Luxury vinyl flooring is a fine choice when you look to replace your current flooring in the home. The various brands on the market have unparalled variety in look and colours to mimic natural woods and stones.
As the most durable flooring against scratches, dents and stains, the best way to get the most out of vinyl planks or tiles is to consider what is placed underneath them. Underlay provides support that gives an increase in your floorings overall lifespan.
To better understand how underlayment is a benefit, you have to look at your floor's structure. Underlayment sits between your subfloor and the finished floor covering - in this case, vinyl flooring.
Underlay is made from a variety of materials. The most common are foam, felt, cork or rubber. When it comes to vinyl flooring planks, it is traditionally thinner and denser than one used for laminate flooring. The reason being is that it provides the proper support for vinyl's thin planks.
Will I Require Underlay?
The way to discover if your flooring requires any underlay is by looking at the planks set to be installed. If your vinyl planks already have attached underlay on the bottom, you will have no further need for additional underlay.
If your flooring manufacturers installation instructions provide scope for additional underlayment, you may find that little bit extra can do wonders for improved sound reduction, mositure protection and insulation.
If your vinyl planks do not have any pad-attached underlay, we would recommend that you have an added underlyment.
Different Types of Underlay
Determining which underlayment is suited for your flooring comes down to what your subfloor is made of - such as concrete, plywood or any existing material.
If installing over a concrete subfloor, we would recommend felt underlay to best insulate from your subfloor coldness. It will also absorb impact from everyday foot traffic whilst adding additional comfort underfoot.
For Plywood subfloors, we would recommend an underlayment that has added sound reduction and comfort. If you plan to install over existing tiles, planks or hardwood flooring, we would recommend that the existing flooring be fully removed before putting down vinyl flooring. That is mainly due to imperfections causing problems with your new floor. The other option would be placing an underlay over the existing floor prior to installing vinyl.
Benefits of Underlay
Underlayment brings a wealth of benefits to your flooring project. These are especially helpful in busy households or ones that require a lot of heating.
Good underlay can lessen impact noise from shifting furniture, footfalls and dropped objects, as well as insulate the sound coming from an upstairs room - such as a TV. Underlay prvides a quieter, tranquil home space that everyone can enjoy.
Some underlayment's also have built-in moisture barriers that protect your flooring from moisture build-up. As concrete subfloors will emit moisture over time, a floor without underlay could be the victim of warping in the planks over time.
Underlayment can also mask subfloor imperfections and leave your flooring smooth on the surface and safe from any click-lock systems becoming uneven. Felt underlay also does wonders in insulating your flooring from the subfloor, keeping the floor warm in winter months and reducing heating costs.
At Galloway Flooring in Manchester, we have decades of expertise to best protect your vinyl flooring choices and find the best use of underlayment for your home.
If you are interested in discovering the best vinyl flooring options and additional touches to make your flooring durable, stunning and long-lasting, contact the team at Galloway Flooring in Denton, your one stop specialist in domestic and commercial vinyl flooring.
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