Selecting the Perfect Underlay for Laminate Floors: A Complete Guide
When installing laminate flooring, one of the most important yet often overlooked decisions is choosing the right underlayment. The proper underlay provides vital moisture protection, insulation, and sound dampening to not only safeguard your floors but also ensure they last for years to come.
In this complete guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know when selecting the best underlay for laminate flooring. We'll compare the most popular underlay materials, recommended thicknesses, installation tips, and top products on the market. By the end, you'll be able to confidently pick an underlay that suits your specific needs and situation.
What Purpose Does Underlay Serve for Laminate Floors?
Underlayment serves three key functions:
- Sound insulation: Blocks noise transmission between floors for quieter rooms.
- Moisture protection barrier: Prevents water damage to floors from spills, leaks, or high humidity.
- Smooth subsurface imperfections: Creates even base and cushions floors from uneven concrete or old flooring.
Choosing underlay designed for laminate flooring is crucial. It can protect from dents, scratches, and buckling that shorten floor lifespan. Underlay also helps insulate homes, lowering energy bills too.
Types of Underlay Materials for Laminate
Underlay falls into two main categories: roll/plank underlayment or attached underlayment pre-adhered to laminate planks. Materials like foam, cork, rubber, and felt are commonly used.
Key Factors When Choosing Underlayment
With an array of underlay styles available, focus on these key factors to narrow down the best choice:
Sound Insulation Properties
Adding sound-dampening underlay is one of the most effective ways to reduce noise transmission between floors. To compare acoustic performance, check the underlay's Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) rating.
Higher NRC values block more sound. Quality underlays designed for laminate start around 0.70 NRC while 0.80+ excels at limiting foot traffic noise. Cork, thick foam, and rubber underlays tend to perform the best acoustically.
Moisture Protection Needs
Preventing moisture damage is imperative for durable floors. Consider factors like concrete subfloors, basement installations, homes with leak risks, and high humidity climates when assessing moisture protection.
Look for waterproof barriers like thick polyethylene film or attached vapor barriers paired with closed-cell foam. These options create an effective moisture barrier to shield floors.
Durability for High-Traffic Areas
Underlay durability matters most in high-traffic areas like hallways or commercial spaces. Basic foam options can deteriorate quickly under heavy foot traffic. Rubber underlays are extremely durable and resilient against compression.
Felt and fiberboard alternatives are affordable but compress easily over time. For light residential use, quality foam underlays offer durability at an appealing price point for most homeowners' needs.
Ease of Installation
Attached underlayment bonded to laminate boards streamlines installing floating floors, saving hours of labor. Roll options require taping seams but better suit uneven surfaces.
For DIYers, self-adhesive underlays are easiest to install. They stick directly to substrates without using wet glues that can damage laminate.
Other Material Considerations
Homeowners should also weigh additional factors like sustainability, allergies, and costs when selecting underlay.
For eco-friendly underlay, wool felt, jute, hemp, and cork provide natural sound insulation. Bamboo and coconut husk alternatives stand out for renewable sourcing.
Latex or rubber sensitivity makes foam and felt better options for allergy sufferers. Paying a bit more for quality underlay also saves long-term when protecting flooring investments.
What Thickness of Underlay Do You Need?
2-3 mm suits most laminate underlay needs. At a minimum, choose 2mm underlay for basic sound dampening. 3mm models better block noise for multi-level homes.
Overall thinner underlays allow floors to sit flatter after locking planks together. But thicker options (5mm+) excel at insulating sound transmission between stories.
Density and Compression Matters Too
Underlay density influences durability and compression resistance. Higher density foam or fiber boards withstand more foot traffic without compacting compared to low-density polyurethane.
Denser materials also continue insulating sound effectively long-term. Underlay that compresses easily can unsettle planks over time.
Attached Underlay vs. Roll/Plank Underlayment
Attached underlay pre-bonded to laminate boards offers impressive convenience but doesn't fit every subfloor. Separate rolled underlay suits uneven surfaces better but requires sealing seams during installation.
Pros of Attached Underlay
- Saves hours of install time without taping underlay seams
- Consistent thickness across floor for smooth surface
- No shifting between underlay and laminate top layer
Cons of Attached Underlay
- Less cushioning for uneven substrate imperfections
- Can't double up to achieve desired thickness in problem areas
Roll underlay gives flexibility to double-up layers and better cushions over cracked concrete or old vinyl floor patches. But self-adhesive underlays now help rolled options almost match attached underlay's ease of use.
Underlay Selection for Concrete vs. Wood Subfloors
Concrete introduces higher moisture risks than wood. Excess moisture from fresh poured concrete can damage laminate over time.
Testing concrete moisture levels before installing floors is imperative. Water vapor barriers become necessary for concrete exceeding 3 lbs./1,000 sq ft./24 hr. moisture emission rate.
Attached foam underlays provide cushion over slight concrete imperfections. For wood subfloors, durability matters most when picking underlay.
Top-Rated Foam Underlays for Laminate Flooring
Foam underlay offers homeowners maybe the best balance of acoustic performance, moisture protection, and value. Respected brands to consider include:
- MP Global - QuietWalk line with specialty high density and attached options
- Roberts - 7080 cushioned polyurethane foam rated for 25-year use
- Schluter - DITRA acoustic rated at 0.100 NRC or higher
- Pergo - Gold option with antimicrobial treatment resists mold and mildew
Pricing largely correlates with thickness, rating, density, attached vs. roll, and brand reputation. Shop sales to find quality foam deals between $0.20-0.60 per square foot.
Step-By-Step Installation Guide
Properly installing underlay protects its moisture-blocking and sound-dampening capabilities.
How to Install Underlayment
- Acclimate floors - Let planks and underlay sit for 48 hours before installing
- Prep subfloor - Clean, dry, and level; fill cracks with patching compound
- Roll out underlay - Smooth side up with seams butted tightly
- Tape seams - Use moisture resistant tape like red rosin paper tape
- Trim underlay - Cut flush to walls so it doesn't peek out
- Click planks - Lock together per manufacturer instructions
Check underlay packaging for any special considerations like which side faces up or required acclimation times before flooring install.
FAQs: Your Top Underlay Questions Answered
We get lots of common questions from homeowners about choosing underlay. Here we tackle some of the top dilemmas:
Is underlay even necessary for laminate floors?
Quality underlay should be considered essential. It plays a major role protecting floors from damage while also enhancing comfort and acoustic performance. Any laminate flooring installation should include a proper underlay.
Can I use leftover carpet padding as underlayment?
We don't recommend old carpet padding. It lacks the durable moisture barrier and can shift easily. Purpose-made laminate underlay gives superior noise cancellation as well. Save your dollars and use quality underlay.
For the best sound insulation with laminate flooring, cork and dense foam are top choices. Cork rates slightly better dampening noise but foam has improved greatly over the years. Having either meet building code requirements for multi-family dwellings.
Going a bit thicker with foam boosts its noise blocking capacities too. Combining foam and cork can yield optimal acoustic results.