Vinyl Flooring, while is an excellent working and highly sustainable flooring treatment, also requires a bit of additions in order to ensure maximum favorability. The foremost element in this regard is an underlayment, meant to enhance the functionality of Vinyl Flooring.
Under a mainstream standard, the underlayment beneath Vinyl Flooring should ideally have an extent ranging between 2 mm and 3 mm for the best outcomes.
Besides, if you want to go really generous with the thickness, you can go for an underlayment thickness as much as 6 mm and up to 1 mm otherwise.
Why Is Underlayment Needed For Vinyl Flooring?
Underlayment, as per its foremost advantages, has its significance in strengthening and supporting Vinyl Flooring, thus increasing its durability, a lot. Over and above, it also increases the acoustic protecting ability of Vinyl Floors, which otherwise is quite hard to achieve.
Take a look at the rest of the beneficial aspects, too:
- Compensation For Imperfect Subfloors: The addition of underlayment is one of the smartest fixes for uneven and defiled subfloors, so as to not just rectify the look but also eliminate any sort of possible discomfort, as well. Besides, it also provides a perfect ground for the smoothest installation of a new flooring.
- Enhanced Comfort: Considering an underlayment for all your floors is a fool-proof way to ensure the most everlasting comfort within your lifestyle. It makes the flooring really cozy underfoot and does not let the harshness of the floor or subfloor reach your feet and cause discomfort.
- Prevention From Damage: Probably the most noteworthy aspect of an underlayment addition is that it efficiently keeps all the damage at bay from your floors. Besides, it also prevents the floorings from moisture, humidity, wear and tear, foot traffic and over-time damage, as well.
- Vapor Barrier: Underlayment works the most flawlessly as a vapor barrier for the floorings, preventing all the water damage coming from below the ground level. Also, it stops the growth of molds, microbes, bacteria and ultimately allergies this way. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure perfect health for everybody.
- Increased Insulation: The presence of underlayment truly works wonders to insulate the house and making the interiors a lot more warm and comfortable to be in. This way, it can turn even the coldest basements into delightful spaces and thus be more useful, too.
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How To Choose Underlayment For Vinyl Flooring
Choosing underlayment for any and every flooring gives rise to the need of a watchful attitude towards correspondence and settling only for the suitable stuff.
Since, in our case, it’s the Vinyl Flooring, so in the same way, there are multiple aspects to consider.
Subfloor Type
The nature and type of your subfloors are the key factors to keep in mind, followed by, of course, getting the underlayment accordingly. Given below are the most common types of subfloors.
Underlay For Vinyl Flooring On Concrete
When dealing with concrete subfloors, the most crucial factor to be ensured by your flooring is a non compromise able comfort provision. Other aspects to work in can include thermal rating and protection from moisture damage.
Because concrete floors are usually perforated in nature, there is an enhanced requirement for the underlayment that stops the passage of moisture damage.
Over and above, making use of thermal underlayment is also a great idea for concrete floors because concrete floors get cold real soon and the cold penetrates immediately through the flooring, as well.
Thermal Underlayment can reasonably provide insulation to the flooring and ultimately to the living spaces.
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Underlay For Vinyl Flooring On Plywood
Plywood subfloors don’t imply the need for a thermal underlayment, rather the more prominent requirement is to look for a cushioned underlayment that gets to provide considerable padding to the flooring atop. This way, it can easily cut the plywood discomfort down.
Another crucial aspect is the need for noise dampening underlayment atop plywood subfloors because excessive noise production is a major flaw of the plywood subfloors.
This way, you can ensure the right kind of comfort for yourself underfoot and can also achieve more relieving interiors around you.
Underlay For Vinyl Flooring On Tile
The only concern that comes with tiled or hardwood floors is the dire need for cushioning while walking. And other aspects, such as noise reduction or working as a vapor barrier, aren’t that necessary.
So any standard padded underlayment can work fine for the tile flooring, as long as it is installed the right way after proper priming and prepping.
Underlay For Vinyl Flooring On Wood
Vinyl Floorings and specifically vinyl plank flooring is meant to feel way too hollow if installed atop a wood subfloor without an underlayment. Moreover, the underlayment that goes with wood floors is the one that has to be noise-absorbing.
Felt is a great underlayment choice atop wood subfloors and beneath Vinyl Floors.
Besides, when dealing with wood floors, there is no essential requirement for the underlayment to optimize the temperature or work for cutting down the moisture.
You might be thinking is underlayment required for vinyl flooring installed on stairs? Then we’ve added a complete guide.
Underlayment For Different Types Of Vinyl
There are several types of underlayment for vinyl flooring available and the best way to get the right choice figured out is to keep the type of vinyl flooring you are dealing with under consideration. Look at the following scenarios:
- Thinner versions of Vinyl Flooring have a significant requirement of underlayment as they can easily take up the discomfort of the subfloor, ultimately delivering it to your feet.
- A rigid core vinyl won’t require too much thick underlayment because it already is quite firm itself. And here, what you might need to look for is an underlayment that will reduce the harshness factor.
- Often there are vinyl flooring versions that have a pre-attached padding, such as vinyl plank flooring. Such types don’t need an additional underlayment and you’re ready just after the installation.
See Also: How Much Extra Flooring to Buy?
Common Underlayment Types
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Foam
Is a cheap and highly sustainable underlayment choice, specifically best for Plywood subfloors
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Felt
Is a perfect underlayment option when noise reduction is the primary concern
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Cork
Great at eliminating the growth of mildew and mold, while providing considerable acoustic protection
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Particleboard
Is a hybrid underlayment involving the properties of both wood and foam and is quite an affordable choice
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Plywood
Is a bit more sturdy than particleboard and has more resistance to water, as well
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OSB (Oriented Strand Board)
Features flat wood chips inlaid in a solid sheet, is prone to swelling yet relatively good at absorbing moisture
Qualities To Consider While Choosing Underlayment
The choice of underlayment is for sure one of the most crucial aspects of any and every flooring requirement as this can totally make or break the upcoming working of your flooring.
Besides, you won’t surely want to consider flooring treatment or fixation sessions again and again. So do take care of the following factors.
- Your chosen underlayment must be appropriately thick and must be the one that’s required by your subfloor.
- Do look for a thermal R value within your chosen underlayment, as this factor is going to ensure the insulation within your interiors. Besides, it’s specifically crucial if you live within extremely cold localities.
- Watch out for your underlayment to be the one that can be easily installed over radiant heating systems.
- Another crucial factor to get from your underlayment is the reasonable extent of acoustic protection. To put it simply, your underlayment must be able to absorb all the excessive noise production.
- The underlayment must offer you antimicrobial properties to ensure hygienic living spaces.
Underlayment Ratings
Underlayment Products come with a rating which is a standard for the sign of their working and this also emphasizes the right dimensions of their application.
Ahead are the major ratings for Vinyl Flooring Underlayment:
Sound Transmission Lost Test (STC)
The very ability of an underlayment to absorb (reduce) noise production (music, voices, etc.) is determined by its STC score. Greater the STC score, the more will be the noise dampening offered by that particular underlayment.
Impact Sound Transmission Test (IIC)
As suggested by the name, this property of underlayment shows the ability of absorbing affects (most commonly of the footsteps). And similarly to the STC score, greater extent of IIC score means more noise/impact absorption got from the underlayment.
R Value
The R Value rating refers to the insulation extent provided by an underlayment. More R Value means less heat loss allowed by the underlayment and ultimately more provision of insulation to the interiors.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Which Is The Most Common Underlayment For Vinyl Flooring?
Foam is one of the most commonly used underlayment materials used for vinyl flooring because it not only is really inexpensive but also is quite practical and sustainable in its working. Besides, foam underlayment is a very versatile choice and goes specifically best if you’ve got plywood subfloors.
Q:Does Underlayment Work As A Fix For Uneven Floors?
The addition of underlayment is the simplest way to fix uneven floors and lay the foundation for a smooth flooring installation on top. Underlayment can significantly reduce the discomfort extent of an imperfect subfloor and is also an effective way to conceal the damage, as well.
Q:What Could Go Wrong If I Don’t Use Underlayment?
Floorings installed without an underlayment are the most likely to leave their original positioning real soon after installation, because of the lack of support. Besides that, such floors are greatly prone to damage and wearing out, which ultimately leads to the excessive requirement for repair.
Q:Is There An Underlayment Requirement For Vinyl Plank Flooring With An Attached Pad?
Vinyl Planks with an already attached padding don’t need an underlayment because the pre-added padding effectively does the job. This gives rise to the dire requirement of a watchful purchase and adequate info about what you are choosing for your place(s).
Q:Is Subfloor And Underlayment The Same Thing?
Those are two entirely unfamiliar elements having huge distinctions. Subfloors are the structural part of any given place and they work to provide firmness to any flooring installation done atop. Underlayment on the flip side, work as a protective covering under your floorings and also have several other advantages, such as acoustic protection.
Q:What Is The Advantage Of Adding Underlayment?
Underlayment, in the first place, works as a comfort enhancing factor for the flooring and also serves as a vapor barrier for the flooring from the moisture damage. Some other notable benefits include noise reduction, insulation and a highly increased protection from damage.
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