25 Sqft Mat, Warming Systems 120 V Electric Tile Radiant Floor Heating Mat with Programmable Thermostat, Includes Installation Monitor and Floor Temperature Sensor

I purchased two of these warming mats about a year ago and installed them in January of 2012. It is recommended that a curing period of 1 month be observed for the thin set to dry completely so I did not get to use them much last year as we had a warm spring. As mentioned I bought two mats and did two bathrooms. I felt like I was taking a bit of a risk with no reviews on this product and limited information but they were cheaper than I could find the mat and thermostat anywhere else. The math may have changed by now but these were a bargain and I see the price remains the same now (nov-2012) as when I purchased them. I did do a lot of research before going this route and came to the conclusion that the real value in these kits is in the controller and in this case this is an absolutely great controller/thermostat. It is easy enough to set up and offers all the programmable options I wanted. Aube is a high quality brand even if they are not as well known in the mainstream as some others. I went with the mats because they worked well for my bathrooms but depending on design I would not hesitate to use the cable. The mat was well made and relatively easy to install. This was my 5-6 tile job and it does add a little difficulty to the job but nothing an experienced DIY'er can't handle. The biggest concern is getting the tile with the mat under it to sit at the same height as the tile without mat under it. I used thin set to set mine on top of backer board and just was conscious to use more thin set (different trowel) on the tiles without mat under it and it turned out fine. The other option is to use self leveling compound but that would have added more height to the floor and I wanted perfect transitions to the surrounding floors. I am capable of doing the electrical and did so but if you are not familiar with household wiring, GFCI's etc I would recommend this part be farmed out to someone who can. Just follow the directions locate the temperature sensor correctly and be careful of the wire as you work and you should be fine.This year I have been using them more and more as we get into the winter months and boy do I love these. They start giving noticeable heat to your feet in 15-30 minutes but should be left on for about an hour to get the full effect. I do not try to use them to warm the room so can't comment on that. With the controller it makes it easy to have the floor all warmed up for a morning shower without having to do a thing.To summarize:Great product, relatively simple install, awesome controller, mat works well to aid install, and the end result is simply fantastic. My bathrooms were always a little cool and getting out of the shower onto a warm floor while I shave or whatever is just great. There are a lot of options when it comes to a floor warming system but for my money I think Warming systems Inc had the best value I could find and a great product.I will be doing 4-5 more bathrooms this winter for family/friends and will be using this product again where a warm floor is wanted.

OK...so there is much to like about this thing and a few things that are puzzlements. .First, the good. It is installed and works wonderfully in our newly renovated tiny little master bath. The installation process is pretty straight forward, once you have the floor appropriately prepped. The first challenge is figuring out how to trim the fiberglass mat to allow it to fold, flip, and turn to cover the area you want heated, while leaving the lead wires at the best spot for feeding to your thermostat, but as noted by other reviewers, a little creative patterning will work it out. The next problem is when you skim-coat the same mat in preparation for the actual tiling, you have to understand that you are essentially going to be tiling an uneven floor because even if you mix the mortar extra runny, you will end up with two different heights. I addressed this with either normally buttered tile in the heated areas or I buttered the crap out of the tiles being laid on the unheated areas which were below the height of the skim-coated sections. Used a 2 x 4 with a three foot level to verify consistent floor/tile height and yeah, I did have to pull up a tile from time to time and slather on a bunch more mortar but this was not my first tiling job so I was not too concerned with the practical issues...Ended up looking great and worked fine. My biggest gripe is the thermostat. The instructions encourage you to place the t-stat outside the bathroom, which makes sense but I suspect that unless you are involved in totally new construction, rather then renovation of a single bath, the t-stat design will make you crazy because it is big enough to require a 4 x 4 Jbox but a single center decora plate. Ever try to find what is essentially a double gang plate with a single centered decora opening? Don't spend much time looking because you never will. You can find new work solutions but if, like me, you want to put the t-stat outside a renovated bathroom without getting into drywall repair, paint etc on the other side of the wall, then that's a problem. I finally found Kyle Switch Plates on the interweb, bought one that came close, then Dremeled out a large enough opening for the decora guts of the t-stat to fit. Looks kinda funky, as you can see, but all in all, I am happy with it. Warming Systems really should offer the exact solution...and btw, they might....I never bothered calling them! But even in spring, the heated floor is delightful and I will never live in a house without this feature again.

Super easy to install I’m just waiting for cold weather to come before I turn it on and warm up the floor had it on for a few hours and it was working. Ill write more of a review on it as to how long it lasts and how well it heats up once it’s cold out!! :)

NICE TO HAVE WHEN THE FLOOR IS SLATE SLATE IS COLD JUST NICE TO GET OUT OF THE SHOWER WITH WARMTH ON YOUR FET

As described. Love it.great price

Like

Works well .had some issues programming emailed in and they where very helpful