With good reason, homeowners have been adding heated flooring in their bathrooms, basements and even kitchens as a thermal comfort and luxurious upgrade. The added heat removes the cold feel of stone tiling, especially on bare skin.
Now, what would happen if you were to install this same floor heater to your stone countertop? Homeowners often complain that their granite or stone counters are cold to the touch, so why not install heat?
Here are 3 reasons why using a floor heater on your countertop is NOT recommended:
1. You aren’t able to heat an overhang.
Typically, the area that people desire heat is on the countertop overhang, the place where you most commonly sit and rest your arms. Unfortunately, the installation requirements and thickness of a floor heater’s coils do not allow you to heat an openly hanging area of your counter.
2. It takes a long time and involves special wiring.
No matter what type of surface you want to heat, the process of adding a floor heater to a countertop is neither easy or quick. Floor heating needs to be embedded in the mortar, which involves removing the counter completely, and in almost all cases, hiring a fabricator to complete the job for you. The entire process can take multiple hours.
Not to mention, floor heating requires high voltage and specialty wiring, so you will have to run a special outlet from the heater to your main power box (typically located in the basement or far away from your kitchen).
3. It is not safe for your countertop.
Floor heaters typically use 120 (or 240) volts and cycle on and off to arrive at a surface temperature range. This temperature fluctuation causes stress and fatigue in the stone, introducing the potential risk of damaging or cracking your expensive, high-quality countertops.
Solution
So, is adding heat to a cold countertop even possible? The answer is yes.
Unlike floor heating, FeelsWarm countertop heaters are the only product designed specifically for stone countertops without introducing a risk of cracking the stone. The stick-on ultra-thin heating mat can be applied to an overhang without the need for special wiring or the hiring of an outside contractor. The product can also be applied to new countertops in a quick and easy process.
Click here to learn more about FeelsWarm’s countertop heaters and discover how you can enjoy the luxury of heated countertops without the use of floor heating.
