[Len Smith]

Has anyone done any experimenting with heated countertops?  Our quartz kitchen booth table is cold most of the time, and I started thinking about using microwires similar to those used in heated grips for motorcycles.  They come in a layer of film about 1/16″ thick and radiate heat which can be controlled.

I was thinking that it would be cool to test out a low level of heat (warmth really) that would make Island countertops and bar tops warm to the touch in winter, with the flick of a switch.  Not hot enough to damage the material….just warm.

Anyone done this?

[Un-Authorized]

Len,

No, but it sounds like a good idea. Especially selling it to customers.

Joe

[Andy Graves]

I have not done this but what about those electric floor heaters? Could those be sandwiched between the subtop and the countertop to act exactly like it would on the flooor?

I think they also have a thermostate so you could control the temperature making sure it did not overheat the top.

[Steve Mehan]

Yes, we have used the electric floor mat heaters with theromstates on island tops. They work fine longest one has been in over ten years, no issues. We have attatched them a few ways, and spray contact seems to work the best on the installations we have done. We have also attatched with foil tape.

[KCWOOD]

I saw a floor mesh at our local tile store… I actually thought about attaching to the underside in a few places. Wouldn’t take much to heat the entire top.  Couldn’t you groove out the back in a few places and epoxy the wire it? Floor wiring is 2 1/2″ apart, but wouldn’t 3-4 runs just knock off the chill.

http://www.tileshop.com/heatedfloors/index.aspx

I’ve got a solid surface surround… if I place a temp probe on it, it reads the same as my quartz island, however the quartz feels very cold. humm

[Len Smith]

Posted By Steve Mehan on 20 Dec 2011 06:55 PM

Yes, we have used the electric floor mat heaters with theromstates on island tops. They work fine longest one has been in over ten years, no issues. We have attatched them a few ways, and spray contact seems to work the best on the installations we have done. We have also attatched with foil tape.

Spray contact on the underside of the top, or on the substrate?

[Len Smith]

Posted By Kelsey Crisp on 20 Dec 2011 08:41 PM

I saw a floor mesh at our local tile store… I actually thought about attaching to the underside in a few places. Wouldn’t take much to heat the entire top.  Couldn’t you groove out the back in a few places and epoxy the wire it? Floor wiring is 2 1/2″ apart, but wouldn’t 3-4 runs just knock off the chill.

http://www.tileshop.com/heatedfloors/index.aspx

I’ve got a solid surface surround… if I place a temp probe on it, it reads the same as my quartz island, however the quartz feels very cold. humm

Thanks for the link, Kelsey!

[Steve Mehan]

Posted By Len Smith on 21 Dec 2011 11:32 AM

Posted By Steve Mehan on 20 Dec 2011 06:55 PM
Yes, we have used the electric floor mat heaters with theromstates on island tops. They work fine longest one has been in over ten years, no issues. We have attatched them a few ways, and spray contact seems to work the best on the installations we have done. We have also attatched with foil tape.

Spray contact on the underside of the top, or on the substrate?

Len, We have used mats from NUHEAT which come in different sizes. And yes we have used spray contact and applied the mat directly to the bottom of the solid surface. The Nuheat mat is a fabric so the spray contact works good.
We have also used the mat like shown in the link Kelsey posted, but we cut out the heat cord and shortened it and applied with foil tape, again directly to the material.
Kelseys idea of epoxy sounds like it would also be a good way to attatch if you were just to use the heat cord itself.

[Norm Walters]

I have used the under floor heating mats a couple of times, under tile. The sensor for the thermostat and the conduit for the power wire exiting the mat are thicker than the mat itself and would require notching the countertop and hot glueing them in place.  Not sure how you would slide a quartz countertop in place with the mats attached unless they are embedded in a smooth layer of epoxy or similar material.

[Un-Authorized]

Posted By Norm Walters on 21 Dec 2011 06:09 PM 
  Not sure how you would slide a quartz countertop in place with the mats attached unless they are embedded in a smooth layer of epoxy or similar material.

Norm:

2cm deck with a 2cm edge build up? With the right underlayment, sliding it in wouldn’t be a problem and you’d have access if you ever had problems.

Joe

[David Gerard]

Len,  you said “booth” like  a booth seating area?  if so ,  how about an electric toe kick heater under the seats that can be delfected up to warm up the whole area?          I have  heard some say stone and the like are cold but never heard of needing to heat them up.

[Author]

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