Article On How Heating Wood Floors Is Now Easy

Green Log Home and Lifestyle Awards Nominee

Heating Hardwood Floors Made Easy

Steve Love, a Salt Lake resident, is the owner of Hidden Springs Ranch, a multi-million dollar adventure resort located high in the hills south of Salt Lake City.

His lodge was built from the ground up, using the finest materials available, including wood floors, tile, and beautiful stone areas.

To bring comfort to the floors, Love installed an in-floor radiant heating system.

"I wanted a heating system that would provide my guests with the most comfort available, but that wasn't too complex and didn't require a lot of maintenance," Love says.

Hidden Springs Ranch heats its 7,500 square feet of flooring with a state-of-the-art, low-voltage radiant heating system manufactured in Salt Lake City.

This low-voltage radiant heating system uses what is called "Zmesh," a bronze wired mesh that resembles screen door material. This unique product is flat and can be installed directly underneath hardwood flooring. Because it has low-voltage electricity running through it, you staple and nail right through the product, making installation quick and easy. In fact, because it's low voltage, you can actually put your wet hand on the bronze wire while the system is on and not receive a shock.

Nearly every type of floor covering available can be placed on top of Zmesh, including tile, hardwood, carpet, and slate. This makes the system easy to retrofit into existing homes and ideal for finishing a cold basement. No ducts or vents need to be run, and a separate room for a boiler is not needed.

This system is controlled by a 17"x12"x 8" control box that can be hung on your garage or utility room wall. A floor thermostat activates the system so you can program and set the desired temperature of the floor.

The systems have no moving parts, making maintenance minimal. Several systems have been installed for over 20 years and have never had a service call. The system also conserves energy by running at 100% efficiency at all elevations.

These same low-voltage systems are also used for snow melting and roof deicing. They can be retrofit into existing concrete and asphalt driveways. They are perfect for keeping your winter cabin's driveway clear of snow.

For more information on heating your own hardwood floor or other floors, please visit www.warmzone.com or call toll free 1-888-488-9276.