There are three choices of radiant floor installation:

• Slab-on-grade system: One example of a slab-on-grade system is tubing attached to a wire mesh or clipped onto rigid Styrofoam insulation. Concrete is poured over the piping or tubing at the ground grade level. The slab must be insulated from the exterior side of the floor all the way to the slab edges.
• Dry or Plate system: Tubing is attached to the underside of the subfloor, also known as a below deck or joist space dry system. In cold weather climates, tubing should be attached with aluminum transfer plates and both well insulated for improved performance. Without the insulation, the warmth will disperse into the basement. It is also possible to have an above deck dry system, where heat transfer plates are supported by sleepers.
• The floor heating tubing is fastened above the subfloor and is covered with lightweight concrete or self leveling gypsum cement underlayment.