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Resource Center
Dear Bob and Betsy,
I live in northern Michigan and it can get cold in the winter. Can I use underlayment under vinyl flooring as insulation to keep my house warm? If so, what kind of underlayment is best?
Thanks! Silvia O.
Dear Sylvia,
BRRR! Winters in Michigan don’t sound fun! We can understand why you would be concerned with warmth and insulation in any place you can get it. There is some good news and bad news when it comes to underlayment and vinyl flooring. We have compiled more information for you to help to decide what’s best for you. Cheers! Bob & Betsy
Underlayment is a popular option under many types of floating floors to help with warmth, cushion, sound, and smoothing subfloor irregularities. The rule for vinyl flooring used to be that underlayment should not be used, due to the unstable and flexible structure of LVT, however, you can find engineered core vinyl now that are allowed to have underlayment due to the stability of the planks.
No matter the type of vinyl flooring chosen, it needs to have a sturdy, stable sub-floor with very little cushioning regardless of the installation type. Even today’s engineered vinyl should only have an underlayment of 1mm or less thickness. When choosing a standard LVT, not needing underlayment is both a savings in your pocket and time with installation, however, this means no thermal insulation.
With today’s technology, you can find many vinyl floors that come with attached underlayment, usually 1mm or less. These floors are typically engineered core vinyl (*insert article about this) with more stability than classic LVTs. These will be referred to WPC, SPC, Engineered Core or Hybrid. If you’re looking for a warmth factor, you will need to look up the manufacturer specifics on the underlayment attached.
Standard laminate and engineered wood flooring underlayment will have sound and thermal ratings. These are STC, ICC and R-Value. You will want to look for the R-value if you are investigating an attached vinyl underlayment for warmth. This refers to the underlayment’s ability to conduct heat.
The higher an R-value is, the less heat will move through it. Many homeowners prefer an underlayment with a higher R-value to keep their feet warm in the winter months, however, if you have any kind of radiant heat system, a high R-value can inhibit its effectiveness. Learn more about R-Value here.
When it comes to warmth under your foot, a subfloor will also play a role. If you’re installing over a concrete subfloor, the flooring will generally be colder than a wood subfloor. If you’re installing over a concrete subfloor, we’d recommend going with a thicker vinyl that has attached underlayment. If you’re open to another type of floating floor, like laminate, you would be able to get a thicker underlayment with R-Value.
Unfortunately, adding insulating underlayment under vinyl flooring will cause the flooring to be unstable. Because vinyl flooring isn’t made from wood products, it does not have the same structure that laminate flooring does. Vinyl flooring needs to have a sturdy, stable sub-floor with very little cushioning regardless of the installation type: glue-down, click-lock, or loose lay. However, if you are installing vinyl flooring over a concrete sub-floor, you will need a very thin vapor barrier, such as Visqueen Vapor Barrier underlayment to protect your flooring from moisture.
If you are set on having the warmth and insulation under your flooring, we would suggest switching to laminate flooring. Laminate flooring has to have underlayment in order to float the flooring. There are lots of different underlayment to choose from for your specific needs. If you’re looking for insulation, we recommend Robert’s Super Felt Premium Underlayment. The felt adds lots of insulation and sound dampening properties that will keep you warm and your floors quiet!
Do you still have questions about vinyl flooring or underlayment? Feel free to comment in the space below and we will be happy to help!
Contact the Bestlaminate Flooring Experts today! Call us at 1-800-520-0961 or send us a quick message to get expert advice and answers.
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I am installing vynal plank in my kitchen. I leveled the floor and screwed down a 1/4 inch subfloor. Do I have to cover all the screw holes before I glue down the venal plank, and if I do what product do I use.
Hi Vi, you can install over it! The glue should fill the holes fine.
Just moved into condo built on a slab. Northeast winters are cold. Laminate flooring will go directly over existing tile. What do I use underneath flooring to help alleviate cold?
Hey Cathie, there is really not a padding that is going to keep the floor from feeling cold. Obviously a thicker pad will help, but it still may get cold at times.
I am in the process of removing old tile from my concrete basement laundry room that has a drain. I am planning to use Allure Traffic Master Luxury vinyl Plank flooring on our budget because it is water resistances and from my understanding can be lay directly on the concrete. My question would be would I have to level the floor where the drain slightly dips. Also, would I need to use a any sort of vapor barrier? I live in Michigan, so we get all kinds of weather conditions.
Hey Matthew, if the dip is greater than a quarter of an inch, then yes I would level it off. If the material is water proof, no padding or vapor barrier is necessary to put under!
We are having our flooring replaced. We have a concrete subfloor. Thinking of going with Luxury vinyl. This is the main entryway, living area, family room (all high traffic area). What kind of vinyl (2mm or 8mm) and underlayment would be appropriate? We live in Houston, Texas and it gets HOT in summer. We deal with humidity too.
Hello! If you want a floating floor, the 2mm option is not going to be for you. That would be a glue down floor since it is so thin. Any thickness vinyl would work though asd it is always going to be waterproof!
I am removing an engineered bamboo floor to replace it with vinyl plank flooring. Could I just leave the underlayment from the bamboo floor?
Hey Tom, unfortunately no. Vinyl flooring needs a special padding for vinyl, so one for a bamboo is not going to work for that sort of install. Hope this helps!