What is hardwood floor underlayment and why it’s important?

Installing a hardwood floor at your home or office can be an important decision. It would mean that you are making quite an investment with it and expect it to last a long time as far as flooring is concerned. It also provides the floor with the much-needed beauty too.

Apart from making an investment towards hardwood flooring you would also have to take the initiative to ensure that they last a while. Cleaning it at regular intervals and maintaining it would be very important to ensure its longevity.

The other aspect comes with the installation of the hardwood flooring at your building. There needs to be a considerable amount of thought that goes into the installation. Providing it adequate cushioning is important and it can be done with an underlayment.

What is Underlayment?

We shall first have a look at what is an underlayment. A thin sheet of material that is used between the hardwood floor and the subfloor is usually called as an underlayment. It is a must to have an underlayment to prolong the lifespan of your hardwood flooring.

What Are the Materials Used for Underlayment?

There are different materials that are used for hardwood flooring underlayment. Some of the most common and the ones recommended include foam and cork. The prices of these materials used for underlayment differ depending on the quality that you choose.

While foam might be a good choice it might flex causing for unevenness in the hardwood flooring. However, with cork there is less in terms of flexing which means more evenness to the flooring that you have installed.

Importance of Hardwood Underlayment

There are primarily three purposes that the hardwood underlayment provides. These are the main factors for people to have the underlayment installed when they opt for a hardwood flooring at the building that they stay at.

• Moisture Barrier: Moisture can be a great damaging factor for woods of all kinds. In order to preserve wood, you would have to ensure that it is protected from the moisture from beneath. Using underlayment would handle this problem effectively and not allow for moisture to creep on to the hardwood.
• Sound Proofing: External sounds can be eliminated and may not enter the building effectively when you have a good underlayment. This is especially required for hardwood flooring as this might not be a problem that is faced by people who have normal flooring.
• Insulation Purposes: Insulation of the house from external factors such as heat and cold can be provided with the use of the hardwood underlayment. It to keep the house warm during winter and cold during summer. Having a sound underlayment for your hardwood flooring would also mean that the temperatures at your building are ideal for people and pets inside.

Apart from all these things you would end up saving a lot of money with an underlayment. Your energy bills would be reduced with insulation and the need for replacement would also diminish due to the longevity of the hardwood that is installed at your home.