Radiant heat The Romans first used radiant heating in their floors; today in North America radiant heat is becoming ever more popular. You'll find it being used under solid wood flooring everywhere. Radiant heating turns surface areas such as floor, walls and ceilings into large, low-temperature radiators. They surround a person with warmth. A floor with a mild or moderate surface temperature is capable of transferring as much or more heat than a small, hot radiator or baseboard, and does it efficiently. Radiant heat does not heat the air directly; rather, it seeks cooler surfaces. (Unlike warm air, which only rises, radiant heat travels in all directions.) The most common form of radiant heat today involves circulating warm water through PEX tubing embedded in the floor of your home. The heat radiates up through the floor, warming the people, furnishings and air in the room. It's a comfortable, even heat that eliminates cold spots and drafts. Debunking myths and urban legends Radiant heat of yesteryear was indeed detrimental to solid wood flooring, especially when running 140 degree water under the floor. The high heat traumatized the cellular fibers of the wood, causing stress fractures, gaps and twists. It didn't help to have the heat turned up and down by wild fluctuations of a single thermostat. Today's radiant heat is friendly and accommodating to solid wood floors by virtue of its lower temperatures and better controls. Today's systems run much cooler than yesteryear's and are typically controlled by a three thermostat system. One controls the actual temperature of the water in the PEX tubing, one controls room temperatures in different zones, and one monitors the outside temperature. With the three thermostats working together, it makes adjustments slowly and adjusts itself to changing environmental factors inside and outside. The result is a consistent temperature under the solid wood flooring. Start by turning the heat on in the house. Make sure the subfloor is totally dry. It typically picks up moisture during the building process and you need to be rid of it. Radiant heat is meant to come up to temperature slowly - approximately one degree per hour. If you have to turn down the temperature while away for extended periods of time, add in a supplemental system of forced hot air to work in conjunction with the air conditioning system and humidity control. (Humidity control is a good idea for solid wood flooring even if you don't have radiant heat.) Radiant heat suppliers have expert teams to take questions and can recommend qualified and trained installers. Radiant heat is an exceptional value and, when used in concert with solid wood flooring, delivers exceptional comfort.