The bouncy, closed-cell plastic foam sheet sold in rolls is known as underlayment or “padding,” depending on the context. It is laid out between the subfloor and the laminate flooring planks. A vapor barrier is frequently advised in addition to the underlayment, especially in a below-grade installation on a concrete basement floor. An underlayment may be applied to some laminate flooring boards. Underlayment is a need. We advise you to purchase rolls of underlayment to build your laminate floor if it isn’t already fastened to your laminate planks. So, do you need underlay for laminate?

Underlayment and subfloors are arguably the most crucial component of any flooring job in the home and commercial settings. To ensure proper wear and stability of any flooring, underlayments and subfloors must be chosen and installed correctly.

An underlayment performs two tasks that are essential for a laminate flooring installation to go smoothly:
1. Underlayment eliminates any slight subfloor irregularities.
2. The enhanced acoustical performance of underlayment.

Avoid adding another underlayment if your laminate flooring planks already have one installed because doing so will terminate your Flooring Fitters London warranty.

Laminate underlayment is a foam typically 3 feet wide and between 30 and 100 feet long. The thicknesses vary from 6 to 8 mm.

Even if the underlayment you are installing already has a vapor barrier attached, we advise using a 6-mil-poly vapor barrier if your installation is over concrete. The attached vapor barrier may become compromised by unintentional nicks or tears made during structure. An additional layer of defense is provided by adding a vapor barrier.

Underlayment for laminate flooring varies in quality; thus, we advise spending as much as possible on it because, generally, underlayment’s performance corresponds to its cost. The least priced and least effective underlays are typically those that are white.