How to install radiant floor heating mats

There are several main techniques which can be used for HeatTech radiant floor heating mats installation. To perform these, it will be necessary to cut the fiberglass mesh which holds the heating wire in place.

IMPORTANT: Do not cut, twist or stretch the heating cable!

Points "A" and "B" indicate the starting and ending point of the mat throughout the process. Note that flipping the mat upside down, although permitted, is generally not recommended, since its’ adhesive side will be exposed upwards and therefore will require stapling the mat to the subfloor.

To perform a 90-degree turn, cut the fiberglass mesh as shown on Pic. 1 and turn it as shown on Pic. 2. Be sure not to cut the floor heating cable. The picture shows rotation of the mat to the right. For left turn, the cut has to be made in the next parallel set of cable runs.

In order to change the direction of the mat, simply flip it upside down as shown on Pic. 3.

Technique 1: How to cut and reposition radiant floor heating mats for 90-degree turns

To run the mat the mat in the opposite direction (180-degree turn), cut the mesh (Pic. 4) and fold it as shown on Pic. 5.

To change direction, flip the radiant floor heating mat as shown on Pic. 6.

Technique 2: How to cut and reposition radiant floor heating mats for 180-degree turns (U-turns)

Techniques shown above allow to install HeatTech electric radiant floor heating system in areas of nearly all shapes. Adhesive backing of the mat makes it easy to secure it to a clean subfloor, therefore giving installers more flexibility in installation and saving time and labor.

Installation Tip:
When performing a U-turn with a mat to run it in the opposite direction, the mesh is cut and the mat is rotated 180 degrees. In this instance, heating cable spacing between opposite mats will become ~1.75". In order to increase this spacing to required 2" minimum (3" recommended) spacing, hold the mesh with one hand and gently pull the cable (where it exits one part of the mat and enters the other) with another hand. The white adhesive tape holding the heating wire to the mesh will give in, releasing the cable. The procedure is repeated with the 2nd portion of the mat, allowing to pull about 0.5"-0.75" of heating cable from each portion of the mat. If you need further assistance with performing this technique, feel free to contact our Technical Support team.