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Best Flooring For Underfloor Heating

Best Flooring For Underfloor Heating

The ultimate guide to flooring for your home

Thinking about changing your home design? When making a decision on flooring, it’s essential to choose the right material, colour and pattern to compliment your room style.

With so many options for floors, we put together a list of some of the most popular flooring trends to find the best flooring options for 2022.

We also took a look at the best types of flooring for water-based underfloor heating, considering the average temperature, heat output and colour options available.

The Most Popular Flooring Materials

1. Hardwood flooring | 2,052,000 Google searches | 253,092 Instagram posts | 321,000,000 TikTok views

Hardwood floors are an interior design classic - known for their durability, timeless look and ability to complement the design of almost any room.

The love for hardwood floors isn’t dying down any time soon, as according to Google, Instagram and TikTok they are the most popular floor type of 2022. There were 2,052,000 Google searches for hardwood flooring in the last 12 months and 321 million TikTok views for the hashtag #hardwoodflooring.

2. Vinyl flooring | 6,300,000 Google searches | 270,628 Instagram posts | 86,900,000 TikTok views

Vinyl flooring has long been a popular alternative to pricey flooring materials like hardwood and stone. Vinyl floors offer a wide range of colour options, a waterproof finish and resilience at an affordable price, so it’s no wonder they’re so popular in 2022.

In the last year, there have been 6,300,000 Google searches for vinyl flooring, and there are 86,900,000 TikTok views for the hashtag #vinylflooring.

3. Laminate flooring | 5,154,000 Google searches | 313,398 Instagram posts | 54,300,000 TikTok views

Laminate flooring is one of the most popular ways to recreate the look of hardwood or engineered wood flooring on a budget. Laminate floors often emulate the classic colours of hardwood floors and offer durability for a lower price.

Laminate flooring is one of the top flooring trends of 2022, with 5.154,000 Google searches in the last 12 months, 313,398 Instagram posts and 54,300,000 TikTok views.

The Most Popular Flooring Design Trends

1. Herringbone flooring | 772,000 Google searches | 11,949 Instagram posts | 1,900,000 TikTok views

Herringbone flooring can be a great way to tie together the aesthetic of your home and add an element of luxury. Herringbone flooring requires more material than traditional wood or laminate flooring patterns, and often makes for a more complex installation, but can be a great design feature for any small or large room.

Herringbone is the most popular flooring design trend of 2022, with 772,000 Google searches, 11,949 Instagram posts and 1,900,000 TikTok views.

2. Wide plank flooring | 35,200 Google searches | 10,725 Instagram posts | 146,200 TikTok views

Wide plank flooring is a type of hardwood flooring, made only from planks taken from the thickest part of the tree and can be up to 14 inches wide. Wide plank floors work great for large rooms or any space with natural light that lets all of the wood’s characteristics be seen.

Popular online, wide plank flooring received 35,200 Google searches in the last year and has 10,725 Instagram posts and 146,200 TikTok views.

3. Chevron flooring | 117,400 Google searches | 5,012 Instagram posts | 564 TikTok views

Chevron flooring is the second zig-zag floor pattern in our top three, known for its defining 45-degree cut and Hungarian Point.

Chevron floors are among 2022’s top flooring trends, with 117,400 Google searches, 5,012 Instagram posts and 564 TikTok views.

The Most Popular Flooring Colours

1. Black carpet | 184,800 Google searches | 35,212 Instagram posts | 947,500 TikTok views

Black is a popular floor colour for homes in 2022, with black carpet topping our list for the most popular floor colours. Black carpet floors can give the home a modern feel and make a statement while being easy to maintain.

There were 184,000 Google searches in the last 12 months for black carpet, and the hashtag has 35,212 Instagram posts and 947,500 TikTok views.

2. Grey carpet | 400,000 Google searches | 30,455 Instagram posts | 311,200 TikTok views

Grey carpet is one of the most versatile flooring options you can choose for your home. With its ability to complement just about any room design, grey carpet is the perfect choice for those who redecorate often.

One of 2022’s most popular floor colours, grey carpet received 400,000 Google searches in the last 12 months and there are 30,455 Instagram posts and 311,200 TikTok views for #Greycarpet.

3. White oak flooring | 374,600 Google searches | 3,557 Instagram posts | 203,000 TikTok views

White oak is one of the most popular choices for hardwood flooring, known for its durability and light, modern look. White oak can be dyed and stained, although most white oak flooring resembles a pale brown with an olive cast.

In the last year, there were 374,600 Google searches for white oak flooring, and there are 3,557 Instagram posts and 203,000 TikTok views for the tag #Whiteoakflooring.

The Best Flooring for Underfloor Heating

1. Ceramic tiles | Average heat output with the mixing valve set to 40 °C: 91W/m2

When installing underfloor heating you might be wondering what the best flooring material to use is. Tiles are an excellent choice for homes with water-based underfloor heating since they’re easy to clean and maintain while being waterproof which is essential for bathrooms and kitchens.

Ceramic tiles offer little resistance to heat transfer, therefore allowing the average estimated heat output for underfloor heating to be around 91(W/m²),with the mixing valve set to 40 °C, and the tiles heat up to around 29°C. Ceramic tiles also come in a wide range of colours providing endless options for your home design.

2. Vinyl and linoleum | Average estimated heat output with the mixing valve set to 40 °C: 75W/m2

Vinyl floors are in second place on our list of the most popular floor material trends of 2022, thanks to their versatility and affordability. Vinyl and linoleum flooring are also among the best choices for water-based underfloor heating.

Vinyl and linoleum flooring have a high heat output, averaging at 75(W/m),² with the mixing valve set to 40 °C, and the material can heat up to around 27°C. This makes vinyl and linoleum floor coverings for underfloor heating almost as effective as ceramic tiles at just a fraction of the price.

3. Solid and engineered wood | Average estimated heat output with the mixing valve set to 40 °C: 42W/m2

The top flooring material of 2022 is solid wood floors, with the classic and timeless look of wooden flooring proving to be popular around the world.

For underfloor heating, the layers of wood in engineered wood flooring allow the material to expand and contract according to temperature, avoiding warping and cracks. Both solid and engineered wood floors can reach a temperature of around 27°C and have an estimated average heat output of 42(W/m²).

3. Carpet | Average estimated heat output with the mixing valve set to 40 °C: 40W/m2

Carpet is one of the most versatile flooring materials and can be found in most homes around the country. Although carpets can help a home feel cosier, they might not be the best option for water underfloor heating.

Carpet can reach an average estimated maximum temperature of 27°C and average estimated heat output of 40(W/m²).

Dave Johnson, Head of Technical at The Underfloor Heating Store comments:

“It is great to see that some of the most popular flooring materials are also some of the most compatible with underfloor heating showing that customers do not need to compromise on what they love to have an effective heating system installed into their home.

“As we see underfloor heating become increasingly more popular, amid continued price hikes and changes to the way we heat our home come into effect, retro-fitting underfloor heating is becoming more common, and therefore it’s essential to consider the suitability of your flooring.

“If you are ever in doubt of which underfloor heating system will benefit you and your home, please speak to our experts at The Underfloor Heating Store

Methodology

We wanted to find the top flooring trends of 2022, so we used Google Keyword Planner to find the total number of worldwide Google searches in the last 12 months for different flooring materials, designs and colours.

We also used TikTok to find the number of views for the relevant hashtag for each flooring material, design and colour in May 2022.

We also used Instagram to find the number of uploaded posts for the relevant hashtag for each flooring material, design and colour in May 2022.

We also wanted to find the best flooring types for water-based underfloor heating. We sourced information on the average maximum temperature and average heat output of various flooring types from Warmup.

We gave each flooring type a relative score out of 10 for each factor, including heat transfer level, colour range, maximum temperature and heat output, and averaged each score to find an underfloor heating score out of 10. We used the underfloor heating score for each flooring type to form our ranking.

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