How Much Does a Heated Bathroom Floor Cost?

Average Heated Bathroom Floor Costs

What Is In-Floor Bathroom Heating?

Radiant bathroom flooring heating means either hydronic or electric heating installed under the flooring materials, whether tile, concrete, or planks. Any flooring works with radiant heating. You’ll choose from hydronic, which uses a liquid (usually water) in a pipe system, or electric, which uses an electric heating wire or mat. 

Bathroom Heated Flooring Cost per Square Foot

How much do heated bathroom floors cost? You’ll spend anywhere from $8 to $40 per square foot to install a heated floor. However, you’ll pay a minimum of $600 for most floors, regardless of the size. That minimum fee comes from general setup, cleanup, and overhead. These prices include overall flooring installation costs but don’t include extremely high-end or custom floors, which can quickly double the price. 

Generally, the larger the floor, the less you’ll pay per square foot. The heating element, whether hydronic or electric, costs about the same regardless of the material you use. Bathrooms come at the bottom of radiant floor heating costs compared to larger rooms. The varying price comes mostly from the finished materials, which we cover in the next section.

Cost of Heated Bathroom Floors by Material

Most of the cost of a heated bathroom floor comes from the finished materials. You’ll typically find tile as the primary material, which is also the most expensive. However, you can also put hydronic heating under concrete and electric or hydronic under laminate and hardwood.

Tile

A heated bathroom tile floor costs around $1,300 to $2,600 for the average 65-square-foot bathroom. It’s one of the most popular bathroom flooring materials, regardless of heating. Because it’s popular and holds and transfers heat well, it’s often used in conjunction with heated flooring elements. You can use both electric and hydronic heating under tile. 

Concrete

The average heated concrete floor costs $1,000 to $2,280 for the average 65-square-foot bathroom. You only get to put hydronic heating in concrete since there’s nowhere to place an electric heating element pad. 

Laminate

A laminate heated floor costs approximately $600 to $1,300 for an average 65-square-foot bathroom. This flooring typically only has electric heating pads beneath it, making the installation go fairly quickly. However, it usually doesn’t hold up as well as tile or concrete and needs an extra layer of waterproofing beneath the floors. 

Hardwood

Heated hardwood bathroom floors cost around $1,000 to $2,000 for the average 65-square-foot bathroom. You’ll also typically only find electric heating pads beneath hardwood, although basement bathrooms might have enough space for hydronic heating.

Cost for Heated Bathroom Floors by Floor Type

You’ll spend slightly more on a hydronic system than an electrical underlayment pad for your bathroom floor.

Hydronic

You’ll pay about $600 to $1,300 for the hydronic system alone, not including flooring materials for the average bathroom. Hydronic heating costs slightly more to install than electric mat-style floor heating for your bathroom. It uses a heated liquid that runs through tubing embedded in the concrete or thinset beneath the tiles or other flooring material. It’s typically used with concrete and tile. 

Electric Wire or Mat

An electric mat costs approximately $300 to $800 for the mat and material installation alone, not including the flooring you’ll place over the top of it. It uses a mat with embedded wire heating elements, works well with any type of flooring, and tends to be used extensively due to the ease of installation and cost. However, they don’t last as long. 

Heated Bathroom Floor Cost Breakdown

The cost breakdown to install heated bathroom floors is about 50% materials and 50% labor, but it depends on the type of finish material you use rather than the heating underlayment. You’ll save money if you wrap this project together with bathroom remodel costs, making it easier to route and run lines and plumbing. 

Materials

Material costs are included in the total project. With hydronic heating, you’ll likely need thinset or tubes that circulate hot water buried directly in concrete. However, with electric mats, you won’t need any extra materials besides the system kit itself. Projects vary depending on the house level you’re redoing and the bathroom size. Check with your pro for any extra materials needed.

Labor

You’ll pay about $500 to $1,200 for labor alone, but it depends on the job size. Typically, you’ll pay around $100 per hour for installation or a flat rate for the entire project. 

Other Bathroom Floor Heating Cost Factors

Although bathroom floor heating is a straightforward project, you’ll want to consider a few other items. Some issues that can increase costs include permits, subfloor repairs to your existing floors, and extending or adding new electrical lines if you don’t already have them. 

Permits

Building permits cost around $500 for this type of project when combined with a full bathroom remodel. However, prices vary from location to location since local building regulations usually control the cost. 

Subfloor Repairs

If upgrading an existing floor, you may have to repair or replace your subfloor. Subfloor repair prices add around $500 to $2,500. 

New Electrical Lines

If you’re replacing baseboard or wall heating, you’ll likely already have electrical lines running to the bathroom. But if you need to add this to a house with something like forced air, you’ll need to budget another $500 to $1,000for new electrical line costs. 

DIY Heated Bathroom Floors vs. Hiring a Pro

Because of the complexity of installing heated bathroom floors, you typically won’t be able to DIY this project. For example, a professional electrician must hook up the electrical heating mat or a plumber has to install a hydronic floor system for your bathroom. Start by talking to a local heated flooring installer to get ideas and understand the options.