Laminate flooring Underlayments

The acoustical underlayment is used to reduce the transmission of noise that is created when walking on the floor. As laminate floors are installed according to the floating floor method, they tend to sound hollow when walked on. The addition of this acoustical undelayment will reduce and in most cases completely negate this hollow sound, making your floor sound more like real laminate. Note however that an acoustical underlayment does not have any water repellent qualities and thus must only be used in conjunction with a moisture barrier when installed over a concrete subfloor. The moisture barrier is placed directly on the concrete and the acoustic barrier lies on top. Do not overlap the edges of the acoustical barrier, as this will result in high spots on the floor. Use Duck tape to attach the edges. Acoustical underlayments are available in an assortment of materials, ranging form cork to felt. When installing a laminate floor in a condo, be sure that the acoustical properties of the underlayment meet or exceed the noise reduction specifications set by the condo regulations.

Today, many laminate floors come with an acoustical backing already attached to the laminate flooring boards. The only advantage of this method over a separate acoustical barrier is that it makes for a quicker installation. Note that when installing over a concrete subfloor, it is still necessary to utilize a moisture barrier.

As well as offering acoustical dampening and water repellent properties, these underlayments also offer a certain amount of stability to the laminate floor, as well as evening out any minor undulations in the subfloor.