We installed tile in our entryway, bath and laundry, but did not put in heating. Regret it ever since. I think that since tile isn't easily replaced it is worth the extra expense and an added feature for resale. I was under the impression that it only takes a few minutes to warm up, but that would probably depend on the brand.

Rinq - Perfect, I think you're right, having the warm floor over a large area will still be really nice. Good idea about checking the calculator for the heating requirements. We're being given some hydraulic plinth heaters, including one on the island, facing towards the living room which will heat both rooms up as well. and we can obviously turn them off if not needed/excessively noisy (although I've purposely chosen mostly the quietest ones) Unfortunately I don't think we've got the funds for the initial outlay of solar panels. Maybe in a few years, But yes, I think we'll have enough heat output for the space but just wondered if it was too "weird" to have only part of a room with UFH. Forzaitalia - I'm sorry to hear your step-daughter's electric UFH stopped working! that must have been so frustrating after the cost of buying it and installation! Did she manage to claim her money back under warranty?

Regardless of what finish you choose, the thing with wet UFH is that it relies on heat building up in and being stored in the floor slab. You don’t really ever turn it off in the winter, you just set the room thermostats for different temperatures at different times of the day. In the summer you just set the thermostat to frost setting so it never kicks in. We have tiles and I like having a cool floor in the summer heat, as do my dogs. In autumn and spring other finishes may feel more cosy as sometimes the tiled floor doesn’t feel obviously warm when the air is up to temp, tho it’s not properly cold either.

I would definitely remove the old floor. Let me know if you need help.