Heated floors in the primary bath: worth it?
What we put under the tile on Fir Lane, what it costs to run, and when we talk people out of it.
On Fir Lane in Cedar Hollow, the owners asked for three things in their primary bath: a curbless shower, a double vanity, and a floor that is not cold at six in the morning. The first two were easy calls. The heated floor is the one people ask us about most, so here is what went in and what we tell people now.
We used an electric mat under the tile, on its own circuit, with a programmable thermostat by the door. It covers the open floor and the shower, and stops short of the vanity and the toilet, where nobody stands barefoot for long. The mat added about a day to the tile schedule, since we test it before the thinset goes down, while it is being covered, and again after.
It costs little to run. A mat this size draws about as much as a hair dryer, and on a timer it runs an hour in the morning and an hour at night. The owners set it once and have not touched the thermostat since.
Is it worth it? In a tiled bath you use every day, our answer is usually yes, and it costs far less to add during a remodel than later. In a guest bath that sees a few nights a year, we would rather spend the money on lighting or better tile.