The Installation of Radiant Heated Bathroom Mats

Before starting your pleasant everyday experience with radiant heated bathroom floor, you have to do the installation process carefully and step-by-step. After reading a few tips in this article you'll see why thorough planning is so important.

First, roll out the radiant floor heating mats prefabricated to your specifications by the manufacturer. Some radiant systems are self-adhesive and require no mortar to secure them to the old tile floor. If you're home has only one bathroom, cover the heating mats during inevitable interruptions with plywood or heavy cardboard.

Throughout the installation process, use a digital ohm meter to check the resistance of the heating mats. This will help you monitor the mats for short circuits.

Have your electrician connect the heating mats to the power source and install the thermostat. Depending on the local electrical inspection procedures, you might have to wait until the job is inspected before you start laying tile. Then trowel out the mortar over the mats. Some manufacturers recommend latex- modified or epoxy-modified mortar and grout instead of water-based multi-purpose adhesives. Mortar beds thicker than 3/8 inch should work fine for most systems. They just take slightly longer to heat up.

Since you won’t be covering the entire floor with heating mats (for example, under the toilet), make sure the mortar in these areas is level with the mortar covering the heating mats.

This might sound obvious, but don't bang the trowel on the mat to remove excess mortar from the trowel. This could sever the heating wire. Finally, you can install the new tile and baseboard.

That's it! Your new radiant heated bathroom floor looks beautiful and you can’t wait to get warm feet. Go ahead, but only for 10 minutes. Don’t put the system into full operation until the mortar is fully cured. This can take up to four weeks. After that, you will fully enjoy your everyday experience with your warm and cozy bathroom floor!