Do I Need Underlay For Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl underlayment is an optional add on to click lock vinyls that are 4mm or thicker.

Do i need underlay for luxury vinyl flooring.

It is very important to have a debris free and level subfloor for a glue down vinyl flooring installation. In fact as a softer flooring adding an underlayment could mean too much cushion resulting in dents and more wear and tear sooner. Why underlay is not necessary for vinyl floors the design of vinyl flooring prevents the need for an underlay. If you re laying the lvp over an existing cushion backed vinyl floor or a below grade tile floor then you won t need to use an underlayment.

If the surface you re laying on is level and smooth a well cushioned vinyl floor should be fine on its own. If you re wondering about luxury vinyl plank underlayment that s one of the appeals it usually doesn t need underlayment. Lvp is thinner than ceramic tile wood and other types of flooring and doesn t require an underlayment so it s possible to go over existing flooring without raising the floor much see watch your floor height below. Glue down vinyl plank flooring will not need an underlayment.

Also there is no need to leave expansion gaps or put in an underlayment. This baselayer makes the vinyl flooring incredibly durable and comfortable to walk on. No glue or locking system is required to install loose lay vinyl plank flooring. A vinyl floor usually features a base layer which serves the purpose of an underlay thereby removing the need for an additional underlay.

However you ll want to use one in every other application including covering existing hardwood floors vinyl flooring that isn t cushioned and concrete floors. Vinyl floors are designed with a base layer making the addition of underlay pointless. Some products have it built into the product itself so it s not necessary to lay it separately. A vinyl flooring underlayment will not be as thick as a laminate or hardwood underlayment.

You will install these planks by gluing them directly on top of the subfloor. Most vinyl flooring or luxury vinyl tiles do not require underlay. Our luxury vinyl click flooring is laid using the same as technique as laminate options in that it s loose laid creating a floating floor. Vinyl floors that are glue down or loose lay will not need a vinyl underlayment as these floors will be installed directly over the subfloor.

Opt for a dense underlayment if you go for one. A luxury vinyl tile lvt underlayment is a specially formulated underlayment for installing underneath luxury tiles. Most vinyl floors don t need an underlay. Loose lay vinyl plank flooring.