Why use an underlay?

Installing an underlay has a number of benefits:

• Its primary purpose is to preserve the condition of the hardwood floor by acting as a shock absorber. It helps the floor covering to sit strongly and evenly and stand up well to excessive use, which means it ultimately protects your investment in the longer term!

• It cushions the impact of footsteps on the floor, making it feel much more comfortable.

• It’s a great insulator and will help keep your home warm and snug during the harsh winter months. According to retailer John Lewis, recent studies have suggested you can save up to 15% on your energy bills simply by installing an underlay.

• It reduces the noise created when you or your house guests walk across the floor boards, making it perfect for busy homes with lots of foot traffic. An underlay will almost always be installed in a block of flats because it will effectively help sound-proof each room from the other.

Assessing your options:

Sub floors

Before you can begin to narrow down your options, you’ll need to find out whether you’re going to be working with a concrete or wooden sub-floor. If the base is made of concrete, most suppliers would recommend installing an underlay that has a protective moisture barrier (otherwise known by those in the industry as a damp proof membrane, or DPM). This will help to eliminate water damage. In contrast, most common underlays are suitable for use on a wooden sub-floor.

Flooring types

Once you’ve determined which sub-floor you are dealing with, you need to consider the type of flooring you are going to lay, as this decision will impact on the choices that are available to you. As previously mentioned, you will not need to buy underlay if you’re choosing to install a vinyl floor, but most suppliers would recommend installing an underlay if you’re installing laminate, engineered wood flooring or solid wood flooring.

Underlays for laminate and engineered wood flooring

As a general rule, most underlays are suitable for laminate, engineered or solid wood floor coverings, as long as they are sitting on top of a wooden sub-floor. If you’re dealing with a concrete-sub floor, you will need to ensure the underlay has its own built-in moisture barrier or DPM – if this isn’t the case, you can buy moisture barriers that can be installed separately.

Underlays for solid wood flooring

Solid wood flooring is slightly different in that it will require a pre-glued underlay. This is because real wood flooring is permanently glued to the sub-floor, whereas laminate and engineered planks are installed using a ‘floating’ system.

Underlay materials

Underlays are available in a variety of materials. Each offers its own features and benefits:

Thin and versatile, polyfoam underlays are arguably the cheapest option, but don’t let the price tag fool you – they can be used with wooden sub-floors and a wide range of floor coverings and will usually perform just as well as the more expensive products.

Fibre board underlays will provide the thickest cushioning and will improve the performance of a sub-floor that is particularly uneven or irregular. Fibre board boasts great insulating properties and will help reduce noise from foot traffic.

If you’re looking for an underlay that offers heightened sound-proofing and insulation and have a little more cash to spend, rubber underlays may be the best option for you. These are considerably more durable and are often considered the ‘greener’ option due to the fact they’re often developed using recycled car tyres.

Both polyfoam and rubber underlays can be bought with an added vapour barrier to limit the floor’s expansion and movement in damp conditions.

When not to install an underlay

Though most installers would generally recommend investing in an underlay for your hardwood floor, there are some exceptions. For example, vinyl floors are typically a lot softer and provide you with a lot more cushioning, so will rarely need to be accompanied by an underlay.

This article will have provided you with a brief introduction to flooring underlays, but we would always suggest getting in touch with a local professional flooring company for expert advice and recommendations.