The question of whether you should glue underlayment down to a subfloor may come up if you are installing flooring for the first time. You want to make sure you have a solid foundation for your new flooring. You would think this would extend to your underlayment.
Should I Glue Underlayment Down?
No, you should not glue down your underlayment. Underlayment is is a floating material, the same as your laminate flooring. In most cases, you should not glue or nail your underlayment down. You should always check with the installation instructions of the underlayment for proper installation instructions first.
Learn more about installing underlayment here.
16 comments
Hey! So I am thinking about ripping up my carpet that I have in my bedroom and putting it down vinyl tile. It would be a quick easy fix that would look nice and stand the test of time. That said, do I need to secure the underlayment to the subfloor in order to peel and stick the vinyl tile onto it? Furthermore, should I use some sort of vinyl glue on top of the underlayment before I peel and stick the vinyl tiles in place? I’m going to get the bright green underlayment that says it’s good for vinyl tiles that I found on Amazon. Thanks in advance for the help!
Thanks for your question, Kristyn. It sounds like you are installing a peel and stick vinyl rather than a click lock. We would suggest that you confirm with the manufacturer of your flooring whether or not underlayment can be used your material. It is important to speak with the manufacturer to ensure that you are not voiding your warranty due to incorrect installation. Best of luck with your new floors!
Hi! I’m laying laminate flooring on stairs and I really need an underlayment for sound proofing (condo). Is it ok to cut the underlayment to size, lay the planks on top, and nail/glue both down to the subfloor? This seems pretty straightforward to me but all laminate plank manufacturers tell you not to use underlayment, even if nailing/gluing down. Please help! Thank you!
Thanks for your question, Roxanne. We do not recommend using underlayment with laminate flooring on stairs. The underlayment would not be secure to the laminate planks and could cause issues in the future, as well as void the warranty.