Wood Floor Underlay: How to Choose the Right Wood Floor Underlay

Underlay is commonly used in conjunction with the engineered wood floor laying method of floating. Solid floor can be floated either through clip or a click system, though at Jordan Andrews we prefer using a slotted matt underlay which allows the boards to be glued through the slots to the sub-floor or the underlay Elastilon, which is an adhesive underlay.

Underlay is used to combat moisture, reduce noise impact for floors in busy households or flats and can be used in combination with underfloor heating to help with insulation and improve the evenness of a floor.

What are the different types of wood floor underlay?

Poly-foam underlays

Our poly-foam underlay ranges are composed from lightweight closed cell polyethylene foam which is 100% recyclable. They offer excellent acoustic and thermal insulation and are suitable for underfloor heating. They all combat unevenness in the sub-floor surface, are dust free and easy to lay. The foam with the foil layer also acts as a vapour barrier. These underlays are suitable for floated engineered and laminate wood floors.

Sponge rubber underlays

These underlays are a high density resilient sponge rubber. These underlays offer the best in sound proofing insulation and reduce in room and impact noise. They also protect against moisture when used with vapour stop tape and provide excellent sub-floor masking for minor sub-level imperfections. They are suitable for floated laminate and engineered wood flooring.

The Duralay heatflow is designed specifically for underfloor heating as it doesn't absorb the heat as much and conducts through the flooring to provide greater warmth.

Adhesive underlay

Adhesive underlay is for solid wood flooring and is similar to floating as it allows the seasonal movement of the boards whilst including all the sound and insulation benefits of a good underlay.

The wooden boards are pressed together on an elastic adhesive mat which has been previously rolled out and then the protective layer between the floor and the mat is removed. This can be a good method of installing a solid wood floor in apartment building as no nails are used which can transfer the noise through the sub-floor.

Slotted mat underlay

Slotted mat underlay is another alternative for solid wood flooring and can achieve a high level of noise reduction making it suitable for upstairs rooms or flats. The underlay is 3mm thick chemically cross linked closed cell polyolefin foam specially developed and designed for use as an acoustic underlay for solid and engineered hardwood flooring.

Damp-proof underlay

The studded membrane of the underlay has a high water vapour resistance manufactured from polypropylene. The studs provide shock absorption and a controlled deformation always less than 2mm. This underlay provides walking comfort, sound insulation, suitable for underfloor heating and has a first-rate protection against moisture. It is designed for laying on concrete and suitable for floated engineered flooring. We also have a stick down studded underlay which can be used for solid wood floors and would need to be fully adhered.