The new kitchen floor will be installed over a cold cement slab, so the contractor installs a layer of cork insulation before installing the floor heating system. Insulation is not required, but the floor heating system will be more energy efficient and the floor temperature will be about 5 to 10 degrees warmer with the addition of a layer of insulation.
The electric radiant heating system is then laid out over the top of the cork insulation (some companies provide custom installation plans).
Next, the tile is installed directly over the floor heating system. In this project, the contractor used a 1-step installation process where a single layer of thinset cement is applied, with the tile installation immediately following. In a 2-step installation process, a first layer of thinset cement or self-leveling cement is applied and then the tile installation is performed the next day using a second layer of cement.
Lastly, the electrical contractor performs the final electrical hook-up, connecting the floor heating thermostat to a dedicated 20-amp circuit.
A nice dark brown paint color is then applied to the wall as a final design touch.