Do You Need Underlay For Vinyl Floor Tiles

Vinyl floors that are glue down or loose lay will not need a vinyl underlayment as these floors will be installed directly over the subfloor.

Do you need underlay for vinyl floor tiles.

What about for click and lock vinyl tiles. Installing new flooring is a costly enterprise so you want to get it right the first time around. A vinyl floor usually features a base layer which serves the purpose of an underlay thereby removing the need for an additional underlay. Because you can install sheet vinyl over existing vinyl it offers the option of changing design without breaking the bank.

Actually you may not even need underlayment depending on the product and where you plan to install it. Vinyl underlayment is an optional add on to click lock vinyls that are 4mm or thicker. This baselayer makes the vinyl flooring incredibly durable and comfortable to walk on. They mimic hardwood yet offer the ease of maintenance of luxury vinyl.

In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install. Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications. In most cases as long as the old vinyl surface is flat you don t need to do anything more for this type of underlayment. Vinyl floors are designed with a base layer making the addition of underlay pointless.

Most vinyl flooring or luxury vinyl tiles do not require underlay. It may also be a requirement in certain hoa or apartment complexes to have a sound barrier with your flooring. Vinyl click tile is usually very thin. The design of vinyl flooring prevents the need for an underlay.

Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. Vinyl flooring by its very design is very stable. However you ll want to use one in every other application including covering existing hardwood floors vinyl flooring that isn t cushioned and concrete floors. A vinyl flooring underlayment will not be as thick as a laminate or hardwood underlayment.

If you re laying the lvp over an existing cushion backed vinyl floor or a below grade tile floor then you won t need to use an underlayment. Concrete and wood subfloors each have their own subfloor preparation. For vinyl flooring installations over wood subfloors you will not need to worry about a moisture barrier but you may want an underlayment for added cushion or sound reduction. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material.

As a result vinyl floors do not wobble or buckle under your feet. The only time a vinyl floor may need underlay is when the surface beneath is uneven or has issues with damp.