radiant flooring and rugs
user-7066100
| Posted in General Questions on
I have radiant flooring and need rugs by doors so visitors can wipe their shoes..I do have rugs outside, but still would want to put inside..Shoes off in the cold and rain..
The rugs I would like have rubber backing…Rugs would not cover a large area.
Suggestion?
Thank-you!
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Bella,
Put down a floor mat and don't worry.
Bella,
Have you considered a no-shoes policy? The soles of our shoes pick up an incredible amount of ick in the outdoor environment. Wearing shoes indoors allows that stuff to end up inside your home. When someone visits our home, we ask, "Are you comfortable removing your shoes?" It's a nonissue for most people. And booties provide a solution for the occasional person who wants or needs to keep their shoes on.
Putting some numbers on it...
A 5 square foot (24" x 30") mat on a radiant floor is reducing the output of only that 5 square feet , which is typically less than 50 BTU/hr per square foot (which would be a VERY warm floor). Say in the extreme case (a very thick mat with a thick underlayment it cuts the output by 25%, so that it's putting out less than 200 BTU/hr.
The adult human that wiped her feet on that mat would be putting out more than 200 BTU/hr even if she were asleep under a blanket, more if conscious and sitting or standing.
Relative to the size of the room the loss of that ~75 BTU/hr it's of VERY little consequence, and relative to the whole-house heat load it's "in the statistical noise".