Underlay advice for laminate flooring

elsmandino · 2 Dec 2015

Hi there,

I put down some laminate flooring in my bedroom last year and did such a good job that my other half wants me to do the living room.

The floor was completely concrete, so I painted it with damp seal

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Polycell-One-Coat-Damp-Seal-500ml/p/227974

and laid this down

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Premium-Kitchen-and-Bathroom-Underlay/p/191372

before putting the laminate down.

I pulled up the carpet in the living room and have just discovered that our living room floor is made up of both concrete and floorboards.

I am a bit wary of using the same technique as before without checking first:

1. Should I use damp seal over both surfaces?

2. The underlay I used before specifically says

"Do NOT use directly over floorboards or underfloor heating"

Why is this and what are my alternatives?

Thanks very much.

dazlight · 2 Dec 2015

1st of all that isn't for floors. It's for walls and ceilings

Don't put it on the wood though.

That underlay is rubbish. Too thin. Have a look on QA products website at underlays
I use timber tech 2 silver a lot. Great gear

http://qaflooringsolutions.com/timbertech2-silver-plus.html

elsmandino · 3 Dec 2015

Thanks very much for that - I wish I had popped on here for advice before starting the first room now.

That Timber Tech 2 Silver looks miles better and, to insult to injury, it is cheaper than the stuff I used before!

I am going to go with that.

Do I need to do anything with the floor boards or bare concrete first before I start putting it down?

dazlight · 4 Dec 2015

You need to get the floor flat really.
Are the floors level where the wood meets concrete?

elsmandino · 30 Nov 2016

Hello,

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread but I have only just got round to actually doing this job.

Unfortunately, I am having trouble getting hold of the underlay (recommended above) locally and the price seems to have shot up from when I looked last year.

Are there any other alternative products that might do the job just as well?

chappers · 30 Nov 2016

I usually use duralay premier, it is essentially the same stuff, I think Screwfix sell it now

elsmandino · 6 Dec 2016

http://www.screwfix.com/c/building-joinery/underlay/cat850024

Thanks for that - Screwfix is local to me, so it would be convenient to get it there.

It is quite pricey - do you think it is worth around £42.00 for 10m2?

oldbutnotdead · 6 Dec 2016

As far as I know you need a vapour barrier of some sort on the concrete bit (otherwise your floor will likely get damp) but not on the wooden bit.
Last 2 bits of laminate I did I used normal DPM for the vapour barrier (on concrete) then (in the kitchen cos the floor was very not level) that green felty stuff from Wickes (just looked for it on their website, can't see it now, it comes in 500 x 500 squares & isn't that dear). In the utility room (nice flat floor) I used the cheap 1mm foam stuff (£10/10 metres). Kitchen has done 10 years now, edges are starting to go on the laminate (but that isn't surprising, it was really cheap £3/sq m). Utility is still fine. So your call.....

chappers · 6 Dec 2016

Duralay premier has a foil back, tape the joints if you're particularly worried. It is good stuff, being a dense rubber it will give your floor a solid feel, providing the subfloor is good and flat

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Underlay advice for laminate flooring

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