A cozy atmosphere is one of the main requirements for a living space. Upon arrival at home, each person wants to relax, enjoy peace and quiet. However, if your restless child runs around on the floor, then distinct sounds are made that interfere with a peaceful rest. And when your downstairs neighbors listen to loud music in addition to everything, then one can only dream of silence. An effective solution to this problem is the purchase of a floor underlay. Of course, it is quite difficult to figure out all the nuances on your own, but our information will help you successfully select the appropriate insulating layer.
Benefits of underlayment for laminate flooring
Flooring plays a very important role in renovation. And the choice of material for the floor should be taken seriously. Today, laminate is called the most popular coating due to its durability, wear resistance and relative cheapness. However, buying the material itself is half the battle, since you still need to choose a substrate for the laminate.
Soundproofing
The laminate has one unpleasant feature: the sound of footsteps is quite loud. Both for you and for your neighbors. There are two reasons for this: the coating itself is thin - in the laminate, 8 millimeters is considered the most popular thickness; as well as a floating laying method, as a result of which a kind of membrane is obtained under the feet that transmits sounds. To dampen such impact noise, an underlayment is placed on subfloors when laying laminate flooring.
Some manufacturers integrate special soundproofing systems into their product - a similar layer is glued on the back of the laminated floor planks. An integrated underlay is commonly found on Grade 33 and Grade 32 laminates. Such a coating is very convenient to lay, but the integration of the substrate into the laminate significantly increases the cost of production. Therefore, a more prudent decision would be to purchase warm substrates for laminate in rolls or sheets. The soundproofing abilities of such material are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.
Surface leveling
In addition to reducing noise, such an intermediate layer between the laminate and the base is able to slightly smooth out the unevenness of the screed under the floor covering. It's sad that a new subfloor isn't always ready for laminate flooring. In the manufacture of the screed, some differences are obtained, and such deviations are not permissible for laying floor coverings.
When arranging laminated parquet on a concrete surface, after a few months, a so-called "backlash" appears in some places. Laminate, as a rule, sags in those places where the distance between the rough screed and the floor is maximum. Even if a gap of several millimeters has formed, then the unevenness during walking will be noticeable anyway.
Therefore, additional leveling of the base is required. For this, you need a substrate for a polystyrene foam laminate, which allows you to achieve a perfectly flat floor surface and hide minor differences. But do not get too carried away with the thickness - the use of a substrate with a thickness of more than 3 millimeters is unacceptable, because a too thick laminate substrate will sag at the joints of the flooring planks, and the connecting locks may simply be damaged.
Moisture isolation
Humidity has a detrimental effect on floor coverings. If due attention is paid to the natural drying process when arranging the floor, then there will be no problems when laying the laminate. A new concrete screed should dry naturally for at least one month.
In any case, it will not be superfluous to carry out a simple test to see if the substrate is ready for arranging a laminate floor. Throw a plastic bag on the floor in the evening, and check in the morning - if perspiration has appeared on it, then the screed is not yet ready for laying the laminate. Laminate underlay is able to maintain a microclimate between the floor covering and the subfloor and protect the surface from process moisture from cement or concrete.
Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity is especially important when using a floor heating system. Laminate flooring has inherent thermal insulation properties. Substrates under the laminate and "warm floor" are also heat insulators. Thus, the "warm floor" system is under two layers of thermal insulation, which reduces the heating efficiency.
Think about it, in this case it is not necessary to bear the costs of buying and installing floor heating, as well as paying for the electricity consumed. The substrate under the laminate has high thermal insulation properties and is able to provide good thermal insulation of the floor.
Properties of the substrate under the laminate
So, the need for laying insulating material under the laminate is beyond doubt. It remains only to choose the substrate. High-quality roll and sheet substrates are not too cheap, however, according to the masters, saving on this material can end in unpleasant consequences, up to the swelling of the laminate. In this case, you need to find a compromise, having found out what qualities the substrate under the laminate floor should have.
A special insulating material that does not allow direct contact of the laminate floor with the subfloor must meet the following requirements:
- be neutral to interaction with alkaline materials;
- have bactericidal properties;
- perform the function of thermal insulation;
- have high moisture resistance;
- do not promote the reproduction of rodents and harmful insects;
- provide an opportunity to remove condensate - microventilation;
- reduce the load on the interlock of the laminate floor.
Choosing a laminate flooring
What kind of substrate to choose, because there are many varieties of this material on the market? First of all, you need to proceed from the state of the rough base of the floor. If the screed is in good condition and meets the established tolerances, then you can safely take a two-millimeter substrate. In the case when the concrete has small flaws, it is recommended to buy a three-millimetric substrate under the isoplat laminate.
On the building materials market, there are such types of substrates for laminate flooring: polyethylene foam, extruded polystyrene foam substrates, combined, bituminous substrates with cork and cork materials. It is a mistake to believe that it is worth buying a substrate from the same manufacturer as the laminate floor. This is of no fundamental importance.
Polyethylene foam pads
Polyethylene substrates are very popular, because they are highly moisture resistant, have good thermal insulation properties, are not infected by various fungi and bacteria, and are not interesting to insects and rodents. It is convenient and easy to work with such material, it is economical and produces little waste. Not infrequently, the film has an additional layer of metallized film. Foil substrates for laminate using aluminum are also produced.
However, in addition to advantages, polyethylene foam substrates also have disadvantages. They do not retain their shape well and can sag over time. In addition, such insulating material is afraid of ultraviolet radiation.
Cork substrates
Cork underlay is a good insulating material and is an excellent base for a floating floor. It is known as an excellent thermal insulator and is resistant to mold and rot. The material is produced in rolls and sheets. It is used as a heat insulator in "warm floors" and a substrate for floating floors. It retains its linear dimensions and technical properties throughout the entire service life.
The high cost of cork films makes it impractical to install it for inexpensive laminate floors, which have a short useful life. The disadvantage of a cork underlay under a laminate is that when it is used, condensation can form on the underside of the laminate.
Bitumen-cork substrates
Bitumen-cork films are made on the basis of kraft paper with the addition of bitumen, after which it is covered with cork chips on top. Cork dressing is made from pieces, 2-3 millimeters in size. In addition, such a substrate perfectly absorbs sounds and, thanks to bitumen, prevents the penetration of moisture.
Bitumen-cork substrates provide air exchange at the proper level, equalize pressure and prevent the formation of condensate. The material is useful when it is planned to lay an expensive and durable type of laminate. With low-grade cheap laminate flooring, this coating is not advisable to use.
Styrofoam substrates
Extruded polystyrene foam is often used as an insulating layer under a laminate floor. Such a film is the optimal solution in terms of load resistance. In addition, it well levels the unevenness of the concrete base. Thanks to these qualities, an extruded polystyrene foam underlayment can be used for a room that is heavily used.
Effective absorption of vibrations and stresses guarantees increased walking comfort. Expanded polystyrene well insulates the laminated floor and, due to the closed structure of its cells, is highly moisture resistant. The material initially has a high density, so it retains its own elasticity and thickness for a very long time.
Combined substrates
Synthetic combined substrates, which are used in the production of expanded polystyrene and polyethylene, are quite in demand today. The best-known example of such a material is the well-known Tuplex substrate. The combined film is a kind of “sandwich”, where expanded polystyrene balls are located between two layers of polyethylene with different characteristics.
The material is sold in rolls and has a thickness of about 2-3 millimeters. Due to its design, the film is able to ventilate the space. The top layer, made of high-density polyethylene, prevents moisture from penetrating to the base of the floor if water suddenly gets on the floor. A thin lower layer allows moisture to pass from the rough base to the granules, and from there it is brought out due to technological gaps.
The advantages of the combined substrate are its flexibility, strength and ability to maintain the original thickness, as well as to even out subfloor defects.
Special substrates
Special insulating material can reduce transit noises or dampen the sounds of footsteps with maximum efficiency. Due to the creation of natural ventilation, the material is able to remove moisture that has fallen under the floor covering. The use of special substrates reduces the laying time of the laminated floor by 2-3 times due to the built-in moisture-resistant membrane. Special substrates in many respects have good characteristics, but are characterized by high cost.
Underlayment technology for laminate flooring
When laying a substrate under a laminate, professional skills, work experience and special tools are not required, but certain rules must be carefully observed. First of all, the performance and durability of the laminate depends on the literacy of the work. With the correct laying of the substrate under the floor covering, you and your neighbors will not remember each other!
Preparatory work
If the screed is concrete, stone or cement, then you need to put a layer of plastic film on it for the purpose of waterproofing, and then start laying the substrate. The thickness of the polyethylene should be a little more than an ordinary plastic bag - close to 0.2 millimeters. The top layer of the laminated floor is covered with a protective film that protects the coating from moisture, so the bottom surface should not be left unprotected.
Before laying the substrate, the substrate must be thoroughly vacuumed. Without fail, it must be dry. The substrate can be cut with ordinary scissors or a construction knife, the measured lines are applied with a pencil or marker using a ruler. To achieve maximum evenness of the surface, you can not make several layers of the substrate. It will be enough to take a submarine, the thickness of which is 2-3 millimeters.
If you choose a thicker polystyrene laminate underlay for uneven coverage, the laminate locking devices may break under pressure. Yes, and walking on the floor in this case will be inconvenient, as the panels bend.
Substrate laying
It is recommended to place the underlay across the direction in which the laminate panels will be laid. This is done so that a piece of the floor does not move out of its place during careless movement. When laying, it is imperative to put a substrate under the laminate on the walls - this will ensure the safety and durability of the coating. If the material is damaged, then if damaged areas are found, it should be covered with an additional layer of substrate under the laminate.
If the film is corrugated, then the side with the corrugated surface must be laid down, so it will be better to level the base. If the material is with aluminum foil, then the side with the foil should be placed up.
Thus, choosing a laminate from the whole variety of modern floor coverings, it is recommended to buy a special submarine for laminate to provide sound insulation and smooth out irregularities on a rough basis. Special insulating material has a number of positive properties and is presented on the market in a wide range. It won't be difficult to find the right underlayment for you!
