Hello, I've seriously put 30+ hours of research in and need some help. I have a split level and want to heat the "first" floor which is a slab, preferably with hydronic heat. The total heated area would be about 500sq and possibly heat the second floor at a later time (As to why I'm leaning towards hydronic). Ok the question, my slab is about 4" and NOT insulated other than the perimeter, but has a moisture barrier. I also have 8'' ceilings. I've looked at everything! Warmboard, Roth, nuheat, viega sunboard, suntouch, ditra, thermalboard and much more! I don't want lose much headroom but I also don't want to warm the worms... Maybe I should install eps insulation and lay pex with leveler over it etc to maximize efficiency? suggestions please?

What is your location/climate/sub-soil temp, and what is the heat load of the basement?

Hi Dana,
I am in New Jersey climate zone 4. The half basement is unfinished and the current heating system is forced air. I am not looking to heat to utilize the radiant heat to heat the house (have a wood burner for that) more or less for warm tiled floors on the slab.

Thanks

If you just want the floor to be comfortable, all you really need is insulation, not heat. If you don't mind losing 3-4 inches of ceiling height, 2" of EPS insulation, followed by a plywood subfloor, followed by your choice of flooring. Or, for tile, slightly easier but maybe more expensive materials would be to use Wedi backboard for the tiles which does double duty as insulation, and can be purchased in many different thicknesses.

Thanks for the reply chrs, we ended up ordering the 1" Roth panels. I'll be back with a review

What are you putting above the Roth panel?