Underlay - The Things You Need To Know

When buying a costly carpet or laminate flooring, many purchasers get so carried away with the entire look that they totally disregard the underlay. This can be a big mistake. A high quality Australian Wool Underlay will not only offer you that soft, springy feeling beneath the feet, nonetheless it may also protect your investment by dramatically increasing carpet life. Other benefits are improved heat insulation, that ought to help lower your utility bills, while special acoustic underlays are great at blocking out those unwanted sounds.

What type of underlay?

Underlay for carpets will come in many forms. The most typical could be the rubber waffle type, and its cousin the rubber crumb. Another popular choice is polyurethane foam (PU foam), a big favourite with carpet fitters due to its lightweight, and being easy to govern, cut, and fit. Wool felt underlay tends can be found in offices, where there is a significance of good acoustic properties and long life. Whichever underlay you choose, it pays to get the utmost effective you can afford. You won't regret it.

When installing laminate or wood flooring, the underlay choices are similar. The only major difference being that, when laying laminate over concrete, the underlay should incorporate a wet proof membrane (DPF). Some underlays include this, however it is always good to check.

Ready your floors and install

No matter what kind of underlay you are installing, good floor preparation is essential. A floor must be smooth, dry and clean. Vacuum or sweep thoroughly and, if necessary, eliminate any protruding nails. You are now ready to put in the underlay!

• Nail the carpet gripper round the edge of the space, leaving a 10-15mm gap, wide enough so the carpet will tuck neatly into this space.
• Rubber underlay should really be laid with the waffle side on the floor and the backing uppermost. When working with polyurethane foam underlay, the coloured side should lie face down on the floor, so the foam meets the carpet.
• Ensure that the underlay extends several centimetres beyond the carpet gripper.
• The rolls of underlay need to be fitted closely together, although not overlap.
• Once everything is lined-up correctly, staple the underlay to the floor along the inside of the gripper, and then trim the extra underlay with a sharp utility knife. The ultimate step is to seal the seams with a special underlay tape. This serves a double purpose. It will prevent unsightly lines showing through in your carpet, and also keep the underlay set up when the carpet is being laid on top.

When installing underlay for wooden or laminate flooring, the ground preparation is a lot more critical. The outer lining must be completely level and clean. On concrete, install the underlay with the DPF facing the floor. Use enough underlay to make sure a surplus of 3-5cms at all times a floor and extending up the walls. The seams are then sealed with tape. Once the laminate has been laid set up, the excess underlay can be trimmed off, giving a neat finish.