Will I need underlay for laminate flooring?

Posted by Chloe Smith on

So, you’ve been contemplating a home update for a while, and you’ve finally decided you’re going to freshen up your rooms with some new laminate flooring. First of all, what an excellent choice! Laminate flooring is a real trend right now, and it comes as no surprise when it allows you to closely replicate the look of hardwood flooring for half the price, not to mention it gives your home a real modern and sophisticated look. It also provides water-resistance, making it the perfect flooring for bathrooms and kitchens, as well as it being super durable, incredibly easy to install and easy to clean and maintain, do I really need to go on! The one question you have is, will I need underlay?

 

 

Do I need underlay?

 

This is a very common question here at Buy Carpet Underlay, with many of our customers ringing us up to ask the same thing, so you’re certainly not alone on this one! It’s a perfectly feasible question, and the simple answer is yes. Some laminate flooring planks come with underlay pre-attached to them, but if this isn’t the case, you will need to purchase a separate laminate underlay to pair with your new flooring. This is because the underlay will protect your new floor from damage, resulting in it looking and feeling newer for much longer, as well as improving its overall performance. In our eyes, it is an absolute must! The honest truth is, if you decide to skip on underlay for your new floor, it simply will not last, and you may run the risk of making the warranty for your new floor void due to not caring for it correctly.

 

But what are the other benefits?

 

Now we’ve stated the obvious that underlay is needed to protect your floor from damage and result in it lasting longer, you might be left wondering if there are any other benefits of investing in laminate underlay? Well, there certainly is! And below we take a look at exactly what they are.

 

Moisture protection

 

A huge bonus of choosing laminate underlay is moisture protection. Even though laminate flooring provides water-resistance, damp and moisture can often still rise from your subfloor and potentially damage your new flooring. But that’s where laminate underlay comes in, creating a barrier between your floor and subfloor. It is also possible to purchase specific laminate underlay to protect your floor from such damage, with some boasting an integrated damp proof membrane (DPM) which will effectively prevent water and dampness from reaching your floor, essentially reducing the risk of unnecessary water damage.

 

 

Heat insulation

 

Another benefit of using underlay with laminate flooring is that it provides excellent thermal insulation. The underlay works to decrease the amount of heat that escapes through your floor, helping to keep your home at a nice cosy temperature, which should then essentially help to reduce your heating bills, saving you that extra bit of money along the way!

 

Sound reduction

 

As well as warming up your home, laminate underlay also has the ability to make it quieter! Laminate flooring is well known for being fairly noisy, emphasising the smallest of sounds, and those of you that live in a flat or apartment will know more than most that this can prove to be very problematic, often unintentionally becoming a nuisance to your neighbours below. But underlay can fix this, by pairing your floor with a good quality underlay you can decrease the impact and airborne sounds in your home by 30-40dB, making your neighbours that little bit happier!

 

 

Added support

 

Another thing laminate underlay can do for you is add extra support for your new floor. Laminate flooring can be known as a floating floor, due to the fact it does not have to be glued or nailed down, you simply have to lay the floor down and click the planks together. And admittedly, this may sound like a good thing, offering super easy installation, but in fact this can actually have a negative impact on your floors finish if there are any imperfections in your subfloor. This however is where underlay comes in – creating a much flatter and smoother surface for installation, effectively covering any defects in the subfloor.

 

Additional underfoot comfort

 

Last but certainly not least, laminate underlay also has the ability to improve and enhance underfoot comfort, especially when installing on a brick or concrete subfloor, as your laminate will feel significantly softer to walk across with the help of a quality underlay laid underneath.

 

Which laminate underlay should I go for?

 

Now you’re fully educated on laminate underlay and why it’s so important, you might be questioning which underlay you should buy? Well, there’s certainly lots to choose from. Here at Buy Carpet Underlay we have a huge choice of underlay for your laminate floor project, with our best seller by far being our 5mm Royale Sonic Gold Underlay, which can also be used for underfloor heating systems! We also stock a 7mm Professional Gold Underlay by Royale, commonly known as the best laminate & wood underlay on the market, which you can purchase from us for just £59.99 for a full roll. Another good alternative is the 3mm Acoustic Silver Underlay which features a DPM and is a great sound reducer. Or alternatively for those on more of a budget, 2mm White Underlay is another suitable option to protect your new laminate floor, and you can purchase this for just £17.95 for a full roll – cheap and cheerful!

 

 

 

Still unsure which one to go for?                                            

 

Taken all this information in and still unsure which is going to be the best choice for you? Why not get in touch! Here at Buy Carpet Underlay we have a team full of underlay experts who are more than happy to offer a helping hand and share their valuable advice with you. To get in touch, give us a call on 01924 457979 or send us an email at sales@buy-carpet-underlay.co.uk

 


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