We've had hardwood over our radiant heat for over 20+ years. We also have stone in the entrance. You definitely feel more warmth on the stone, but the wood, while not warm, is not cold either. It's held up fine.

I had hardwood, Pergo and Marmoleum ... all were fine. Was so nice to have warm floors in the winter. It's such a nice even heat.

Concrete. But concrete often cracks over time. Put attractive rugs over the cracks. You're welcome! Tile over the concrete also works.

We used an epoxy paint with the paint flecks so as to resemble terrazzo over our radiant heated shop floor that we put in. Ourselves. Embedded in the slab. We wanted the best transfer of heat possible for a building containing tonnages of steel machines and automobiles. Do research thermal lag. It's one big drawback.

One thing that the engineer obsessor other half researched to death was that the floor covering materials and home layout will determine the loop spacing, length, and how many zones you will need. A system designed for wood will need to have a different temperature than one for concrete or tile, which are more efficient at radiating the heat. There isn't a one size fits all solution. But be SURE that your system designer and your engineered wood floor manufacturer are in synch with the requirements.

We have carpet, slate, and LVP. New house but all work well so far. Carpet takes a special pad over some types of hydronic. Maybe not if it is staple up, but we used warmboard. Definitely comfortable.

Hi there! We have a custom quiz-based algorithm (here) for finding a hardwood floor that is approved over radiant heat (we include this in the quiz questions) to be sure, if you're going with wood, that you select a product that will perform over radiant heat. We also add what's called a Fidbox for purchase to every order with radiant heat - it's a monitoring tool installed inside your hardwood floor attached to your smart phone to allow you to properly monitor your floor to prevent issues (which allows for a warranty to hold up with a manufacturer). Hope this helps! - Revel Woods

If you can actually feel the warmth from radiant floors, chances are the home is very inefficient. Existing homes should consider blower door directed airsealing and adding insulation in the attic if possible. New homes can use energy star to verify efficiency and that the home meets the newest energy codes. Most new homes dont.

An efficient building envelope with manual j designed heatloads, will keep underfloor temperatures lower and cause less problems with floor coverings other than concrete. Not that it helps much with radiant comfort issues of thermostat response time.