Short answer: You can fit underfloor heating in almost every room, including kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, hallways and upstairs floors. What changes from room to room is the floor system and the details: upstairs rooms use joisted systems such as 22mm grooved chipboard or spreader plates, bathroom floors can run up to 33°C under BS EN 1264, and you leave pipe out from under fitted units, baths and WCs. Conservatories need the most care, because a glazed room can lose more than the floor's output of about 100W/m².
The question is rarely "can it go in this room?" and more often "which system, and what do I need to watch for?". This guide goes room by room, with the floor build-up, the numbers to check and the common mistakes.
If you are still deciding between systems, start with water vs electric underfloor heating.
Which rooms can have underfloor heating?
Every habitable room can have underfloor heating, as long as the floor can take a heating layer and the room's heat loss is within what the floor can give. Here is a quick guide to the best fit for each room.
| Room | Common choice | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Wet, screed or overlay | No pipe under units |
| Bathroom | Electric mat or wet | RCD, 33°C floor limit |
| Bedroom | Wet, joisted upstairs | Carpet tog |
| Living room | Wet | Rugs, wood floors |
| Hall and utility | Wet, shared loop | Manifold space |
| Conservatory | Wet or 200W/m² mat | Heat loss, Part L |
| Upstairs | Chipboard or plates | Insulate between joists |
The common limit across all rooms is output. Under BS EN 1264 the floor surface is capped at 29°C in occupied areas, 33°C in bathrooms and 35°C in edge zones, which Danfoss data puts at about 100W/m² for a floor 9°C above room temperature. Divide each room's heat loss by its heated floor area to check.
Can you have underfloor heating in a kitchen?
Yes, and kitchens are one of the most popular rooms for it, because the floor is often being replaced during a refit and the walls are full of units. The key detail is to keep pipe out from under fitted units and islands, where the heat would be trapped and wasted.
That shrinks the heated area, so check the output on the floor that is left. Worked example: a 20m² kitchen with 6m² under units and an island has 14m² of heated floor. If the room loses 1,300W on a design day, that is 1,300 ÷ 14 = about 93W/m². It works, but it is close to the limit, so use 100mm pipe centres near glazed doors or improve insulation.
- Lay pipe where the units will go only if the layout might change, and accept that heat there is lost.
- Tile and stone give the best output. Large-format porcelain is a good match.
- Avoid running pipe under the fridge or freezer, so you are not heating the space they cool.
Can you have underfloor heating in a bathroom?
Yes. Bathrooms suit underfloor heating well because they are small and tiled, and BS EN 1264 allows a higher floor surface temperature of 33°C there. Most single bathrooms and en-suites use an electric mat, which is 3 to 4mm thick and sits in the tile adhesive. Larger bathrooms on a wet system can take a loop from the manifold.
- Leave out the fixed areas. Do not lay heating under the bath, shower tray, WC or vanity unit. A 6m² bathroom often has only 3 to 4m² of open floor to heat.
- Size the mat to the open floor, not the room. A 3m² 150W/m² MaxHeatUFH mat is £77 inc VAT, October 2026.
- Plan the electrics. BS 7671 Section 753 requires floor heating to be protected by an RCD rated at 30mA or less. In England, work that adds to or alters circuits in a room with a bath or shower is notifiable under Part P, so use a registered electrician.
- Fit a floor sensor. Electric floor thermostats such as the Heatmiser Slimline-E (£56) come with a floor probe to limit the floor temperature.
Our guide to electric underfloor heating in bathrooms covers zones and RCD protection in detail.
Is underfloor heating a good idea in bedrooms?
Yes. Bedrooms usually need the least heat in the house, so output is rarely a problem. Give each bedroom its own thermostat so it can run cooler than the living rooms. The Energy Saving Trust suggests setting thermostats to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most people is between 18°C and 21°C.
The main thing to check is carpet. Keep carpet and underlay to a combined 2.5 tog or less, as the Energy Saving Trust advises. For reference, 1 tog equals 0.1m²K/W, and BS EN 1264 design assumes a covering of 0.10m²K/W (1 tog) in living rooms, so a 2.5 tog carpet will lower output and may need a higher flow temperature.
Can you have underfloor heating in a living room, hall or utility?
Yes. Living rooms are a good fit because they are used for long periods, which suits steady heat from a screed floor. Rugs reduce output where they sit, and with engineered wood you should follow the flooring maker's maximum floor temperature, which can be lower than 29°C.
Halls and utility rooms usually need little heat. A hall is often where the manifold goes, under the stairs or in a cupboard, because loops from many rooms can reach it with short tails. Pipe tails passing through a hall add some heat there too. Sleeve pipe in conduit where it passes through walls or doorways.
Can you put underfloor heating in a conservatory?
You can, but check two things first: heat loss and Building Regulations. A heavily glazed room can lose far more heat than the floor can give. Example: a 12m² conservatory losing 2,500W on a cold day needs 2,500 ÷ 12 = about 208W/m², roughly double a floor's output. Underfloor heating will keep it comfortable in spring and autumn, but may not hold 21°C in winter on its own.
On regulations, Approved Document L says a conservatory or porch is only exempt from the energy efficiency requirements if, among other conditions, the dwelling's heating system is not extended into it. If you run the house heating into the conservatory, it is treated as part of the home and must meet the rules. Talk to building control before you connect it.
| Option | Suits |
|---|---|
| Wet loop from house manifold | Conservatory meeting Part L |
| Single room mixing pack | One room off a radiator circuit |
| Electric mat 200W/m² | Higher heat loss, under tile |
Our 200W/m² electric mat is made for conservatories and rooms with more heat loss.
Can you have underfloor heating upstairs?
Yes. Upstairs floors are usually timber joists, so you use a joisted system instead of screed. There are three main routes:
- Grooved chipboard from above. MaxHeatChip is 22mm P5 chipboard with grooves at 150mm centres. It replaces the floor deck, and a 6mm foil-backed top board goes over the pipe. Boards are £33 for 1200 x 600mm for 16mm pipe, inc VAT, October 2026.
- Aluminium spreader plates from above. Plates sit between or across the joists and spread heat from the pipe across the underside of the deck.
- Fit-from-below plates. Where you can reach the joists from the ceiling void below, our 150mm double plates (£9 each) let the floorboards stay down.
Always insulate between the joists under the heating. Without it, much of the heat goes down into the ceiling of the room below. Upstairs floors also have less mass than screed, so they respond faster. See underfloor heating in joisted timber floors for the full build-ups.
Where should you not put underfloor heating?
Leave heating out from anywhere it is covered by something fixed, or where you need to fix into the floor. Polypipe's installation guide for existing floors advises blanking areas without pipe, such as under cabinets or sanitaryware, with plywood or chipboard.
- Under kitchen units, islands and built-in wardrobes
- Under baths, shower trays, WCs and pedestals
- Where you will fix a WC, kitchen island or heavy unit to the floor
- Under fridges and freezers
- Under a fitted rug or thick mat on an electric system
Mark these zones on your plan before the loops are designed, so the pipe lengths and coil sizes are right.
Products for this job
- Water underfloor heating for kitchens, living rooms and whole floors
- MaxHeatUFH Electric Mat 150W/m² for bathrooms
- MaxHeatUFH Electric Mat 200W/m² for conservatories
- Heatmiser Slimline-E electric floor thermostat with 3m floor sensor
- MaxHeatChip 22mm grooved chipboard for upstairs floors
- Fit-from-below aluminium double spreader plate
- Single Room UFH Mixing Pump Pack, £231
- Pipe conduit for 16mm pipe for walls and doorways
Related guides: Underfloor heating under tiles, LVT, wood and carpet, Retrofitting underfloor heating and Underfloor heating in joisted floors.
Plan every room with MaxHeatUFH ProLoop. Add each room, its floor type and any fixed units, and get a free loop design and full kit list with prices. Start your design
Frequently asked questions
Can you put underfloor heating under kitchen units?
You can, but you should not. Heat under a unit is trapped and wasted, and it can warm the contents. Leave pipe out from under units and islands, and size the system on the open floor.
Can you have underfloor heating upstairs and radiators downstairs?
Yes, though the usual set-up is the other way round. Upstairs underfloor heating uses a joisted system, and both can run from the same boiler or heat pump with the right pump pack.
Is underfloor heating OK in a bathroom with a wooden floor?
Yes, with a suitable system and floor finish. Electric mats are normally designed for tile and stone, so with wood or vinyl check the mat and flooring makers' guidance first. Wet systems with spreader plates or chipboard suit timber floors.
Do you need underfloor heating in every room?
No. Many homes heat only the ground floor or the rooms being renovated, and keep radiators elsewhere. The Energy Saving Trust notes that underfloor heating downstairs with radiators upstairs can cost less and cause less disruption.
Can you put a bed on underfloor heating?
Yes. Freestanding furniture, including beds, is fine. Avoid built-in wardrobes and fixed storage over the pipe.
Does a conservatory with underfloor heating need building regulations approval?
If you extend the home's heating system into it, the conservatory loses its exemption under Approved Document L and is treated as part of the home. Speak to building control before you connect it.
Can underfloor heating go in a hallway?
Yes. Halls need little heat and are often where the manifold sits, so a short loop or the pipe tails passing through can be enough.
Sources: Danfoss: EN 1264 floor surface temperatures and heat output, Energy Saving Trust: underfloor heating, Energy Saving Trust: thermostats and heating controls, IET: BS 7671 Section 753 floor heating, LBHF Building Control: notifiable electrical work, GOV.UK: Approved Document L, Volume 1, Polypipe: UFH for existing floors