Laminate flooring?

Question

Hi

We are having some laminate flooring put down in our kitchen which is a hard stone solid floor but i need to know which will be the best underlay to use for this or if i need any at all.

Can anyone please help?

Thanks

Answer 1

There are a questions first to answer.If your kitchen is on a concrete slab you will need a moisture barrier(plastic sheeting).If your hard stone floor was installed over a crawl space  or a basement then you wont need to worry about a moisture barrier.Second does your laminate come with a pad on the back.If it does you can start laying  laminate immediately.If there is no pad on your laminate boards then you will need to buy a underlayment padding.If you still need to buy a moisture barrier most of the underlayment pads have a moisture barrier built in.

Answer 2

Warranty issues may come into play here. Flooring companies can be touchy on the type of underlay used when installing their flooring, I would call the manufacturer and see what they recommend for sure, good luck and have fun! Below are a couple of articles I found that you might find interesting, good luck!

Answer 3

You need to put a water proof under lay if you don't the floor will just bounce in places and if you have leak it wont ruin it .

Answer 4

Best bet is to call the company that manufactured the Laminate if you can or call where you purchased the product.   You will definately need an underlay but I think you need the better quality as the laminate flooring must float and I think a hard stone underneath would be a problem.

Answer 5

you do need underlay as it allows a little bit of movement for the joints in the laminate flooring.

Just use the thin foam underlay type that comes in a roll.