It's the time of year you may tend to seek out additional ways to warm up the look and feel of your house, making it cozier for your family and guests. Or perhaps you're getting ready to sell and you want your house to look welcome and inviting to potential buyers. There are myriad ways to achieve that warm, cozy feeling.

If you're thinking about new flooring but are shying away from some materials -- like tile -- because you don't like the cold feel, you can add a radiant flooring system.

A radiant flooring system is one in which the surface temperature of the floor is controllable. The Radiant Panel Association defines radiant energy like this: hold your hand over a cup of coffee and feel the heat. The logical conclusion is that heat rises. Logical maybe, but incorrect, it says.

Hot air rises but heat can travel in many directions. That is why you can feel the heat of the coffee cup when you place your hand to the side of it. Radiant energy transfer is caused by a warm surface giving up its heat to a cooler surface. The systems can be placed underneath tile, wood, laminates, concrete, even carpet.

Other quick fixes to add warmth and a cozy feeling to any room include:

Published: October 21, 2003

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