Do you need heated floors in the hallway?

The hallway is the first room in the house into which a person enters through the front door from the street. It bears the main load from street dirt and moisture. Therefore, in many homes, porcelain stoneware is used as flooring, which is easy to clean, durable and resistant to moisture and mechanical stress.

Why a heated floor in the hallway

In the cold season, it becomes very uncomfortable to sit on the tiles. The problem is solved by a warm floor, thanks to which the porcelain stoneware quickly heats up to a comfortable temperature. In addition to additional heating of the corridor, it performs several other significant functions:

• protects against dampness in rainy or snowy weather;
• quickly dries shoes and umbrellas from moisture;
• neutralizes drafts from the front door;
• can be an alternative for arranging a sleeping place for pets.

“I can’t imagine my hallway without underfloor heating, which is absolutely necessary if there are small children in the house: problems with drying children’s clothes and shoes absolutely disappear. The radiators remain free, just take the child’s clothes off, hang them on a hanger, and everything dries in a matter of minutes, both in winter and autumn. Extremely convenient!”

Irina, Moscow

What kind of layout requires heated floors?

As a rule, there are no clearly defined hallways in apartments. This option can only be found in private homes.The corridor is either passing through or adjacent to any rooms.

Most often, heated floors are installed in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. It is especially relevant if porcelain stoneware is chosen for the flooring. In small hallways adjacent to the kitchen with heated floors, there is no need to do it.

Reference! Heated air currents quickly rise to a height of 1.5-2 m, ideally distributing the temperature in the room.

In large hallways adjacent to the bedrooms, it is recommended to insulate the floors in the passage area (entrance to the bathroom and toilet). In L-shaped corridors, insulation is installed in the area adjacent to the entrance door. It is recommended to install cable heating or electric heating mats under the tiles.

“My corridor is not a walk-through, so we decided not to have a warm floor, but my husband and I really regretted it. The child constantly runs there, and the porcelain tiles are very cold, just icy, and it’s unpleasant to put on your shoes yourself.”

Olga, Moscow

When a warm floor in the hallway is a waste of money

Warm floors mean additional costs for electricity bills. Therefore, its installation must be approached rationally. Installing such a heating system makes sense:

• if there is not enough basic heating capacity during the heating season;
• in the off-season, when the heating has not yet been turned on or has already been turned off.

Living rooms, which do not include the hallway, need good heating. Installing electric heating makes sense under coatings with good thermal conductivity. These include porcelain tiles, marble and ceramic tiles. Parquet and laminate conduct heat much worse, so when using them, laying heated floors in the hallway is not effective. Such floor coverings are never icy.In addition, the parquet may become unusable.

“Warm flooring in the hallway is the least needed. He came and went, put on his shoes and took them off, and the presence of a warm base under your feet may not be noticed. The hallway is in the apartment, it can’t be completely cold in there.”

Andrey, Ivanovo

The system should be installed on an open surface. There is no point in heating under cabinets, cabinets or other furniture. Firstly, this is idle heating, and secondly, the furniture dries out.

Many specialists in the installation of heating systems believe that if the house is well heated, installing a heated floor in the hallway makes absolutely no sense. Whether using it in the hallway will be a waste of money depends on each specific case.