Can I lay laminate flooring over cork tiles and omit the underlay normally needed?

Question

Can I lay laminate flooring over cork tiles and omit the underlay normally needed?

Answer 1

why don't you just rip them out totally and start from scratch? I think if you're going to do something like that, you should do it properly to avoid any problems after because if you start getting damp under there or something else and it starts smelling awful etc...then you'll have to rip it all out again anyway. Just do it the way it should be done.

Answer 2

It would work just fine. In fact, rolls of cork are popular as an underlayment for a variety of floors, including laminate. The only thing that would give me any pause at all would be that your cork is sealed as opposed to the typically unsealed underlayment. However, if the cork was installed correctly, moisture issues should not be a problem because there should be a vapor barrier under the cork. My suggestion would be a "floating" type of laminate floor that rests on top of the cork but is not actually attached to it. Either way, you'll be fine.

Answer 3

yes, cork is a great sound barrier!!

Answer 4

The cork will start to rot sooner or later, then you will have to pull up perfectly good tiles to get to the dodgy ones underneath.

A job half done is ultimately a waste of time.

Answer 5

"Cork is unique in so many ways: it is light, buoyant, compressible and elastic, ROT-RESISTANT, fire-resistant (in its natural state), impermeable and yet soft. Yet it is a completely natural material which cannot be emulated by any synthetic material. It is no surprise that it is highly sought after in a variety of applications, in particular stoppers and floats, due to its honeycomb structure, flexible membrane and lightweight properties." from this website http://www.floorideas.co.uk/CorkFloors.h...

and this one also gives good info on cork  http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/Publi...

and heres a you tube clip on laying laminate with a cork underlay. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdkyZP_g6...

So long as the cork was laid properly and is secure (and you lay the laminate as per instructions given to you by the supplier) I can't imagine it would be a problem, but maybe check with the laminate supplier just to be 100% sure.