What is underlayment? Why is it important?

What is underlayment? Why is it important?

The importance of a sub-flooring material, also known as an underlayment, can’t be stressed too much notwithstanding the particular type of flooring product that you are planning to install. An underlayment is actually different from a sub-floor. An underlayment is located between the structural sub-floor of the foundation and the flooring material.

 An underlayment is there to absorb any roughness, or imperfections that are in a sub-floor. It is provided to allow the flooring to be installed on top of a smooth, hard surface that will give it the additional support that it requires.

An underlayment designed for soft flooring materials like carpet is quite different from an underlayment intended for hard surfaces. It’s a good idea to have some understanding about the varieties and different uses of an underlayment prior to selecting new flooring products for the floors in any home remodeling project. 

Underlayment and subfloors are understandably one of the most important considerations for any new flooring project in either a residential or commercial application. Properly choosing and installing an underlayment and subfloor material is critically important to ensure both the proper wear and stability of any new floor that you install.

Before looking at the role of this important flooring component, it is important to understand the real difference between an underlayment and a sub-floor. Stated in basic terms, a sub-floor is used for foundational or structural support. The underlayment, however, is just placed atop the subfloor to provide a foundation for the flooring product that will be placed upon it.

The best idea here is to hire a professional installation team with extensive on site flooring experience to handle your new flooring project. When you do this, a flooring specialist will come to your residence and inspect the rooms where you plan to have new flooring placed, in order to determine just what your subfloor and underlayment situation is. In that way, you can rest assured that your new floors will only be placed on materials recommended by their manufacturer and installed professionally, thus eliminating any chance of voiding their warranty.