how to keep hardwood florrs warm in winter?

Question

hi all, i live in a ranch home with a crawl space underneath it. i recently bought this house and am spending my first winter there. there is installation under the floors now, but the floors are still very cold, especially in morning.
some things to know are that:i keep my furnance temp at 69, and i have bought a few area rugs and runners.

i hope there is a better way to keep them warm thsi winter, my kids warm socks and slippers and stil get cold. thanks

Answer 1

Be Careful, if you start insulating under the floor, anything that you do which inhibits the natural flow of moisture, can cause problems as the weather and seasons change.

Termite people like for you to cover the ground in a crawl space with plastic to keep the moisture down and thus keep the growth of mold on the bottom of the floor. The problem is there needs to be a natural balance because seal it too much and it dries out and the floor start to shrink and you get an increase in the gap between the boards.

Close off the under house vents and you get a build up in moisture and the opposite starts to happen. So it is an ongoing process to open and close foundation vents as the seasons change. The insulation installed under the floor often does not have a brown paper backing (vapor barrier) so the moisture vapor can move freely

Back to your problem, close most of the foundation vents, most is the key word here, your just trying to cut down on the speed with which outside air moves thru the space. Beyond this enjoy living in a home with hardwoods and just figure the cold floors help you get started of a morning, remember winter doesn't last all year.

Answer 2

DO NOT seal off the crawl space - if the floor is cold now it will be even colder if moisture builds up in the crawl space.

Check the R factor (thickness) of the insulation. I used unfaced R-30 between my floor joists (held in place with compressed thin rods) and my 3/4 inch oak floors over crawl space are warm in the winter.

DO NOT seal off the joists with plastic sheeting since this will trap moisture.

Answer 3

You may want to insulate under the house. There are floor warming systems that can be installed too but that can be costly. The least expensive option is to check the crawl space walls for air gaps and have them sealed then get that aluminzed blanket insulate and insulate the walls and ceiling of the crawl space to prevent as much cold air as possible.

Answer 4

basically carry it on your hand for some seconds to warmth it up adequate... its fairly commonplace and it wont do him any damage! imagine what our moms did in the previous the discovery of toddler wipe heaters... i might want to by no ability purchase one because i think its basically pandering on your toddler - yet each to their own i think, some human beings might want to apply them, others wouldnt.. yeah particular they hate the chilly, yet supply him a cuddle after and he will quickly supply up crying!