Hi,

I have a regular ("standard") patch to heat the tile in my bathroom,
3'x8'.

Does anyone have an opinion on which soution is better? I understand
that "better" is a matter of personal preference, but what are some of
the things *you* look at.

ALSO, NuHeat requires "silicone modified mortar" layers above and
below. Are there disadvantages? Is it weaker/less durable/harder to
work with/etc?

Many thanks in advance.

Aaron

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I have a regular ("standard") patch to heat the tile in my bathroom,
3'x8'.

Does anyone have an opinion on which soution is better? I understand
that "better" is a matter of personal preference, but what are some of
the things *you* look at.

ALSO, NuHeat requires "silicone modified mortar" layers above and
below. Are there disadvantages? Is it weaker/less durable/harder to
work with/etc?

Many thanks in advance.

Aaron

I'm not familiar with NuHeat, but I've done a couple SunTouch installations.
On the first one I found that troweling thinset directly over the plastic
mesh that holds the heating wires was a real PITA. The trowel gets hung up
in the mesh, the mat doesn't lie perfectly flat, and it's hard to get an
even distribution of thinset. If you are installing any small mosaic tiles
in the field, it becomes a real mess as some up them float up and down in
the thinset. You're also working against time as the thinset dries and you
are correcting problems with the tile. On the second install for a friend,
I poured self-leveling compound to fully embed the heating mesh and tile
installation went much more smoothly. In both cases, the heating mat was
installed on top of cement board over plywood subfloor.

-- Paul

On Nov 9, 10:47 am, "Paul" wrote:
"Aaron Fude" wrote in message

ups.com...





Hi,

I have a regular ("standard") patch to heat the tile in my bathroom,
3'x8'.

Does anyone have an opinion on which soution is better? I understand
that "better" is a matter of personal preference, but what are some of
the things *you* look at.

ALSO, NuHeat requires "silicone modified mortar" layers above and
below. Are there disadvantages? Is it weaker/less durable/harder to
work with/etc?

Many thanks in advance.

Aaron

I'm not familiar with NuHeat, but I've done a couple SunTouch installations.
On the first one I found that troweling thinset directly over the plastic
mesh that holds the heating wires was a real PITA. The trowel gets hung up
in the mesh, the mat doesn't lie perfectly flat, and it's hard to get an
even distribution of thinset. If you are installing any small mosaic tiles
in the field, it becomes a real mess as some up them float up and down in
the thinset. You're also working against time as the thinset dries and you
are correcting problems with the tile. On the second install for a friend,
I poured self-leveling compound to fully embed the heating mesh and tile
installation went much more smoothly. In both cases, the heating mat was
installed on top of cement board over plywood subfloor.

-- Paul- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks, Paul. Was the floor heated equally well (and fast) in both
cases?

Thanks

Hi,

I have a regular ("standard") patch to heat the tile in my bathroom,
3'x8'.

Does anyone have an opinion on which soution is better? I understand
that "better" is a matter of personal preference, but what are some of
the things *you* look at.

ALSO, NuHeat requires "silicone modified mortar" layers above and
below. Are there disadvantages? Is it weaker/less durable/harder to
work with/etc?

Many thanks in advance.

Aaron

I'm not familiar with NuHeat, but I've done a couple SunTouch
installations.
On the first one I found that troweling thinset directly over the plastic
mesh that holds the heating wires was a real PITA. The trowel gets hung
up
in the mesh, the mat doesn't lie perfectly flat, and it's hard to get an
even distribution of thinset. If you are installing any small mosaic
tiles
in the field, it becomes a real mess as some up them float up and down in
the thinset. You're also working against time as the thinset dries and
you
are correcting problems with the tile. On the second install for a
friend,
I poured self-leveling compound to fully embed the heating mesh and tile
installation went much more smoothly. In both cases, the heating mat
was
installed on top of cement board over plywood subfloor.

-- Paul- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks, Paul. Was the floor heated equally well (and fast) in both
cases?

Yes, but speed really isn't an issue, since the floor thermostat is going to
maintain a baseline temp in the floor at all times. We're both very happy
with our heated floors. I would never do a bathroom again without it.

-- Paul