I am going to install 14mm ash parquet (brand Arena) on a concrete slab foundation. The slab is insulated with 30cm of styrofoam. The slab was poured in June 2010, meaning it's 2.5 years old.
Last winter (2011/2012) it was kept warm (around 15°C) with a construction heater because the wooden paneling for the ceiling was being installed, and we wanted to maintain the right climate. From fall 2012 until now, it has been kept at 18-20°C with a construction heater. I've also used a dehumidifier to remove any potential moisture in the wooden studs/sheet materials, etc.
In the installation instructions under the section about underfloor heating, it says:
Turn on the underfloor heating at least two weeks before installing your parquet. Increase the water temperature in the heater progressively, no more than 5°C per day, up to 50°C. If you can keep the heating on for longer, that's even better. Turn off the heating completely before installing your floor. The maximum floor temperature is 18°C. After the floor is laid, you must wait AT LEAST 48 hours before turning the heating back on, step by step (2°C per day). The highest allowed contact temperature for the parquet is 27°C. The maximum hot water temperature is 50°C. ALWAYS change the temperature GRADUALLY at the start and end of a heating period.
I consulted the seller who called Arena and in summary, with such an old slab, they didn't think it would be a problem. The purpose of running underfloor heating before laying the floor is to remove moisture from the subfloor.
But it's difficult to get guarantees if I were to lay the floor without first turning on the underfloor heating. I was recommended to measure the moisture content.
The laundry room is awaiting the surface layer before the ground source heat pump is installed, although the energy well is drilled, and the collector pipe is installed and ready. However, I didn't want to wait two more weeks after the pump is installed to lay the floor.
I personally think the slab is old enough that it's different from when houses are built quickly. It's been heated for so long that it should be dry. And it seems unreasonable to run a 50°C supply temperature for two weeks in a new house; it would almost be like a sauna.
What do you think? This became a long post... hope you manage to read it.
