North american oak american cherry and american walnut are all appropriate.
Engineered hardwood flooring for radiant heat.
If choosing engineered.
It is also important to consider the heat transfer qualities of the sub flooring used the sub floor and wood floor should be within 2 3 degrees of each other.
For more information about engineered flooring see our article all about engineered wood floors.
Engineered flooring works well over radiant heat because its unique plywood construction creates greater stability as each wood layer is positioned perpendicular to the other thereby resisting movement from environmental fluctuations depending on the selection can be nailed glued or floated over the subflooring.
If a solid 3 4 thick wood floor is desired it is recommended to use quartersawn flooring not usually available factory prefinished.
Engineered flooring with a less stable wear layer species such as hickory beech and maple are not normally best suited over radiant heat unless otherwise suggested by the flooring manufacturer.
The inherent dimensional stability of engineered hardwood floors makes it a great choice for radiant heat systems.
Some manufacturers even make hardwood floors specifically for radiant heat systems.
However not all engineered wood flooring is recommended or appropriate for use over radiant heating systems.
But if you do wish to put radiant heating under solid hardwood use quarter sawn wood flooring instead of plain sawn wood flooring.
Which is why the most efficent way to use radiant heat under your wood floors is to use a hardwood with a low r value.
Can 3 4 solid wood flooring be used over radiant heat systems.
Engineered wood flooring works better for radiant heating than under solid hardwood.