Do you need underlay for floating floorboards?
Similar to most of the other flooring types, putting an appropriate underlayment under the floating floorboards is a Must. Underlayment protects the laminate flooring from moisture and acts as a barrier for sound and temperature.
Floating boards such as laminate floorings need an even surface. When installing on a concrete sub-flooring or those that are not glassy flat, a proper underlayment could change its shape to the hills and gaps in the sub-flooring. This will provide a stable and flat surface floating board needs.
The last but not least reason that you should underlay for floating boards. In floating boards weight must be evenly distributed across sub-flooring. Underlayment is exactly what allows a floating board to stay stable and supports its locking system.
What is the best thing to put under laminate flooring?
The laminate flooring you choose may come with an underlayment attached. However, the most laminate floorboards available on the market are sold without pre-installed underlayment and you have to choose between underlayment type.
Due to its resistance to moisture, sound and temperature felt is the most popular underlayment for laminate flooring. it’s also affordable and easy to cut into sizes. So, it should be no surprise that felt is considered as the “Gold Standard” of underlayment and is the most traditional choice for laminate floorings.
Rubber is considered as a premium underlayment for your flooring which offer offers a level of sound and moisture insulation that is second to none. However, just like other premium products Rubber comes with a premium cost that doesn’t fit the budget limits of most renovation plans.
Can you put laminate on floorboards?
The short answer is Yes, but the quality of the result depends mainly on a few factors including type and condition of the flooring. before you’re going to install laminate on the old flooring you should take some time and examine the existing flooring.
As a rule of thumb, if the existing floorboards are smooth and even, you can lay laminate easily on the top. This is not the case when the old floorings are carpet or natural stone. More smooth types like concrete (especially polished concrete), vinyl, tile or plywood provide a good underlayment for a laminate installation, but you to make sure a suitable underlayment has been already installed before laying your new flooring.
In this article, we tried to provide answers for questions about floorboards we get frequently. Do you have any other question that we didn’t answer here?
Then let us know what’s it all about.