What Is The Best Underlayment For Vinyl Flooring

There s no need for a moisture barrier underlayment on plywood.

What is the best underlayment for vinyl flooring.

This is the layer that you see and walk on. We recommend using a vapor barrier on a cement subfloor to prevent moisture from seeping up and sitting beneath your flooring. With certain types of flooring the underlayment can be just as important as the floor itself. If you re installing new vinyl flooring over an existing floor such as hardwood tile laminate or vinyl then cork or foam make good choices.

Its purpose is to provide a smooth flat surface for the floor covering. An underlayment that offers more cushioning is armstrong flooring quiet comfort. Vinyl floors that are glue down or loose lay will not need a vinyl underlayment as these floors will be installed directly over the subfloor. It s more important that the underlayment dampens sounds and feels comfortable.

Meaning if you re going to install vinyl plank flooring over tile vinyl flooring and even. If you ve chosen to go the vinyl path you re probably wondering about the best underlayment for vinyl plank flooring. A vinyl flooring underlayment will not be as thick as a laminate or hardwood underlayment. The airguard 5 in 1 floor underlayment is an ideal option if you re shopping for floor underlayment for laminate.

Like plywood or osb flooring you can forgo the underlayment entirely if you prefer. Wear layers and topcoats can protect the surface of your floor but underlay adds a layer of protection to the bottom of your boards or tiles. This is the finished visible flooring surface such as hardwood planks carpeting ceramic tile or vinyl. While vinyl flooring is known for its resiliency it would be a major mistake to overlook the underlayment.

The good news is that vinyl floor products often ship with attached cork underlayment. For our discussion of underlayment a wide range of flooring comes under the heading of hardwood. Vinyl plank flooring is a floating floor so it is important to have underlayment across the entire surface of your flooring. To keep moisture and mold away this underlayment is treated with microban and includes airguard technology to promote airflow with embedded polyshims that prevent compression and allow moisture vapor to escape.

It includes domestic solid hardwood flooring such as oak maple hickory and ash and exotic varieties like brazilian cherrywood koa teak or sakura. Just under the visible floor covering is a layer of some kind of material usually only about 1 4 or 1 2 inch thick.