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Underfloor heating installation is normally more or less the same regardless of the system chosen, being water pipe, electric cable or mesh based. Water or wet underfloor heating installation places a system of underfloor water pipes in a solid floor environment. The installation can be done professionally or by using underfloor heating kits on a DIY basis. Unless the DIY individual knows how to use concrete mixers and is also confident with laying concrete or stone/tile cutting, then perhaps the installation is better undertaken by a professional.

Water pipe underfloor installation is among the oldest forms of underfloor heating. It was popularised in the West by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the early twentieth century. Wright had seen a Korean underfloor heating system in Japan, known as ondol.

Modern systems consist of water pipes installed in concrete foundations or in a relatively thin layer of concrete – known as gypsum – or on wooden foundations on the sub floor. Floor support may have to be added when water underfloor heating is used as the weight of the installation may be considerable. When done on a DIY basis, it is advisable to check the weight restrictions of the water underfloor heating system with a professional.

The benefit of using concrete as a support and surrounding for water underfloor heating is that it stores heat effectively. Underfloor heating via a concrete floor is thereby one of the most cost-efficient means of heating spaces as it requires comparatively much lower levels of energy. It is also long lasting heat: takes more time to heat but is slow to cool when compared with other systems.