What lies beneath
September 14th, 2010
Q: We are thinking of installing an engineered floor. As it is a floating floor that is not touching the sub-floor, do we need an underlay?
A: The answer is definitely yes. The underlay provides soundproofing, insulation and - if required - damp proofing.You will find there are two types of underlay you will need, one for concrete subfloors and one for a wooden subfloor.Concrete subfloors can let moisture through so the underlay for this will come with a barrier that prevents your engineered floor being exposed.Wooden subfloors are less prone to this, but such a barrier may be added to underlays designed for this purpose.Also, if you have underfloor heating you will need an underlay suitable for this.Of course, you must also make sure your sub-floor is even and if it is not, take action to ensure this is resolved before laying down the underlay and the floor on top of it.
