WarmlyYours Blog

05/30/2012: WarmlyYours Weekly Remodeling and Radiant Heating News

2012-05-30T16:20:33-05:00

Here is the latest news from the WarmlyYours Weekly Radiant News for this week! We are your one-stop source for all things radiant and the home remodeling industry!

This week's featured articles:

"Electric Radiant Floor Heating under Wool Carpeting"

There are a variety of different carpets out there, some more popular than others. When choosing the right carpet, you may ask yourself about the benefits or disadvantages as well as the durability of each carpet type. If you are also considering installing electric radiant floor heating, this choice, along with the other features, plays a big role in your decision process.

When installing electric radiant floor heating, some of you may have more questions if choosing to install a type of carpet that is not as popular as others. Recently, WarmlyYours was asked if wool carpet could be installed over electric radiant floor heating. Read More

"Give a Great Product Demo: 5 Rules"

NHow to give a demonstration that helps convince a customer to actually buy the product. There is almost nothing more powerful than a great product demonstration. When done correctly, a demo allows the customer to see and feel how things will be better if they buy (and worse if they don't). Use these rules to make certain your product demos move the sale forward. Read More

"Bathrooms and Kitchens: Remodelers Best Friends"

Although the housing market is slowly rebounding, many people currently do not want to go through the trouble of selling and finding another home. Instead, more homeowners are now choosing to remodel and improve their homes. The National Association of Home Builders released a recent survey which shows common remodeling projects have increased, compared to a similar survey done in 2010. In conjunction with National Home Remodeling Month, the survey describes the various changes the remodeling market has undergone over the past few years. Read More

"Baths are Popular Remodel Targets with Practicality as Goal"

Kitchens may be the hearth of the home, but bathrooms are an even more popular target for remodeling. Bath projects, up 17% in the last two years, have become the most common remodeling jobs, says a survey this month by the National Association of Home Builders. Nearly a third of Americans, or 31%, want to remodel their baths compared with 25% who seek the same for their kitchens, according to a December survey by Better Homes and Gardens magazine of 4,000 readers interested in buying or renovating a home. Read More

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Besides providing you with radiant heat education, we seek to bring you the best in product and customer experience. Read what our customers are saying about us:

Why Our Customers Bought WarmlyYours…

"In selecting floor heat, this product looked like it would suit my needs the best and be the simplest to install"
"The web site is quite complete, appealing, and functional as well.... I gain a lot of confidence in your offerings when I see the thought and effort that has been made just in the website alone."

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Look for our "WarmlyYours | Weekly Radiant News" every Monday!

Take a look at the latest Radiant News here.
Missed last week's edition? Read it here

Electric Radiant Floor Heating under Wool Carpeting

2012-05-25T15:10:24-05:00

To answer the question, we first need to understand the fundamentals of wool carpeting.

Wool is a natural fiber that is biodegradable as well as recyclable. It can absorb about 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp and can also absorb some of the moisture in the air, making it feel cooler.

In contrast to the synthetic fibers that are manufactured in long, continuous filaments, wool fiber is a staple fiber, which has shorter filaments wound into yarn that's made into the carpet's pile. Carpets made from staple fibers can shed some of the filaments as they naturally work themselves loose from the yarn that makes up the carpet.

Now, is it safe and effective to install over electric radiant floor heating?

Yes, but keep in mind, when you choose to install wool carpeting it’s important to note that since wool has a higher thermal resistance than synthetic carpeting, it may not transfer the heat as effectively. A study was done on 5 different types of wool carpet that were tested over an under floor heating system in a 4m square by 3m high test chamber. The results showed that each type of wool carpet proved to have a high thermal resistance, which actually holds more heat in.

To safely and effectively install wool over electric radiant floor heating, it is best to have the wool carpet at 3/8”, which will give it an R-value of 1.575. If the carpet is ½” thick then the R-value is 2.1, a significant increase that will build a higher thermal resistance. In order to find the R-value, a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Textile Engineering, commissioned by the Carpet & Rug Institute, found that the total thickness of the carpet in inches multiplied by 2.6 gives a good indication of the R-value of the carpet.

You should also make sure that if you are installing wool carpet, that the carpet does not have a pre-attached rubber or foam backing because then the backing would trap too much heat. Lastly, when choosing a carpet pad, it is important to note that Bonded or Prime Urethane has the same R-Value of ½” wool carpet which you may want to steer away from. You should stick with pads with a lower R-value such as a synthetic fiber or polyurethane pad or a wool carpet that isn’t very thick. The pad should be at least ¼” in thickness and it should also weigh between 6-8 lbs. per cubic inch.

Also note that when making a join (or “seam”) in the carpet, always use a good quality heat-bond tape, and use an ultra-wide tape when joining heavy wool or similar carpets.

So there you have it! Although wool may not be the optimal choice for radiant floor heating due to it’s high thermal resistance, most carpets are compatible with our Environ II electric floor heating system and it is our goal to bring you warmth and comfort in your home under almost any surface.

Bathrooms and Kitchens: Remodelers Best Friends

2012-05-23T12:50:50-05:00

The National Association of Home Builders released a recent survey which shows common remodeling projects have increased, compared to a similar survey done in 2010. In conjunction with National Home Remodeling Month, the survey describes the various changes the remodeling market has undergone over the past few years.

Remodelers have reported that today the most popular jobs are kitchen and bathroom projects. Since we spend about 2 years in the bathroom and 3 years in the kitchen over our entire lifetime, it makes sense that these rooms would be the most popular projects!

With that much time spent in the kitchen and bathroom it is important to keep them up to date and fully functional. Since homeowners are staying in their current homes longer, an increasing number of them are upgrading both rooms and making major repairs to improve the quality of their home.

Since 2009, bathrooms and kitchens have switched places in popularity, with bathroom remodels now being the most popular remodeling project. Over the past two years, both kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects increased 17 percent. Bathroom remodels were cited as a common job by 78 percent of remodelers and kitchen remodels by 69 percent.

“As the priorities of homeowners shift, remodelers have to adjust to the needs of their clients," says NAHB Remodelers Chairman George "Geep" Moore Jr., GMB, CAPS, GMR and owner/president of Moore-Built Construction & Restoration Inc. in Elm Grove, La. "And while the motivation behind a homeowner's decision to remodel may have changed, their desire for quality, professional results have not. Professional remodelers remain committed to the highest industry standards."

The top reasons that homeowners hire remodelers are to either make repairs and/or replacements of existing components or to make upgrades needed in their home. More than 60 percent of remodelers reported increased demand for repairs and replacements of old components in the past two years, and more than half of remodelers said that the desire for upgraded amenities increased.

Moore also explains that, "Homeowners are re-purposing spaces and making more efficient use of their home's square footage. Whether it be young families or couples aging in place within their homes, people want their house to adapt to their changing needs over time.”

It’s inevitable. Repairs and upgrades are necessary as we choose to stay in our homes longer. And with heavily trafficked rooms such as the bathroom or kitchen, the need for improvement will steadily increase and remodeling projects will continue to reflect that growing need.

05/21/2012: WarmlyYours Weekly Remodeling and Radiant Heating News

2012-05-21T12:08:30-05:00

Here is the latest news from the WarmlyYours Weekly Radiant News for this week! We are your one-stop source for all things radiant and the home remodeling industry!

This week's featured articles:

"Share Your Story: Toasty Toes even on Marble Floors"

I would like to take a moment and share my story about my awesome radiant heat floor! First off, it was extremely easy to order, and it arrived very quickly. My husband found it easy to install, and our electrician hooked it up with absolutely no problem. We knew that having floor heating was key to our comfort, especially because we were installing luxurious - but often cold - marble floors. After having our marble floors installed we were very eager to see how the floor heating worked! Read More

"How to Build Customer Trust: 9 Rules"

No one is going to buy from a person they don't trust. Here's how to build a better client relationships. Customers don't buy from people they don't trust. Unfortunately, most sales gurus (including some that are quite famous) define selling as "convincing," "persuading," and "winning"–presumably with the customer being the convinced, persuaded loser. No wonder so many people put up a barrier the minute somebody tries to sell them something! Read More

"Spring into Summer with our First LAVA® Radiant Heating Panel Sale"

The wait is over… our beautifully designed LAVA® heating panels are in stock and ready for your enjoyment! These in-demand radiant glass-heating panels have been the talk at every tradeshow and, of course, took home the “gold” at the 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show for “Best of Show.” Because we’re convinced that radiant panels are very much a part of the present and future of the radiant heating industry, we’re extending an offer to you so that you or your clients can start enjoying the ART (adaptive radiant technology) and beauty of the LAVA®! For a limited time only, you can save 20% OFF each order you place of our entire range of LAVA® heating panels. From the LAVA® Crystal, LAVA® Glass, to LAVA® Mirror there is something for everyone and for every room in the home! Read More

"NAHB Remodelers Tackle Jobs of All Sizes, but Greatest Share of Revenue Comes from Large Projects"

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), increased to 77.5 in the first quarter of 2012, beating the previous record of 75.9 set in the final quarter of 2011. The HOI is the percentage of homes sold during the quarter affordable to a median-income family, based on standard underwriting criteria. An HOI of 77.7 thus means that 77.7 percent of all new and existing homes sold during the first quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income ($65,000). Read More

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Besides providing you with radiant heat education, we seek to bring you the best in product and customer experience. Read what our customers are saying about us:

Why Our Customers Bought WarmlyYours…

"We started using WarmlyYours several years ago and have been using them ever since..."
"Innovative products"
"Outstanding service"

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Look for our "WarmlyYours | Weekly Radiant News" every Monday!

Take a look at the latest Radiant News here.
Missed last week's edition? Read it here

Share Your Story: Toasty Toes even on Marble Floors

2012-05-18T10:13:11-05:00

We love the stories we receive from you! We feel like we are an integral part of your project and, consequently, even a part of your home in a way. Our mission is to learn by listening to you, our valued customers, and discover how we can best serve you! With our “Share Your Story” program, we seek to receive feedback about our floor heating, comfort products, and services – and if you are chosen as our winner, you are awarded a feature in our Company Blog, Facebook, and Twitter, and $100!

We love when our customers contact us through this program to share their own personal story. Hearing back from a valued customer, enriches our work to offer the very best in products, services, tools, and education, here at WarmlyYours Radiant.

This month, our featured story is about the Rieger family. We received this great story from Stacy Rieger in New Jersey, USA! Take a look at her story of installing and enjoying our TempZone™ Cut & Turn Roll in their bathroom.

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I would like to take a moment and share my story about my awesome radiant heat floor! First off, it was extremely easy to order, and it arrived very quickly. My husband found it easy to install, and our electrician hooked it up with absolutely no problem.

We knew that having floor heating was key to our comfort, especially because we were installing luxurious - but often cold - marble floors. After having our marble floors installed we were very eager to see how the floor heating worked!

We were very impressed that the floors heated up really fast, worked flawlessly. I can’t tell you how nice it is to wake up during the night, and feel a nice warm floor under your feet instead of cold marble! Also, getting out of the tub on a cold winter's night and stepping onto that toasty floor is simply awesome! I wish I knew about this company before I put the tile down in my other bathrooms! I tell all my friends that come over to go and check out our floor heating from WarmlyYours! I love it; I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel a little luxury in his or her home!

Thank you, WarmlyYours!

Tom and Stacy Rieger

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If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy reading about last month's “Share Your Story” winner, Jim Boltz, “The Peace of Mind of a Sound Investment” or feel free to read through all of our winner's stories!

We’d love to hear your story, too! Share it with us!