Do I Need Foam Under Laminate Flooring

The underlayment serves as an insulating cushion for the laminate flooring.

Do i need foam under laminate flooring. The easiest way to figure out if you need underlayment for your new vinyl plank flooring is to look at your current floor. But the hard laminate material doesn t lie directly onto that surface. Laminate flooring with attached underlayment. Perfect for under laminate flooring with pre attached pad or luxury vinyl plank flooring where you don t need the extra padding.

Vinyl planks require hard thin underlay because the product itself is softer. Thicknesses range from 6 mm to 8 mm. With these materials you do not need to purchase and install a separate foam padding underlayment. Underlayment is what allows the floor to float gives it stability support noise reduction and supports the locking systems in between planks to assure the sturdiest flooring project.

Consider the issue of sound transmission. If your installation is over concrete we. While underlayment for vinyl planks may be used under hardwood and laminate the reverse is not true. Vapor barrier 2 in 1 underlayment.

You do not need foam padding under solid hardwood for many reasons but one reason is that hardwood is so dense that it limits the transmission of sound both within the room and to floors below. This 2 in 1 underlayment will allow your laminate flooring to float while correcting any minor subfloor imperfections and will protect your floors from moisture. Take off the pre attached underlayment and install separate underneath floor. Today you can find many laminate floors that have been manufactured with underlayment padding built into the underside of the material.

Please refer back to your flooring manufacturer before proceeding. The flooring is actually on top of the sub floor without the use of nails or fasteners. Doing either one of the mentioned above methods you will probably break the warranty of the flooring. Laminate flooring is designed for quick and easy installation over almost any flat smooth floor surface.

Underlayment for laminate flooring is a must since laminate is a floating floor it must be evenly distributed across your subfloor. Putting a soft product under vinyl plank will result in an unstable floor that is much more inclined to being damaged and even punctured or torn over time. Laminate flooring is so thin that it needs underlayment s extra help to feel and act like real wood. 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.