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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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Thank you for sharing your brilliant ideas.
Hello.
I am installing in a basement Over a concrete floor. What thpe of floor is best used to keep warmth and stability? Thanks
Hi Andrew, If you are interested in vinyl, we would recommend a WPC (wood plastic composite) which tends to be warmer and more stable.
Hi! We had a shower pipe break. We have sub-floor, underlayment and glued sheet vinyl. My question is~ can I leave the existing sheet vinyl, lay underlayment on top of it then install my 12×12 vinyl tiles on top? It is a space of 32 square feet. What would I use to adhere the underlayment to the existing vinyl? Thank you for your experienced advice! Juline in Peculiar Missouri!
Hello Juline, We would recommend pulling up all of the existing sheet vinyl and underlayment under it before installing new flooring. We recommend it to make sure no mold issue is created under the floor.
Hello which best vinyl or laminate flooring. I am replacing flooring in living room, family room and hall.
Hi Kim! Both laminate and vinyl are good options for areas like living rooms and hallways. Vinyl will be 100% waterproof and has easy maintenance. While laminate also has easy maintenance, it is only water resistant due to being a wood based product.
Love your site, so informative. I was hoping to put either laminate or vinyl flooring over exsiting ceramic floor in kitchen, laundry room. Is laminate over existing tile a bad idea? I was told it would not be flexible. Do I need flexible? I am getting so many mixed opinions. It seems as if a surdy thickness of the laminate would mot cause issues. Is there a way to gauge how I choose the thickness of a pad with the thickness of laminate?
Thank you again for all the great answers you provide.
Hi Susan! You would be fine installing a floating laminate or vinyl floor over top of the pre-existing ceramic. You will have to make sure that the grout lines of the ceramic are no more than a quarter of an inch deep. If it exceeds that, you will have to level the grout lines before you install another floor. Thickness of laminate and vinyl is technically a preference – I would recommend looking into wear layer (vinyl) and AC ratings (laminate). These ratings will be your durability ratings. A lot of vinyls have a preattached underlayment and all laminate requires an underlayment of at least 2mm thick. If you have any further questions, our team would be happy to help advise you. Browse and Chat here!