Heated Tile Floors in Greater Seattle
Electric under-tile heating will keep your floors warm at any time of the year even in the cold and rainy weather typical of Seattle.
Clients about our heated and tile floors
How a heated tile floor works
Tile & grout
The warm surface you stand on
Thinset mortar
Covers the heating cable completely
Heating cable in a membrane
DITRA-HEAT membrane holds the cable in place
Subfloor
Prepared and flat; floor sensor runs to the thermostat
A thermostat with a floor temperature sensor manages heating according to a schedule. Tile retains heat well, so the floor stays warm even at low settings. This creates a comfortable environment: you have a warm floor beneath your feet, and in a small bathroom, it also helps eliminate any sense of dampness in the room.
Planning a heated floor
- Heat goes where you walk and stand excluding the vanity or cabinets.
- Thermostat placement near the door.
- Electrical: a dedicated circuit with GFCI protection, installed by our licensed electrician.
- We place floor sensors between cable runs, so the thermostat reads the floor, not the cable.
How to calculate the cost of a heated tile floor
Heated area
How many square feet get heat.
System
DITRA-HEAT or MasterHeat, plus the thermostat.
Electrical work
A dedicated GFCI circuit, if there isn’t one yet.
The new tile floor
Heat goes in under new tile, so the floor is part of the project.
Running cost depends on hours of use and your electricity rate. A morning-and-evening schedule keeps it low.
How we install it
- 1
Plan the layout
- 2
Electrical rough-in
- 3
Install the membrane and cable
- 4
Test the cable
- 5
Tile and grout
- 6
Set up the thermostat
Our heated floor installs
Heated floor FAQ
Can you add heat under my existing tile floor?
Usually not: the cable goes under the tile, so heat is installed when the floor is retiled. It’s a great time to add it during a bathroom or floor project.
Do I need an electrician?
No need to find one. Our licensed electrician runs the dedicated circuit with GFCI protection and connects the thermostat.
When can I turn the heat on?
Wait at least 7 days after grouting: that is Schluter’s minimum for DITRA-HEAT, so the setting materials can cure. Natural stone needs longer. Turning it on for a few minutes right after installation to check it is fine.
Is a heated floor safe in a bathroom?
Yes. It runs on its own circuit with GFCI protection, the cable is fully covered by thinset and tile, and we test it before the tile goes on.
Can it go under a shower floor?
Yes. Schluter allows DITRA-HEAT in a shower floor with its KERDI-LINE-TF linear drain, and that is how we do it. Heat in a shower also needs approval from your local inspector.
Heated floor installer in the Seattle area
Strong Tile LLC is a tile contractor based in Federal Way, WA. Since 2005 we have completed more than 2,500 residential and commercial projects in the Seattle area. We install electric radiant floor heating under new tile in bathrooms, kitchens, entries and basements, usually as part of a bathroom remodel or a new tile floor. The cost of a heated bathroom floor depends on the heated area, the system and the electrical work, and the estimate is free.
As a DITRA-HEAT installer we set the heating cable in the Schluter DITRA-HEAT membrane or use a MasterHeat system, test the cable before the tile goes on, and cover it with thinset and tile. Our licensed electrician runs a dedicated GFCI circuit and connects a thermostat with a floor sensor, so the floor warms up on the schedule you set. Heat can also go into a shower floor with a KERDI-LINE-TF linear drain.