee
Every carbon film system carries a 10 year guarantee.
Free technical support
Talk to an installer before you buy, and while you fit it.
Sized to your room
Tell us your dimensions and we will size the system for you.
Our Manufacturing Partners
The floors that go over it come from manufacturers we buy from directly, so what you get is manufacturer-backed rather than whatever a merchant happens to hold.
Flexel
ScotlandOur heating manufacturer. The Ecofilm carbon element, the Depron insulation and the ECOMAX boards are all made here in Scotland rather than imported.
Kährs & Boen
Engineered wood. Both build boards rated for use over underfloor heating, which is the part most engineered wood gets wrong.
Parador & Quickstep
Laminate and luxury vinyl. Every range we stock from them is compatible with the film, so the two are never fighting each other.
Approvals & Standards
EN 60335-2-96
BS 7671 18th Edition
CE Certified
Fitted in Scotland
Approved to EN 60335-2-96 as required by the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
Product specificationThe polyester vapour barrier provides supplementary electrical insulation as a requirement of the BS EN 60335-2-96 approval certificate.
Installation guidanceMore Information
Temperature protection
The selected LVT manufacturer sets the maximum floor temperature. A correctly positioned floor sensor and compatible thermostat keep the finished floor within that limit.
Wet areas
A floor being water resistant does not make the room suitable for electric heating. The heating product and the complete construction must both be approved for the room classification. The Ecofilm product described on this site is not earthed and is not suitable for bathrooms or other wet areas.
Common questions
Can you put underfloor heating under vinyl flooring?
Yes, provided the vinyl is a range rated for it. Quick-Step and Parador both publish which of their LVT ranges may be laid over underfloor heating, and we only supply those for a heated floor.
How thick is the whole build-up?
The carbon film is 0.4mm and the insulation beneath it a few millimetres more.
How quickly does a vinyl floor warm up?
A vinyl floor warms and cools quickly, because very little sits between the heating film and the surface. In a room used in bursts, that responsiveness can reduce the time the heating needs to run.
Will the heating damage the vinyl?
Not when the floor is held below the temperature the manufacturer specifies. The thermostat is set to that ceiling and the floor probe reads the floor rather than the air, so it cannot drift above it.