Laminate flooring underlayment Written on August 12, 2009, by admin.

There are a host of choices that face any homeowner looking to purchase flooring.  You will have to consider the amount of foot traffic certain rooms receive, the humidity and even the amount of sunlight each room receives.  But what you may or may not know is that one of the most important decisions that you can make regarding your flooring is the type of underlayment that you use.  In this post, I’ll focus directly on the types of underlayment that you should consider if you’re installing laminate flooring. 

In general, underlayment is a thin layer of cushioning designed to place under any type of flooring, be it carpeting or hardwood flooring.  Though the underlayment used in the two kinds are fundamentally different.  Underlayment provides a solid and smooth base for flooring to be placed on top of.  They also help insulate the floor against sound, moisture and heat.  Next, I’ll take a look at some different types of underlayment.

Standard underlayment is the most commonly used type of underlayment and the most inexpensive.  This type of underlayment is really only good for areas where the moisture content is nonexistent, since it will do very little to protect laminate floors from moisture.

Combination underlayment is very similar to standard underlayment except for one important feature.  Combination underlayment has a layer of moisture resistant material attached to it.  This moisture barrier prevents any pesky moisture from the subfloor from damaging your laminate flooring.

Then there are underlayments that are designed specifically to provide the flooring with more significant soundproofing.  The only difference in this type of underlayment is that it is denser.  The soundproofing is really just a benefit for anyone that resides on lower floors since it doesn’t really affect the amount of sound made from walking on the laminate floor.

For homeowners that are looking for a higher level of noise reduction or for residencies that require it, cork underlayment is the best choice.  Cork underlayment is made out of solid cork.  It’s glued to the subfloor of the room and will greatly reduce the sound heard on lower floors.  Cork underlayment is much more expensive than the other types of underlayment that I’ve gone over though.  But on the other hand it is an all natural and sustainable product that is highly sought after for its soundproofing and resilient qualities.  You can visit FloorMall.com for their selection of underlayment.

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