Do You Need An Underlayment For Vinyl Plank Flooring

If your subfloor is very even and smooth you do not need an underlayment under your vinyl plank on hardwood.

Do you need an underlayment for vinyl plank flooring.

Vinyl planks require hard thin underlay because the product itself is softer. Second you may want an extra vapor barrier above the subfloor to reduce any risk of moisture. Vinyl is quite resilient after all. If the vinyl has a backing layer or pad already attached 95 of the time they will not suggest anything at all aside from a vapor barrier.

While underlayment for vinyl planks may be used under hardwood and laminate the reverse is not true. The key to installing luxury vinyl over concrete is to ensure the floor is level and clean. An underlayment will help level out minor imperfections in your wood subfloor as well. Inspect the underlayment one thing that hasn t changed about installing vinyl flooring or any type of flooring for the matter is the need for a perfectly smooth and level underlayment.

The only other time that you don t need to purchase an underlayment is when there is already one built in to the vinyl plank flooring. 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. However underlayment can still prove resourceful when used for sound reduction and cushioning. A vinyl flooring underlayment will not be as thick as a laminate or hardwood underlayment.

Underlayment for vinyl flooring if you already have flooring in mind it s always a good idea to refer to the manufacturer to see what they recommend beforehand. First it will give you some added cushion to help make the floor softer to walk on. Underlayment isn t a necessity but you might consider it to add noise reducing qualities or additional softness to the product. Trafficmaster is our company that makes vinyl peel and stick vinyl as well as real wood and laminate flooring systems.

You also do not need an underlayment if your vinyl plank flooring has underlayment installed however you may need a vapor barrier. One thing is certain with underlayment and vinyl plank flooring though and that s the fact that when it s recommended it must be thin and it must be dense. 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. If the concrete is uneven you will have to level it out.

Since vinyl planks are generally thinner than a laminate the underlayment is also thinner.