I've seen that many underfloor heating mats (the electric ones) specify the need for tile or stone floor and I'm wondering if it will work as efficiently under a solid oak floor? (or any wood floor for that matter)
Also what will be the difference between 100, 150, and 200 w/m2 in the heating mat? What is usually used in alounge?
We have a water based underfloor heating system fitted under wood (old pine I think, not oak) floorboards which works fine.
It will be less efficient than a tile or stone floor as wood has lower thermal conductivity than stone or tile. You would have to fit a more powerful heat source to gain the same temperature gain in your room. It might even be the case that you can't get mats that are powerful enough - the water pipes we have are too hot to touch with bare hands - if you had enough current to produce that amount of heat you might be in danger of melting the wires.
Yes, it is possible. The power per square meter has to be lower than for tile or stone, so you can either buy specialized lower-power products (Millicable/Milliclick is one such product), or just install heating cable less densely.
My guess is that you would use 100 W/m² for a timber floor (compared to 140 W/m² for a concrete floor), but follow the directions for the product you choose.
