Wood Flooring Underlay: A Guide

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Underlay is a key part of the installation and performance of wood flooring. Read on for our comprehensive guide.

Underlay is an essential part of wood flooring. It’s always good to have basic knowledge of the subject. This will help you make get a clearer view and make informed decisions on what you want for your floor. In this article, we will give you all the information you need to make the right underlayment choice. Let’s dive right in.

Basic Knowledge

For starters, you need to know what an underlay is when it comes to wood flooring. Most floors are made up of three main components. You have the subfloor, which is the first layer from the bottom. It determines the quality of the floor you will have. Next comes the under layer, a slim layer of material that helps correct and protect both the subfloor and the upper layer, which is the floor itself. It is worth noting that applying an under layer might be pointless if you use Wood Floor Warehouse click vinyl because this type of LVT flooring comes with an additional base layer. Then we have the final layer, which you might have guessed is the floor itself.

Benefits of Flooring Underlay

The under layer is not just a fancy word used by experts to make you question your wood knowledge, and here are some benefits to prove it.

  • Moisture Barrier

Wood is one of the materials used in construction that is greatly impacted by the change in temperature. During warm seasons like summer, where temperatures are pretty high, wood tends to expand, and the reverse is true when the temperature goes down. This gives room for moisture build-up, which might affect the floor. The underlayer serves as a moisture controller that prevents both the subfloor and upper layer from being damaged.

  • Soundproofing

Before getting there, you should know that there are two types of sounds to consider here. You have airborne sounds, which are basically sounds that come from voices, phones, TV sets, and other devices that might emit sound. To reduce this type of sound, you need to install sound absorption materials in the house.

The other type of sound observed is the impact noise. As you may have understood by its name, it is produced when an object hits the floor. The sound here is spread by vibration, which in the long run may disrupt floor installation. In this case, you need a floor underlayment that can reduce the transfer of these vibrations on the floor.

  • Smoothen the Subfloor

A smooth and even subfloor guarantees better stability to your floor. Most subfloors are not very smooth and often have some minor irregularities that can easily be fixed with the right underlayer. Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that it is always important to address the major issues in your subfloor before thinking of adding the next layer.

  • Insulating Material

Wood is a poor conductor of heat. This is due to the fact that the atoms in wood pieces are tightly bound and so cannot freely transmit the energy from different sources. In simpler terms, wood takes a longer time to absorb heat and equally takes a longer time to release it. So, without an insulating material that is able to keep heat energy for a longer period of time, your floor might feel cold. Most underlayers come with an insulating property that will be highly beneficial during winter.

Steps to Installing a Floor Underlayment

We will take foam underlayment as a case study as it is the easiest to install without a professional.

  • Step 1: Unroll the material to the other side of the room, and make sure to leave an extra 7 cm to 8 cm up the wall.
  • Step 2: Line up the first edge to the wall and staple one end to the wall.
  • Step 3: Proceed to remove the self-adhesive strip and fasten the first sheet to the subfloor. If your underlayment does not have self-adhesive tape, you can use wood flooring tape. You can then proceed to tack the sheet down with a tack hammer or a stapler while moving downwards.
  • Step 4: Do the same thing with the following sheets while making sure the edges are aligned. Tape each seam together at the top to make sure they are sealed and strengthened.

There are different types of wood underlay you can pick based on your home and the characteristics you are looking for. Make sure to understand the various options you have and apply everything you’ve just learned.

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