Do I Need Floor Underlayment

The flooring is actually on top of the sub floor without the use of nails or fasteners.

Do i need floor underlayment.

The underlayment provides many benefits including moisture protection sound and thermal insulation and a cushion to make the floor more comfortable to walk on. Laminate flooring with attached underlayment. The easiest way to figure out if you need underlayment for your new vinyl plank flooring is to look at your current floor. Laminate flooring is designed for quick and easy installation over almost any flat smooth floor surface.

Just under the visible floor covering is a layer of some kind of material usually only about 1 4 or 1 2 inch thick. And it is enough to serve the purpose of an underlay. The underlayment is installed as a cushion and sound barrier between the sub floor and laminate flooring. Tip felt underlayment can be as much as twice as expensive as foam underlayment but it provides better sound absorption.

If you re laying the lvp over an existing cushion backed vinyl floor or a below grade tile floor then you won t need to use an underlayment. Laminate flooring is installed using a free float method where the flooring is not mounted to the sub floor. So an additional underlay is not really compulsory. Do i need underlayment for laminate flooring over vinyl.

Its purpose is to provide a smooth flat surface for the floor covering. But the hard laminate material doesn t lie directly onto that surface. An underlayment is a necessity for any wood floor installation even on a plywood subfloor. There s a base layer in most cases when using the vinyl floor.

Due to the vinyl flooring design it s usually not necessary for an underlay. The warranty may require it. With these materials you do not need to purchase and install a separate foam padding underlayment. If you re planning to install new flooring it s important to give some thought to the underlayment an intermediate surface lying between the structural subfloor and the surface flooring.

Laminate is a wood product and will expand according to the climate of the room. Today you can find many laminate floors that have been manufactured with underlayment padding built into the underside of the material. Virtually every type of flooring except for some types of vinyl requires an underlayment and its purpose varies with the flooring material. This is the layer that you see and walk on.

This is the finished visible flooring surface such as hardwood planks carpeting ceramic tile or vinyl.