Do You Have To Put Padding Under Hardwood Floors

This has improved as flooring products have evolved of course.

Do you have to put padding under hardwood floors.

I have been researching the web and have found numerous opinions pros and cons on the use of a proper underlayment. Engineered wood flooring however offers far more options for the addition of the padding style underlayment. One of the issues with laminate flooring and other floating floors is the noise of footfalls. Placing underlayment padding can help with covering up minor imperfections and slight unevenness with a subfloor.

Note that the underlayment you purchase should be specifically marked for use with hardwood floors not for carpets. If you plan to nail or staple your hardwood floor in place virtually any underlayment can be used. To make sure your house remains safe you ll need to take care of your flooring system. A pad underneath an area rug is well worth the investment for both safety purposes and to help that rug stay exactly where you want it.

But there s something else that backs the flooring of your house and they re the underlayment. Hardwood floors do not require underlayment padding but they may squeak and creak if you place the surface boards directly against the underlayment. And stability as you know is what you re after if you want your floor to last. Floors construct our houses in a fine way.

Unlike padding under a carpet this type of underlayment padding is too thin for you to feel when you walk across a laminate floor. Most floors require a slope or change of no more than 1 8 across any 6 foot span and underlayment will not correct subfloors that do not meet that. Underlay helps to reduce noise. An area rug on its own slips easily when stepped upon especially on smooth floors such as hardwood or laminates.

If you re laying the lvp over an existing cushion backed vinyl floor or a below grade tile floor then you won t need to use an underlayment. I have a heated insulated basement with duct work running along the ceiling and i want to maintain a good heat transfer and at the same time keep out any potential dampness or moisture from coming thru the hardwood to the main floor. However you ll want to use one in every other application including covering existing hardwood floors vinyl flooring that isn t cushioned and concrete floors. Padding and layers under hardwood flooring soft padded foam of the type that is regularly installed under laminate flooring is one layer installed between the subflooring and solid hardwood flooring.

You need to make sure the floors and subfloors can give their feedback long enough. Again this is for minor imperfections. Carpet padding does not provide enough support for hardwood floors and is often too thick for nail installation. An area rug is a great way to add a little warmth under foot atop a cool hardwood floor.