anybody put heated bath and kitchen floors under ceramic tile?

just wondering if anyone has put heat mats etc under bath and kitchen ceramic tile. How long does it last? Any problems? one brand better than others?or worse?.

It can get down to 20 below here, granted its inside but cold still radiates in on the floors. Throw rugs work also but defeats the til aspect other than its their rugs,,,and subject to there cleaning.

I have heard people love it,,but they may have been homeowners. Dont think operating cost is much,,or is it?

Going to be at the cant turn back stage of doing or not in next day or two so need a quickee opinion.

Just Don

485 posts
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Jan 19, 04:28 AM

to heat or not to heat,,,that is the question.

Tara G.

Real Estate Investor · North Carolina

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Jan 19, 07:52 AM

We have suntouch under our kitchen (part) and master bath tiles, it has been about 7 years and they are still doing great.. But, why would you want to put them in a rental, unless it is high end and this can be a selling point? (would be great at resale, admittedly) Just one more thing to keep up with on a rental.

Regarding operating costs, we keep out home at 68 degrees in winter and go barefoot or wear socks, so the added heat at the feet is a comfort. Havent noticed a big change in the electricity bill. The heated part of our kitchen is also our favorite hang out spot for the family in winter- would definitely recommend for a personal home.

Jean K.

SFR Investor · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Jan 19, 07:03 PM

I'd be interested in this too The are a bunch of 'stairless ranches' here in Milwaukee, and I have thought adding radiant floor heating may be a good way to heat. (Don't have any stairless ranches, nor immediate plans to purchase, but am intrigued.)

Rich Schmidt

Landlord · Valparaiso, Indiana

31 posts
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Jan 21, 09:05 PM

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. You may have already decided.

We put heated floors in our main bath & kitchen when we redid them in our last house: the kitchen in '07 and the bath in '10. Then this past summer we moved and started renting that house. So we haven't had a lot of time with them... but we sure enjoyed them while we had them! I don't know if our tenants are using them or not. I'll have to ask.

I forget the brand name, but it was cheap from Home Depot or Menard's. Easy Heat? It came as a wire, not as a mat.

Bob Hines

Real Estate Investor · StL, Missouri

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Jan 22, 08:06 AM

We put in floor heat in our last home when we were putting new tile in our bathroom anyway. From the research that I did, the wire heater was better than the mats. The mats are a predetermined shape you have to work into your room. The wire, you just loop back and forth exactly where you want it to fit in your bathroom. And if you want it a bit warmer, you can loop the wires closer, colder in an area that isn't used much, space the wires out more. If you're doing a tile floor anyway-it is the easiest thing to add-just lay out the wires, add self leveler over it and lay the tiles-along with the electrical connection.

Mike Hasemann

Real Estate Investor · Manteno, Illinois

108 posts
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Jan 23, 11:09 AM

I'm closing on a house in a couple of weeks and am thinking of using the heat mats in the converted garage. The flooring is a mess so I'm going to tile since the room is used as a small family room and the laundry room. The real trick is that they don't have any vents in there so I figure it would be cheaper to do the heating pad in the tile than to run more ductwork there - if thats even an option.

Was thinking of a baseboard heater as well but my HML pre-inspector suggested the heating mat (NUHeat?). Said I wouldn't need the baseboard heater at all if I got the mat. I have to do some more research but that would be one reason to put the mat in a rental - if its in a space that you can't reliably or efficiently get ductwork to.