May 2021

5 Reasons You Should Use Underlayment Under Vinyl Plank Flooring

Whether you’re a regular maestro with all things reno, you’ve spontaneously thrown yourself into household projects during the pandemic, or you’re completely clueless even with clear plans in place, everyone loves home improvement. There’s little better than the satisfaction of seeing your beloved home become something better than what it was yesterday and changing out the floors are often a huge step along this path. But if you’re considering installing vinyl plank flooring for the first time, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. Perhaps one of the biggest, though, is if you should bother with underlayment or forego it altogether. Our answer is you should absolutely use it and here are five reasons why we recommend it.

1. Compensates for Imperfect Subfloors

As much as we would all love it if subfloors were always smooth and perfect, that isn’t how it usually happens. Even floors that are in fairly good condition can have some flaws to them. Minor imperfections, slight unevenness, tiny indentations, and the like are a fairly common occurrence – which is bad news for those of us committed to certain flooring options. You truly need your subfloors next to spotless for something like vinyl plank.

Does that mean you’re out of luck if they’re not? Thanks to underlayment – no! Placing this type of padding can essentially cover up all those dips and nicks, giving you a blank canvas that’ll be ideal for your flooring project. Just keep in mind that this is to make up for minor problems, not significant ones. Serious divots and clear damage can’t be smoothed over by merely adding in underlayment. In these situations, you’ll definitely need it all corrected by a knowledgeable contractor before any new flooring can happen.

2. Allows for Better Underfoot Comfort

Do you love the look of hard flooring but have super sensitive feet? You’re not alone on that front. There’s a reason carpet was so thoroughly popular in recent decades despite being less hygienic and (oftentimes) harder to care for. It’s far kinder to the feet, cozier, and more comfortable for our already overworked soles. But let’s admit it. Carpet just doesn’t look as good as some of the higher-end luxury vinyl options hanging around today. That’s where underlayment comes into play.

This stuff provides some much-needed padding where you need it, turning your unyielding floors into something with at least a touch more give to it. It’s not overtly noticeable as you’re going about your business, but you’ll see a big difference at the end of the day. Your feet will thank you, less tender and pained, even if you’ve been up cooking, cleaning, and doing dishes all day. It also provides enough cushioning that your knees won’t scream out every time you get on the floor to play with your kids. So, parents out there, definitely take notice.

3. Provides a Great Moisture Barrier

We love that underlayment is comfier an all-around comfier choice and can help make your vinyl dreams come true despite minor subfloor issues. However, there aren’t the only reasons we recommend it for practically everyone we come across. Another primary reason behind our infatuation is that it’s a fantastic way to up your floor’s moisture resistance.

Using underlayment means that your subfloors aren’t immediately exposed below your vinyl plank flooring. There’s a barrier there then, small but present. This then acts as a secondary line of defense against anything wet that might seep through your flooring, safeguarding your subfloors from any possible structural damage. On top of this, it aids in keeping potential mold and mildew at bay, discouraging it from growing below your floors where you probably won’t even notice it. That means underlayment doesn’t only secure better health for your home, but for you, too. A win-win if you ask us.

4. Guarantees Some Level of Sound Reduction

It’s no secret (or surprise) that hard flooring tends to be pretty noisy when you walk all over it. Unlike with carpet, there’s simply nothing there to muffle the sound and ensure the noise of daily life and pitter-patter of little feet stays to a minimum. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not everyone cares if every step rings out clear, but if you happen to have a lot of foot traffic or particularly active kids, cats, or dogs, you’ll likely find yourself caring a great deal more. Things can get loud fast, especially should your walls also be on the thinner side.

Luckily, opting for underlayment can help deaden a large amount of the sound, absorbing some of the noise much like carpet would. That way, you get some of the benefits of soft flooring without all the downsides. It’s a particularly great move for multigeneration households or those who live in a condo or apartment since it allows you to move around more without disturbing anybody nearby.

5. Blocks Out Some of the Cold

For the majority of the country, cold weather is a non-negotiable, at least for a few months of the year. It’s merely one of the tradeoffs you get for having four full seasons. Unfortunately, that’s not always very fun to deal with. It’ll leave your heating bill sky high in a heartbeat, all while not even sparing your feet from the frigid chill. And in return, you’ll be forced to dole out extra cash every month and wear your slippers around 24/7 just to avoid freezing your poor extremities. To call it rude would be an understatement. Tired of it? Underlayment can at least assist with the latter half of this problem. Adding this form of padding beneath your vinyl plank once again provides an extra layer of protection between you and the outside, acting as insulation. All that cold air swirling around out there beyond your door is then kept exactly where it belongs and the warm from your heater is kept safely inside. The result is a room that generally feels more temperate and a floor that doesn’t feel like it’ll give you frostbite anytime soon. What’s not to like about that?

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Category Posted In: Floor UnderlaymentTagged: QuietWalk Luxury Vinyl Vinyl Plank Flooring4 Comments

When Underlayment is Not Necessary for Laminate Flooring

Re-doing your flooring is a big undertaking, especially for large rooms or your entire home. It takes a considerable amount of time, dedication, and, of course, cash, making it imperative that you follow the old adage (both figuratively and literally, depending on your flooring choice) to cut once and measure twice. Often neither cheap nor easy, you should get exactly the floor you what you want and do it right the first time, saving you from having to do it all over again just a couple of years down the road. This is why it is important to know when underlayment is not necessary for laminate flooring.

For laminate flooring, opting for underlayment is typically encouraged. After all, you really do get several benefits from using the specialized padding. Extra stability and support, noise reduction, cushioning, improved plank laying, and locking system support – all good things if you want your floor to last (and generally be at its best). But what people don’t tell you is that there are a few situations where you can get by without using underlayment. Here are the main ones where underlayment is more a nicety than a true necessity.

Subfloors are in Good Shape

Out of all the items on this list, this is perhaps one of the best reasons to skimp on the underlayment. Why? Well, underlayment is handy for a lot of things, but it’s most crucial for stability. Not including houses that are pretty newly developed or were made with exceptionally great materials/attention to detail, most of our subfloors aren’t flawless. They’ll usually have minor imperfections and slight variations, which can seriously affect the smoothness of any flooring laid over them and impact the connection between the laminate planks.

That’s bad regardless but can only lead to more issues as the seasons and years pass by. Underlayment’s used to nix these before they ever happen as it provides a perfect, solid base for your flooring, free from dents, rips, and the wear of time. A nice dense felt underlayment like QuietWalk is excellent for covering subfloor imperfections. But if you don’t have these or the others factors mentioned next to contend with, underlayment may be optional for you.

Moisture Won’t Be a Problem

Subfloor conditions will significantly impact whether laminate underlayment is essential or not. There are other factors to consider, too, however. Moisture is especially important among these. Underlayment is basically a must-have for areas that tend to be wetter and more prone to humidity because this also increases the amount of moisture in your subfloors. Without underlayment to add a layer between these damp subfloors and the surface flooring, your laminate can quickly become wet, warped, and mildewy, harming its overall integrity. Moisture over time can also break down floor adhesive which causes the floor to start warping.

Not everyone lives in a particularly humid environment, though. Places like Arizona, Nevada, and Utah are significantly drier and hotter with ground that reflects that, meaning that moisture is unlikely to be any major concern. Happen to be among the lucky ranks who live here? Underlayment won’t be nearly as necessary to keep your laminate looking and functioning at its absolute best.

You Don’t Mind a Little Noise

Protection from subfloor imperfections and moisture are both two primary reasons underlayment is a smart choice. But it does have its other perks, too. For example, since it functions as padding between surface and subfloors, much of the noise you’d expect is absorbed, helping the pitter-patter of little (or sometimes not-so-little paws and the loud running of growing rugrats come down to a much more manageable volume. This makes the stuff ideal for busy growing families. Kids and pets can run around, parents can do all their laundry and work, and guests can come and go as needed without serious disturbance.

Yet, that’s not a major bonus for everyone. Some folks have less foot traffic in the house or simply tolerate it better. In these cases, underlayment is definitely way less attractive, and that’s totally fair. We wouldn’t recommend passing on it just because of this, but if you’re already checking off other points we’re talking about, you’re pretty safe to spend your hard-earned cash elsewhere.

Budget is a Big Concern

While on the subject of cash, we’d be remiss not to talk about budget influence here. As we’ve fully admitted, using underlayment brings plenty of benefits to your flooring project. However, it comes at a cost – i.e., though less than flooring, it is an added expense. Laminate and underlayment are mid-cost ranged flooring combos available these days, adding up to a higher price tag than you might be looking for. Some people doing reno might be willing and able to eat those additional costs, but what if you’re already on a tight budget? You could skip it or consider a more affordable foam underlayment.

Underlayment will get you the best results possible, but as with any project, you must have your priorities sorted out and constantly keep them in mind as you move forward. What’s most critical to you? Do you need to keep your immediate costs down but are okay potentially spending down the line for repairs? Are you good on money right now and need to ensure future replacement won’t be needed? Is comfort and sound reduction the main focus, or are you willing to pass on it for easy, cheaper installation? How much are you ready to spend, anyways? Answer these honestly, balance your priorities, and the question of laminate underlayment or not will be easy as can be.

With that being said, if you don’t have all three requirements listed above, underlayment is still highly recommended. Moisture issues and uneven subfloors can result in laminate floor failure, costing you far more in repair costs than installing an underlayment.

Underlayment Comes Pre-Attached

Although there are pad-attached laminate planks out there, you may feel like you’re getting a better deal, but the cost of the attached underlayment is worked into the floor price and quality.

Here is a segment from the carpet captain’s blog, “Laminate Underlayment Guide”. “Since underlayment is an important part of the installation, I usually like my underlayment separate just because I can be more choosy on the type and specifications. You do get a little more convenience with having attached pad, but underlayment is easy to install.”

A separate underlayment will still provide plenty of benefits for anyone who is already set on pad-attached laminate flooring. QuietWalk’s compression resistance exceeds the requirement for pre-attached flooring that is greater than 29 psi @50% per ASTM D1667. The high compression resistance assures that the underlayment will not contribute to floor decoupling.

Conclusion

Underlayment’s great, but if you’re lucky enough to have a dry climate, spotless subfloors, and little need for noise control, it isn’t a necessity. If you have all the optimal conditions and don’t want to spend the extra money for additional benefits, you might as well just lay down your laminate without it. You’ll save on material expenses. This can be helpful in the short term, but the floor’s longevity will be an added risk. If you’re like most of us, you won’t have the fortunate circumstances to skip underlayment. Don’t worry, we got you covered; our underlayment selector tool will help you find the perfect underlayment for your laminate flooring!

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You are about to install your new flooring. As you lay the first plank you realize that

Category Posted In: Floor UnderlaymentTagged: QuietWalk QuietWalk Luxury Vinyl QuietWalk Plus