What is the Best Underlay for Laminate & Wood Flooring?

You’ve your mind made up, your heart is set your buying a floor… that is the hardest part over but what about what goes underneath it, what about the bits you do not see. Underlay. Its vitally important to select the correct underlay for your needs. An effective underlay will provide thermal insulation, increase the comfort of your floor, and reduce the amount of noise from footfall. Some will also protect from residual moisture from concrete floors.

The underlay you choose will be influenced by the room it is going into and the subfloor type. You can find underlay for laminate flooring in a variety of materials ranging from basic foam and sponge rubber to fibreboard.

• Low Traffic Areas: In low-traffic areas like spare bedrooms or attic rooms with minimal moisture exposure, a basic foam underlay may suffice.
• High Traffic Areas: For high-traffic areas like living rooms or kitchens, a higher density underlay with good compressive strength, or one that helps to soundproof, might be the best option.

Its worth noting that if your underlay has a low compressive strength, it should not be more than 40% of the thickness of the flooring to be installed on top of it.

• Timbertech
• Comfort Green
• Fibre Board

For engineered flooring, you need a product that is high density and not more than 5mm thick with a low compression rating. If the underlay is thicker than 5mm, your new floor is likely to become unstable.

• Timbertech
• Fibre Board

If you have a concrete subfloor, you need an underlay with a built-in vapour barrier. An underlay, such as the Timbertech or Comfort range with a vapor barrier, will prevent moisture from traveling through and damaging your new floor. Whils it is important to note that this is not a DPM (Damp Proof Membrane), it is designed to hold back residual levels of moisture present in concrete. If you have a dampness or moisture issue in your subfloor, it should be addressed before installation.

• Timbertech 3mm
• Timbertech 2mm
• Comfort Silver (with foil)
• Comfort Green

If you have a damp or moisture issue in your subfloor, this should be addressed before installation.

If your main concern is noise reduction, a high-density thick underfelt should be used to reduce the levels of impact and living noise.

• Fibre Board
• Timbertech Range

We stock a range of underlays suitable for underfloor heating. These underlays are similar to duvets and are rated by tog ratings, which measure the thermal resistance of the underlay. The lower the resistance, the better it is for underfloor heating.

• Best in class: The Trojan Traffic XL, specifically designed for underfloor heating.
• Alternative: The Timbertech, which also offers low thermal resistance.

In contrast, the higher the tog rating, the better the thermal resistance. For customers seeking more thermal insulation for colder rooms, fiberboard and TechniBoard are the best choices.

• Low tog for underfloor heating.
• High tog for insulation.

You might think it’s okay to choose a thick underlay for better comfort, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Several factors must be considered when selecting the thickness of your underlay.

The thickness of your underlay can also affect the locking mechanism of your floor. For example, when choosing an underlay for laminate flooring, a foam underlay thicker than 5mm is not ideal, as it may cause the locking system to unclick. This could lead to flooring failures, where the flooring appears to split apart.