The question of how to make the floor heatedworries almost every domestic inhabitant, especially in the cold season. Warm, even in the harshest cold of the floor - a pledge of well-being and health of each member of the family. However, in order to find the optimal version of insulation, the owner will have to sort out more than a dozen options. 
Figure 1. Scheme of combined warm floor.
What type of heating is preferable?
Solving the dilemma of how to make warm floors, first of all it is necessary to determine the technology of execution. To date, there are the following categories of warm floors:
- water;
- heating;
- cable.
The most popular are the first twoBecause of its economy and ease of operation. The water floor is installed mainly in the private sector, as well as in those buildings where there is no centralized water supply. For a house where the heating system is made from scratch, this heating method is an ideal option. Thus, you can save a lot on electricity and eliminate the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields on the body. In addition, over the warm floors, you can put any decorative material, whether it's linoleum or laminate. 
Figure 2. Scheme of installation of a warm floor. It is possible to make the floors of the house warm with the help of a heating system made in the form of thermo-mats. The essence of the system lies in the fact that metal plates are laid on the cement screed, with the cable placed inside. The role of the heating element is performed by carbon powder, which also corresponds to the safety of the structure. Only carbon filler is heated, the cable does not warm up at the same time. Thanks to this system, the floors are heated extremely quickly, within 15 minutes after switching on. If necessary, the floor temperature can be adjusted, make the floor warmer or, conversely, reduce the supply of heat. The consumption of electricity in this case will vary depending on the food consumed. It is possible to warm such floors not around the clock, but only for a few hours a day, because they keep the heat perfectly. Classical warm floors are performed using a cable heating system, which has undergone significant changes over the past few years. Today single-core models are heating plates that are installed around the perimeter of the room. Such plates are made of a foil shielding heat on the projection of the floor. Choosing this option for the house, you should correctly calculate the number of sections or plates, depending on the chosen model of heating. They should cover the area of the entire room, but be installed in such a way that the room is not too hot, and the floors would be warm, but not hot. Back to contents</a>
Piping with own hands
After these manipulations, it's time to make the floor warm, taking up the direct laying of the pipes. The layout of the installation should be pre-drawn, and then implemented in practice. 
Variants of laying pipes of a warm floor. One of the most popular options for the average house - laying the heating elements in the form of a snake. This principle is ideal for small rooms, because the most heated space will be in the center of the pipe. The diameter of the pipe to be selected should not be more than 20 mm. A more laborious way to make the floor warm - laying pipes in the form of a spiral. The temperature difference between the supply and return pipes is completely compensated for each other, keeping the floor constantly warm. Stacking steps from 20 to 25 cm. After the pipes are completely laid, they are connected to the heat carrier and checked. The temperature in the heating system must be at least 55 ° C - only in this case it is possible to provide rational heating of the room. In the event that warm floors are made immediately in several rooms, it is recommended to install control panels in each of them and adjust the heating temperature separately. At the next stage the pipeline is concreted on a layer of 3-4 cm and after pouring it is carefully leveled. Here, unlike the original coupler, even small irregularities are not allowed, because this layer will be laid linoleum or laminate. After the concrete is frozen, its surface is treated with a special trowel to eliminate even the smallest roughness. Now the floors can be covered with any decorative material that can withstand the increase in temperature. The most adapted for their impact is a laminate, which, unlike the best linoleum, will not crack and not become clogged. Back to contents</a>
Floor installation instructions
The scheme of the module of a warm floor. Deciding to independently make a warm floor, the first priority should be given to the cement floor screed. It should not be perfectly flat, however, significant misalignments should be excluded. If this factor is ignored, the warm floor will distribute heat unevenly, having different temperatures in different parts of the room. The now popular dry screed should be disregarded, stopping the choice on a cement or combined version having the following form (Fig. 1). It is possible to make the floor smooth by hand using the most common spatula. The period of hardening of such sex from a day to two. In order to get the maximum effect from the work done, it is recommended to locate the screed at a height of at least 1 m above ground level. Thus, additional air will be provided by the air layer formed between the layers. During the drying time, the screed can be marked out where a collector cabinet will be located in the house. In this cabinet, all pipes that heat the floor will be joined. As a rule, for him a special niche is made in the wall, in order for the cabinet not to protrude outward. The choice is made of products made of steel sheets with a polymer coating. This combination will prevent corrosion. After the screed has dried, layers of waterproofing and thermal insulation are laid on it. This stage is considered one of the simplest, not requiring any skills. It will look like this (Fig. 2). Back to contents</a>
What materials to choose?
When deciding to install a floor heating system on its own, it is recommended to give preference to the heating or cable version. To implement this project, the following materials should be prepared:
By purchasing this list, one should not trysave. Often heating, as well as repair in the house itself, is done for a long time and it will not be rational to remodel it every few years. Floors made even with the most expensive materials will pay off during the first few years of operation.
