All About Underlayment!
Underlayment is a crucial component to installing a floating floor that holds up without squeaking, popping, or crunching noises! Floating underlayment is used to smooth out small imperfections in the subfloor and provide you with a softer underfoot. This not only helps reduce leveling before installation, but also to create a pleasant underfoot experience. Materials such as foam, cork, and pad are commonly used in residential and commercial applications. The benefits of using soft underlayments like foam, cork, and pad are now becoming clear to manufacturers. So much so, that we are now seeing a larger number of laminate and vinyl flooring that come with underlayment already pre-attached. There is no need to worry if your flooring does not already come with pre-attached underlayment. For flooring without a pre-attached pad, we use underlayment with a superior IIC (Impact Insulation Class) and STC (Sound Transmission Class). The Impact Insulation measures a floor or ceilings resistance to the transmission of structure-borne or impact created noise. The higher the IIC number the better the impact sound insulation. The Sound Transmission Class rates ceilings and floors on their effectiveness in blocking sound. The higher the STC number the better the sound barrier.
Underlayment also provides a critical role in moisture resistance. Moisture cannot penetrate the closed cell membranes of the underlayment. Underlayment serves as the first line of defense against humidity rising through your floor and potentially causing damage. This especially helps in Texas where we experience higher levels of humidity outside and slab foundation construction. We hope this helps understand the important roles underlayment serves in the installation and ease of living in your new floor! If you have any other questions feel free to contact us via email, phone, or at the showroom Monday through Saturday!
We want to make sure you're happy from the first step into our showroom to the first step on your new floor. M.R. Flooring & Remodeling is your one stop shop for flooring and remodeling in the greater San Antonio area. Visit us today and see why we are one of the best rated flooring stores & installation teams in Texas.