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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!
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Hi we have installed luxury nynal floor a week ago. Now we realised our builder did not level the subfloor and laid it on the uneven concrete. SOme places are bumpy and some are going down. What to do?
Hi Kazi, thanks for the question. There is not really anything you can do, but to fix the subfloor. I would recommend calling the builder to see if he will fix the issue. The subfloor can be one of the most important steps in the installation!
I am remodeling a cabin with an uneven plywood floor. What can I put over this floor as a surface under sheet vinyl?
Hi Susan, thanks for the question. You can either add an additional layer of plywood over your current subfloor, or sand down the uneven parts. If you are sanding down the uneven parts, make sure the plywood is still thick enough to support the boards, at least 1/4 or 3/8″.
Hi,
I am replacing my kitchen and dining room vinyl flooring with vinyl wood plank (6″ x 36″). I intend to have it “free floating”. The new flooring has its own underlayment attached (it is very top of the line flooring). When I peel up the old vinyl (installed is the peel & stick squares), the subfloor also had adhesive trowelled onto it before the tiles were attached. The subfloor is particle board. The old adhesive that is left on the subfloor is way too difficult to deal with in order to remove. It is quite sticky. I am afraid the new floor will become stuck to it and not free float. Also I am afraid I might hear tacky sounds when walking on it if I install right over the old adhesive. I normally might have just put the new floor right over the old but several places in the subfloor need repair (cut out and new subfloor installed). I have read several places to simply put down visqueen over the adhesive and put the new flooring on top of it. I can’t think of any other way to deal with this. Would you suggest this or anything else? Removing the old adhesive is out of the question and I don’t want to lay wooden sheet underlayment. Thanks!
Hi Jeff, thanks for the question. Your subfloor should always be level, as vinyl can take on the shape of any high or low places. You mentioned your vinyl is top of the line, so if it is an SPC or WPC rigid core construction, it is less likely to take the shape of the subfloor imperfections. If you want to just put visqueen overtop, it will most likely not level the floor. Since your vinyl has underlayment attached, the Visqueen will prevent the adhesive from getting stuck to the floor, however, I am not sure if the attached underlayment will be thick enough to mask the imperfections, since I cannot see it for myself. With the visqueen, attached underlayment and a rigid core construction, you should be fine. If you’re installing a standard LVT, you may want to consider covering it with a cement compound to level the floor and eliminate the sticky feel. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply. The vinyl laminate planks are about 1/4 inch thick, ridgid core with about 1/16 inch foam underlayment attached, brand name Mannington Adura Max with locking tongue & groove. Imperfections won’t be an issue. Surface must be smooth and clean, however. I have 3 mil visqueen to cover the old sticky adhesive I did use a cement compound where some of the particle board was broken out or uneven. That is also used for floor leveling by floating it across the surface if one needs to do that. I appreciate the confirmation on my approach, I never want to replace this floor again. The laminate planks have a lifetime warranty.
Awesome, I am glad it worked out for you! Best of luck with the rest of your project.
I am installing vinyl plank flooring and need to remove an existing layer of self stick tiles which were installed on a layer of luan underlayment. I am able to remove the self stick tiles and most of the adhesive pretty easily however there is some residual adhesive still remaining which is tacky. Is there some product I can use to encapsulate this or can I use a layer of visqueen?
Thanks
Hi Jon, thanks for reaching out. Have you tried goo-gone or another adhesive remover? Visqueen is very thin and will lay over the adhesive. It is best to get the floor as level as possible. Depending on the type of vinyl you are installing, it could take the shape of the adhesive after pressure is put on the planks.
I am building a separate apartment in my basement. I live in Canada, so I want the floors to be warm enough, and not very hard, as I am putting it on the concrete floor. I have seen a lot of laminate flooring in basements that were peeling off, which I obviously want to avoid. I was wondering if you would still recommend Luxury Vinyl, and without an underlayment?
Thanks.
Hi Dordy, thanks for the question. A luxury vinyl will be a good option for a basement apartment. There are several types of vinyl to consider. If you want a softer feel under foot and a hard plank, I’d recommend do an SPC or WPC vinyl with an attached underlayment. These are rigid cores that have dimensional stability and will be soft underfoot with an underlayment. If you opt for a standard LVT, the planks will feel hard underfoot with a concrete subfloor. SPC vinyls tend to be more affordable, so I think this would be best for you! You can take a look at our SPC vinyls here: https://www.bestlaminate.com/vinyl-plank-flooring/search-by-construction/spc/