Underlayments

The term "underlayment" refers to any roll or sheet product designed to be installed over the sub-floor surface and under the floating flooring, this applies to both laminate flooring and hardwood floors

Underlayment is neccesary for all floating flooring installations, regardless of type of floor. The main purpose of underlayment is to prevent any moisture damage to the floor that may arise from moiisture problems in the concrete slab.

Underlayments are available in different thicknesses and with different inherent characteristics. A basic underlayment is simply a moisture barrier. An upgraded underlayment would include an accoustic cushion. The purpose of the acoustic cushion is to absorb sound and thus reduce the hollow sound effect one often hears when walking on a floating floor. The acoustic underlayments are usually a two in one moisture barrier and acoustic cushion, thus it is only neccesary to purchase the one type. However some acoustic underlayments do not include a moisture barrier, in which case one must purchase the aditional moisture barrier. When purchasing be sure to check if your underlayment is a 2-in-1 or simply an acoustic or moisture underlayment.

Laminate flooring is recommended for an environment where the "challenges" of children and pets exist and it is not significantly noisier than other flooring choices. The choice of underlayment will have the greatest effect in reducing noise from pedestrian foot traffic.