Comparison of thermal transfer characteristics of wood flooring according to the installation method

Abstract

There are two types of installation methods for wood flooring; a floating installation method for laminate flooring, and an adhesive installation method for engineered flooring. Thermal transfer characteristics from the floorings show a significant difference depending on the installation method, so this study focused on the comparative thermal transfer characteristics by preparing mock-up scale. The laminate flooring and the modified engineered flooring of the Korean Standard were used to conduct the tests. The tests were set up in two rooms in an apartment in Seoul, and a water heat source was prepared at 45°C and 75°C. As a result, the velocity of thermal transfer of the modified engineered flooring using adhesive was faster than that of the laminate flooring. There was no difference of temperature between both samples at 45°C of water supply, but a great difference was shown at 75°C. Moreover, installing the modified PE foam helped the floating installation method to develop a thermal transfer performance comparable to that of the preceding research.